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

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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

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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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BntOf Preference Bars offer students a variety of atmospheres Every night the bars in Maryville provided students with dancing, socializing and drink specials. Whether it was Mug Night or Thirsty Thursday, students were able to save some cash with the variety of drink specials and promotions the bars offered weekly. The Pub The Pub served as the only 21-year-old and over establishment in Maryville. With a long bar, TV screens, shuffleboard and pool tables, the Pub gave patrons a variety of en- tertainment as well as drink specials. On Tuesdays, The Pub hosted Bearcat Idol, the student produced television show for KNWT Channel 8. On Wednesdays, the Pub held Smoke Free Wednesday. This let students enjoy an atmosphere free of tobac- co smoke. Co-owner, Jeff Zeller, said weekends and special events, like the Halloween Costume Contest, drew in the biggest crowds. Molly ' s Although known for their Thirsty Thurs- days, Molly ' s provided inexpensive drinks and dancing Wednesday through Saturday nights. Molly ' s was furnished with two bars, a dance floor complete with a stage and two cages, three pool tables and booths for relax- ing. MoUv ' s on Thursday night is my favorite, student Anthony Jackson said. The special that night is the best in Maryville. Thursday drew in such a wall-to-wall crowd that owner Mick Hoskey said they de- cided to hire bouncers. Under strobes and a disco ball, two women groove to the music at Molly ' s. Molly ' s and The Outback were the only Maryville bars boasting dance floors and a club-like atmosphere, photo by Trevor Hayes An open environment helps make Molly ' s a common hang out on Thursday nights. The bar hosted drink specials four days a week, photo by Meredith Currence We have to make sure it ' s safe as well as fun, Hoskey said. We also have to discour- age underage drinking. Burny ' s Sports Bar Although perceived as the townie bar by many students, the Burny ' s crowd was actually made up of more than 60 percent students, according to bartender Blake Tys- dahl. There ' s a mix of both [students and town residents] with more University students, Tysdahl said. But we also have a ton of alumni that come back, especially on week- ends with home games. Burny ' s offered many drink specials throughout the week, but Tysdahl said it was the fun, upbeat atmosphere more than the specials that brought in the crowd. The Palms The Palms stood as the only bar in Maryville that kept its doors open all day by serving lunch, as well as providing numer- ous specials like Mug Night. It ' s fun because of the great drink spe- cials, student Sam Daniel said. And also because it helps you build a community with the people you don ' t see out all the time. Bartender Katie Cusick said Wednesday night ' s Mug Night and weekends brought in the biggest crowds due to the specials and the bar ' s friendly atmosphere. The Outback Saturday nights at The Outback are one of the best nights, student Bryan Touney said. It ' s a good time to meet up with people, talk to your friends and get caught up. Only open Thursday through Saturday, The World Famous Outback seemed to be the athlete ' s choice according to owner An- thony Campobasso. A lot of our business first semester has to do with football games, Campobasso said. We get a lot of football players as clien- tele. In addition to daily drink specials, the bar had special promotions on selected Fridays. Conclusion No matter what night of the week, the bars of Maryville were likely to be crowded with students. With the limited amount of places to go, many students felt the bars were the main place of entertainment. Considering it ' s a small town, there ' s always a good turnout, Jackson said. No matter what bar you go to, you always run into someone you know. H Writer | Angela Smith Designer | Lindsay Steinkamp 026ISTUDENT LIFE