MISSOURI
STATE UNIVERSITY
THE STANDARD ART + CULTURE
A note from the editors
Spring has officially sprung! Flowers are blooming, birds chirping, students are studying outside again...let’s hope a random snow storm doesn’t catch us again!
So if you’re looking to relish the beaming sun and breezy skies, it’s a good thing Spring Stock is just around the corner. On April 19, Mother’s Brewing Company will be hosting Spring Stock, a local music festival featuring musicians, artists and vendors from the Springfield area. The festival originated as a casual birthday celebration for one of the founders, but quickly blossomed into an event for the entire community to enjoy. The inaugural Spring Stock was in 2023.
OurFriends, who is on this month’s cover, will be one of the local bands performing at Spring Stock. Comprised of Missouri State University students, OurFriends has quickly risen to prominence in the local music scene.
Spring Stock’s dedication to the Springfield music scene has given local performers and artists a new platform to play in front of new audiences and on new stages.
The festival will allow attendees to oscillate between indoor and outdoor activities, and feature local arts and crafts, food and clothing vendors.
But spring doesn’t just bring nice weather, it also brings success. Two stories in
Standard staff
Editors
Liz Garcia co-editor-in-chief
Jayden Pettus co-editor-in-chief
W. Paul Bohlen sports editor
Madison Reece assistant editor
Reporters and visual artists
Ella Conklin reporter
Elise Dust reporter
Becky Gardner reporter
Maura Curran reporter
Arden Dickson photographer
Robin Garner reporter
Matthew Huff photographer
Daisha Jackson photographer
Jude Jenkins reporter
Spencer Justice photographer
Maddux Radosevic reporter
Madison Reece reporter
Rylie Robinson reporter
The Standard’s Art and Culture issue feature Missouri State students succeeding in the arts.
Spring’s warm days are melting away the icy stress of winter and is slowly thawing a season for prosperity, growth and creativity.
Sincerely, Liz and Jayden
ART + CULTURE
THE STANDARD
Cover design by Liz Garcia
On the cover: Local band OurFriends performs at Central Station, a former local house venue, on Jan. 24, 2025. Apollo Harris and Sam Wise are lead singers for the band. Photographed by Arden Dickson.
THE STANDARD
is Missouri State University’s student-produced newspaper. The university has not approved and is not responsible for its content, which is produced and edited by the students on The Standard staff.
Piper Ruebling reporter
Faith Sappington reporter
Jackson Wright reporter
Kamryn Stofer reporter
Kaylee Vaughan photographer
Aden Zuccarini reporter
Copy Editors
Isabel Gamble
Liliana Hayes
Ruby Knight
Ebony Love
Advertising staff
Cadance Ruth advertising designer
Caedran Yeidel advertising sales assistant
Professional staff
Jack Dimond faculty adviser
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
Spring Stock returns
A look at Springfield’s rising music and arts festival
Jamie Santner REPORTER Qjamiesantner
Spring Stock returns to Springfield this spring to celebrate the season with family-friendly local music and art at Mother’s Brewing Company.
Justin Flowers, Philip Robinson-Morgan and Minerva Miller, who formed the festival in March 2023, operate and organize it. Spring Stock was initially planned for April 2, 2023, as a small get-together to celebrate Miller’s birthday and to get Miller’s band to perform. It later transformed into an all-day event hosted at Flowers’ house, with performances from local musicians and artists.
“It started off as a birthday show,” said Robinson-Morgan, “and we had planned a month in advance, and so we went fast pace in finding artists throughout our town, as we wanted it to be locally-based, and it still is.”
Flowers received a call from Robinson-Morgan suggesting they turn the birthday event into an all-day festival hosted at Flowers’ house, which he thought was a great idea.
“We had Justin (Flowers) host it for us, and it was a nice day,” said Robinson-Morgan. “We spent the first half of the day outside, and then at night, we all moved everything into the basement.”
The first Spring Stock festival also featured a few Missouri State University art students who displayed their work. A caterer provided food for everyone who attended. Flowers said around 100 people arrived at the first Spring Stock in 2023.
“The first year, it was definitely more of a DIY-feel to it,” said Miller. “It was a lot more chill and relaxed.”
In 2024, the event expanded to Mother’s Brewing Company and added more vendors, artists showcasing their art and clothing, musicians, and bands.
“We had a meeting with Josh, the project manager,” said Robinson-Morgan, “and we expressed some ideas of how we ran the festival last year, and he was really interested and provided us the space to do Spring Stock.”
Mother’s Brewing Company has helped support Spring Stock’s expansion. The festival now has an outdoor courtyard, two stages and space for indoor events. Last year, 700 people attended.
Miller, Robinson-Morgan and Flowers said they would like to expand the festival annually to keep the momentum growing across
Springfield.
“We want to expand it more every year, while still maintaining the localness of the event,” said Miller.
Not only do local bands and musicians perform at Spring Stock, but many local vendors, food trucks and artists are also present to share what they have made or love.
“We’re mainly focused on local Springfield acts, creatives, musicians, and artists, and giving them a space to express their talent and be around like-minded people,” said Flowers. “We have it in a way that isn’t really seen throughout the city.”
Many shops and vendors offer clothing, from band merchandise to vintage clothing, art pieces and paintings from local artists, and even informational tables.
“Last year, we had mostly thrift vendors,” said Miller, “and we had a friend of ours that makes rugs. We also had crochet and some art.”
In 2024, organizations like the GLO Center and Queen City Rock Camp visited Spring Stock to hand out pamphlets and increase their community presence.
The festival plans to have around 40 vendors attend this year, with more spots available. The festival’s musical lineup includes rock and roll, country, electronic, and rap music.
“We always strive to have all different kinds of music to appeal to a larger audience,” said Miller. “And also so that we can showcase that even though we have a major hardcore rock scene, we want to also show off the country bands and electronic bands and rappers here in Springfield.”
According to Miller, this ensures everyone attending the event can enjoy whatever music they want.
“We’ve tried this year to make sure almost every genre is covered by the bands that we have booked,” said Miller.
While many of Spring Stock’s performers are from the Springfield area, several artists are traveling from other parts of Missouri, like St. Louis and Joplin. Last year, Kansas City musicians also appeared at the festival.
“Several of those artists are considered local to here because they perform here so much,” said Miller.
Stereo Bones, an alt-rock band that has performed across the Springfield area since 2022, will perform at Spring Stock this spring. The band comprises Alex Shaw, Lucas Wallace, Donny Trotter and Jordan Flacko. They have performed at the festival every year since its inception.
“We got word about it from a few of our
Photo provided by Spring Stock
Spring Stock, a Springfield-based music festival, returns for its third year showcasing local performers, artists and vendors at Mother’s Brewing Company on April 19.
friends, and we decided to sign up for it,” said Shaw. “We had a ton of fun, and we’ve loved performing there every year.”
What makes Spring Stock unique compared to other festivals in the area is how involved the festival and its founders are in the underground scene.
“We all have been involved with the underground scene across Springfield,” said Flowers. Miller, Robinson-Morgan and Flowers have all had some experience in and around the underground music scene in Springfield, ranging from videography and photos to going to shows and even being part of a band.
“I’ve been involved with the underground rap scene, Minerva (Miller is) in a band, and Phil (Robinson-Morgan) has been involved with the scene, whether it’s through photography or
video,” said Flowers. “And so just having that presence helps us, as we all know the people in it and support them, whether it’s through Spring Stock or just being at concerts.”
The founders also view the festival as a way to introduce people to Springfield’s music and arts scene and open their eyes to it.
“Many people come in and view it as their home,” said Miller. “While other people, such as older people or people who aren’t involved with the scene here, see it and I feel it opens their eyes to their community.”
Spring Stock 2025 will take place on April 19, 2025. Visit @417springstock on Instagram for more information about the festival and its pre-show on April 5 at The Glacier. Tickets are $15.
MSU a cappella groups reach semifinals at international competition
Piper Ruebling REPORTER Qpippiphorray6
Two Missouri State University a cappella groups competed in the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) on March 22. A Cub Bella placed second in the ICCA semifinals with 349 points, Zachary Liesen of the Beartones won Outstanding Vocal Percussion for the Beartone’s entire set.
The ICCA is a collegiate a cappella competition that occurs every year, this installation being held in Hilliard, Ohio, at Hilliard-Bradley High School.
A Cub Bella, also the first place winner of the Midwest Quarterfinals, sang “Seven Devils” by Florence and The Machine, “Hey, Runner!” by The Arcadian Wild and The Wailin’ Jennys version of “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
These songs featured soloists Jalyn Berry, Adeline Ragsdale and Caroline Johnson, as well as speaking parts performed by Alexis Lander.
The club was founded in 2002, but disbanded in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. The club made a comeback in 2023 and began competing again.
“With a fresh start and a renewed passion, we returned to the ICCA stage, competing again for the first time in the spring of 2023,” said Cadence Arnold, president of A Cub Bella.
“Before the hiatus, A Cub Bella had reached this round of the competition a few times, but this year, we’ve made it farther than ever before.”
The second place winners of the Midwest Quarterfinals, the Beartones, sang “Wellll” by Jacob Collier, “A Beautiful Dream” by Luke Hemmings and “Story of an Immigrant” by Civil Twilight.
This set featured Adam LeBlanc, Paige Pi-
romsuk, Wade Van Riessen and Skyler Davidson. The Beartones have qualified for the semifinals for 15 consecutive years, and hold one of the longest streaks in the competition’s history.
“The competition itself has been a very rewarding experience for us the past few years, consistently placing top two and winning multiple special awards,” Beartones President Zach Liesen said. “To continue that winning streak is an incredible feeling.”
After nearly 25 years of singing, the Beartones continue to be a close community.
“The best part about being in Beartones is that there is a place for everyone,” Liesen said. “It is not just singing songs and dancing around, it’s a community where everyone has a role that is vital for the group’s success.”
In this competition, regions hold multiple quarterfinal competitions in which the top two groups from each region advance to the region-
al semifinals.
“Qualifying for the ICCA Semifinals has been an overwhelming and surreal experience for everyone in our group,” Arnold said. “Just two years ago, we were starting from nothing — rebuilding from the ground up. Now, we’re not just competing; we’re excelling, and the journey has been nothing short of incredible.”
Throughout the competition, A Cub Bella showed great improvement and determination.
“The best part of being in A Cub Bella is the relationships we build along the way,” Arnold said. “While only a few of us are music majors, we all share a deep passion for singing and having the opportunity to continue that at the (collegiate) level is truly special.”
Photo provided by Cadence Arnold
The A Cub Bellas placed second at the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) semifinals in Hilliard, Ohio. They won with 349 points.
Photo provided by Zachary Liesen Zachary Liesen, president of the Beartones, was awarded Outstanding Vocal Percussionist for the group’s entire set.
Art Ed. major sells sculpture during Culinary Kick Off
Ella Conklin REPORTER
Q_ellaconklin
Sculpture Walk Springfield hosted their third annual Culinary Kick Off to raise funds for their outdoor sculpture museum in downtown Springfield earlier this month. Many MSU students’ works were put on display as table centerpieces.
For second-year art education major Kaitlyn Patton and other classmates, this was an opportunity to display their work as well as get paid for it.
The art pieces were for sale; Patton and nine other MSU students sold work during the dinner.
“The students submitted work and then (the) director of Sculpture Walk Springfield and the director of the History Museum on the square juried the show and chose work for (the Culinary Kick Off),” said Deidre Argyle, Patton’s sculpture professor.
“(The student sculptures) were sold off the tables for people to buy,”
Argyle continued. “The students got 50% of the sale and 50% went to the Sculpture Walk.”
Patton’s sculpture was an assignment in Argyle’s Sculpture One class.
“It’s their very first metal sculpture exercise actually,” Argyle said.
“We’re inspired by the sculptor Richard Serram, who in the 60s made a list of verbs and then manipulated materials to try and show that verb visually.”
Patton selected the verb “play” and will carry the verb with for the rest of the semester. With her steel sculpture she let the verb guide her, creating “something crazy and wild.”
“I was inspired a lot by roller coasters, like hot wheel tracks with all the loops,” she said.
For many students, Argyle’s assignment and Sculpture One class is their first introduction to working with metals and welding tools. Students learned how to weld, bend and polish steel, among other skills.
“I had to learn how to weld, which was crazy,” Patton said. “I had never
done that before, like put the mask on everything, but it was simpler than I expected.”
While Patton pulled from her roller coaster inspiration, the art student also experimented with different skills and resources to create her final product. She favored a polish known Gun Blue that used to finish the ends of rifles. Blue Gun either causes the metal to rust or turns it blue and in Patton’s case she got a fiery finish.
“I loved that the inside looked all fiery and so I named it ‘Fire in the Hole’ partially after the roller coaster in Silver Dollar City and also this song by Steely Dan that I’d been listening to a lot when I was making it called ‘Fire in the Hole,’” Patton explains.
Argyle provided students with several videos and instruction, but ultimately students just had to jump in and try. Patton said welding was scary and intimidating at first, but became very comfortable with some practice.
“I kept making the messiest of
welds…It was very difficult to do that, but then I would get to polish it off, and like, sparks would fly everywhere and that was fun,” Patton said.
Patton priced “Fire in the Hole” at $150 for the Culinary Kick Off for Sculpture Walk Springfield, and a community member purchased the sculpture and took it home the same night.
“The Art (and) Design Department I think is one of the departments on campus that really meets the community outreach mission, just kind of naturally,” Argyle said. “So much of what we do is public facing with the exhibitions that we have.”
Argyle and the Art and Design Department teaches students to be successful as artists by connecting with the Springfield community. To be a successful artist, students are exhibiting work and interacting with community members.
“If you have experience making public art, you’re more likely to get more commissions for public art,” Argyle said. “Since 2016, our stu-
dents have been making public sculptures that’ve been exhibited on rotation for a year here in Springfield.” Art students at MSU are able to grow their confidence in their craft as they connect with the community and commission their art, opening them up to skills and opportunities they would’ve never experienced otherwise.
“(The sculpture) is the first thing I’ve sold through Brick City or college, and that’s crazy to me,” Patton said, “because I’m not a sculptor by any means. I thought I was going to fail this class when I first walked in, so it was a really crazy feeling to sell something.”
Patton received half the commission her sculpture, “Fire in the Hole,” sold for. The other half went to Sculpture Walk Springfield, which hosts and maintains a variety of sculptures in downtown Springfield. The organization sets up the outdoor sculpture museum on a yearly rotating basis and features work from worldwide artists and students alike.
Photo by Liz Garcia Patton sold her first sculpture at the Culinary Kick Off, receiving half of the commission.
Photo by Liz Garcia
Sophomore Kaitlyn Patton’s sculpture, “Fire in the Hole,” sold for $150 during the Culinary Kick Off event.
Required qualifications: To be eligible, candidates must be enrolled as full-time undergraduate or graduate students at Missouri State University, must be committed to full-time enrollment for the 2025-2026 academic year, must be in academic good standing with a cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 or higher, and must be eligible for student employment.
Preferred qualifications: Candidates should be able to demonstrate an adequate background to carry out the duties of this position, through academic coursework and/or work experience.
Duties: The successful candidate will begin work in summer 2025. (Summer enrollment is not required.) Duties include overseeing the newspaper's editorial operation; supervising the writers, copy editors, section editors, graphic designers and photographers; establishing and maintaining consistent editorial deadlines; organizing copy flow; guiding staff in the overall production of the newspaper; selecting the editorial staff in consultation with the faculty adviser; and upholding The Standard's ethical and professional standards.
To Apply: Each candidate’s application must include a letter of application, a resume, three letters of reference, the candidate’s proposed fall 2025 class schedule, and samples of work that demonstrate the candidate’s ability to perform the duties of the position. Applications must be emailed to JackDimond@ MissouriState.edu no later than 5 p.m. Friday, April 11, 2025.
Interviews: The Advisory Board for Student Publications will interview candidates in April at a time and location to be determined.
MSU ON FILM
to working as a writer or director in the film industry one day.
A week in the life of Pace Evans
Liz Garcia CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Qliz.vanessa__
A senior digital film and TV production major, Pace Evans’ weekly class schedule is filled with screenwriting and classes, but his oddball general education poetry class is ironically his favorite.
“It’s really fun,” he said.
It frees him from the pressure of constant deadlines, all while his writing ranges from his high school cross country days to Instagram and the performativity of social media. While he believes this performativity is the crux of social media’s modern toxicity, Evans has found a way to embrace Instagram for what it is, and no longer adheres to the abstract confines of social media.
Gone are the days of obsessing over aesthetic feeds and perfectly-timed posts, and in are the days of posting what feels genuine. His goofy, unfiltered thoughts and moments are
paraded on his “close friends,” the Instagram option that allows you to selectively choose which of your followers can see your posts, stories and reels.
“Now what I like to do is, whatever I’m feeling at the moment, posting it on my main page,” Evans said. “Like, who gives a crap? If I don’t like it later, I just archive it.”
So when documenting a week in his life at Missouri State University on a disposable film camera with only 27 exposures, Evans said he was more selective when photographing his life compared to social media.
“I think it made me want to pick and choose what I wanted to document more,” Evans said, “because you only get 27 pictures (on the camera). So I wanted the pictures to be at least good-looking and cool, or to have some sort of deeper meaning as to who I am as a person.”
His final photos are dynamic, featuring himself, his bandmates, gas stations, car emblems, friend hangouts and a deer head behind a drum kit. Such a range of photographs like Evans’
come at the hands of a dynamic individual.
Some of his favorite films include Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse” and Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project.” Evans admitted he has a bit of a crush on Anya Taylor-Joy.
“That’s my wife,” he gushed.
Evans plans to read a Buddhist book he picked up from a monk on campus, recently started playing chess, enjoys skating and plays drums for a number of local bands — the last of which holds his essence.
After moving to college and having nowhere to store his electric drum set, Evans was forced to abandon the instrument he picked up in seventh grade for nearly a year and a half. It wasn’t until he moved into a house that he pulled out the dusty instrument again, reigniting an old passion. In timely fashion, his hometown friend Ethan Nape, drummer for The Vybes, connected Evans with a drumming gig. In 2022, Evans joined No Vacancy, one of Springfield’s many college bands.
“I got in contact with them and I went over
to their frat house, played drums, and they liked it,” Evans said. “So that was the first band I joined, and it was a totally different experience from what I’m doing now.”
It was his first introduction to the local music scene — one he’s thankful for — but it wasn’t the perfect fit. His three years with No Vacancy were fun, he said, but he didn’t feel entirely fulfilled until he discovered the hardcore music scene.
“At the shows that I had been playing, nothing ever felt real,” Evans said. “It was fun, but that was all it was — it didn’t feel like something that was truly calling out to me.”
Evans first noticed flyers for hardcore music shows around campus and on social media, and coincidentally ended up playing a show at The Outland Ballroom — the former crux of the Springfield music scene before its closure in early 2024.
Photo by Pace Evans
Pace Evans is a senior digital film and TV production student graduating in May. He looks forward
He humbly admitted he never really listened to hardcore music before, and at the time, couldn’t exactly pinpoint the genre. But the ardent culture of the scene immediately clicked for him — loud guitars, intense musical energy, people trashing and bashing. Evans had met new friends who shared his humor style, hobbies and ambition, and he began to feel less like a stranger in the music scene.
“I just felt more connected,” Evans said. “So after I went to (my first hardcore show), I started going to more and more. And it was just kind of my release from everything that was causing me stress.”
He once again stumbled upon a newfound escape from work, school and life’s other worries — much like his current poetry class.
Evans’ last show with No Vacancy was only a month ago, when the band made an appearance in Regency Fest on Feb. 7 at The Regency in downtown Springfield, but he wasn’t left in a drought — a musical one at least. For the past year, Evans and his roommate Bryce have been setting the building blocks for Buck, their own band with a mishmashed sound inspired by 1990s grunge, hardcore, metal and rock music.
Buck also consists of members from The Vybes, with Jarrod Wallace on guitar and Jacob Olbertz on bass. So far, the band has played a couple of sets at Bizarre Bar, an eclectic downtown bar.
“I’m realizing quickly it really is do-it-yourself,” Evans said.
On April 9, Evans will be performing shows for Passion and Down the Barrel — the two other bands he’s a part of — because one just isn’t enough.
Evans rated his week an eight and a half out of 10.
“I like the life I live, I guess,” Evans said.
Evans was given a disposable film camera to document a week in his life on March 4 and returned it to The Standard on March 12.
Photo by Pace Evans
Alongside his roommate Bryce, Evans started his own band Buck, of which he is the drummer for. A taxidermy deer head is mounted behind his drum kit — an instrument he’s played since seventh grade.
Photo by Pace Evans
Jarrod Wallace, one of Evans’ bandmates and hometown friends, painted an eye mural in the home he lives in with his fellow The Vybes band members.
Photo by Pace Evans
When Evans isn’t busy watching films or banging a drum kit, he spends his free time with his friends, including (left to right) Eli, John, Jacob and Jarrod.
Liz Garcia CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Qliz.vanessa__
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a movie-lover’s dream, and despite the Springfield, Missouri, theater being one of just over 40 locations in the chain’s network, it’s a pumping vessel in the heart of the local film scene.
The theater is popular for its dinner-and-a-movie concept, serving food and drinks from its in-house restaurant The Backlot alongside its films, and emphasizes proper theater etiquette. Before traditional screenings, a series of Alamo-specific trailers reminds patrons they’ve entered a “quiet zone,” and to silence all cell phones and refrain from talking during the film.
The Austin-based franchise opened its doors to Springfield in 2017, replacing the Campbell 16 Cine, a former staple of the Queen City of the Ozarks.
While the cinema’s corporate demands still have to be fulfilled and typical blockbuster films will typically be screened, the Alamo also
uniquely shows repertory and under-the-radar films. In November, the theater screened nationwide anticipated films like “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” and more recently “Captain America: Brave New World.” Films such as these are shown in nearly every theater, but General Manager David Mann also likes to program smaller, lesser-known movies like the now Oscar-winning animated film “Flow.”
The foreign animated film showing in December — which has no dialogue — centers around a cat in a flooded world who encounters other animals. Mann was captivated by the movie’s visuals, which he said reminded him of the video game “Stray.”
“It just looks so unique and pretty, and I was enamored by the trailer,” Mann said.
Each month, he sits down for a chart call with his booking representative to plan screening schedules about a month or two in advance. Mann’s booking representative tosses ideas on must-see films or clues him in on upcoming releases, while Mann suggests more niche films.
CONNECTION VIA THE MOVIES
“Every month I’m trying to target three to six smaller movies that look interesting and I think will draw a crowd and attract guests that are different,” he said.
Together, they collaborate to formulate a schedule that best fits the Springfield audience.
The theater also takes unique opportunities to feature work made by local filmmakers. Most recently, the Alamo screened “Seeing Someone Else,” the debut feature film of Radix Studios, a Springfield-based film production company. Jackson Lierz, co-writer and -director of the film is a team member at the Alamo. The chain tends to attract cinephiles due to its refined target audience.
Jen Johnmeyer, director of communications for the Springfield and St. Louis Alamo locations, further connects the Alamo with the community.
Last October, she partnered the Alamo with Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks for a fundraising initiative. For the first four Wednesdays of the month, the theater sold standard priced tickets to popular, heartwarming titles such as “The
Notebook” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love” with a $5 add-on that went directly to the breast cancer foundation.
Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks was also the Alamo’s charity on tap for the month, with $1 from each pint of a local beer sold at the Alamo donated to the foundation.
“The conversation started about what important work they do for the
community and women who might not be able to have access to funds to have these life saving procedures or even a basic mammogram,” Johnmeyer said.
Johnmeyer and Mann collaborate closely to coordinate Johnmeyer’s community partnerships with the proper films to support the initiatives.
by Liz Garcia
The Alamo Drafthouse has been located at 4005 South Ave in south Springfield since it’s opening in 2017. The theater screens lesser-known and blockbuster films, alike.
Photos
“(Johnmeyer) is a huge driving force for that outreach and she is very clever in how she is able to connect with people and then connect that to filmmaking,” Mann said.
Alongside her community outreach work, Johnmeyer also manages the Springfield Alamo Film Club Facebook group — which started in early 2018 — with the help of two team members. At the time, film clubs were popular communities throughout most Alamo locations, but now Springfield is one of the few branches with an active film club remaining.
“It’s really nice to see that dialogue and read people’s thoughts about different titles and contribute ideas that lead to future screenings,” Johnmeyer said.
The film club has a hosted series where a movie was screened each month per the request of a film club member, allowing everyone to experience a variety of genres and watch new films. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnmeyer kept the film club alive through online watch parties typically hosted on streaming platforms like Netflix.
Mann added that the film club currently has two different screenings each month, one for new titles and another for repertory films.
“There are modern movies that come
out every month that are worthy of discussion … but it’s also nice to look back on the older content and see what were the building blocks to get us where we are now with filmmaking, and also are some unique and inventive things that have been done over the last 20, 30, 40 years.”
As the director of communications for the St. Louis Alamo location as well, Johnmeyer works remotely, and said it’s difficult to develop the deep connections she’s able to make in Springfield.
“There are so many things that have sprung up of somebody just walking in and asking if I happened to be around,” Johnmeyer said.
She also mentioned St. Louis receives studio offerings that Springfield is often passed up on mostly due to location, despite Springfield selling more tickets. Mann attributes this to St. Louis’ robust entertainment scene that provides more options to pick from on any given day.
While the Springfield market is smaller than the other Alamo locations, Mann adds that the city’s affinity for movies only adds to the connection built through community partnerships.
“It’s a build-off of a shared affection for filmmaking and going out to see something fun with your family or friends,” Mann said.
Images courtesy of IMDb
Next Up...
Pitch Perfect with Live Riff Off
Wednesday, March 26th at 7pm in the PSU Theater
Music Bingo
Thursday, March 27th from 7-10pm in the PSU Theater
Line Dancing with SAC
Friday, March 28th from 5-7pm in the PSU Grand Ballroom