Year 44, Issue 1

September 13 2012

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Year 44, No. 1

Liberal, Kansas

Class to honor local firefighters for 9/11 Dawn S house Crusader staff Honoring local firefighters in memory of those who died Sept. 11, 2001, is the basis of a sociology group project at Seward. Sociology students developed the idea for the project through a class assignment and will cook a meal for the local firefighters on Oct. 11. “We are surprised,” said Kelly Kirk, fire chief of Liberal Fire Department. “No one has done this for us before. The event falls on the same night as our monthly meeting.” The meal will be served at the Liberal Fire Station, 110 W. 15th Ave. Crusader illustrations/ Dawn Shouse “We wanted to celebrate on a day that is not The 9/11 memorial located at the Liberal airport was unveiled last so somber. Starting at 5:30 p.m., we hope year. The metal artwork features an original beam from the World to feed about 50 firefighters,” said student Trade Center and remains on display in the airport lobby.

Kara Stump, the group’s facilitator. Seward County Community College/ Area Technical School sociology classes have been performing community service projects for several years. “It’s a great opportunity for students to give back to our community,” sociology instructor Debbie Stafford said. “A few of last year’s projects included a health fair for the Mexican American Ministries, a silent auction for artwork to fund scholarships for the local high school, the creation of a safe park for the Head Start program, and one group helped feed the homeless and fix the homeless shelter. The fireman appreciation event is the first one I know about so far this year.” The group is planning musical entertainment and food donations of hot dogs and hamburger meat.

Those who would like to donate or volunteer for this event may contact Stump by calling 620-428-6356 or emailing KJ Stump27@hotmail.com. Organizers request donations of food only, no monetary donations. To donate or volunteer for this or other students’ projects, those interested may contact Stafford at 620-4171455 or email debbie.stafford@sccc.edu.

Accreditation representatives to visit college for checkup Jose Medrano Editor

Students at ‘Lion King’ musical — Pages 4-5

Courtesy photo

Saints baseball players Tyler Wiedenfeld, at left, T.J. Looney, right, and Garret Smith, not pictured, were in the Denver area playing baseball for the Arvada Colts when the Aurora theater shooting occurred July 20.

We will never forget...? 9/11 editorial — Page 6

Close call in Aurora Three Saints baseball players were staying in Aurora, Colo., during ‘The Dark Knight’ shooting Jose Medrano Editor

Volleyball — Page 7

Staging with Alison Chambers — Page 3

Gunshots, panic and sirens enveloped Aurora, Colo., during a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight” this summer. Three Saints baseball players were in Aurora during the time of the theater shooting. Twelve people were killed and 58 were injured when a lone gunman began shooting July 20. Sophomore baseball players Jack “T.J.” Looney, Garret Smith and Tyler Wiedenfeld were playing baseball for a Denver area team during the summer. Looney, Smith and Wiedenfeld played for the Arvada Colts a summer baseball league team and were in the area when the shooting took place. “My host-dad was a cop, and he got called in the middle of the night to go out to the theater,” said Wiedenfeld, who was living in Aurora with his host family. “I was living close to the theater, and that night I could see the lights flashing and hear the sirens going off,” Wiedenfeld said. Smith was staying with him that night. Both Aurora and Arvada are part of the Denver-metro area.

Wiedenfeld’s host father was an officer who responded to the call. “I was getting texts from him,” Wiedenfeld said. The shooting occurred at an AMC theatre during a midnight premiere of “The Dark Knight.” “We had actually talked about going to the movies that night,” Looney said. “We got back late from a game, so we didn’t go.” Within 20 minutes of the start of the movie, a masked gunman walked in through the one exit door of the theatre and began to fire rounds at moviegoers. Police officers were on scene within minutes of the shooting. Ten people were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died in the hospital due to wounds received. “That night was crazy, there was just so much going on,” Looney said. Several hundred people were in the sold out theater when the shooting began. “Our teammates were wandering the area. They couldn’t go anywhere because there were so many cops and cars there,” Looney said. “A couple of guys from our team went to another theater to watch the movie, and we worried that they were in the theater where the shooting was happening,” Smith said.

“They wouldn’t pick up their phones so we were worried sick about them. Eventually we got to them,” Looney said. None of the Saints baseball players went out to the theater. “I had like seven missed calls and five voicemails from my mom,” Wiedenfeld said. Other parents were concerned as well. “My mom was blowing up my phone that night. When I finally got to talk to her, she was crying,” Looney said. And as the news spread, more calls came in. “I woke up at three in morning with text messages and missed calls from my mom, dad and friends,” Smith said. The events in Aurora did not affect the Saints players’ schedule. Some things did change for the players. “I felt a little bit shocked by what had happened,” Smith said. Wiedenfeld said their coach didn’t let them go out to the movies after what happened. The Saints baseball players finished playing for the Arvada Colts in late July, and are now back at Seward County Community College to play baseball.

Two Academic Quality Improvement Program representatives will visit Seward County Community College/ Area Technical School Sept. 24 and 25 for a quality checkup. AQIP is the accreditation organization that SCCC/ATS is currently partnered with. Accreditation is the recognition of a school or institution for meeting certain guidelines and standards. AQIP evaluates SCCC/ATS to see if it is meeting those standards. The process of accreditation for the college is based on a sevenyear cycle. At the end of the cycle, representatives will visit the college for a quality checkup. “The degrees that students receive are more valuable because they are accredited,” said Dean of Student Services Celeste Donovan. SCCC/ATS credits are transferable because the college is accredited. The two AQIP representatives who will visit SCCC/ATS are Dennis Shaw of Des Moines Area Community College and Brenda Sanchez of Independence

Community College. “The campus visit is a checkup to make sure that everything is on track,” said Dean of Academic Affairs Cynthia Rapp. The visitation on Sept. 24 and 25 represents the end of the first AQIP cycle for SCCC/ATS. The AQIP program also focuses on other areas other than accreditation. “It deals with our retention rate, transfer programs, advisers and faculty,” Donovan said. “Students shouldn’t be worried about the visit,” Rapp said. Students should treat the day like an ordinary school day. The representatives will also tour the facilities of SCCC/ATS. The AQIP representatives will be on the main campus on Sept. 24 and the technical school will be visited on Sept. 25. A group of students will be selected prior to the visit to have lunch with the representatives. Faculty members will also be meeting with the representatives during set meeting times. Students, faculty, or anyone who wants more information can click on the accreditation link at the bottom of sccc.edu.

New recycling effort hopes to create scholarship money Cami S tahl y Crusader staff A new form of recycling is coming to Seward County Community College/Area Technical School. Now plastic items will be turned into scholarship dollars. Jared Haas, a biology instructor at SCCC/ATS, decided to bring a new initiative to help recycle when he saw a plastic bag recycling bin at Dillon’s. Haas contacted Terracycle, a company located in N.J. that recycles almost anything, and has applied to open an account with them in the name of the Development Foundation, so that the Foundation will get credit for SCCC recycling. The recycling bins can hold plastic pens, pencils, markers, highlighters and caps. The credit from the pen recycling will turn into cash for scholarships from recycled items shipped to Terracycle. The college has done this before but stopped. Haas now controls this project. He is doing the project by himself so far, but would like others to help. Another group that is also involved and has been involved with recycling at SCCC/ATS is Pathways, and the club has now taken the lead role in recycling on campus. Don Hayes is the adviser of Pathways. The college now has more recycling bins to alleviate the cans that were in overflow status. “There are about half a dozen more new bins,” Hayes said. More than 30 recycling bins have been installed. Club members will go through the recycling bins and make sure that only recycled

trash are in them. Hayes and the Pathways members are going to take the recycling items to a recycling center somewhere out of town to increase recycling efforts. They plan to pick the center that has the most effective cause. Hayes said the reason he enjoys doing this is because he sees the value in helping students save our planet. “We, at Pathways, recycle for our world because we are part of the world,” Hayes said. Haas stated he is doing his part because he wants to help raise money for student scholarships, raise awareness about environmental issues, and “show people how little changes in their lifestyle can help the environment and the community.” People can help not just by collecting and recycling, but also by informing others and getting them involved. “I think this will be successful if students and employees get involved,” Haas said. People who want to help with the recycling can find a cardboard box in the division office for math and sciPut the pen ence for in the bin now. A new recycling initiative at Seward means pens and plastic will soon add scholarship dollars. Contact Jared Haas at jared.haas@sccc.edu or take items to a cardboard collection box in the math and science division office in the Hobble Academic Building.

NEWS

2 CRUSADER

Thurssday, September 13, 2012

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Board tours math lab, hears bus plans ate’s degree and then transfer into a bachelor’s program. Seventy percent of the 160 students allowed in the program must be retained; 85 percent must stay in good academic standing; 40 percent must graduate and at least 15 must transfer. “The college has met or exceeded these expectations,” Kinser said. Out of the 160 students allowed in the program, 105 are first generation, 85 Hispanic or Latino, and most are 18-21 years old. The quality check-up visit for the Academic Quality Improvement Program is scheduled for Sept. 24-25. AQIP is the accrediting process through the North Central Association of the Higher Learning Commission for SCCC/ATS. “This is the first accreditation visit since the college began the AQIP program,” said Cynthia Rapp, dean of academic affairs. “The new city bus route will pick up and drop off at the main campus of SCCC/ATS, as well as the Area Technical School,” said Dennis Sander, dean of finance and operations. The bus route will run from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. n For the full Board of Trustees report, go to sccc.edu.

CORRECTIONS Alison Chambers is the Drama Club sponsor. Institutional Research and Data Analyst is Teresa Wehmeier. Tanya Dowell is the Kappa Beta Delta sponsor. Rusty Tuman is the adviser of the technology club. Darin Workman is the director of the SCCC wind ensemble.

Veda King is the Student Nurses Association sponsor. Frances Brown is the sponsor for HALO. Cecil Stoll and Betty Glenn are sponsors for CMC. Janice Northerns is the sponsor for SPEC. Brett Crow is the Block and Bridle sponsor. These names were spelled incorrectly in the Aug. 30 issue.

CRUSADER

Greenhouse inspires growth in ag program Jordan Long Crusader staff A new greenhouse has caused some excitement for the agricultural department at SCCC. According to the sustainable agricultural resource program specialist James Choate, the greenhouse will be used to grow a variety of plants and to help expand the available classes for the agricultural program. Choate, who arrived on campus just a few weeks ago, is also expanding the entire curriculum for the agricultural department. Choate said changes are going to be available, hopefully as soon as the spring semester of 2013.

Crusader photo/Jordan Long

Completion of the inside of the new greenhouse is under way with pieces of the benches that will be built.

co-editor in chief Tonya Loewen

2008 - CMA Best of Show, Newspaper, 1st/ Special Section, 3rd 2003-2004, 2010-2011 - Newspaper Pacemaker Finalist - ACP 2008 First Place Certificate - ASPA 2011-2012 - Silver Medal Overall - KACP

Phone: 620. 417. 1459

Crusader photo/Jordan Long

Sustainable agriculture resource program specialist James Choate, who recently arrived at SCCC/ATS, shows tomatoes and lettuce plants growing in the new greenhouse on campus. Plans are in place to build two additional greenhouses.

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The Board of Trustees toured the new math lab and received information on routes for city buses at the Aug. 30 meeting. The board toured the library and the new math lab funded through the United States Department of Education STEM grant for science, technology, engineering and math. The lab is located at the south end of the library and consists of a glass panel wall, student workstations, computer desks and an instructor teaching station. The move to more digitized resource materials in the library has enabled the addition of the math lab to the library. The math lab is also adjacent to the Academic Achievement Center, which allows for increased access to peer tutors and other academic assistance provided by college personnel. Rhonda Kinser, director of the Student Support Services, gave a status report of the TRiO SSS grant through the United States Department of Education. The goal of the grant is to encourage first-generation and/or low-income students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Students accepted into the TRiO program have to show an academic need as well. SSS grant staff encourages students to first obtain an associ-

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ENTERTAINMENT

Thursday, September 13, 2012

CRUSADER 3

The ABCs of

Alison Bridget Chambers

Actress leaves New York stage to teach in Kansas Marti n A. Pi non Crusader staff

Courtesy photo

Alison Chambers performs on stage in a New York City production, ‘’Broken Wing’’ by Rachel White, in 2009.

“I love to drive around with my four dogs and my grandmother in a yellow Hummer.” — Alison Chambers

From Hollywood to New York, and then New York to Kansas, Alison Chambers is an actress with a major in musical theater and a minor in piano. Chambers has performed nationally and is now the drama instructor at Seward County Community College. She graduated from Shenandoah University Conservatory, in Winchester, Va. In addition, Chambers has a master’s degree in acting from the School of Drama in New York City. Chambers was born in Hollywood, Calif., and always knew that she wanted to be an actress. “When I was 4 years old, I knew that this was it. I found my passion. I have been doing theater since I was 4. The question on what I was going to major in never came up. My family always knew that I was going to be a theater major. There was never a question; it was just, where I was going to go.’’ It took Chambers seven years to get her master’s degree in acting. “I did it as fast I could,’’ Chambers said. After finishing and achieving her master’s degree, her next stop was New York City. ‘‘If you are going to take your career seriously, you have to move to New York. That is where it is, that’s where it all happens and

where it starts,” Chambers said. “I knew that New York was where I wanted to be.” With the support of her parents, she moved to New York. “I knew that I could never be happier doing anything else; I would be miserable if I worked in any other field other than theater.’’ After three years performing and working as actress in New York, Chambers finally moved to Kansas to live with who she calls her best friend: her grandmother. “My grandmother got sick, and I just wanted to be with her and spend some time with her. And, she needs a more stable life. She couldn’t move to New York; she was fragile.” After settling down in Liberal, Chambers’ grandmother moved in with her. According to Chambers, “She is the best roommate ever; we get along very well. She is my best friend. If everyone had a grandparent like mine, they would all want their grandmothers to live with them.” Chambers also describes herself as a dog person. “I love to drive around with my four dogs and my grandmother in a yellow Hummer.’’ New York has always been there for her. Chambers refers to New York as her home. “I have a lot of family and friends, connections, and it’s where the theater world is. If I

ever leave Liberal, I’ll go to New York,” Chambers said. From living in New York, her life changed dramatically. “I miss my life as a New Yorker desperately,” she said. But on the positive side, she said there are a lot of perks to living in Liberal. “In New York, I didn’t have a car, and here I can drive anywhere with no problem, but there no one knows you, and here everyone knows you, I have to look good when I go to the grocery store, in New York that does not matter.” “With 8 million people in the city vs. 20,000 here, they are very different, but both have so many wonderful things that I enjoy. In New York the art, the busy life styles and the fine food of New York, but people here in Kansas are so nice, and everyone knows you and cares about you if something goes wrong.” Chambers is planning a winter production for Liberal and close towns to enjoy, confirming that will be “A Christmas Carol.” In addition, Chambers is acting as one of the main characters in “The Mouse Trap,” a production for a dinner theater in Dodge City. Opening for “The Mouse Trap” is Oct. 1214, with additional performances Oct. 18-22 and 25-27.

Night of Good Fortune theme surrounds 2012 Scholarship Auction Fabi Peña Crusader staff A night of good fortune will be the theme of this year’s 18th annual party auction on Sept. 22. The Annual Party Auction will be at the Seward County Event Center. Tickets will be $25 and should be purchased in advance before Sept. 20. Any employee wanting to purchase a ticket for the drawing should buy a ticket before Sept. 15 in order to be eligible for a prize drawing. Tickets will not be sold at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the following businesses: The Community Bank, Sunflower Bank, Byron Bird and Associations, KSCB, Scantlin’s Furniture, Al Shank Insurance, The Liberal Light, Mortgages Unlimited, First National Bank of Liberal, Southwest Agri Center-Kismet,

Bank of Beaver City Liberal/Turpin, Yoxall Antrim Yoxall Fitzgerald & McCaffrey, Versus Signs and Seward County Community College/ATS. Tickets can also be purchased from SCCC/ATS Foundation board members and auction committee members. Tickets can be purchased with a credit card by calling the SCCC/ATS Development Office at 620-417-1131 or online at alumni.sccc.edu, by clicking on SCCC/ATS Foundation Auction. The $25 admission ticket will include food, beer, wine, soft drinks, and participation in the live and silent auction. The festivities will begin with a silent auction at 6 p.m. A dinner, served from 6-7:30 p.m., will be catered by Great Western Dining. The dinner will feature a buffet of pulled pork donated by Seaboard Foods and brisket do-

nated by National Beef Packing. There will be a taste of oriental, a dessert bar and a chocolate fountain. Following dinner, there will be a live auction at 8 p.m. During these auctions, many items will be featured for sale, including vacation packages. One of the vacation packages, which is sponsored by McDonald’s-Liberal George and Evelyn Roldan and First National Beef-Liberal, will be a trip to the “South of the Border” from March 10-16, 2013. The trip will be to San Juan, Puerto Rico with a stay in a luxurious San Juan Hotel and Casino. This package will include airfare and hotel reservations for two. Another prize package will be “A Grill Master’s Dream,” sponsored by Bill and Ruth McBryde and Nick and Lisa Hatcher, and Trailers & Trails. This package will include a Traeger Grill, cover, wood pel-

18th Annual Party Auction

• 6 p.m. • Sept. 22 • Event Center Tickets are $25 and are on sale until Sept. 20. Proceeds go to the Foundation scholarship fund.

lets, BBQ seasonings and a cookbook. The auction items are great in number and include gift certificates, homemade food, haircuts, quilts and more.

This year, there will be “Buy it Now” pricing on many items. For a convenience to the parents, Saints Cheer and Dance Squad will be providing childcare for ages 3-11 for $5 per child.

Brennemen Funeral Home is helping to fund this year’s childcare. The children will be entertained will activities such as movies, art projects, games, cheer and dance lessons. Deadline to hold a spot for a child will be Sept. 20. To make reservations, please call 620-626-5878. According to Tammy Doll, last year’s Mediterranean party auction raised a little more than $47,000 for scholarships. This year’s goal is to raise more than that amount. Last year 469 people attended the annual auction. Doll is hoping to bump it up to 500 people. “Students should let their parents know about this auction,” Doll said. “The annual party auction is a public fundraising event and a fun social event for the community. This is a great way to help the SCCC/ATS raise scholarships for the students wishing to pursue a career.”

Telolith wins national awards Nancy Acunda Crusader staff

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The Telolith has not only received a Gold Medalist award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association this fall, but it recently received another prestigious award from the Associated Collegiate Press. Telolith received a first class award, with Marks of Distinction, for the quality of writing in the Telolith magazine. Telolith didn’t stop there, they also received a Concept Award for the overall look and design of the Telolith magazine. The graphic design students who developed the concept and the look of the most recent Telolith were Derienne Daniels, Alek Nichols, Maria Perez and Jesus Villalobos. The Telolith is an arts and literary magazine designed by students that features artwork, stories and poetry by students. It publishes in the spring.

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FEATURE

Thursday, September 13, 2012

4 CRUSADER

Thursday, September 13, 2012

CRUSADER 5

Reviews

‘The Lion King’ performance leaves lasting impression on Seward students and faculty Tonya Loewen Editor From the opening note of “The Circle of Life” by the character of Rafiki, the Broadway Across America group performing “The Lion King” awed the students and faculty of Seward County Community College who were in the audience. Twenty-eight students and humanities faculty attended the Broadway Across America show in Wichita on Saturday, Sept. 9. The group consisted of Drama Club, Concert Band, Mixed Chorus, and Crusader newspaper students, as well as their sponsors and humanities secretary, Terri Barnes. Although the group sat in the very back of the Century II Concert Hall, that didn’t stop anyone from enjoying the highest grossing Broadway show of all time, according to guardian.co.uk., and being amazed by the impressive show. The musical lasted around two and a half hours, which is one hour more than the original movie version of “The Lion King.” Even though the show was so much longer than a regular film, many of the viewers were so interested in the musical that time felt much faster. There was also one 15-minute intermission halfway through the show. “The Lion King” musical was spectacular, from the unique and authentic African costumes, classic music from Elton John and Tim Rice, to the striking sets and the precise lighting. The stage was constantly filled with talented singers, dancers and actors, making the characters come alive. Major characters were Mufasa, Scar, Simba, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa. Other characters were Young Simba, Young Nala, Rafiki, Zazu, Sarabi, and the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. One unexpected, yet slightly useful additional character was a live bird that flew around the auditorium during the second act. It was not a planned part of the show, but it went well with the theme and feeling of the musical, and surprisingly flew around at nearly cued times. Not only did the group watch the amazing musical, but we were also able to meet, interview, and get autographs from major characters afterward. For being such professional and great actors, I presumed that they might be rude or not want to talk to us. All of them were completely opposite of that, talking, laughing, and taking time to get to know who we were and where we were from. Overall, “The Lion King” was an amazing musical, and left me wanting to see it every night. It was entertaining, stayed true to the storyline and was an impressive show.

the ion ing

Live music brings new aspect to songs from movie

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Eleven-year-olds Zavion Hill and Kailah McFadden sign autographs with students. Hill played “Young Simba,” while McFadden played “Young Nala.” Hill and McFadden are best friends, as well as cast mates.

Creative costumes make characters come to life Gi seel l e Arredondo Crusader staff I was skeptical about “The Lion King” as I first signed up to attend the showing, but in the end, it was nothing short of astonishing. I could not hold back the tears as I saw all the different animal costumes coming on to the stage for the scene of the “Circle of Life.” It was just such a beautiful sight. The costumes were so amazing and creative. It really helped that the whole cast was in great shape. The skin-tight silk suits that the cast wore emphasized every powerful muscle. “The Lion King” has nearly 230 costumes that are worn by a cast of more than 50. Some costumes are made from the same light-weight materials used to make airplanes, carbon fiber, parachute nylon and rubber. Among the collection of costumes were giraffes with inhabitants walking on stilts, a massive elephant with as many as four actors controlling it, zebras, hyenas, an actor with as many as three gazelles, puppet jaguars, and Mufasa with his lionesses and a robot baby Simba. The costumes embraced the faces of the cast and did not hide them. The actor pulling the strings for the Timon puppet, Nick Cordileone, was covered from head to toe in bright green paint. “I buy green sheets and clothes just because the green paint does not completely come off,” Cordileone told the Seward students after the show. It’s hard to pick a favorite character, but I would have to go with Timon. He was hilarious. A fun fact about Timon, from an article in the Wichita Eagle, is that the puppet weighs 15 pounds and has a face “made of foam so sensitive, the touch of a human finger will ruin it.”

Dynamic lighting sets tone for ‘The Lion King’ scenes Dyl an S andel l Crusader staff Darkness is everywhere and everything is silent. Then a dim blue light begins in the horizon that slowly changes to purple. A yellow light cracks over the horizon revealing the sun that slowly brightens the savannah. As the sun rises further and further into the sky the savanna is filled with an orange and red sunlight revealing the wildlife. As all the animals come towards Pride Rock where Simba is shown for the first time, the scene has a huge flash of light and then darkness falls leading into the next scene. This opening scene shows a perfect example of how marvelously the lighting is done in “The Lion King.” Throughout the musical, it keeps it going, providing different lighting for all the different scenes. There were multiple scenes that caught my attention with lighting. One that stood out to me the most was how they portrayed Scar’s cave and Pride Rock’s cave. The light seemed to stream in to the caves through the cracks of the background of the stage. The entrance of the cave had a strong beam of light that would dim as the light went further and further into the cave. It was brilliant how they managed to create that kind of setting and make the audience realize that the scene was taking place inside of a cave. During the musical there were points where white strobe lights would flash at a fast speed. These strobe lights symbolized death. As soon as I saw these lights flashing I immediately knew deep down inside that something bad was happening. The only complaint I have within the musical about the lighting is the part with Mufasa’s face in the sky. Although it was a spectacular sight, I felt like it should have been more like the movie in the sense that Mufasa’s face is created within the storm clouds, rather than just his face glowing yellow. The lighting throughout the musical was very good and always caught the attention of viewers and showed what kind of setting the characters were in. The overall experience of the show was amazing and was well worth drive to Wichita.

Ben Lipitz signs autographs and talks about his acting career with the Seward drama, choir, band, and Crusader students. Lipitz played “Pumbaa,” the warthog that is best friends with Timon and helped raise Simba.

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One of the most important aspects of “The Lion King” is the music. Not only does the music help tell the story and entertain, in “The Lion King,” music plays a pivotal role in immersing the audience and painting a picture of Africa. Painting the picture of the African plains begins at the start of the show when Rafiki steps on stage and begins singing “The Circle of Life.” It’s almost frightening at first, seeing a person with face paint begin screaming words in a different language, but it quickly becomes apparent what the song is about and makes people feel like they are in Africa. The cast as well as the orchestra, directed by Tim Snyder, at the Wichita showing of “The Lion King” was proficient at telling the story through the medium of music. It’s likely that the cast sang the songs nearly a thousand times, but the cast was still very enthusiastic in singing, although it’s easy to get bored with the same old songs. For the most part, they sounded almost exactly the same as the music from the movie. However, don’t go to the show expecting perfection. The recordings from the movie had been developed over many hours, while a theatre musical is live and performed by people who are both actors and musicians. It’s very rare to find someone who can both sing and act, but the music was still incredible in this show despite that fact. There are even a few surprises regarding the music in the show. The most notable difference is the addition of the song “Chow Down” sang by the hyenas Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. To me, this addition is regrettable as it does no justice to the rest of the music. It does more to conjure up images of the roaring ‘20s than it does to the fact that the protagonists are in a dangerous situation. However, “Chow Down,” along with the other songs, was performed beautifully and the performance was definitely the result of amazing talent and countless hours of practice.

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Matthew Adki ns News editor

Actors Brent Harris and Rashada Dawan pose with Seward students after “The Lion King” performance. Harris played “Scar,” who is Mufasa’s brother and Simba’s uncle. Dawan played “Shenzi,” the female hyena, as well as one of the legs of the elephant in the opening song of “Circle of Life.”

See more pictures from “The Lion King” on the Crusader Facebook.

Nick Cordileone, who plays “Timon,” talks with students about his character. Cordileone had to be entirely covered in green paint in order to blend with the background while working the Timon puppet.

Watch a video of the backstage experience, plus interviews with the actors and Seward students.

Sets bring recognizable scenery, believable locations Jose Medrano Editor Claw marks tear across the ground, fog fills the air and pale white bones litter the stage. The scenes of “The Lion King” musical are unique, but still stay true to the original film. The engineering and design of every detail on stage is stunning. Viewers of the show will quickly be introduced to one the most astonishing pieces of engineering in the show: Pride Rock. Fans of “The Lion King” will instantly recognize the structure. Pride Rock is a great metal staircase covered in claw marks that rises from the stage and is the home to the most pivotal scenes of the musical. Pride Rock towers over 20 feet and the structure moves on a set of rails that carry it from one side of the stage to the other. The elephant graveyard is another location that makes the viewer feel as if they are on the stage. Fog pours in from the sides of the stage, the fickle laughing of hyenas can be heard and numerous bones cover the earth. Jets of steam blast from holes in the ground. The backbone of an elephant serves as a platform where the characters speak. It is the perfect lair for Scar and the hyenas. The most spectacular scenery of the show is surreal, as Simba contemplates his return to the Pridelands, and, as he asks his fallen father for guidance, a magnificent show begins. Vines drape onto the stage and the stars shine above them. Mufasa's face suddenly appears in the stars and while the stage is dark. It’s probably one of the most spectacular pieces of lighting and set work in a show. Overall, only one scene left the viewer wanting more. Mufasa’s death scene could have been coordinated better. Personally, I found that the scene was underdeveloped and could have been designed with more in mind. The canyon were Mufasa died and where the stampede happened was built well, but compared to the rest of the scenes it was unappealing. Mufasa’s actor “climbed” a very small canyon wall and glided to his death rather than fell. Although the stage floor never changed, every scene was unique. The amount of detail that was placed in the show takes more than one viewing to fully grasp. Patrons of all ages will enjoy the show and be amazed by the scenery.

Brent Harris tells students of the full-body mechanism he is connected to for the role of “Scar.” He wears a large mask and tail, plus power packs, wires and hand controls that together weigh around 40 pounds.

Crusader photos/ Jose Medrano, Matthew Adkins, Dylan Sandell Page Design/ Tonya Loewen

Rashada Dawan humors students with jokes about her character, “Shenzi,” and how excited she was to find out she was cast as the female hyena role.

Want to see “The Lion King” while it’s still at the Century II Concert Hall in Wichita? Showtimes are until Sept. 30, and tickets can be purchased either from WichitaTix.com, by calling 316-219-4849, or at the WichitaTIX Box Office on the east side of the Concert Hall Lobby one hour prior to the show, or from Monday - Friday at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.