L A NE COMMUNIT Y COLLE G E ’ S INDE P ENDENT, S TUDENT- RUN NE W S P A P ER
december 5, 2013
HARD IN THE PAINT
PLAYS REPLAYED
Men, women split first tournaments
Students revisit Bard’s best
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volume 50, edition 8
EU G ENE , ORE G ON
Tuition will increase $2 per credit next school year Board passes motion 4-1
Taya Alami Reporter CHARLENE HOUWELING // PRODUCTION MANAGER
Work will begin on a $35 million remodel Dec. 16.
Step by step, new center BUILDING TAKES SHAPE Fifty-year-old building will receive modern updates
story on pages 4 AND 5 BY ANNA TATUM INFOGRAPHIC BY BYRON HUGHEY SOURCE: CENTER FOR LEARNING AND STUDENT SUCCESS FAQ
Project Total: $35.1m
$21.3M from municipal bonds $8M from state construction bonds $5.8M from Lane Foundation
Direct Construction Cost: $26m Indirect construction costs include: • design fees • testing services • building permits • contingency • furniture
Indirect Construction Cost: $9m
106,222 sq. ft. Floor space that will be built or remodeled in the construction
For the 12th time in 13 years, Lane’s Board of Education has decided to increase tuition, and a $2 per-credit inflationary increase will bring Lane’s tuition to $95 per credit starting July 1. The motion passed at the Dec. 3 board meeting 4-1, with Board Chairwoman Rosie Pryor abstaining from the vote because she pays the full-time tuition as a Lane student. Board member Robert Ackerman cast the single dissenting vote. “It kind of stinks, but it’s reality,” board member Matthew Keating said. The board also voted to raise non-resident tuition, by $4, to $231 per credit hour during fall, winter and spring terms. “We’re looking at a lot of strategies right now to fill that hole,” board member Pat Albright said. “This is just one part of that.” Lane will implement the increase to help the college keep pace with inflation. It would not address other budgetary concerns — like falling tuition revenue from declining enrollment. “I will hold my nose and vote yes,” Keating said, “but I want to make it very clear that the closer we get to $100
per credit hour, we are pricing students out of an opportunity to come to Lane Community College and get an education.” According to a 2002 board policy, Lane’s Board of Education must adjust the price of tuition to stay current with inflation during its December meetings. During its meeting last month, the board unanimously selected the Higher Education Price Index, a tool used to measure inflation at colleges and universities, to guide them when considering a tuition increase for the 201415 school year. HEPI is a compiled average showing the national rate of change for the costs of goods and services most commonly purchased by colleges and universities. It’s compiled and maintained by The Commonfund Institute, a nonprofit organization that monitors college and university endowments. The costs of goods and services calculated by HEPI include salaries for personnel, benefits and the costs of miscellaneous materials. The last recorded rate for HEPI measured a decrease in spending power of 1.7 percent in 2012. The board recommended using the same rate for the 2014-15 school year.
PER-CREDIT TUITION RATES, BY YEAR, AT LANE
2014-15 Proposed 2013-14
$93
$95
2012-13
$90
2010-11
$83
2009-10
$78
2011-12
$83
21.8 percent increase since 2009
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editor-In-CHIEF
Opinion
Lane Community College’s Independent, student-run newspaper
STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Mohammed Alkhadher
NEWS EDITOR Clifton Haney
SPORTS EDITOR Jarrid Denney
A&E EDITOR
Laura Newman
REPORTERS
Taya Alami Keoni Conlu Anna Tatum Marilyn Walker J. Wolfgang Wool
COPY EDITOR Sean Hanson
PHOTO EDITOR Alyssa Leslie
PHOTOGRAPHERS Hana Behrs Matt Edwards Zora Parker Brett Stanley Leighanne Vittetoe
PRODUCTION MANAGER Charlene Houweling
DESIGN EDITOR Byron Hughey
GRAPHIC ARTIST Connor White
NEWS ADVISER Paige Parker
PRODUCTION ADVISER Dorothy Wearne
POLICY • Letters to the editor should be limited to 300 words. • Guest commentaries should be limited to 500 words. • Please include the author’s name, phone number and address (for verification purposes only). • The Torch reserves the right to edit letters and commentary for length, grammar, spelling, libel, invasion of privacy and appropriate language. • The Torch reserves the right to publish at its discretion. All web and print content is the property of the Torch and cannot be republished without editiorial permission. • Up to two copies per issue per person of The Torch are free; each additional copy is $2.
MOHAMMED ALKHADHER
DON’T STRESS
over FINALS The doggy hugs will be available in the Women’s Center, Building 1, Room 202; and in Veterans Resources, Building 19, Room 233A When: Dec. 11 from 9 a.m. to 11 Dec. 12 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
EDITORIAL Finals week adds another dollop of stress to students’ daily anxiety over how to pay bills and tuition and meet countless additional obligations. Don’t panic. Lane provides services to help you cope with stress. What’s more, it’s worth remembering the subject causing you the most stress isn’t worth the anxiety, said Dawna Willoughby-Roberts, a Lane academic counselor. “Sometimes people are more stressed than they have to be, and they need to be getting information,” Willoughby-Roberts said. “Go get information. Talk to your adviser. Find out where you stand, not where you think you stand.” A little anxiety can actually be good for you, according to a study done by Cornell University’s Center for Learning and Teaching titled “Understanding Academic Anxiety.” “It is true that a high level of anxiety interferes with concentration and memory, which are critical for academic success. Without any anxiety, however, most of us would lack the motivation to study for exams, write papers, or do daily homework (especially in classes we find boring),” according
to the study. “A moderate amount of anxiety actually helps academic performance by creating motivation.” Proper preparation prevents poor performance, according to a study published by the American Journal of Health Studies. Effective time management seemed to lower academic stress, according to the study. In other words, students should manage their time, instead of leaving their finals to trial and error. If you’re still stressed after learning all of that, remember: It’s almost over. If the counseling office can’t remedy your stress, they can provide referrals to outsourced agencies for little to no cost to the student. “There’s drop-in (appointments),” Willoughby-Roberts said. “If they need to come back, they can come back.” But sometimes, nothing eases stress like a furry friend. People and Animals Who Serve, a group Dedicated to enhancing the quality of peoples lives through positive interaction with animals will be bringing dogs to campus for doggy hugs, and will be available in the Women’s Center and in Veterans Resources office Dec. 11 and 12.
ask a titan Q: How do you cope with stress during finals? “I just try to relax and watch YouTube and hang out and do un-stressful things.”
Justin Stewart Lane student
“I’m still figuring that out myself, to be honest. I have outlets likes games and stuff, and friends that help me through things. It’s still stressful though. ”
“Holding babies and killing zombies.”
Jennifer McCarrick director Student Resource Center
“I set time aside to study (and) I just remind myself to breathe and it’s only one week. I have to get through it.“
CONTACT The Torch Lane Community College 4000 E. 30th Ave. Eugene, OR 97405 torch@lanecc.edu
Zach Hamilton Lane student
Shawnda Dawson Lane student MOHAMMED ALKHADHER // EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
THE TORCH // Thursday, DEC. 5, 2013
NEWS EDITOR
NEWS
CLIFTON HANEY
STUDENT GOVERNMENT AT A GLANCE A guide to the roles and relationships of Lane’s student government GLOSSARY Associated Students of Lane Community College (ASLCC)
All students taking credit classes and paying the student activity fee are members of ASLCC and elect senators and executive members
EXECUTIVE Governing body comprised of elected and appointed officials. The executive branch is charged with organizing and overseeing events and operating the daily functions of ASLCC. POSITIONS Elected President (has veto power) Vice President (Chairperson of Senate) Multicultural Programs Coordinator Appointed Treasurer (current treasurer was elected) Director of State Affairs Chief of Staff Events/Campus Coordinator Communications Director Gender and Sexuality Diversity Advocate Student Resource Director Sustainability Coordinator (ad-hoc)
• President may veto bills passed by the Senate • Senate must wait until next meeting to vote again after veto • Senate may override veto with two-thirds majority
SENATE
Legislative body of student government. The Senate is student-elected annually to pass bills and amendments, create committees, modify governing rules and dictate where the ASLCC’s yearly budget is spent. Legislation can only be passed with a quorum of senators.
Quorum
Fifty percent of the Senate plus one member.
Ad-hoc
formed for a specialized purpose
Semi-autonomous
Acting independently in most situations
OREGON STUDENT ASSOCIATION ASLCC also keeps close ties with OSA and advocates for Lane students through the organization. Student government has mandated affiliation for OSA written into its constitution. • This is a statewide organization • Board formed of student government presidents
President sits on OSA Board of Directors Multicultural Program Coordinator or Events/Campus Coordinator chairs Council of Club meetings.
COUNCIL OF CLUBS The Council of Clubs is a semi-autonomous group made up of the various clubs on campus that receive funding from the student activity fee. The council also makes funding requests for events run by its member groups to the Senate.
• Must bring budget, bylaw and other changes to Senate • Member groups of Council of Clubs may submit funding requests to the Senate • The Council may fall back on the Senate as a mediation board
• Ten members • Members serve one-year terms • Members must be current Lane students GRAPHIC BY: J. WOLFGANG WOOL & BYRON HUGHEY
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Board sets deadline for diversity policy Mohammed Alkhadher Editor-in-Chief Lane’s Board of Education has set a 30-day deadline for a task force to propose a policy for training college employees to be conscious of cultural differences. Board members said they would come up with their own policy if the task force failed to meet the deadline. The college has tried since 2008 to establish cultural competency training guidelines, and it appears as though some board members have run out of patience. “Five years is way too long,” said board member Sharon Stiles, who participated in the meeting via conference call. “I think this work can get done by our January meeting.” Board member Robert Ackerman produced a draft policy that could be considered at the January meeting. But Lane President Mary Spilde asked the board to wait. “If we act now, it will undermine the governance system,” Spilde said. “The task force should be given the opportunity to finish its work.” Faculty union President Jim Salt said the task force would not be able to meet the 30-day deadline. “Our meeting is after your first meeting,” Salt said. “It’s impossible to reach consensus before that.” Board chairwoman Rosie Pryor agreed. “Deal with it, Jim,” Pryor said. “I mean, come on. Nothing about this work can be considered premature. What’s the holdup?” Board member Pat Albright suggested moving the task
force’s first meeting to an earlier date. “We’ve gone for five years. We’re not seeing anything working. Pass a policy, then evaluate it, and come back and change it,” Albright said. After the meeting, Salt said he understood that the board needs to be responsive “to the demands that have been raised before it.” “Thirty days, when three weeks of those are not work days, makes it almost impossible to complete the task, so I’m not sure how that will fix the tension,” Salt said. Lane Diversity Council began considering a cultural competency policy in Spring 2008, and the now-11-member group has failed to reach consensus five different times, each by one vote. Lane Chicano/Latino Student Program coordinator Jim Garcia said Salt cast the only vote against the policy each time. Salt left the council in 2012, and the council reached consensus on the policy in 2013. The group forwarded their plan to the College Council, which considered four different policies, but failed to pass any of them. “Framing this as one person is a gross misrepresentation,” Salt said. “When I vote, I’m not voting as myself. I’m representing the faculty association.” And the Faculty Council, he said, voted unanimously to oppose what the Diversity Council proposed. “Since the beginning of the attempt to develop this policy, the association has supported developing a policy and has continued to work collaboratively to finish this policy for everyone. It’s the only way for this policy to work and be successful,” Salt said.
Local, state police arrest 50 in holiday DUII patrols Mohammed Alkhadher Editor-in-Chief The Eugene and Springfield police departments partnered with the Oregon State Police to collaborate on what they called “focused patrols for impaired drivers.” According to a Dec. 1 news release, Eugene Police and OSP arrested 50 people for driving under the influence of intoxicants over the Thanksgiving weekend. “There was a predictable increase in the number of vehicles on the roads due to the holiday weekend,” Eugene Public Information Director Melinda McLaughlin wrote. “Staffing was increased with
the assistance of state grant funding to help keep local roads safe.” According to the release, state police responded to 120 collisions, of which only seven involved alcohol. The patrols in Lane county began on Thursday night and continued until Sunday morning. “(Eleven) of the DUII arrests took place during the peak of the saturation effort on Friday night following the Civil War game,” McLaughlin wrote. Despite the number of arrests, no injuries or fatalities were reported in Eugene or Springfield over the holiday weekend from driving.
The Torch // Thursday, DEC. 5, 2013
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NEWS
Remodel brings short-term inconv Seattle-based Lease Crutcher Lewis set to manage construction for three years
THE TORCH // Thursday, DEC. 5, 2013
Anna Tatum Reporter Students will return from winter break to the beginning phases of a two-year project to remodel the Center Building. Bond Project Manager Bob Mention said the remodeled building will be “state of the art� with completely redone food services, an accessible first-floor bookstore, a renovated library, and an open plaza where people can congregate or pass through to their destination. Mention said the stairs that lead up the west side of
the Center Building will be removed and moved inside. The library will be remodeled to become the Learning Commons, a library combined with tutoring, classes, activities, and places for students to gather and talk. The existing cafeteria will be completely redone. Instead, there will be several different areas to choose from, each providing a different type of food, similar to a food court. The Titan Store will be moved to the ground floor so that it is more accessible. Seattle-based general contractor Lease Crutcher
Lewis will provide construction crews for the project. The architectural planning was handled by Seattle-based PIVOT Architecture in association with Perks & Will, a Chicago-based design firm. The project will cost $35 million, and is scheduled to be finished by January 2016. Beginning Dec. 16, workers will tear down the west and north side terraces on the second floor, outside of the library. Russ Piersen, public information officer for the project, said the building will still provide essential services. “All the essential services
NEWS editor
NEWS
CLIFTON HANEY
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These graphics illustrate the Center Building as it will look in 2016, with an open plaza and a new student area combining the library, tutoring spaces and classrooms. The stairs will be moved to the building’s interior and the existing cafeteria will become a food court.
veniences, long-term improvement “The purpose is to be able to make sure the Center Building is still the heart of the campus and to take it off life support.”
Russ Piersen public information officer Center Building Bond Project
the Center Building provides will stay the same. It will be inconvenient during construction,” Piersen said. “It will be important that people pay attention to their surroundings, to signage, to caution tape. They will have to be more aware of what is going on. It will be a little inconvenience for a big payoff.” Students are reserving judgement. “The construction would make it inconvenient walking to class, and since I’ve been going here for a year I can’t see the Center Building any different than it is,” second-
year dental student Leah Asquith said. “Hopefully it will be worth it.” Although there will likely be rubble around the area throughout construction, Mention said it is a focus for the project to recycle all the concrete that they can. “Sustainability is a huge aspect in construction and demolition. That’s a huge emphasis for our entire project,” Mention said. After construction is finished, planners hope that, instead of leaving immediately after classes, students stay and gather in the new building.
“The purpose is to be able to make sure the Center Building is still the heart of the campus and to take it off life support,” Piersen said. Lane Board of Education member Rosie Pryor said the board is “very excited” about the renovation. “We’re grateful that the resources are available to do the work and there has been a lot of participation both on campus and in the professional community, and so we’re looking forward to a outstanding new and transformed building,” Pryor said.
The Torch // Thursday, DEC. 5, 2013
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NEWS EDITOR
NEWS
CLIFTON HANEY
dinner served in the whit Whiteaker Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner helps at least 1,500 Eugenians J. Wolfgang Wool Reporter
Ray Sewell, one of the founders of the event, greets hungry attendees.
Volunteers from all over Eugene, including Lane, provided food, clothing and other goods and services to people in need at the 25th annual Whiteaker Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner. The diners received a full Thanksgiving meal and live music by locals who volunteered their time while people ate. The Nov. 28 event also featured day care, children’s activities, face painting, a massage room, flu shots and first aid, sleeping bag and blanket giveaways, and a professional photo booth. A so-called Free Store offered clothes and toiletries to attendees. Beverly Farfan, the dinner’s lead organizer and Lane’s ethnic studies Cooperative Education coordinator, said the event was funded by donations of goods or money. “And everybody’s a volunteer,” said Farfan. The Lane Nursing Program provided the flu shots and first aid. The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Program preparated and served the meals. Other Lane students also donated their time. “The basketball team is out on the line helping and they came last night and helped. The baseball team helped with the donation sort. And the soccer team helped with
food prep,” Farfan said. Chef-instructor Clive Wanstall said the Culinary Arts Program has assisted the Whiteaker Dinner since 1999. The preparation of the food starts the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and involves several phases and a second final prep prior to serving on the holiday. Wanstall estimates that between 1,500 and 1,800 ate. Gee McGeehan, in charge of the Free Store and part of the Lane Counseling and Advising Department administrative staff, said approximately 700 people could shop the room serving as the store. Personal shoppers helped the store’s customers find clothes and toiletries in an effort to make the process more efficient. The event started with the giveaways from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner was served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to the organization’s website, the first dinner was served in 1978. This has been an annual event since 1988. The first dinner was served by a mother whose family had been helped by the community four years prior. Her first event served over 60 people. “I’m glad this still stays as a neighborhood thing. A lot of people, they think we should move to the fairground and make it bigger and bigger, but I think we would lose that community feel,” McGeehan said during a lull at the Free Store.
PHOTOS BY Laura Newman // A&E EDITOR
Above: Hundreds of Eugene residents gather for the Nov. 28 Whiteaker Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner, located at the Whiteaker Community Head Start Center, to celebrate the holiday. THE TORCH // Thursday, DEC. 5, 2013
SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTS
JARRID DENNEY
7
matt edwards// PHOTOGRAPHER
The Titans scrimmage during their Dec. 1 practice.
WOMEN WORK TO FILL CHAMPIONS’ SHOES
Titans will depend heavily on guards to provide scoring Jarrid Denney Sports Editor
After taking home the 2012-13 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship, this year’s Lane women’s basketball team will try to build on one of the most successful seasons in school history. They will do so with almost an entirely new group. Only four players return from last year’s championship team, and two of them, sophomores Brandy Blackburn and Joleen Chanco, sat out the season as injured redshirts. Last year’s team depended heavily on post play while this year’s squad features only one player taller than 6 feet. Titans head coach Greg Sheley has high hopes for his team, but acknowledges that they will look much different from last season.
“I think we’re actually deeper at the guard spot, and I think we’re better at the guard spot than we were last year,” Sheley said. “If we can compensate for the lack of overall size on the block with our quickness and our ability to shoot from the perimeter, I think we can be really good.” The Titans went 2-1 in their first tournament of the year in Everett, Wash., from Nov. 22 to 24. They lost their first game 72-58 to Bellevue Community College on Nov. 22 but returned with a 117-57 victory over Northwest Indian College on Nov. 23. Lane won the tournament’s consolation championship on Nov. 24 with a 108-69 victory over Peninsula Community College. “I thought we bounced back really well,” Sheley said. “We’re headed in the right direction.” Sheley said the team leaders so far have been Chanco and sophomore guard Tori Mahaffie. Mahaffie, who averaged 7.3 points
and 5.4 rebounds per game during the 2012-13 season, said she enjoys the pressure that comes with being a captain. “I kind of went from a helping role last year to ... trying to help everybody find their position in the offense,” Mahaffie said. “It’s difficult, but I enjoy it. It’s fun that I get to kind of be a team leader and have people look up to me.” Chanco spent last season recovering from a torn ACL after averaging 7.17 points and 2.48 assists per game during the 2011-12 season. “Last year, I was just trying to be as much of a leader as I could on the side, compared to this year, where I’m actually on the court — I’m actually playing. It’s easier to lead by example,” Chanco said. Sheley is depending on freshman Shelby Snook, along with Mahaffie, to provide the majority of his team’s scoring. Snook scored a team-high 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting in the Titans’ victory over Peninsula, and freshman
Niki Duncan scored 28 points against Northwest Indian. Sheley also mentioned freshman Marikah Wright as a player who could provide some scoring for the Titans. “She’s really working hard in there and boxing out and getting boards, getting some put-back opportunities, kind of doing a lot of the dirty work for us,” Sheley said. The key to the Titans’ success this season will depend heavily on how they are able to come together as a team. “We have a lot of new people this year, so we’re all just trying to figure out our offense, get in the right motion,” Chanco said. “We have a lot of people who are picking up on concepts quickly, so it’s good.” Both Sheley and his players said the Titans must increase the intensity of their practices. “If we can understand how to practice hard, and then that leads to us playing hard, than I think that will be big,” Sheley said.
INEXPERIENCE, INJURY HINDER MEN’S HOOP HOPES Jarrid Denney Sports Editor With no players returning from last year and his team already slowed by several injuries, Lane men’s basketball head coach Bruce Chavka has preached patience to his team early in the season. “We’re obviously lacking in game experience so we’re going to get thrown to the wolves a little bit, but our learning curve is going to be huge,” Chavka said. “We can’t define our season before Christmas.” Sophomore Dakota Koberstein and freshman Max Snodderly have both suffered season-ending injuries and Chavka said freshman forward Cameron Bahnu could miss up to two months with a broken hand. “It’s something that we’re not happy about,” Chavka said. “But I don’t want that to be the headlines of the men’s basketball program: injuries. It’s just part of the game.”
matt edwards// PHOTOGRAPHER
Redshirt freshman guard Willy Malos dribbles the down the court against the alumni team Nov. 23.
Sophomore transfers Alex Sattley and Zach Kirschbaum could bolster the Titans despite the injured players. “Those are two guys who are definitely going to score a lot for us,” Chavka said. Kirschbaum is a 6'10" forward who spent the last two seasons at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif. Sophomore guard Alec Breazeale said the Titans will depend on Kirschbaum to do a little bit of everything. “He can shoot and finish around the rim. He’s going to get a lot of mismatches and opportunities to score,” Breazeale said. Sattley played last season at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., where he averaged 5.2 points per game. “He’s a pretty deceptive guy,” Chavka said. “I mean, you look at him and you’re like, ‘I can guard this guy,’ but he can stick a jumper in your eye or he can put the ball on the floor and finish.” The Titans will depend on Kirsch-
baum and Sattley, along with freshman guard Chris Goodloe, who is currently recovering from a strained calf, to provide the majority of the teams scoring. Chavka mentioned several players who might not light up the scoreboard for the Titans’ but will be crucial to the team’s success. “Ray Nikzat has been a guy who’s showed tremendous leadership,” Chavka said. “It’s almost like having an assistant coach on the floor for us.” Chavka said freshmen Willy Malos and Dale Baker are two local players who did well redshirting for the Titans last season. The only Titan who has played a game for Lane during his career is Breazeale, who redshirted last season but played in all 26 games for the Titans during the 2011-12 season. “He’s a smart guy. He knows how to play the game,” Chavka said. “Any time a coach can use the ‘tough guy’ title on you, then you know that’s a huge compliment. He’s a tough guy.” The Torch // Thursday, DEC. 5, 2013
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arts & entertainment
A&E editor
LAURA NEWMAN
ZORA PARKER // PHOTOGRAPHER
Above: Lane theater instructor Judith “Sparky” Roberts (right) mentors guest actor Laura Elizabeth Mathens (left), as Portia, in The Merchant of Venice, a scene in the Shakespeare Showcase. Left: Katherine and Petruchio, played by Lane students Kelsey DeHaven and Shenandoah Reynolds respectively, rehearse The Taming of the Shrew.
SHAKESPEARE SHOWCASE When: Saturday, Dec. 7 Showtimes: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Admission: Free Where: Building 6, Blue Door Theatre
the Bard returns to lane
Laura Newman A&E Editor
What initially began as a final project for retired instructor Bill Woolum’s literature students has evolved into a larger opportunity for all students to experience the Bard’s magic. Woolum, who created the triannaul Shakespeare Showcase with theater instructor Judith “Sparky” Roberts 23 years ago, will narrate this term’s event, and Roberts will direct. Woolum remembers the first years of this showcase as a small recital with only a few scenes. “I wrote Sparky a note, after watching groups of her improv students perform downtown, and asked her if she’d be interested in helping any of my literature students perform a scene for the class in lieu of writing a final exam,” Woolum said. “I wanted any interested literature students to experience the acting of Shakespeare, to get his plays out of the book into performance.” Roberts said Shakespeare is still meaningful, challenging and important as both a dramatist and teaching tool.
“It started out with two students doing three scenes … . Then it just kept growing, this wave of mounting interest in Shakespeare, because Shakespeare is always relevant. And when people discover that, it’s like opening a treasure trove,” she said. “He has said so many things that we use in everyday speech. He said it so incredibly well, and it’s still true.” Actor Radhika Stein, who plays the role of Lady Macbeth in two scenes this term, said actors must fine-tune their skills to perform in the showcase. Actors, whether they’re in the Acting Shakespeare class, are taught diction, movement, vocabulary and their character’s influence in the scene. If the actors understand the material, Stein said, it will translate to the audience. “(Roberts) really wants you to do good,” Stein said, “so she works with you as much as possible to get you to that point.” Actors are given a four-week period to rehearse and perfect their given scene. Student Productions Association house manager Stefanie Anderson, a former showcase actor, said participants must
embody their roles and project that on stage. “You have to be comfortable saying the words to each other. It’s equal parts that and the movement,” Anderson said. “You have to be comfortable with your body and solid and know where you’re going. It has to look natural.” Actors must understand the difference between “thee” and “the” and “a” and “uh” to deliver the lines properly. A dictionary nicknamed “the Onions” depicts nothing but Shakespearean vocabulary. But Roberts assures that Shakespeare is a universal format for anyone to grasp that is interested in learning. “There’s something for everybody. For every kind of actor, there is a perfect role,” Roberts said. Woolum said the showcase gives people opportunities to experiment. “Over the years, the showcase has featured scores of actors who had never been on stage before. Some of them gave shaky performances,” he said. “But they got to experience being in costume and being under the lights and to
experience, even if briefly, the power of bringing a Shakespeare character to life.” Shakespeare has the reputation for giving literature, film and television some of the greatest themes and plot twists in history. Mistaken identity, betrayal, true love, jealousy, pride and baby mama drama are all subjects audiences have grown familiar with thanks to the Bard. In the past students have taken some of these scenes and modernized them to relate more to the present times. Roberts said she has had many students put their own twist on a classic. In years past, students have taken the creative authority to revamp their scenes. “We use Elizabethan as a base, and if students like being costumed that way, then that’s the direction we’ll go,” Roberts said, “I’ve had people do punk versions of things or goth versions, depending on what the piece was. There was a modern version of The Merry Wives of Windsor, which is very much like a sitcom.” The Shakespeare Showcase will focus on the traditional
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Elizabethan style but will include a whimsical mashup of different time periods. Gender role reversal is another hallmark of Shakespeare. Historically, it has been a tradition for men to act the part of women because women didn’t usually perform on stage until the mid-1600s, but also it was a main plot point in Twelfth Night. SPA President David Harvey has played the role of Lady Macbeth and Radhika Stein has taken on male roles in this showcase. “Sparky says it was one of the best Lady M’s she had ever seen,” Anderson said. Many students, faculty, community members and musicians come together to ensure this production is the best that it can be. A few openings are available to members outside of the school to join and act, but mainly it is focused on the student performers. Some scenes remain the same throughout the different terms. Anderson said the scene in which Juliet waits for her nurse to return with word from her dear Romeo is a pretty consistent pick for performances.
W O W
All Ages All the Time
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