Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Actio Performances Spontaneity prompts an evening of laughter by Burton Taylor Improv a la Mode, a lab series, offered the- ater students an opportunity to expand their comic skills as thespians. In its second year, Improv a la Mode was even more of a success, Kevin Busv rell said. Last year, I think tliere were a lot more people who saw it, and this year a lot more came back, so I think we were more successful in that as- pect, Buswell said. Director lason Daunter said the audience played a key role in the performance because they fueled the comedy, which could either make or break the success of the show. BusweU said the audience was very receptive to the type of performance they attended, and helped create humorous situations. I think they reacted very well and they un- derstood the type of performance it was and accepted the fact that everything wasn ' t re- hearsed, Buswell said. Other than a rehearsed introduction and con- clusion of the show, Buswell said most of the improv was created entirely on the spot at the demand of the audience ' s suggestions. He said the only way they could prepare for the randomness of the audience ' s direction was to play games similar to those that might arise on the night of the performance. The six of us worked together well as a team, Buswell said. We basically knew where every- one else was going and could work together with that to make it more funny. All of the per- formers were very good at improv and knew how to work together as a group. The work was not complete at the end of the comedy, however Many of the students quickly shifted gears to prepare for other fall perfor- mances and even the improv acts to come. Experts on monkey dung, Sage Kimbrough, Steven Sakedo and Kevin Buswell share their experiences with National Geographic Host Reid Kirchhoff. Improv a la Mode took place in the black box of the Mary Linn Performing Arts Center.photo by Christine Ahrens Bir FXTn»oRniMtRv Photos ■ Video =7=;; 16 Student Life

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Alpha Sigma Alphas LIndsey Wood and Lesley Daniel welcome their new sisters with signs, balloons and carnations. Thirty four new women joined the Alphas on bid day. photo by Christine Ahrens Calmly searching for a sign she made for her rush sister, Shaunda Wages parts from the mass of screaming women. Alpha Sigma Alpha gave their Rho Chis and new sisters gifts on bid day.p ioto by Christine Ahrens Traditionally by Sarah Smith L IVcrSG The parties were over, the crying had stopped and the emotions and stress of sorority rush had ended. However, two weeics after bid day, the women of Tan Phi Upsilon started iheir rush in the quiet confinements of tiie Millii an Hall lounge with a friendly ice breaker and a game of Charades. Tau Phi was an independent, social sorority that was unlike the larger, more well-known Greek sis- terhood organizations. One of the more obvious differences was size, which included 17 active members and 1 1 potential members. Active sis- ter C;indy M. Roberts said the small number was one of the benefits of joining an iiidepeiutent Greek organization. 1 like that 1 know all of the girls in my sorority personally, Roberts said. 1 know them by name, what ' s going on in their lives and things like that. Another, less obvious, feature of the sorority was the diverse amount of people it attracted. Tau Phi escaped the stereotypes many sororities shared and accepted girls who believed they did not fit in with the larger organizations. A lot of the girls say we ' re different, Roberts said. For example, when they rush we go around and have them say why they rushed or why they are rushing. A lot of them say our sorority just fits them better personality-wise. Another difference between Tau Phi and other sororities was that the fall trimester marked their 10-year anniversary. However, it was not only the group ' s University anniversary, but also its na- tionwide anniversary. This was because the Northwest chapter of Tau Phi was the only one in the country. When the organization was founded in 1990, by Kathleen Volger and Lisa VVolkwitz, it was creat- ed under the idea that the women who joined were individuals who were to remain individuals. This idea was instilled into Jenny Johnson when she became a member. She was only one of the women who abided by the rule and understood its purpose. They were trying to get people who would be themselves when they were in the sorority and not conform to sorority stereotypes, Johnson said. Ten years after their founding, Tau Phi had al- most quadru- pled in size. However, the ideas and pur- pose behind the organization held fast and In a race to see who can drink from a baby ,. .,...., , were as diverse bottle the fastest, Amy Sue Glasz participates in Tau Phi Upsilon ' srush.The the campuS tO independent sorority ' s rush was three- which It was days long, and filled with Ice breakers, bom. photo by Sarah Smith . ¥tf Rush 15

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-- . Date changes create scheduling conflicts by Mandy Lauck In its eleventh season, the Freshmen Transfer Showcase performed Stor ' The- atre , which involved 18 actors and six crew members. The show brought a family envi- ronment to the communications theatre arts department. The hardest job when directing a fresh- men transfer show is deciding on the right vehicle you want to perform with, not knowing how many actors, and still per- forming a good showcase, Charles Schultz, professor of communications theatre arts, said. The play had been performed in 1992, but with a more technical approach. This time, Schultz said he added a different style to the script. The performance was held the weekend of Sept. 21, which was the first year it was not scheduled on the weekend of Family Day The reasoning behind the change was lack of time to rehearse. Because of the change, many actors were disappointed about their parents not being able to see them perform. Having to travel to Maryx ' ille was a conflict for several par- ents; however, many came Uvo weekends in a row an way Jonah Lather ' s family in par- ticular, was from Chicago. His mother hopped on a plane, saw the performance and had to leave immediately following. The parents were great, Schultz said. Ihey came and lit up the faces of the ac- tors when they came. The Showcase was designed to help new actors adapt to Northwest ' s program, aquaint them with the technicians and cre- ate an ensemble-like atmosphere. The little peasant hands his calf to the cow herder while the bovines sit quietly at her side. The herder was supposed to watch the calf, but she left it alone and it was stolen. p )oto by Jason Myers H Resurrecting History to inspire an audience with expressio n by Mandy Lauck When word of the Challenger explosion spread through the countr ' side, daughter of teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe was torn inside with the news of her mother ' s death. This was tlie theme behind the first lab series Defying Gravity. One characteristic of all lab series produc- tions was student direction. For her senior project, Jennifer Jarman took on the respon- Off to see the Challenger Shuttle launch, Marty Wolff and Rachel Vierck use their props to portray their traveling scene. Defying Gravity, produced by Jennifer Jarman, was a student production that was part of her senior project, p ioto by Mike Warner. sibility of creating a successful show in ap- proximately seven weeks. With a cast of seven people chosen by au- ditions, the structure of the play was set. Jarman produced a show to express an idea that would strike the audience. My main theme was to get others to think about their lives, Jarman said. I wanted them to go for their dreams and not be afraid of obstacles aliead of them. Jarman was pleased by the audience ' s re- action to her work. She said she heard good comments relating to the theme, which re- assured her it came across in the right way. 1 hope people were pleased by the perfor- mance, Jarman said. We worked for six to eight weeks straight, which actually was a little compromising. I really think the end result was a good success. i-fr Twr rvToftnpni f ftv A Photos msa. Productions 17