OBU Signal – February 19, 2015

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the

Signal

www.obusignal.com

02.19.15 Volume 123 Issue 16

Ouachita Baptist University

IN THIS ISSUE:

Black Bayou A brass trio will perform on campus tomorrow, p.3

Filtering Sludge Hutch warns against the darkness that fills our brains, p.4

Tyler Rosenthal z The Signal “SECOND STAR TO THE RIGHT,” directed by senior Kaylee Nebe, is part of the student-produced theatre initiative, The Muse Project. “Second Star to the Right” is a Cirque du Soleil-inspired reproduction of Peter Pan. Principal cast includes Blaine Surber as Peter Pan, Abby Root as Wendy Darling, Jenna Headrick as Tinker Bell, Benjamin Braudrick as Captain Hook, Walter Dodd as Smee, Mattie Bogoslavsky as Tiger Lily and Aaden Jones as Great Big Little Panther.

“Second Star to the Right” performances begin tonight Tiger Victory Men’s basketball defeats ECU 80-64, p.5

12-year-old Recruits? Sixth graders’ football dreams may come true, p.5

S News 1 n S Opinions 4 n S Sports 5 n

By ANNA HURST Staff Writer

Ouachita’s Department of Theatre Arts will present “Second Star to the Right” Feb. 19-23 as part of its new studentproduced theatre initiative, The Muse Project. Performances will take place in Verser Theatre beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Feb.19-21 and Feb. 23 as well as a 2:30 matinee on Sunday, Feb. 22. Tickets are $10 each.   “Second Star to the Right,” created and directed by Kaylee Nebe, a senior musical theatre major from Mesquite, Texas, is a Cirque du Soleil-inspired exploration of Peter Pan. Serving alongside Nebe as musical director is Natalie Williams, a music and theatre arts double major from Little Rock, Ark.   “I have chosen to tell the classic story of Peter Pan, taking out all of the dia-

logue and using just movement,” Nebe explained. “Because of the whole flight element of Peter Pan … most of the acts are aerial acts.” Aerial silks, hoops and a suspended cube are just a few of the Cirque-style acts to be featured in the performance.   The performance will be close to an hour long with seven different scenes. Each scene will include Peter and Wendy visiting a classic character or group from Never Land and feature a different dance style or circus act.   “If you sit in the front row you will get some interesting interaction,” Nebe said. “There is a lot of audience interaction throughout this show. Characters will be moving through the audience and into the audience and over the audience.”   The Muse Project is a new initiative by OBU’s Department of Theatre Arts that invites students to submit theatrical experiences or shows that they would like to

produce. One proposal is accepted each year and fully produced on a Ouachita stage. Through Muse, students have the opportunity to devise their own work and are encouraged to begin thinking about what they can make happen now, rather than after graduation.   “One of the reasons why we ended up choosing this proposal is because … it is telling a story in a new way,” said Daniel Inouye, assistant professor of theatre arts and faculty producer for the project. “We have a theater, and we are going to do shows or dramas or musicals or operas; that is kind of the typical way we use storytelling over here. So the fact that [Nebe] is approaching the idea of telling this story through movement and dance and silk work is just really kind of cool. We have not seen anything like that here before, so I think it will be an interesting experience see STAR z 2

2014 “Ouachitonian” yearbook Ouachita faculty member earns Gold Medalist ranking in Jennifer Pittman published in social history encyclopedia Columbia Scholastic Press critique By KATY FIRMIN News Bureau

Ouachita’s 2014 yearbook, the Ouachitonian, received Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Medalist rating, the highest honor presented through the CSPA’s annual college yearbook critique.   Individual staff members also earned a total of seven Gold Circle Awards, including two first place awards. The individual national winners were selected from among more than 4,600 entries from students across the nation.   “It is such an honor to be recognized in this way,” said Ouachitonian Editor Aly Smith, a senior mass communications and graphic design double major from Sherwood, Ark. “We put in so much time and effort on this book; it feels great to have someone else appreciate it as much as I do.”   “It is nice to see our students rewarded for doing good work,” added Dr. Deborah Root, faculty advisor for the Ouachitonian and chair of

OBU’s Rogers Department of Communications. “The yearbook is very much a learning tool for our students, and it’s great that we are recognized as one of the best yearbooks in the nation.”   Columbia Scholastic Press Association at Columbia University conducts the annual yearbook critique in which universities and high schools across the nation send in their yearbooks to be judged. The 2014 Ouachitonian, themed “Ouachita State of Mind,” earned All-Columbian honors in two of the three judging categories, verbal (writing) and visual (photography and graphic design). The book’s total score of 956 of a possible 1,000 points earned the Gold Medalist rating.  Among the Gold Circle Award winners, Smith earned first place for yearbook index, and she and Tori (Abellera) Gay, a 2014 Ouachita graduate, earned first place for single advertisement layout for “The Men of Kappa Chi.” see YEARBOOK z 2

By LAUREN SNOW News Bureau

Jennifer Pittman, a lecturer in English at Ouachita, was recently published in “The Social History of the American Family.” Pittman’s article, “Southern Families,” provided insight into life in the south.   “Jennifer Pittman’s growing list of publications is a positive example for our English majors and it enhances the classroom experience of all of her students,” said Dr. Jeff Root, dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities. “Her latest publication is further evidence that she is becoming a well-known literary voice in the area of Southern culture.”   “The Social History of the American Family” highlights the important role of families in many lives and how they have adapted to change throughout American history. In four volumes, it is evident that the idea of families shapes an individual from infancy through adulthood.   “I think this collection as a

Jennifer Pittman

whole puts together the different definitions of family and, in a way, chronicles the transition across time, space and socio-economical context and lets us learn more about ourselves,” Pittman said.   Pittman’s article highlights these issues in the Southern context, also addressing how Southern families have played a role in popular culture, thus impacting the broader American public. see PITTMAN z 3


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