Wounds to the Face

Wounds tothe Face NIC THEATRE DEPARTMENT PRESENTS

The Nuts and Bolts of a Theater Production

Kaya Sedlmayer Staff Writer

The NIC Theatre Department’s production of Howard Barker’s “Wounds to the Face” opened April 19 and ran until April 28. When it comes to the visual elements of a production, it takes a village to help the show run smoothly. Costume designer Carole Urquhart’s job begins the moment she gets the script. She analyzes the text and creates sketches based on the impression she gets from the characters. “Normally, what I do is the same thing as what the actors do as far as character analysis,” Urquhart said. “They get inside the mind of their character. I do that too, except I do it for all the characters.” She then sketches out her costume ideas, that are then shown to the director to verify that they’re on the same page. Research and careful changes are made throughout the costume-construction process. Through conversation with the director and fittings with the actors, Urquhart decides which costumes work and how. “Wounds to the Face” has 31 costumes and 15 actors with some actors having two or three costume changes throughout the show. To stay organized, Urquhart has several lists of costume pieces that need to be made or pulled from storage. There are approximately 180 costume pieces for this entire show. Quick-changes are instances where the actors have a short period, sometimes less than a minute, to change costumes before going back on stage. Dressers are on standby to help make the process easier and each quick-change must be choreographed and practiced until it’s done the same way every time in order to stay within the time limits. “Most places, the first time actors get into costume is dress rehearsal,” Urquhart said. “If you have 30 costumes on stage and there’s something wrong with half of them, they have to come back in to get fixed.” Because of that possibility, she sends the costumes out to actors a couple of weeks in advance. When opening night comes, Urquhart’s job is virtually done. Jay Carkhuff manages different aspects of the show. If someone wants to do a show at NIC, he receives an email and begins building the show online and scheduling it. Carkhuff helps with rehearsals and performances by making sure everything is functional. He also does lighting. The auditorium has many different functions, which means different forms of lighting need to be set up to accommodate all events. “There’s always something going on here,” Carkhuff said. “Even if there’s not an event, there’s a bunch of planning that needs to be happening.” For “Wounds to the Face,” the audience will be on stage with the actors, creating a unique lighting situation. Custom accessories have to be made to ensure that things like pipes aren’t hanging over the audience’s heads with the possibility of falling. Stagecraft students are given the opportunity to gain real-world experience and help build the show. Carkhuff said that this offers them the opportunity to learn in a way a traditional classroom setting doesn’t provide. There are different standards for different types of events, but the primary goal is to make the show look professional in every detail. “I have to guess what problems I’m going to have and solve them before I have them,” Carkhuff said.

NIC’s claim to pep and fame

Luke Wilhelm

Staff Writer North Idaho College’s Pep Band carries a heavy responsibility as the backbone of the energy created and produced at sporting events. They understand the role they play, and the impact they have on the crowd, players, and outcome of the game. The members of NIC’s pep band come from all sorts of backgrounds, and have all mastered their crafts in different manners. For some, the journey starts by randomly picking up an instrument and falling in love with it. Others are pushed towards playing by their parents. Some grow up singing in groups or church choirs and are naturally drawn to the instruments. Jordan Elmore, a Saxophone player said his love for it came easily because his father played it. “That kind of sparked it. I was always musical, I would do like choir things with my church and stuff. I started playing and it just kind of stuck, and now I’m here,” Elmore said. Members agree this is a different kind of ensemble, where they are able to dabble in more contemporary music than a traditional school band. “We play a lot of modern tunes, like pop tunes that you hear on the radio, and that’s a lot more fun for people to get involved with,” said trombone-player Jacob Dahl. “Playing a lot of music that they know brings a lot of energy.” Matthew Stolley, who plays piano and keyboard, made it clear there were even more benefits to being in the pep band. “I get to work with an ensemble as well as, you know, watch a basketball game. And I don’t have to buy tickets,” Stolley said. Bringing the energy to sports games is a fun pastime, but members emphasized that they are still expressing themselves creatively. “Like any art, I think it requires your heart and soul as you’re playing it. It’s not just clicking a button; it requires practice, it requires thought, and it definitely requires your energy to make sure that it’s a performance that people enjoy,” Dahl said. 18