by Sara Jones | Oct 9, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Today Broadway’s award-winning comedy, “The Play That Goes Wrong”, will take center stage at The Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Created by England’s Mischief Theatre, “The Play That Goes Wrong,” follows the classic murder mystery “Murder at Haversham Manor” and its disastrous opening night. Throughout the night, actors forget lines, cues are missed and chaos ensues. “Hearing an audience roar with laughter for two hours at every performance is such a rush. Knowing we’re bringing that kind of unadulterated joy to so many people every day feels quite special,” said Ned Noyes. Ned Noyes began his acting career as far back as elementary school and began his professional career while enrolled at Northwestern University. Currently Noyes plays the role of Max in “The Play That Goes Wrong.” “I was fortunate enough to see the original Mischief Theatre company perform this play many times, and I was so taken by everyone’s performances. Max was an easy favorite, as he’s afforded many opportunities to “misbehave” in ways you’re never permitted to as a professional actor. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of role, and a total joy to perform his journey every night.” Earlier this year Noyes had the opportunity to perform his role in the Broadway production of “The Play That Goes Wrong.” To him the experience was: “A dream come true! Everyone working on this show has such a huge heart and being part of the first American cast of this show was thrilling.” Lipscomb students are invited to see what the talk is all about starting this Tuesday, Oct. 9th. TPAC is offering students a ticket code that can be...
by Kailey Schuyler | Oct 7, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Months of hard work finally paid off for Tau Phi, as the men in the social club showcased their skills in the 39th annual Cowboy Show. Directed by Tau Phi member Jonathan Flatt and assistant director Wyatt Eaton, the show featured both new and classical country hits. “This has been two months of work,” Eaton said. “I know personally. I was at rehearsal five nights a week for five hours. I think everybody together just putting in time outside of it, and inside of it took a lot of time . . . days and days and days of preparation.” Eaton said he would describe himself as “the man-power behind the show.” Act 1 started off with a bang when members of Tau Phi sang, “John Deere (Tau Phi) Green.” The show featured a lot of variety, with solo, group and medley acts. The covers ranged from George Strait to Maddie & Tae. Collins Alumni Auditorium was a packed house, with students, alumni and parents here for Lipscomb parents weekend filling the audience. “The show was funny, but it also had some great vocalists,” student Kenan Sakic said. “I enjoyed it all the way through.” The show also incorporates female vocalists on Lipscomb’s campus. “I think we are all really proud of what we were able to put out there,” Pi Delta member Cassie Beth said. The show always closes with “Cowboys Like Us” by George Strait. The current Tau Phi members invite alumni up on stage to join in the final song of the show. “When they all sang the alumni song, and they brought up a bunch...
by LeBron Hill | Oct 1, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Kevin Hart is the gift that keeps on giving. Night School marks over 40 movies the actor/comedian has been in. In this film, Hart goes back to his original form of situational humor. Playing alongside Hart is breakout actress Tiffany Haddish. After first getting her start in TV shows such as “The Carmichael Show” and “If Loving You Is Wrong,” the 38 year-old actress has now been in two leading roles, with her first, Girls Trip, last year. Directed by Malcom D. Lee (Girls Trip), Hart plays Teddy, a street-smart salesman who doesn’t get his high school diploma due to his ego. However, he soon finds out the importance of education once he hits rock bottom and is forced to get his GED. That’s where he meets the night school teacher Carrie, who turns out to be Teddy’s match. The goal for him was to get his GED, but along the way, he learns the true purpose of education. Hart and Haddish are surrounded by a veteran cast of comedians, such as Taran Killam (“Saturday Night Live”), Rob Riggle (The Hangover), and Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”). The ensemble is full of seasoned veterans that do a good job of supporting the two stars. However, the film constrains their comedic performance. There are parts where the laugh is drug out, to a point where it isn’t funny anymore. It doesn’t help that the screenplay is scattered with no real investment of characters. The chemistry between the two comedy specialists, Hart and Haddish, seems like a great pairing on paper, but the two don’t seem to bounce off one another...
by Sara Jones | Sep 30, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Gerron Hurt saw his hard work pay off as he took home the coveted MasterChef title on season nine of Fox’s hit series. The Nashville resident, who has taught English has at Nashville’s LEAD Academy High School, won $250,000 in prize money on Sept. 19. “Throughout the season, Gerron displayed the drive and characteristics we so often ask of one another and, especially, our students,” said LEAD Academy’s CEO Dwayne Tucker. “He was courageous in trying out for the show in the first place. He was committed, disciplined and self-reliant in his approach to the competition and the way in which he talked about his students and his passion for them was the very definition of serving others.” Hurt received a Master’s degree in teaching at Lipscomb University and a ESL certification last spring. Hurt said he appreciates his time at Lipscomb for the relevant tools he received and strong foundation it provided. “Lipscomb’s program really really prepared me to be able to truly accommodate my ELL students and differentiate my lesson plans accordingly,” said Hurt. Impressively, Hurt was able to complete his Mater’s program while also filming MasterChef in Los Angeles. Moving from a classroom into the high pressure kitchen came with mixed emotions. Hurt still recalls the intimidation he felt cooking for famous chef and judge, Gordon Ramsay. “I actually cut myself the first time cooking in front of him because my nerves got the best of me,” said Hurt. In order to get past his fears, Hurt had to remind himself that Gordon was a regular person, just like him. He also focused on the support he received from...
by Erin Franklin | Sep 21, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Lipscomb has brought on a number of changes this year, ranging from new academic department locations to a new outdoor patio outside the cafeteria. Additionally, several new faculty members have joined the Lipscomb staff. One of these new professors is Dr. Ben Blasko, who was recently named band director for the classical music department. Blasko was a music education major at a small college in his home state of Pennsylvania. He then completed his graduate coursework at the University of North Texas and eventually became director of bands at the University of Dubuque, before moving to Lipscomb this fall. In addition to his role at Lipscomb, he’s also a professional trumpet player and has done film work, notably studying with Bruce Broughton, who has worked on films such as Silverado. “I came [to Lipscomb] because I was looking for a place where I could practice my faith and integrate it into my teaching,” Blasko said. “When I interviewed here, what really drew me [in] were the students and how the faculty interacted with the students. I very much got a sense of [the] mentor relationships between faculty and students.” Blasko said he is honored to work with a “legend in music” in Brown Bannister, Lipscomb’s Director of Music. Students in the classical department have also welcomed Blasko’s arrival, citing their readiness for new and specialized attention. The music department not only hosts the classical music side, but it also has the commercial music emphasis (previously titled contemporary music). Since the commercial program was started in 2015, some classical students said that they felt that a lot of attention was placed...
by Quinn Gorte | Sep 20, 2018 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
It’s the end of a long week of classes and homework. How does live music and discounted coffee sound? Enter Well Friday, the cure to school stresses. Sponsored by Lipscomb and facilitated by the College of Entertainment and the Arts (CEA), Well Friday is a bi-weekly, two-hour time of live music and discounted coffee at The Well coffeeshop on Granny White Pike. This is a perfect time to “treat yo self” and to get “a great deal on lunch…while hearing great music for free,” according to the CEA’s email announcement. The first Well Friday will be held tomorrow from 11 AM to 1 PM. At each Well Friday, Lipscomb offers the first fifty attending students a free coffee, tea, or soda token. After that, The Well will provide a 15% discount on food and drinks to everyone else. Well Friday is a relatively new opportunity for Lipscomb students. “We launched a few test events last May as the semester was ending, but it’s an idea we’ve been working on for a while,” Scott Baker, Director of Marketing and Recruiting at the CEA, said. “[Lipscomb CFO] Danny Taylor really had the initial vision for it. He wanted a special time every now and then that the whole Lipscomb family could get together, away from work and school, and just enjoy each others’ company with good food, drink, and music.” The partnership between the CEA and The Well isn’t new. However, when the Black River Stage, a quaint, conveniently-located performing venue, was built in The Well earlier this year, the relationship between the CEA and The Well reached a new level....
