by Jamin Craig | Jan 15, 2015 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s theatre department is quickly crafting its next main-stage show, bringing the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss to the Collins stage with Seussical. The story, guided by the Cat in the Hat, takes much of its plot from Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who. Deep in the jungle of Nool, an elephant named Horton stumbles across the city of Whoville located on a speck of dust. Most of the animals in the jungle think he is crazy, and many conflicts unfold as Horton and the Whos try to convince the Jungle of Nool that Whoville really exists. The story is about friendship, acceptance and sticking to your word during hard circumstances. Kari Smith, an adjunct theatre and dance professor, is directing and choreographing the show. She explained that this production has much less rehearsal time than an average show for Lipscomb. “It’s five and a half weeks” Smith said. “For professional actors, that’s plenty, but we’re talking about students who have to go to school all day, get their homework done, have time to breathe and then go to rehearsal. It’s going to be quick, but I have a great cast. They’re all super committed and so great to work with.” The cast and crew might be made up of students only, but they are excited for the challenge. Elijah Wallace, a junior theatre major from Montgomery, Alabama, will be playing the role of Horton the elephant. In middle school, Wallace played the Cat in the Hat in a previous production of Seussical, but he says he has always wanted to play Horton. “I resonate a lot with what Horton believes and...
by Jamin Craig | Nov 12, 2014 | News Slider
Lipscomb University’s HumanDocs Film Series picks up again this week with the political documentary, “Silenced”. The film follows three whistleblowers: one in the NSA, another in the CIA and the third in the Department of Justice. These three people saw questionable practices being committed by the government and decided to draw attention to them. It is a story of dealing with the backlash of government superiors when calling attention to a potentially bad practice. Ted Parks, one of Lipscomb’s Spanish professors and head of the Lipscomb Human Docs Film Series, says these three people did not agree with the moral values of the government system put in after Sept. 11, 2001. Specific issues covered in the film include civil liberties and the use of torture and waterboarding. Parks goes into detail about what a whistleblower actually does. “A whistleblower is a person in some kind of organization who sees practices that are illegal or unethical or out of character with the institution,” Parks said, “And because of that, feels like he or she has to call attention to those practices with the hopes that they get stopped.” “It’s a very precarious position to be in, because often your superiors may be the ones involved in these practices, and you just as a personal conscience say ‘Hey, this is not right, and I can’t keep doing this.’” After the film screening, Parks will introduce a panel of guests to reflect on the film with a question and answer session. The panel will include an ethicist, an attorney representing whistleblowers, a counselor and a political science/history professor. “I’m really grateful that...
by Jamin Craig | Nov 10, 2014 | Opinion
Big Hero 6, the newest title from Walt Disney Animation Studios, stands as yet another home run for the Mouse House. The film’s blend of action and adventure with close-knit relationships and genuine emotion made for an epic story, one of the best Disney has told in quite some time. Big Hero 6 takes place in the fictional metropolis of San Fransokyo. It tells the story of 14-year-old robotics engineer Hiro Hamada and his older brother, Tadashi. The elder Hamada, a robotics genius, has developed a revolutionary robot healthcare assistant named Baymax. Tadashi dreams of helping the world with his creation, but Hiro sees Baymax doing even more. After a tragic accident, Hiro feels compelled to turn Baymax into a tough fighting machine. The two join forces with a few of Tadashi’s friends (Honey Lemon, Wasabi, GoGo and Fred) to find out the root of a mysterious plot that may correlate with the accident. Big Hero 6 has a lot going for it. The film’s animation is absolutely stunning. Sure, this is Disney, the animation king, but this movie felt very lifelike. The animators included several cues from live-action film. In all the fight scenes, production used a lot of “handheld shaky cam” visuals with “poor” zooming and focusing, but the movement never became distracting. Thinking all the way back to Toy Story, CGI animation has come a very, very long way. But, animation is only a tool used to make the movie. The core of every movie is the story, and this story here is very strong. In fact, this is the best story that Disney has put out...
by Jamin Craig | Oct 17, 2014 | News Slider
Two infamous gangs are squaring off on Collins Alumni Auditorium stage on Halloween weekend. No, these gangs are not real, but they are part of the iconic musical phenomenon known at West Side Story. The musical, inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of two star-crossed lovers,Tony and Maria. The two meet at a dance and immediately fall in love, but they quickly realize they have to keep their relationship secret since they come from rivaling groups of people. The setting is the West Side of New York City. The two groups are gangs; the Sharks, a feisty group of Puerto Ricans that are friends of Maria, and the Jets, the tough group of New Yorkers that Tony aligns himself with. Mike Fernandez, the dean of the new College of Entertainment & the Arts, is directing the show. He said that West Side Story presents new opportunities for those involved. “We were really aching for a strong, gritty musical that had some great dance to it,” Fernandez said. “We certainly had done shows before that explored dance, but we really wanted something that would push us in terms of dance capability. We also felt like we wanted to push ourselves musically, and so how better to do that than with West Side Story?” Tyler Russell, a senior theatre major, will be playing the role of Tony. Russell said he is ecstatic that he gets to play such an iconic role. But, to Russell, playing Tony has not come without its challenges. “Physically, emotionally and vocally, Tony is the most difficult role I have ever played,” Russell said. “So...
by Jamin Craig | Oct 2, 2014 | News Slider
A country twang is in the air at Lipscomb University, as the boys of Tau Phi come together to put on the 35th annual Cowboy Show. This year, Tau Phi alumni will join the stage with current club members for a reunion show. The host this year is McRae Benefield, a Tau Phi alumnus who was a part of the very first Cowboy Show held inside Collins Auditorium. “I pledged in the spring of ‘78” Benefield said. “They were doing Bison Day and we were all dressed up like cowboys. They did a little cowboy show out on the steps of alumni auditorium, and I thought that was kind of cool, so that’s the reason I decided to pledge to Tau Phi. We were the first ones to do it inside alumni, and it’s just pretty neat that it’s still hanging on.” The Cowboy Show started in 1974 when a few Tau Phi members got together and put on a small show on the front steps of Collins Auditorium. The popularity of this small gathering slowly grew over five years. Then, in 1979, the show moved inside to the Collins stage where it’s been held ever since. Clay Whitaker, the Cowboy Show director, admits that putting a show like this together is very hard work, but it also strengthens the friendships in Tau Phi year after year. “It’s a pretty big undertaking,” Whitaker said. “Hiring the band, the audio/visual technicians, building a set, organizing practice, making sure a bunch of college kids get their stuff together for a production. It’s hard to corral people together. But, it’s fun to...
