by Anna Rogers | Mar 23, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
Comprised entirely of Lipscomb students, Second Stage Student Theatre is a completely student-run theatre company whose goal is to create art and challenge society. Founded in 2016 by juniors Scott Wilson, Morgan Bowling, and senior Bekah Purifoy, 2SST exists to give theatre students a medium of uncensored, challenging artistic expression. “We use Second Stage as a vehicle to create art,” Wilson said. Many theatres have a second stage. The second stage traditionally produces shows under the same theatre program, but 2SST is not Lipscomb-affiliated Though typically under the same program as the main stage, a second stage show does not usually receive the same attention as a main stage show. “We wanted to take that a step further,” Wilson said. Wilson said that establishing the company was not solely to further their careers or to brag on a resume. The goal is to struggle and learn how to express themselves independently. Opening Thursday at the Darkhorse Theatre, Second Stage will be producing “Really Really,” a show by Paul Downs Colaizzo. This controversial show is about a character who accuses her friend of sexually assaulting her at a college party and the gray area that ensues. The play features some racy themes, crude language and sexual innuendos. “Mentioning that makes it harder to sell,” junior Connor Weaver, who plays Davis, said. “It could be triggering, but theatre is raw.” Even though each member of the team attends Lipscomb, the cast and crew decided to leave these controversial messages in the show. Junior and director Natalie Risk made this decision because the things that happen in the story are happening in the real...
by Brooke Dorris | Mar 23, 2017 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider, Opinion
Whitney Houston fans: this is the musical for you. Even if you are not the biggest Whitney Houston fan, you will still love TPAC’s latest show, The Bodyguard. Deborah Cox and Judson Mills bring to life Rachel Marron and Frank Farmer in the incredible new production. Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service Agent, is hired to protect music superstar Rachel Marron from an elusive stalker. Both headstrong and wanting to be in charge, they never expect to fall in love with each other. The Bodyguard is a musical based on the 1992 film The Bodyguard with the score featuring Whitney Houston songs such as hits like “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “I Have Nothing” and her cover version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” It is also based on a book by the Oscar-winning Alexander Dinelaris. Grammy® Award-nominated and multi-platinum R&B and Pop recording artist and actress Cox made her Broadway debut in the lead role in Aida. From there she has gone on to create platinum selling albums, which led her to receive an American Music Award nomination. From One Wish, her second album, came the double-platinum single “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” which held the record for longest running No. 1 R&B Single for 14 consecutive weeks. Cox even collaborated with Whitney Houston in 2000 to record the duet “Same Script Different Cast” for Houston’s Greatest Hits CD. But one actor who might have stolen the show was Douglas Baldeo, who plays Rachel’s adorable son Fletcher. Baldeo is a triple threat: he can sing, dance and act, and he proved that on opening night. When the...
by Lorena Coleman | Mar 22, 2017 | News Slider
Over Spring Break, several Lipscomb students journeyed to Nevis with the mission of strengthening their relationships with the people and strengthening the people’s relationships with God. Nevis is a small island in the West Indies, located in the Caribbean Sea. Combined with neighboring island Saint Kitts, the two form a country called the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Sophomore Amy Hurd described the island as being “full of character,” with an abundance of fresh gardens and markets. She and Freshman Katlyn Council were two of 15 team members who stayed on the island for the week-long trip. Both students agreed that the main purpose of the trip was to build relationships with the people. While Council and Hurd were embarking on the trip for the first time, Council said the Nevis people seemed to recognize the group and looked forward to the team’s coming every year. “Everyone we met was so welcoming and happy to have us there,” Hurd said. “The way they showed Jesus to us was so amazing. They welcomed us with open arms and treated us all like family.” The itinerary was pretty “low-key”, according to Council, who said the team’s days were spent hanging out with children with the goal of building and strengthening relationships. In the evening, the group hosted Vacation Bible School at a local church. The nights began with worship time, followed by class, which was broken up by age group. Council helped with the youngest age group, where children created crafts and then listened to a Bible story. Other tasks throughout the week included helping church members work on various service projects, such as building a...
by Olivia Waldorf | Mar 22, 2017 | News Slider
Lipscomb’s own Chris Klotz took the stage for this Tuesday’s Gathering. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the guy that you hate on the airplane. I’ll always want to get to know you.” Klotz said, beginning his message. He then played a video and paused on a frame of a man he said he met on a plane. Normally, people in movies want to be seen, if even for a split second. This man was just clapping, enjoying his two seconds on screen. Klotz explained his analogy: we all have two seconds of “screen time.” Our lives are relatively short in the grand scheme of things. He said that our culture tells us our time here should be self-centered. It tells us to make sure that our face is seen so people know who we are. Klotz said his humbling moment was when a coach asked him why he played soccer. Klotz answered with, “I enjoy it, it got me into college, and it’s brought me a lot of other things.” The coach pointed out that for every reason, Klotz talked about himself. The coach asked, “What if for the first time, soccer wasn’t about you?” This moment is when Klotz realized everything we do matters for reasons other than our own benefit. He told another story about keeping our eyes on God by remembering a mission trip to Africa with his team. After all their hard work, the mission team enjoyed a safari. They came across an area where a lion was spotted in the bushes. They were so fixated on this lion. They looked around and realized that all the other animals were silent and watching the lion, too....
by Bethany Rowland | Mar 22, 2017 | News Slider
Senior social work major Heather Witt was one of 13 Lipscomb students who traveled to Dundee, Scotland, over their spring break to participate in a mentorship program with local seventh graders. Witt spoke of the importance of this trip both to her and to the people they encounter during their time there each year as well, noting that evangelism is not very present in Scotland, and Christianity is sparse. “They’ll know that we think they’re important, that they have purpose and that they are so incredibly loved by us and by God — regardless of whether or not they believe in Him,” Witt said. She added that, ultimately, it is the group’s goal to simply help these kids to know and feel the love of God no matter what. Although Witt is graduating in May, she said she is thankful for the experiences she gained through traveling to Dundee and hopes to keep up with the relationships she has built there. On a typical day, Witt said the team would get up and head straight to the middle school to do two sessions with the students, and then they would spend their evenings doing fun activities with one of the local youth groups. All of this, she added, was accompanied by “plenty of tea.” One of the biggest goals of this trip each year is to build relationships with the people of Dundee, Scotland. Witt said that was the biggest draw that made her want to return for her second time because she had a desire to return to those relationships and continue to build them. This mission trip...
by Cole Gray | Mar 20, 2017 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb baseball’s bats started to come out of winter hibernation as the Bisons swept the Illinois State Redbirds at Dugan Field in a weekend series marked by great weather. Lipscomb batted .326 in the series. The Bisons are currently batting .236 as a team, next-to-last in the ASUN. The heart of the order fueled the Bisons’ 10-8 win in the back-and-forth first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Fifth, sixth and seventh hitters Jake Perry, Blake Thomas and Von Watson drove in nine runs on six hits, including home runs from Perry and Watson. Starting pitcher Brady Puckett was ambushed for three runs in the top of the first inning by the Redbirds, but the Bisons took the lead in the bottom half of the opening frame thanks to a two-out rally punctuated by Perry’s three-run bomb and an RBI single from Watson. Watson added a three-run shot of his own in the bottom of the seventh to tie his career-high of four runs batted in. It was Watson’s first homer of the season. “It was so good to see him come out and swing the bat well,” coach Jeff Forehand said on Saturday. “We really need him to use this game to get going at the plate. He plays a big part in what we are trying to do.” Puckett gave up two more runs in the sixth and was replaced to start the seventh inning by lefty John Pryor, who earned the win after the Bisons executed another two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh. Illinois State loaded the bases and scored a run in the ninth against...
