For a half dozen shows a week, Kirk Massey dons a cap to make himself bald, adheres blue paint to his face, and takes the stage as a Blue Man Group performer to the delight of an enthusiastic audience.
Now he's walking across a different stage, swathed in scarlet and gripping a diploma instead of a drumstick. Massey graduates today from UNLV with a 4.0 GPA and a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in visual production.
His accomplishments are sweetened by the fact he went back to school after close to a 20-year gap in his studies.
“Having life experience when I came back later made me a better student,” said 40-year-old Massey. “I was nervous (about going back). It's not as scary as I thought.”
He had imagined his teachers and fellow students, many of whom are nearly two decades younger, treating him differently because of his age.
“It hasn’t been that way at all. Everybody here was super welcoming, and everybody was super supportive and helpful,” Massey said.
He felt a similar sense of community in the two weeks that followed the tragic Dec. 6 shooting on campus that left three professors dead and another seriously injured.
"Rather than a graduation tainted by tragedy," he said "I've been moved by the remarkable unity and strength of the Rebel community. Witnessing everyone rallying together in support and remembrance has left me with a powerful memory — one of resilience that turned adversity into a force that strengthened the university, community, and family.”
Massey attended community college in Stockton, California, right after high school, but the allure of the theater and acting quickly drew him away. Trying out for the Blue Man Group was going to be a fun story he could tell people — never thinking he’d actually get the call back. But at 22 years old he began a career that would lead him on tours to places like South Korea, France, Switzerland, and around the United States.
Massey’s return to college was prompted by a series of events.
He was living in Florida performing for the Orlando-based Blue Man Group when the pandemic happened. Entertainment and live theater shows were suddenly canceled. When he applied for non-acting jobs, recruiters told him employers weren’t hiring him because he didn’t have a degree.
Massey was forced to be honest with himself. He knew as he got older that he wouldn't be able to sustain being a Blue Man due to physical demands of the job.
He'd enrolled in classes at a community college when he got a call from the Blue Man Group managers in Las Vegas who were ready to put the show back on.
He moved to Las Vegas and applied to UNLV’s journalism school, where he found an immediate connection to the curriculum in storytelling, broadcasting, and producing.
“I’ll miss coming to campus. It’s part of my routine,” he said.
At the journalism school, he’s gained experience in the director’s chair, where he’s now calling the camera shots for the student-run television programs Studio G and Rebel Report.
However, he can’t help but offer sage advice to typical college-aged students: Get that degree now.
“I used to think I was busy. I learned a whole new definition of trying to balance full-time school and full-time work, especially now that I have a little one,” Massey said of his 6-month old son, Luca. “Even if you don’t know your end goal, the degree is the ticket to get you there. Just know it’s going to help you.”
In November, he directed the broadcast of the Lady Rebels game against Utah Tech, which was streamed on the Mountain West Conference website and on the Silver State Sports Network. It was the first time students managed a live sports broadcast.
The skills he gained also positioned him to start working behind the scenes at Blue Man Group. He’s now for the troupe’s .
When he gets his degree, Massey will wave to his son, Luca, and his wife, Emily, whom he credits for helping to balance work and school. They are his primary motivation for pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
And for the non-traditional students like himself, “I would say, more than anything, coming back made me realize it is possible to start a new career somewhere later in life. I used to struggle with that. Now I feel like I have a lot of options and things I can do, and it sets my family up for better success,” Massey said.
