The Observer, Spring 2025 – Issue6 by CWU Observer

“NO FREE SPEECH

STUDENTS LEAD PROTEST AGAINST MASS DEFUNDING

Ethan Kennedy Staff Reporter

No free speech without free press.” This was the slogan heard across campus, along with many other chants in protest of the defunding of student media, and other organizations at CWU. Students, faculty and community members all gathered in front of the SURC this past Wednesday to show their support for the students affected by the budget decisions. Over 300 people protested the proposal of the S&A committee to reallocate these funds.

Just after noon, Co-Editor-InChief of The Observer, Brandon Mattesich, stood in front of students and faculty and explained the severity of the defunding and started the march to Barge Hall. Chanting through the SURC, making their way around campus, students made sure they were heard.

A multitude of organizations and extracurricular programs have been affected by the decisions made by the S&A committee. The Observer, PULSE Magazine, Theatre Jobs and Film Jobs in the ECC are proposed to be completely or nearly defunded. In a separate decision, Rugby also lost varsity sponsorship at CWU. Students who came here on rugby scholarships will get their scholarships revoked as of this upcoming Fall quarter.

event’s organizers. Environmental science major Mariah Gilmore spoke on the importance of the protest, “Literature is the reason why we do not repeat mistakes in history. We start getting rid of student media, what’s next, books?”

Former Associate Professor of Journalism, and former advisor for the Observer, Cynthia Mitchell arrived, sign in hand, ready to show her support for the organizations she worked alongside during her 17 years at CWU. “I really urge the Board of Trustees, I know it’s a big step to overturn a student-led S&A committee, but this is misguided, and it’s a fraught political time where it sends the wrong message,” Mitchell said.

“To defund student media when other institutions getting S&A funding are swimming in money, and sustaining the 20% cut that they needed to find, is unfair and is an abridgement of students first amendment rights.”

CONTINUED ON PAGES 6 & 7 “

Bieloh noted the connection of The Observer and PULSE Magazine as two outlets that are closely intertwined with the art department. Students at the protest shared that the shutting down of these organizations could be detrimental to students majoring in the arts, and that it could put a halt to students’ interest in enrolling in certain majors.

After marching the protest from Barge Hall back to the SURC, Z Morris, lead graphic designer at The Observer, spoke with spirit to an impassioned crowd. “It’s moments like these that show we are not alone in our fights; we are fighting together. Whether this is your first protest, or your hundredth, your presence carries power,” Morris said. “You, the students, the faculty and the community members have the power to shape this school ... this is not just an attack on journalism, or the arts, or athletics. This is an attack on all of us.”

CWU Rugby Athlete becomes first, and last, to win prestigious award

Jackson Roberts Co-Editor-In-Chief

The 2025 Rudy Scholz Collegiate Athlete of the Year Award was awarded to CWU rugby’s Oscar Treacy as he became the first ever Wildcat to win the award. The award is won nearly a month after CWU Atheltic’s decision to cut varsity sponsorship to both men’s and women’s rugby.

WITHOUT FREE PRESS!” ELECTION RESULTS

Students from departments all across campus came to support Student Media at the protest. Many brought their own signs, others took signs provided by the

Not only are the proposed budget cuts affecting students, but they are also affecting the professors across many departments. Graphic Design Professor, David Bieloh, spoke on the art department’s connection with some of the defunded organizations. “Not to have a printed newspaper, it makes no sense to me,” Bieloh said. “I think it will hurt our recruitment and our enrollment ... I think this will also hurt our communication students and our ability to work in these collaborative efforts.”

Freedom of speech is a constitutional right, that includes freedom of the press. On May 15, there will be a Board of Trustees meeting held to decide the fate of the proposed budgets. Students, staff, faculty and community members stated at the protest that they intend to attend this meeting to show support for the overturning of the proposed budgets.

Photo Courtesy of Marlene Veveris

College of arts & humanities and college of sciences find new deans

Brandon Mattesich Co-Editor-In-Chief

Two new deans have been appointed at CWU following an expansive nationwide search. Christopher Redfearn will now lead the College of Arts and Humanities (CAH), and Julie Baldwin will lead the College of the Sciences (COTS). The news was announced May 5 in a press release sent out by CWU.

Patrick Pease, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, shared thoughts on the new candidates appointments in the press release, stating, “Dr. Redfearn and Dr. Baldwin emerged from two highly competitive searches, and we are looking forward to them joining the Wildcat family this summer,” Pease said. “Both colleges already have a strong foundation, and we expect these two proven leaders to help elevate our support of students, faculty, and staff to an even higher level.”

Baldwin has a PhD in Geology from MIT, and has worked as the Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences at the University of Montana. Baldwin gave a statement in the press release as well, stating, “I’m inspired by CWU’s emphasis on hands-on research, experiential learning, and community engagement … experiences that are essential to preparing students for the careers and challenges of the future,” Baldwin said. “I also look forward to leading a college that unites the natural and social sciences, creating space for interdisciplinary research, innovation, and real-world impact for our faculty and students.”

Redfearn on the other hand has “a Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado School of Music, a Master of Music from Michigan State University, and a Bachelor of Music from Brigham Young University.” In the past

LETTER from the EDITORS

Hey everyone,

Brandon: This past week has felt like months, and I somehow mean that in a good way. Back to back interviews, news appearances, and a protest that truly exceeded every expectation I could have had. This whole experience has been once in a lifetime (and hopefully never happens again) but I am grateful to have gone through it with the amazing people at The Observer and PULSE Magazine. In the newspaper business you never know what your next story will be, but I am truly looking at the future with hope and determination after the immense showing of unity and support that was last week’s protest.

Jackson: Wow, what a turnout. To everyone who showed your faces at the protest, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU. This quarter has been nothing short of stressful and jam packed, but to see the trail of students behind me as we marched through campus shows the importance of what we are fighting for. In other news, Brandon and I got the opportunity to be on live television to talk about the protest, putting even more eyes on this topic. Thank you to CWU alum Laynie Erickson and KNDU KNDO NonStop Local News for having us on and sharing our message.

News this week was heavy, focusing on last week’s protest and controversy surrounding the ASCWU election cycle. It’s an interesting challenge to cover an event that you were a part of, but we assigned one of our talented reporters, Ethan Kennedy, to cover the event instead

of participating in it. We could not be happier with his coverage, and we hope that anyone who was there tries to find themselves in our center spread! Fizz also made headlines this week, and by the time this issue is out the ASCWU election results will be as well.

Scene looks at some film and theater this week, a Q&A with a filmmaker debuting his new film at the Seattle International Film Festival. We also see Co-Editor-In-Chief Brandon Mattesich’s opinion on the Theater department’s latest production “Once upon a Mattress.”

Sports dives into the CWU baseball seniors’ journeys at CWU as they move on from their baseball careers. Big news in rugby as well as Oscar treacy wins a monumental award for his career after CWU Athletics made the decision to cancel varsity sponsorship of the men’s and women’s rugby team.

Design absolutely nailed it this week, with a beautiful center spread and a stunning and fresh front page highlighting the sheer numbers at last week’s protest. On top of that we have some really fresh designs, with a strong showcase of talent on the Fizz page, and some really fun designs on both pages eight and nine. Also, this is the first week we haven’t had a backpage pretty much all quarter, so having back page on the back page is a fun return to typical Observer format.

he has served as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at University of Jamestown.

Speaking to the importance of CAH, and what he hopes to bring to CWU, Redfearn stated in the press release, “The arts and humanities help us understand the human experience, and studying them not only enriches students’ lives but also builds essential skills like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and problem solving,” Redfearn said. “There is simply no better place to study the arts and humanities than at Central Washington University, and I can’t wait to start sharing that story.”

Jackson and Brandon at KNDU/KNDO.

(Photo courtesy of Laynie Erickson)

Opinion

CWU must preserve student newspaper, magazine

Unless Central Washington University’s Board of Trustees steps up and does something about it this week, students at the Elle nsburg institution will likely lose their 110-year-old campus newspaper and their quarterly magazine.

Facing a budget crunch stemming from lower enrollment, cuts in state funding and rising expenses, CWU’s administration asked the Services and Activities Committee — which oversees the allocation of student fees — to reduce spending on student organizations by 20%.

But the student-staffed S&A Committee has vastly over delivered, calling for reducing The Observer newspaper’s budget from $60,000 a year to a paltry $1,100 while slashing PULSE Magazine’s budget from $28,000 a year to just $2,000. By our math, that’s a lot closer to 100% than 20%.

Leaders of both publications say the severe cuts would mean they’d have little choice but to cease publication.

That would be a serious loss, and not just for the student journalists who work hard to make these publications happen. It would also be a grave disservice to their classmates, who’d be deprived of reliable, relevant and — perhaps most important — independently reported campus news.

Sure, readers of The Observer and PULSE could still get news from mainstream sources. Or they could find aggregated — and possibly distorted or refocused — versions of that same reporting echoing across countless social media posts, blogs, podcasts and websites.

But it wouldn’t be news devoted specifically to them.

Students would no longer have access to the balanced reporting and editorial observations of their classmates. They’d no longer have peers advocating for them and acting as checks and balances on CWU’s administration and student government. And they’d have no forum

of their own to express ideas, ask questions or share concerns.

That’s unacceptable.

We hope CWU’s Board of Trustees took careful note of the more than 300 students who walked out of classes and gathered for a rally last week to support student media and other programs facing cuts, such as rugby, theater, film and marching band. We also hope they’ve been listening closely to what those students have been saying — that the S&A Committee’s proposed cuts are inequitable.

If not, board members might get another chance Thursday, because we suspect a significant number of students will want to be present when the board meets to review the committee’s ill-considered recommendations.

Administrators passed along the S&A recommendations to the trustees as is, according to agenda materials. They told the Yakima Herald-Republic they are looking at other funding options to maintain the publications.

Other funding would be good, but student media need to be independent and free from funding that comes with strings attached. Funding provided through student fees provides a layer of separation from administrative influence and the possibility of censorship.

No one, least of all the editors of The Observer or PULSE Magazine, is naïve enough to suggest that some belt-tightening isn’t needed. The numbers are real, and they’re stark.

Recognizing that, the publications’ leaders showed their willingness to compromise early on by offering to trim their own budgets.

Now it’s the board’s turn. We strongly urge Trustees to show that same spirit of cooperation by negotiating a budget that keeps The Observer and PULSE Magazine in business. Or in the least sending it back to the student fee committee for more work.

“

We hope they live up to the words CWU’s website uses to appeal to prospective students: ‘Central Washington University has a long history of preparing graduates for successful careers in an ever-changing world.’ Laudable goal. But silencing student voices wouldn’t do much to advance it.

We hope they live up to the words CWU’s website uses to appeal to prospective students:

“Central Washington University has a long history of preparing graduates for successful careers in an ever-changing world.”

Laudable goal. But silencing student voices wouldn’t do much to advance it.

Reprinted with permission.

Yakima Herald-Republic Editorial Board

“I LOVE THIS SCHOOL SO MUCH, I WILL ALWAYS BLEED CRIMSON”

CWU BASEBALL SENIORS REFLECT ON

Jackson Roberts Co-Editor-In-Chief

Following the Wildcats’ loss in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament, the Wildcat seniors reflect on their tenures at CWU. Through the transfer portal, many seniors found themselves a path to the small town of Ellensburg, Wash.

The team finished the season with an overall record of 25-26 and a GNAC record of 15-17. The GNAC tournament was held at CWU Baseball field but the Wildcats hopes for their first title in 11 years came to an end after their second loss of the tournament at the hands of Montana State University Billings.

Brandham Ponce capped off his first year at CWU in a big way after transferring from Washington State University (WSU). In his final Central game, he launched home run number 19 of the season, breaking the single-season GNAC record. Ponce took the spot from CWU alum Kyle Sani who tied the record with 18 in 2013.

Ponce, a two way utility player, who can pitch, hit and field, was also recognized as GNAC Player of the Year and made GNAC All Conference First Team. His batting line to end the season sat at a .361 batting average, a record breaking 19 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBI) which led the league. He was top three in the GNAC in nearly every hitting statistic. As for his pitching, he had a total of 45 innings pitched, had 25 strikeouts opposed to 15 walks, a record of three wins three losses and a 7.4 earned run average.

“I am very proud of myself now that the year is over. It’s been a tough couple years not being able to play much at all at [WSU] and being held in my own little shell,” Ponce said. “I’m just really happy I came here to CWU and had coach Desi as the guy to lean on. He does a really good job of just letting you do your thing and not having to worry about anything else but just playing the game.”

Not only does Ponce have to balance the life of a student-athlete, he is also a father to a one-year-old little girl.

“Sometimes I just sit back and sink it all in. It can be kind of tough but I think part of it is having those people around you,” Ponce said. “All the credit has to go to my girlfriend. She is the rock and soul of our little family. Without her sacrifices and what she does for us, I don’t think this year would have happened. Having her as someone I could depend on is perfect.”

Transferring to Central after two seasons at Spokane Falls Community College, second baseman Marcus Manzardo got off on the right foot being

awarded 2024 GNAC newcomer of the year. He put up similar stats in his senior season with a few more extra base hits and shot two home runs out of the field of play. He found himself getting GNAC All Conference honorable mention recognition this season.

“I love [Coach] Desi so much. I never in a million years thought I would come here and love this place as much as I did and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for [Coach] Desi. I’m beyond blessed that he gave me that call to come here two years ago. I’ll always have that man’s back,” Manzardo said.

Outfielder Ben Leid finished his third year as a Wildcat. Prior to CWU, he spent two years at Wenatchee Valley College where eventually he made his decision to come to Central because of the great coaching. In his career at CWU he has totaled a batting average of .368, 20 home runs and 113 RBI’s. This season he found himself on the GNAC All Conference Second Team.

Leid originally came to Central to become the teams catcher, however a medial patellofemoral ligament tear ended his first season at CWU. This injury forced Leid to adapt to a new position in the outfield after doctors encouraged him to find a new spot defensively. “It was actually more difficult than you’d think. I think people think the outfield is a cakewalk out there. It definitely wasn’t very easy and that first year in the outfield was pretty rusty but I would say I dialed it in pretty well after that,” Leid said.

“Starting off getting injured my first year here, having surgery and then to come back and have three pretty successful seasons is something I am really proud of,” Leid said. “I’ve met some of my best and lifelong friends here at Central so it is full of great memories. I couldn’t be happier.”

Looking at the future of Wildcat baseball, Manzardo is confident in his teammates to step up next year and take the next steps to run the GNAC. “I have confidence in every single person returning to this program. I was just a sliver of this team this year, it’s the younger guys that are coming back and going to make an impact and carry on this culture. I’m not worried at all for the future of this program. These guys are going to take care of business,” Manzardo said.

Manzardo reminisced on some of his fondest memories with his Wildcat teammates. Stuck in the airport for hours waiting for their plane, Manzardo and the ‘Cats made the most of their wait.

THEIR WILDCAT CAREERS

“We got delayed in the airport last year, I think that was by far one of my all time memories at the time. It sucked, but looking back at it was fun. It was after a game we won so the vibes were high and it was just so much fun. We just played hacky sack at the end of the terminal because it was like three in the morning and nobody was there so we did what we could. That’s a memory I’m going to have forever, I love being able to be with these guys, I love this team,” Manzardo said.

“I love this school so much, I will always bleed crimson.”

Starting pitcher and GNAC All Conference First Team member Jonathan Garza II posted to instagram after his final career game of baseball.

“They say baseball is a game of failure. I’ll let you know firsthand, it’s true. Arm pain, close losses and constant reminder of imperfections, baseball tests you in every way. So why did I play? Cause for a couple moments a year I felt like the whole world stopped. Time slowed down, everything and everyone faded away and just for a little while it felt like it was just me and a five-ounce ball. If I could live in those moments forever I would,” Garza II via Instagram.

Marcus Manzardo in the dugout.

(Photo courtesy of Justin Yormark)

Ben Leid stepping into the batter’s box. (Photo courtesy of Justin Yormark)

Cyber-bullying FIZZ es during the CWU student government election cycle

Kyley Glenn Lead Reporter

ASCWU candidates received days of consistent public backlash on the anonymous student app Fizz during the open election period. The app has no official affiliation to CWU, and the controversial posts led to a mass deletion of election related content across the app. From President to Secretary, almost every student running faced some form of posts being made about them.

The official Instagram for Central’s Fizz account posted many screenshots of the allegations with the caption, “The girlies are fighting again.” The post was silently taken down shortly after, and replaced with one that did not mention anything about the election allegations.

Presidential candidate Alexis Jolivette was one of the many people who was on the receiving end of the anonymous posts. “I think it was just kind of hurtful,” Jolivette said. “It would be one thing if it was just one comment and people were reposting that one, but it was just comment after comment on the same topics, on two people. So it was just a little frustrating and heartbreaking to see.”

While seeking support during this time, Jolivette was able to call her mom for advice. Her mom said, “Don’t let them get under your skin. You don’t have anything to prove to anyone.”

Vice-presidential candidate Francesca Gossing was another person who was mentioned in

damaging allegations across the app. “It was a lot,” Gossing said. “I felt like every time I kept refreshing, there was just something new, which was so strange. Yeah, it’s political but it’s such a small scale of the school. It’s such an intimate school with the way everyone knows each other.”

Glossing responded promptly to the claims on her election focused Instagram account, less than a day after the initial allegations.

Hondo Costa-Vega has never downloaded Fizz and does not intend to after a previous experience in high school with a similar app. “I’ve been exactly where Cesca [Gossing] has been. I’ve been the target [on a] platform before when I was in high school, and that really did a detriment to me… for example, my mental health.”

Users of the app responded in a variety of ways. One anonymous post read, “I think it’s fine to voice positive and negative opinions on the elections but without hard evidence you could say it’s misinformation. Just saying don’t vote based off of a fizz post.”

Others had different ideas, “It’s people like this that are the problem with this school.”

The moderators kept the posts up due to the idea that the candidates were public figures. It was later agreed by the moderators however, that the scale of this student election was not one that warranted being on the receiving

end of cyberbullying to such a large extent. A little over 500 people voted in the ASCWU election, in contrast to the nearly 2,000 students who interacted with and upvoted some of the allegations being made about candidates.

The app was introduced to CWU students in 2023. To be a member or have an account, users must have and verify their student email. It was created by two Stanford students in 2020 and launched in 2021 to their school. Its predecessor, Yik Yak, faced very similar results from students being anonymous. There had been many attempts at suing as well as allegations of cyberbullying in the form of hate speech and promoting acts of suicide to others. This caused Yik Yak to shut down momentarily in 2017 and be relaunched in 2021.

To avoid further hate speech on the app, Yik Yak created the downvote. Once a post gets a certain amount it will be removed from the app. Fizz does this in the form of moderators, students who are invited to enforce the posting rules of the app.

If you or someone you know is experiencing cyberbullying, you can contact the National Crisis Hotline at 988 or contact CWU Counseling Services at 509-963-1391.

Photos by Brandon Mattesich, Ethan Kennedy, Kyley Glenn, Emma Muhlbauer, Marlene Veveris.

CURIOSITY, SERENDIPITY

AND A DARUMA

Director Mads Baekkevold talks film-making and finding his passion

Brandon Mattesich Co-Editor-In-Chief

Mads Baekkevold is a filmmaker based out of Canada, who is currently touring his debut feature film, “The Chef and The Daruma.” The film is showing at this year’s Seattle International FIlm Festival (SIFF), which The Observer was granted access to cover. The following is a Q&A with Baekkevold, which was conducted this past Monday.

Q: Growing up, what originally got you interested in filmmaking? Was it a gradual process, or was there an “aha” moment?

A: I was just an obsessive compulsive movie watcher from a very, very young age. And something I definitely took notice of even when I was very young, was directors … In high school, we had a book report about a book of our choosing. And me and a few friends decided to adapt said book into a movie instead of writing a report … And we made this fairly bonkers, almost “Jackass” inspired idiotic adaptation of the book with a lot of physical comedy, absurdist comedy, just totally unbridled creativity. We showed it to our quite elderly teacher, who promptly proceeded to fall asleep in the middle of it, and then he woke up and gave it an A. That was kind of like the impetus of it all.

Q: Your career has taken you all over the world, from Norway, to Canada to Singapore. How do you think your ‘nomadic’ lifestyle has affected your filmmaking style?

A: “The Chef and The Daruma” is a very human story, I would say, with what I hope is what seems to be a lot of curiosity regarding who Chef Hidekazu Tojo is, and what has made him the way he is. Something I keep returning to as a montra of sorts is that I think it’s just so important for human beings, for who they are, to be curious. I think curiosity is one of the most valuable qualities that a human being can have, because I think that when you have this curiosity, of like, well, who is this person? What makes them tick? Or what is this culture all about? I think that is what breaks down barriers, and opens your mind to different ways of thinking … People who have negative feelings towards another culture or another type of person, it usually stems from a lack of curiosity, [a] complete lack of empathy. And to refer back to your question I think that living all over the world like this is what has at least given me this curiosity for people, because you get to know people, you get you know personal friends, you get to try your food, you get invited into people’s homes. And little by little, you open up your mind to different people and different ways of thinking.

Q: The Chef and The Daruma is currently making the rounds at film festivals across the globe, while also serving as your directorial debut. What made you go with a documentary as your introduction into the feature film industry?

A: It’s funny, because if you had asked me a few years ago, I don’t think I would have said my debut feature would be a documentary, and my ultimate goal is to make not just documentaries, but scripted features as well. Don’t get me wrong, I would be eternally grateful to make more documentaries, because it is so rare that you get the chance to make anything in this world. So the reason for it being a documentary, it was just happenstance, I [had] made an ad for the Michelin guides when they came to Vancouver. One of the chefs featured in the ad that was promoting Vancouver’s local food scene was a chef, Tojo, and we really just hit it off.

We found out that we’re ‘simpatico’ on a lot of levels, that we have a lot of shared passions, be it for food or, be it for good sake and what have you. And in talking to him for an extended length of time, I just realized there is a story here. This is a guy who’s definitely got this amazing story to tell.

Q: Food is a clear focal point of this film, and as a medium it shares a similar power to film in its ability to bring people together. In the same way that Hidekazu Tojo had to adapt his recipes to fit the culinary tastes of those around him, have you found you shape your filmmaking style around the tastes of others, and if so how do you balance keeping your original artistic taste alive?

A: Chef Tojo would definitely 100% agree. He kept talking about that all the time, he has such a great love for the craft of filmmaking, and that is definitely a parallel that he would agree with as well, for this film. I wouldn’t say that I had, like carte blanche, a blank check or whatever, but we had extremely little nudging from the people financing it, which is a company called TELUS … We didn’t really have any pushback in that regard. That said, I’m not a stranger as a commercial director. I make commercials and you have to adapt and have to tweak your filmmaking style, and to have to hit these certain points and at a certain point. Sometimes you get an agency or a client who can see where you’re coming from, and we’re all working together towards a common goal. Sometimes it can be more like pulling teeth, and we’re just kind of like fighting to get our vision across. And sometimes in commercial filmmaking you just have to cut your losses and be like, ‘okay, the customer is always’ so let’s go with your vision. Everyone surrounding “The Chef and The Daruma” added to the film, which I agreed with. For example, it was very important to have someone like my Co-Writer Natalie Morale, who is a local filmmaker here as well. She is a fourth generation Japanese Canadian, and so it was important to have a voice like hers in the mix, to have that authenticity behind the camera as well. Since we are telling a Japanese Canadian story, you need a Japanese Canadian voice in the mix, or you need several. That was something that was definitely stressed, something I agreed with 100% all the way … And yeah, knock on wood, it might be trickier on future projects to fully get that vision across.

come.

Follow our social media platforms for the full Q&A and story to

CURIOSITY IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE QUALITIES THAT A HUMAN BEING CAN HAVE

Mads Baekkevold

Photo courtesy of Wallop Film

“Once Upon A Mattress”

Brandon Mattesich Columnist

Once Upon A Mattress” is the Theatre department’s latest production, and it will absolutely blow you away. From its hilarious cast to its fantastic sets everything about this production left me glued to my seat, and wide, wide awake.

You won’t want to miss CWU Theatre’s production of Upcoming Shows

nailed their roles. The acting in this production really sold it for me, making this revisionist tale feeling not only believable but real as you begin to empathize more and more with each character throughout the course of the production.

“Once Upon A Mattress” follows a revised version of the classic children’s story “The Princess and the Pea.” What it lacks in depth and narrative uniquity, it makes up for with pure charm and charisma. When I tell you every single performer on that stage was cast perfectly for their role I mean it, and it really shows. Sonically this musical is beautiful, with many solo performances leaving my jaw hanging wide open. Similarly, the choreography and dance elements of the play were second to none, and it was amazing to see just how much physical comedy was sprinkled throughout this fantastic production.

The plot reminded me a lot of “Shrek,” in the best way possible of course. A few characters really stood out to me. The King’s psychical comedy was definitely a highlight of the production, and the emotions he was able to convey with just facial expressions and exaggerated movements alone harkened back to prior physical comics like Rowan Atkinson and Charlie Chaplin. Winnifred’s character was also played perfectly, oftentimes dissolving right into the world around her making everything feel real and whimsical at the same time.

I saw this play opening night, a notoriously rough night in the theatre business, but everybody absolutely

To speak to the technical elements of the production as well, the costuming and set design were perfect for the scale and technicalities of this college production. I’m not kidding you when I say there were multiple times throughout the show where I was taken back to my times watching shows on Broadway just due to the sheer talent on display on that stage.

Let’s also not forget those who were working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this musical to life. The crew behind the lighting and stage controls helped ensure everything ran seamlessly, and I oftentimes found myself entranced in the dynamic lighting as it shifted across the stage, or in the backdrops of the set that lowered and raised to fit the mood of a scene.

I can confidently say this, I have never been to a CWU Theatre production and left disappointed. A few times I have left deep in thought, following productions like “John Proctor is The Villain.” But this is the first time I left with an un-wipeable grin plastered all over my face.