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

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-reshmen and transfer students provide theatrical nsight with ensemble performance A Bible against his chest, James Hunt uses the prop to portray a character. Hunt played a variety of characters, including a IVlorma n Minister, photo by Meredith Cunence After being kidnapped, beaten and left to die tied to a fence post, Matthew Shepard forfeited life for being himself. Shepard was attacked because of his sexual orientation and the play The Laramie Project, focused on violence, hate and homopho- bia. Production of The Laramie Proj- ect ran from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. Joe Kreizinger directed the Fresh- man Transfer Showcase. It gave new students the chance to act in a major production at the start of their college experience. I feel very honored to be in this particular show because as a freshman 1 know I felt very over- whelmed at first, James Hunt said. I felt good knowing that I was sending out a positive mes- sage to students across the cam- pus. A lot of Universities don ' t allow students to try out for roles until their sophomore or junior years said performer Derek Trautwein. It ' s a great way to show what you have, he said. It ' s a more comfortable transition to college and as my first main stage show I met a lot of great people and learned a lot. Troubled by this murder, a group of actors and writers from New York traveled to Laramie, Wyo. in hopes of discovering why this crime had occurred and how the town was dealing with the aftermath. For a year and a half after Shepard ' s murder, those actors and writers, Moises Kauffman and the Tectonic Theatre Project, interviewed more than 200 peo- ple from Laramie. These interviews created a the- atrical production on how mur- der changed a small, quiet town. Eight freshmen and transfer stu- dents performed over 60 roles. I loved the seriousness of The Laramie Project, Hunt said. The l Wf ) ier voice alone. Amy Adams makes Derel( Trautwein portrays Shadow, seriousness captivated the audi- ence in part where people were so in tune with the actors. With only eight actors, cos- tume and scene changing proved interesting. It was a quicker process, very much out of my own comfort zone, Trautwein said. It was the most difficult role I ' ve ever had, the most dramatic, but I was glad to be a part of the challenge. The last scene of the play left the fence post the actors had been using to hang up their cos- tumes empty except for a pair of pants and a shirt left in the mid- dle, signifying where Shepard ' s mangled body remained. I think that the message that was sent out was received by most of the audience, Hunt said. And I think that the outcome of the show was an amazing experi- ence. ■ Writer | Megan Crawford Designer | Sheena Sweatman a point about the size of Laramie Wyoming. Adams was part of the eight member en- semble which performed Ttie Laramie Proj- ects September, photo by Meredith Currence the disc jockey at the bar where IVIatthew Shepard was last seen. The cast used cos- tuming to imply their different characters during the play, photo by Meredith Currence 024|STUDENT LIFE

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Struggling to keep his grip, a Saddle Bronc competitor contorts his body to stay balanced. Saddle Bronc Riding l icked the rodeo off each night, photo by Trevor Hayes High above the arena on his stilts, Tippy the rodeo clown watches the action. Other clowns worked in the arena, distracting bulls so riders could escape safely, photo by Trevor Hayes Sitting on the fence, Saki Ikiyama and Aya Asai enjoy the rodeo. Ikiyama and Asai went to the rodeo on the first nighl. photo by Marsha Jennings Rodeo L ingo Cowboy Up - Said to the rider up next so they are prepared to ride Rig - Trucks and trailers that competi- tors use to carry everything Making the big leagues compete pro rodeo going on to NIRA - National Intercollegiate Rodeo Long Go - The first round of competi- Association tion where everyone competes Short Go - Top 10 contestants from the Long Go compete again Turn Burn - Making a turn around CNFR - College National Finals Rodeo Slack - Refers to the overflow of rodeo the last barrel and riding hard burning One of the top rodeos that competi- competitors who do not draw a slot in to the finish line tors strive to be in the main performances R0DE0lO2iS

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Acting as reporter, Katie Lee interviews Shannon McGregor and Amy Adams as part of the show The Laramie Project. The cast portrayed over 60 characters though the production, photo by Meredith Cunence Performing without family support affects the views of James Hunt ' s character, ' Jedadiah Schultz. ' Hunt ' s character spoke of when he performed a monologue from Angels in America, and the character received no family support because of their content, plioto by Meredith Currence i-«R vie oROJECTioag