Kansas Wesleyan University - Coyote Yearbook (Salina, KS)

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Summer Theatre Survives High Temperatures Summer Theatre had been non-existent at KW for many years but was revived through the production of Picnic. The play is a Kansas drama written by William Inge who was originally from Independence, Kansas. He wrote about the midwestem psyche, director, Dr. Eric Marshall said. Most plays are based either on the east or west coasts? In the dramag Madge, a small town girl, muSt make the choice between a wealthy local boy and a dashing drifter who comes to town at the end ofa hot midwest- ern summer. It was a good play for a first productionf' Marshall said. It was light and the kind of play you do in the psummerf' A summer theatre course was offered as part of the lprogram. The castpracticed during three and a halfhot weeks in June. The practices were held in the morning and evening and sometimes lasted into the early morning. Some of the participants were high school students which caused a few problems. High School students are more inconsistent and less dependable than college studentsf, Marshall said. The younger students also created some difficulty for the older theatre students involved. I had to watch my temper because we had four high school students who wouldn't concentrate at rehearsals. Bobby Jones said. Getting a complicated set built in the time limit we had also added pressure. The production offered a chance for students who had never been on the stage before a chance to act. First time actor Nathan Stanton encountered several challengesg previously he had only worked on the stage crew and as a puppeteer in Little Shop of Hor- rors. Trying to become my character and convince people that I was that character wasn't easy, said Stanton. Overcoming my fear ofbeing in front ofa crowd and the time we had to put in was also difficult. As for the future of the summer theatre program at KW, Marshall hopes to doa musical production. Mu- sicals are usually what is done in summer theatre and eventually I would like to do one. he said. Q' by Kirsten Stanton I .ss Y y . y EK N t.i- :... .. I K Q l l 4'It was light and the kind of play you do in the summer. Dr. Eric Marshall Old maid teacher friends discuss the rent situation in town with Rosemary Sydney Cleftj, portrayed by Tammi Preston. The friends are portrayed by .Io Ellen Dun- gan and Tarnera Trant. Photo by Kirsten Stanton Picnic

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Winkin', stinkin'n'blinkin'! is Alan's response to his one-timeafraternity brother Hal's greeting of, l-low's your outboard motor? Alan is portrayed by Nathan Stanton, Photo by Kirsten Stanton As their attraction for each other is realized, Hal and Madge decide to skip the picnic and explore their relation- ship. Hal is portrycd by Jim Sweet and Madge by Sandie Northcutt. Photo by Kirsten Stanton WX

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I was very happy . . . I was i I excited . . . well, I I was ecstaticlv g Travis Witman I I e I Impersonating royalty While admitting people to the dance, StuCo member Tom Keil tries oh the Sweetheart crown. Photo by Cindy Wunder Romance eturn itman Crowned King Heritage Hall at the Bicentennial Center was the scene ofthe annual StuCo sponsored Sweetheart King Coronation and Dance. We had a pretty good tum- out, about 100 students came to the dance, and we did make some money. said Lora Davis, co-activities di- rector. The Sweetheart Court assembled itself in front of the DJ. stand at midnight for the coronation of the king, I was very happy . . . I was excited. . . well, I was ecstatic! said winner, 'Travis Witman, a junior majoring in history from Jetmore. Angie Holton es- corted Witman, I was so proud of him and happy . . at first when we got up there I was nervous for him and my stomach just dropped right before they an- nounced the winner . . . but I figured he had a really good chance of winning. Other candidates were Ray Kujawa, Tim Schremmer, Tyler Schremmer, and Scott Polzin. The sophomore attendant was Chris Barkley and the freshman attendant, Kyle Gunnerson. Candidate Ray Kujawa was not enthusiastic about the evening, I didn't have a very good time, I had a sprained ankle, and I couldn't dance so I just showed up because I had to, so it was a rather depressing evening for me. Kujawa said. Others had varying opinions about the dance, It was fun but it wasn't the best dance, mainly because people came so late and because the game got out late. People just came to see the king crowned and didn't dance much. said Davis. The most memorable part of the evening for me was dancing with Tom Pitts, who had a broken foot and just hopped aroundf' Verelle Cady said. I myself wouldn't call it a memorable occasion, I was only there for about twenty minutes . . . three or four songs and a marriage proposal said Kevin Wohler. Just before the coronation, Rick Green had the dance floor cleared and directed his girlfriend Teri Calcote sit in the middle of the dance floor. He proposed to her and she accepted. 'gl was really surprised, I didn't have any idea when he was going to do it. We had talked about it and I knew he was paying for a ring, but I really didn't think it would happen at Sweetheart. He had said that it was going to be a surprise and thatl would never forget it. . . he had been acting a little nervous all week, Calcote said. I was a little suspicious, but I was really shocked when his i brother called me out onto the dance floor. w by Kirsten Stanton