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 Monaih Sam | Feb 15, 2013 | News Slider
Pastor Khem Sam reminds his congregation that “we are the lucky ones” every Sunday at Belmont Heights Baptist Church. Those may be just words to most, but to Pastor Sam, those words hold a much deeper meaning. Sam was abandoned by his parents as a young boy. He struggled to survive on the streets of poverty-stricken Cambodia. That was just the beginning of his problems. “I did whatever I could to survive,” he said. “I took whatever jobs I could find.” One of Sam’s first jobs was as a taxi driver. The only difference with today’s taxi drivers and those in the 1950s and 60s Cambodia was that they did not use cars. Sam would sit passengers in a carriage and he would walk or run them around town for miles in a day. Sam eventually worked hard enough to pay his way through school. “In those days only the rich people went to school,” he said. “The poor were illiterate, and I knew that I had to educate myself if I wanted a better future for myself.” Then came the Vietnam War, and Sam’s world would turn upside-down. Cambodia was a neutral country during the war, but it was often bombed by American forces because its borders were used as a supply chain to the North Vietnamese. It is estimated that as many as 500,000 Cambodians died as a direct result of the bombings, while perhaps hundreds of thousands more died from the effects of displacement, disease or starvation during this period. After the Vietnam was over, the Cambodian government collapsed and was taken over by the Khmer...
by Cory Woodroof | Aug 24, 2012 | Opinion
As we enter Premium Rush, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s bike messenger Wilee (known as the Coyote among the peddling community) hurls through the air in the most cinematic fashion after being full on hit by a taxi cab. The Who echoes in the distance. As worried onlookers rush to the scene of Wilee’s motionless body, we get sent back to the beginning of his afternoon – the reason our fearless hero ended up with his back flat on the busy streets of New York City. As a security-delivery bike messenger, Wilee faces the mean streets of the Big Apple with gusto. Choosing a life of thrill over the bar exam and, as he believes, a boring desk job, Wilee races through the city transporting important items to random people, receiving bruises, bandages and a minimal paycheck along the way. For him, the scrapes beat the suit. One fateful afternoon, a simple errand turns into a madcap chase across town when Wilee intercepts a mysterious envelope from a college worker (Jamie Chung). When the crooked cop from every movie ever (Michael Shannon) comes along to stir trouble and gain some needed leverage against some very bad people, Wilee must figure out why he’s being chased by a looney-eyed maniac through the busy streets of Manhattan – as well as discover the importance of the item that he carries. Aided by his on-and-off love interest and fellow biker (Dania Ramirez), Wilee fights to find out the truth through stellar bike tricks and a wee bit of luck. So I don’t forget to tell you: Wilee’s exploits are combined with stylish flashbacks, filling in...
by Amy Estepp | Mar 14, 2011 | News Slider
They’ve gone to a village in Guatemala, an orphanage in Mexico, New York City and points between and beyond. As usual, many Lipscomb students, with faculty support, are spending their spring break helping people in different parts of the world and also growing. Every year students, faculty, staff and alumni join together to partner with Lipscomb’s mission initiatives. Lipcomb offers a variety of trips both international and domestic. Hundreds of Lipscomb affiliates are involved and hundreds of lives changed. This year, the mission efforts began even before spring break officially got under way. The first trip departed at dawn March 10, leaving from Nashville International airport en route to Guatemala. Jordan Lewis, a junior nursing major said that she wasn’t nervous, but just excited to take part in the medical mission trip located in the Ulpan Valley of Guatemala. The Chattanooga native is a rookie to medical missions, but she is not letting her inexperience get in the way. “I expect to help with medicines and playing with the kids, and helping with the doctors,” said Lewis. “Overall, I am most excited about seeing a different culture and being somewhere completely rural.” This is the 10th consecutive year for Lipscomb admissions recruiter, Josh Link, to serve the City of Children. The City of Children is an orphanage located in Ensenada, Mexico. After spending every spring break of his college years in Ensenada, Link is now the trip leader. But what keeps Link returning to the City of Children? “I am most excited about seeing the kid that I have a relationship with,” said Link. “There is a kid that...
by Rachel Carden | Oct 14, 2010 | News Slider
She’s a former Federal Communications Commission Commissioner and now she’s an Executive in Residence in the Department of Communication and Journalism here at Lipscomb. Deborah Taylor Tate also recently attended Education Nation, a conference hosted by NBC in New York City confronting issues faced by our nation with regards to educating its students. To hear about her trip and how Education Nation is affecting Tennessee, Nashville and Lipscomb, watch below. Please upgrade your...
