Edition 65, Issue 04 Wednesday, February 19, 2020
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SPRING THEATRE PREVIEW
See more on pages 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY BEHRENS, NOELLE HORN AND NOËL WALTZ
02 Happenings
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
NORTHERNER STAFF
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WHAT TO DO Check out the hottest campus happenings and can’t-miss events in Greater Cincinnati.
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PHOTO BY BILLY KEENEY
QUEEN & SLIM | OTTO M. BUDIG THEATER | FREE | 7:30 P.M. NKU’s Activities Programming Board is screening Lena Waithe’s film Queen & Slim on Thursday. It shares the harrowing story of a couple, Queen and Slim, who are on the run after a first date gone awry. After a cop pulls them over for a traffic violation, the situation results in Slim shooting the officer in self-defense. They feel they have no choice but to run, becoming a symbol of trauma with their viral story. THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS | BOGARTS | $99+ | 7 P.M. The All-American Rejects are back and stopping in Cincinnati on Friday with Liberty Deep Down and Leggy. You’ll get to hear hits like “Move Along” and “Gives You Hell”—that we definitely all jammed to in our rooms in high school—live. Tickets are reselling for high prices, but we all deserve to splurge once in awhile. Take a break from the stress of classes to let loose and rock out to this iconic 2000s band.
What you missed at SGA Feb. 17 Billy Keeney NEWS EDITOR
On Monday, SGA had an update on the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan (SEMP) for the 2020 to 2024 school years and got a visit from Rachel Roberts, the Democratic candidate for the Kentucky District 67 State Representative. Rachel Roberts on local business and politics Roberts, owner of the Yoga Bar in Newport, isn’t new to politics. After she built her yoga studio, she decided that she really wanted it to be a part of the community. According to Roberts, that decision is what led her to become a politician. “What I wanted to do with the business was use it to support the community and to do right by my community … We always reach out and try to make this practice accessible to everyone in the community,” Roberts said. Through her business, Roberts found herself becoming more and more politically active. She canvased, raised money for politicians and held events where politicians running for local elections—regardless of party affiliation—can go to her yoga studio to practice yoga and stick around afterward to tell community members about themselves. According to Roberts, she began to build awareness by being politically active for other politicians, but she realized what she was doing wasn’t enough. In 2018, she ran for Kentucky State Senate for District 24 because “teachers were on strike and our public education system were under attack.” “I’m a product of public schools, I didn’t come from money. If I hadn’t had a great public school that I could go to
for free, I would never be standing here—I just wouldn’t,” Roberts said. “I believe everything in our community starts with education.” Strategic Enrollment Management Plan Ryan Padgett, assistant vice president of enrollment and student success, gave a presentation to SGA on how SEMP’s goals integrate with Success by Design—the university’s existing student success strategic framework—and how it addresses enrollment while accounting for a changing environment under a new regional and national economy. “In essence, [Success by Design] is already an enrollment strategic management plan,” Padgett said. “We were then going to align [SEMP] with Success by Design, but we went with a different approach, a very new and innovative approach.” According to Padgett, SEMP is successful if it achieves a growth in enrollment, an increase in retention and graduation rates, closing of achievement gaps and includes an increase in the number of first-generation, post-traditional, international and underrepresented students. The guidelines for SEMP to ensure the success of these goals are the promotion of student success, align with external and internal planning while for creative and aspirational goals, support the fiscal health of the university to help and inform decision for resource allocation “around the core values,” respond to the needs of the region and be market-driven and further equity.
Ed 65, Issue 04
Arts & Life 03
Henry play ‘26 Pebbles’ reflects on Sandy Hook Andrea Rinck REPORTER
“26 Pebbles,” a play about the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting, will run in the Henry Konstantinow Theater from Feb. 24 - 26. On Dec. 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza entered Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. Lanza shot and killed 20 first graders and six adult staff members. “26 Pebbles” refers to the lives lost that day. Lizzie Lotterer, senior BA theater major, is directing “26 Pebbles” as her capstone project and her third honors project. Her honors projects have all focused on approaching difficult topics through theater. In her plays, Lotterer said she wants “enlightening discussion between her audience members.” With “26 Pebbles,” Lotterer said she hopes to start a chain reaction with people talking about difficult and dramatic topics.
“It is extremely relevant in this setting and with this audience that I am reaching,” Lotterer said. “It is a deep and personal issue to me that I think really needs to change in the United States.” Everyone involved in the show said they can remember the exact moment they found out about the Sandy Hook shooting. To help the cast to better understand their characters, Lotterer had a close friend who is a school shooting survivor come in to talk with the cast. “Hearing the long lasting effects it has on a community on families of the victims and not just the families of the victims but the survivors,” Lotterer said. “The other people that were involved— the entire community as a whole—have really touched me. I don’t want to be affected by a school shooting and so I
think it is important … even though this is something that hasn’t happened to me, I don’t want it ever to happen.” The cast and crew of “26 Pebbles” want to let the audience know that events like these need to be talked about. “People who go to NKU should see the show because this was an event that happened,” Halee Hood, senior BFA acting major, said. “In our middle school, maybe primary school time, for most traditional NKU students… I feel like it is something that a lot of us haven’t really talked about.” Hood said the cast concluded that they’ve never actually sat down and talked to others about tragic events like these. “These mass shootings happen ... but nothing to this degree, because it was kids, so it was different. We never really had the chance to discuss it, formulate
‘26 Pebbles’ deals with the aftermath of one of the most devastating events in America’s history.
Evan Rogers practices a scene during rehearsal.
Cast members of ‘26 Pebbles’ review their lines during rehearsal.
Halee Hood addresses the cast.
opinions on it,” Hood said. Evan Rogers, sophomore BFA acting major, said he knew upon auditioning that “26 Pebbles” would be a hard story to tell—one that he didn’t even know if he was ready to tell—but one that he thinks “needs to be told and a message that needs to be shared.” “It’s one that a lot of people need to hear. One that doesn’t, in my eyes, get enough light shed on it,” Rogers said. “So I think the fact that we’re kind of doing something about an issue that is very topical, is going to open some eyes—at least I hope it does.“
26 Pebbles will run Feb. 24 - 26 in the Henry Konstantinow Theatre. The show is free, but seating is limited; to acquire a ticket, follow @insidethehenry on Instagram or reach out to a cast member.
PHOTOS BY ANDREA RINCK
THEATRE
04 Arts & Life
‘Buried Child’ reflects on death of American life Kane Mitten ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
“Buried Child,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning three-act play that reflects on the death of the American dream, is the oddest play of the season, according to junior BFA acting major Trevor Browning. “It’s totally unlike anything they’re doing this semester,” Browning said. “It’s bookended by two musicals. There’s the opera HMS Pinafore, and there’s Mamma Mia, and right in the middle is this gritty Midwestern disaster.” The play is set on a late-1970s farm in Illinois, where the fields are barren and the family of a husband, wife and two sons is completely dysfunctional. Their lives are turned upside down when a long-lost grandchild returns and uncovers dark secrets. Michael Hatton, the play’s director, said “Buried Child” touches on PTSD, mental health issues and addiction and that it resonates with a lot of the feelings and concerns that many Americans across the country are currently feeling. He said the play asks a lot of important questions. “Is the American dream alive? Or is it a lie? Was it ever real? What does it mean to have hope in a situation that seems absolutely hopeless?” Hatton said. “How do
“Is the American Dream still alive? Or is it a lie? Was it ever real?” Hatton said. you deal with the depression that comes with knowing that everything you hoped or worked for, you’re not able to survive? How do you live?” Gabby Barbosa, BFA acting junior who plays the family’s matriarch Halie, said starring in this play has been strange for her because it is primarily about American culture and she is Puerto Rican. “I literally was born into a different culture, so having to study this culture and submerge myself in it where it’s believable that I was actually born and raised here has been a little bit of a challenge,” Barbosa said. “I have to ghost myself in there like I was part of it … and create these memories in my head.”
Director Michael Hatton leads the cast during rehearsal.
Barbosa complimented Hatton for helping her learn and for assisting with whatever she needed. Her character in the show would've been born in the 1920s, which she said was challenging to examine. “It’s difficult. It’s a huge gap. But history is our friend when it comes to these things, and there’s nothing a little research can’t help with,” Barbosa said. Browning plays Halie’s second son Bradley, who only has one leg due to a chainsaw accident. The costume department is fitting Browning for a fake prosthetic leg that will sit around his leg and restrict his movement in an effort to make the amputation appear more realistic. For Browning, playing a villain like Bradley—who he described as “a sadist”— is a drastic change from his prior NKU roles in “Initiative,” where he played the comedic relief, and “Three Sisters,” where he played a philosophical charmer. “Going from the charming, goofy guy to this villain who is just grimy and doesn’t take care of himself and doesn’t care what people think about him… is different from any character I’ve played before,” Browning said. “I’ve definitely played villains be-
fore, but never one that just had no regard for humanity.” Browning said working on the show has been educational, as rehearsal so far has mostly consisted of examining the culture of a bygone era and discussing themes present in the show like the American dream, family and urban legends. “Everybody wants to be the family in the Norman Rockwell paintings, but nobody really is,” Browning said. “That’s a theme that carries on throughout. Everybody wants this idealistic American lifestyle, the self made millionaires with the trophy wives and the kids. And nobody really gets it.” Hatton said NKU’s School of the Arts is trying to push for diversity in the theatre by exposing students and patrons to plays that deal with heavier topics like the ones found in “Buried Child” or plays written by women, people of color and people in the LGBTQ community. “We want to make sure that the people who are on campus and in our community have an opportunity to see their stories and themselves on our stages,” Hatton said. “Theatre, it’s meant to be a reflection of society … the commercial theatre has been
PHOTOS BY JOSH KELLY
pushing more and more for telling stories that perhaps would’ve been ignored in the past.” Hatton credited his student dramaturge Kennedy Hall, BA musical theatre major, for providing extra research for the show and for giving presentations to the cast during rehearsals to assist them in their roles. He also gave credit to the student production designers for coming up with practical effects that make the characters appear wet or muddy without having an actual rain effect on stage. Barbosa compared the plot of “Buried Child” to a game of Clue, where audiences must put together the clues in their head throughout the show and “you don't really know what's going on until you piece it all together.” “It gets hinted here or there and then you get the big reveal and it’s like ‘Wow, yeah, that explains everything,’” Barbosa said. “You’re like ‘Okay, this is interesting. Ooh, what’s happening here?’ and then in the end, it blows your mind. It’s very M. Night Shyamalan, plot twist. Audiences should expect to be rattled.”
PREVIEW
Arts & Life 05
‘H.M.S. Pinafore’sets sail in the Corbett Theatre Kane Mitten ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Ally Davis surrounded by other cast members as she sings during rehearsal.
Dancing, comedy and forbidden love can be found on the H.M.S. Pinafore, which drops anchor in the Corbett Theatre on Feb. 21. “H.M.S. Pinafore” is an operetta written by Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert in 1878, and one of the biggest influences on the musical theatre of today, according to Damon Stevens, the show’s music director. The story takes place aboard the titular ship, where the captain’s daughter Josephine is in love with a lower class sailor but is betrothed to the head of England’s Royal Navy. The School of the Arts’ production of “Pinafore” is something new for the college, as it is the first time that SOTA’s theatre and dance program has collaborated with the music program on a show. “Damon and I have been … dreaming of the day when we would get to combine our theatre and dance and music program forces,” Kimberly Lazzeri, the show’s co-director, said. “This year, we finally made that happen.” Jackson Hurt, junior BFA musical theatre major, plays Josephine’s love interest Ralph “Rafe” Rackstraw. This is his first classical tenor role, and he said he’s felt challenged by having to access his upper vocal range. “Rafe likes to sing high notes,” Hurt said. “It’s been a period of tremendous growth vocally, because this being an operetta, the acting is minute in comparison to the amount of voice we have to do. Still very important to the plot, but it is for sure the voice that’s been the most challenging.” Hurt also teased that many of the sailors on stage were cast according to their unique acrobatic talents. “People will not be on the ground at all times,” Hurt said, as a man behind him twirled in a circle while hanging upside down from a rope. “We have people flying in, we have gun spinning. We have climbing—I’ll be on some rope. Lots of fun things.” Hurt mentioned the huge bell-bottomed pants and striped shirts the men of the show will be wearing, but for Adria Whitfill, the senior BFA musical theatre and biology double major playing Josephine, there’s a different type of costume required
for the actresses. “These men can’t relate, they have no idea, but the ladies have to wear corsets,” Whitfill said, laughing. “We have to work on keeping our breath support and making sure we’re very comfortable singing and dancing in the corset. That’s another challenge.” Stevens praised the collaboration between the departments, and said the collaboration process between him, Lazzeri and co-director Nicole Perrone has been “a real treat.” “Usually we’ll only have a director and a music director in our musicals,” Stevens said. “It’s wonderful during rehearsal to have an outside set of ears. For example, I can just look at [Lazzeri] when I hear something that is kind of wonky. She will know exactly what I’m hearing, and write down ‘page 58, bad diction.’” Lazzeri thinks audiences shouldn’t be intimidated by the fact that the show is a form of opera. She said normally, when people think of an opera, they think of lengthy vocal performances. However, “Pinafore” is shorter than many musicals and features plenty of dancing. Perrone said audiences will be wildly entertained by the show and that it is a perfect introduction to the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. “And, gosh, I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I think they’ll be impressed by the voices of our students. I think they’re really impressive,” Perrone said. Whitfill said performances of shows like this one are a rarity. “You’re not going to get a lot of opportunities to see an operetta like this,” Whitfill said. “The set is beautiful. The costumes are beautiful … It’s a fun show, you’re going to be entertained. There’s comedy and serious parts and they just marry together really well. I think it’ll be really great to see it all come together.”
H.M.S. Pinfore will run from Feb. 21 to March 1. Buried Child will run from March 26 to April 5. For more information, call the NKU School of the Arts Box Office at 859-572-5464 or visit nku.edu/ sotatickets.
DANCE
06 Arts & Life
‘20 Alyssa Weber
PHOTOS BY ALYSSA WEBER
ASSISTANT ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Racism, sexism and abuse are just a few topics students will be bringing to the stage in Dance ‘20. The School of the Arts’ (SOTA) annual dance concert will be held on March 20-23 in the Corbett Theatre. The concert will feature the works of faculty, guest artists and nationally-renowned choreographers. Je’Shaun Jackson, sophomore BFA musical theatre major, was inspired to audition for Dance ’20 after attending Dance ’19. Dance ’20 will be his dance concert debut. Jackson said the concert will demonstrate that one’s ability to dance isn’t defined by their body type or the color of their skin. “Me personally, I’m working on my confidence of being a heavier-set person, being a person of color in a field that isn’t necessarily geared towards that, showing that we can also do it,” Jackson said. Auditions for Dance ‘20 began right before the start of the spring semester. Each dancer can be a part of up to four of the guest-choreographed pieces. Tracey Bonner, the BFA dance coordinator, said that she hires external artists to choreograph pieces for the concert to give dancers the opportunity to work with professionals in the field. According to Bonner, dancers typically rehearse once a week, anywhere from two to four hours per dance. “If they had four three-hour rehearsals, that would be like 12 to 15 hours. That’s like a part-time job,” Bonner said. Junior BFA dance major Janie Smith, who is performing in the annual dance concert for the third time, said each cho-
reographer presented their piece and then selected which dancers they wanted in their number. “All of the guest artists submit the cast that they want and then I go through and figure out where it is best for everyone educationally to be,” Bonner said. Senior BFA dance major Frankie Montazemi and senior integrative studies major Anna Gortner are co-artistic directors of Dance ’20. Montazemi will perform in several of the group numbers, along with a solo in a classic jazz piece choreographed by Bonner. Besides the diverse styles of dance and performers, Montazemi said the most important part of the show is the stories being told. “Jennifer Patrick’s story, based on Isaiah Reaves’ original work, touches on racism, sexism, abuse,” Montazemi said. Gortner, who has performed in the annual concert twice before, said it’s been great to see all of the dancers push themselves because Dance ’20 gives the students the opportunity to learn and work with styles of dance they wouldn’t normally do. Bonner said everyone should attend Dance ’20 because it is full of thought-provoking art that will make people look at the world a little bit differently. “Why not come support young artists in the making?” Bonner said.
Dance ‘20 will run from March 20 - 23 in the Corbett Theatre. For more information, call the NKU School of the Arts Box Office at 859-572-5464 or visit nku. edu/sotatickets.
Wednesday, Feburary 19, 2020
Ed 65, Issue 04
Arts & Life 07
Sophie’s mom, Donna, with her group “Donna and the Dynamos.”
“Mamma Mia!” comes to NKU’s Corbett Theatre Corrine Byrne ASSISTANT ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
Here we go again—NKU’s School of the Arts is performing the hit musical “Mamma Mia!” this spring. With the rights recently released to the public, it may seem like “Mamma Mia!” is dominating the theatre world, but fans of the musical and movie aren’t complaining. The show, based on the discography of ‘70s Swedish pop band ABBA, is loved by musical theatre aficionados for a reason—the choreography, bright colors, iconic soundtrack and lovable storyline blend together to create a unique experience. Since she was 3 years old, junior musical theatre and biology major Makenzie Ruff has been obsessed with “Mamma Mia!” now, she’s going from singing “Dancing Queen” on her parents’ karaoke machine to being cast as Sophie in the musical that sparked her interest in theatre. “I think what I’m most excited for is finding and adapting to my own Sophie,” Ruff said. “To see if she’s quirky or whatever she becomes.” Ruff is eager to develop her version of Sophie and find how she differs from the one captured in the film scene or the Broadway stage. “Mamma Mia!” is such a popular show because it’s one many can relate to. Ruff said the underlying message behind the
ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY BEHRENS
pop dance routines and sparkling scene design is family. She said the story highlights the pain of not knowing who you are or where you come from and the excitement of searching for those answers. “To realize if you are somebody who does have a mother and father figure in your home, how lucky you are because so many people don’t have that opportunity or that benefit to have a two-parent household, and just understanding the value and importance behind it,” Ruff said. The story has been continuously popular due to its family-oriented message and inspiring characters, but relatable conflict arises as well. Despite Sophie’s desire to know who her dad is, her mother Donna raised Sophie while being seemingly unbothered by the fact that Sophie’s dad wasn’t present. Sophomore theatre major and assistant stage manager Ashlyn Duggan said Donna’s story is inspiring. “Women are brought up to rely on men, especially because she grew up in the ‘70s, so it was like ‘you need a man to work’ and everything, but then she upgraded her life, moved to Greece for Sophie,” Duggan said. “She raised this baby on her own, didn’t care who the dad was. She’s powerful.” Duggan said the audience can find
anyone in the cast to relate to, and that’s one thing that makes this show so special—it’s personal. “Although ‘Mamma Mia!’ is this popular, poppy, upbeat show, it still tells a story that can hit a bunch of people,” Duggan said. “Mamma Mia!” first opened in October 2001. Being such an iconic show, it’s difficult to play around with the story. Duggan said that Director Ken Jones has plans to make SOTA’s performance especially unique. Set design changes and upgraded costumes are just two things to expect from this performance that will be different than other adaptations. According to Duggan, the generic “Mamma Mia!” set includes the white walls and blue shutters that are usually associated with Greece—but that’s not realistic to Donna’s story. In the show, Donna is running a beaten down hotel, barely holding it together. Chipped paint and mismatched shutters and doors create a quirky atmosphere that Jones is trying to capture with the set design. Plants, a tree in the middle and vines everywhere contribute to the aesthetic being implemented to convey how old Greece really is despite the brand new feel many shows carry. “It’s hard to change the formula of ‘Mamma Mia!’ because you’re tamper-
ing with something that obviously works very well,” Jones said. “I think from your standard ‘Mamma Mia!’ where people typically talk and walk through some of the numbers, there’ll be a lot more dancing in this.” Fans of the 2008 “Mamma Mia!” movie are encouraged to attend the live show for a different experience. “Nothing is like seeing it live. The way the audience will bring you in, the dance, the energy, the lights, the music—the band is going to be incredible,” Jones said. The band, led by Jamie Strong, is going to mimic ABBA’s original sound to help produce an organic experience. “It’s such a new point of view on the story and the world that they live in which we can have a glimpse of,” Duggan said.
“Mamma Mia!” will run from April 24 to May 3 in the Corbett Theatre. For more information, call the NKU School of the Arts Box Office at 859-572-5464 or visit nku.edu/sotatickets.
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08 Sports
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Men’s basketball Head Coach Darrin Horn reacts after a foul is called during the game.
Paul Djoko (2) reacts following the loss to UIC.
Dantez Walton (32) drives toward the basket.
Walker Horn reacts during the game.
UIC takes down NKU in convincing fashion
Matthew Dietz
PHOTOS BY COLIN JOHNSON
CONTRIBUTOR
The Northern Kentucky Norse men’s basketball team was out-hustled and outplayed on Sunday afternoon, as the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames came into BB&T Arena and handed the Norse a crushing 73-43 defeat. The 30-point loss was the second-largest margin of defeat for the Norse during the 2019-20 season. The loss also snapped NKU’s five-game winning streak, which began on Jan. 31 with a road win over Green Bay. UIC got off to a hot start early on, jumping out to an 18-7 lead within the first nine minutes of the first half. The onslaught would continue from this point on, as the Flames went on a 33-6 run to close out the first half. UIC carried a whopping 43-18 lead into the locker room at halftime, despite a 5-0 run from the Norse before the break. The second half was more of the same for NKU, as the Flames continued to defeat them on the defensive glass while shooting a high percentage from the field. Senior guard Tarkus Ferguson led the way for UIC, contributing 14 points,
6 rebounds and 3 assists in the contest. With just under four minutes remaining in the game, the Flames stretched their lead to 40 points, the largest deficit the Norse have faced all season long. To end the game, a 10-0 run by the Norse was led by reserve players grad student guard Karl Harris and redshirt junior guard Tre Cobbs, reducing the lead to 30. 3-point success was a turning point in this game, as the Norse struggled mightily to knock down the 3-point shot consistently. The Norse missed their first 13 3-point attempts in the contest, before sophomore wing Bryant Mocaby’s three-pointer broke the skid with under a minute to go in the first half. On the contrary, UIC was terrific at shooting the basketball, particularly in the first half. The Flames shot 6-of11 from distance in the first half, while shooting 48.3 percent from the field as well. Another area of weakness for the Norse on Sunday came on the glass, as the Flames dominated the Norse in rebounding, finishing the game with a
49-30 advantage in that department. Senior Godwin Boahen led UIC with 9 rebounds. NKU Head Coach Darrin Horn spoke about his team’s lack of assertiveness and physical toughness throughout the contest. “I don’t think it’s one bad game. I think it is the book on us now. If you get physical with us, we are not going to fight back,” Horn said. “In a game where we missed 46 shots, we didn’t get many offensive rebounds. They were the more physical team and more aggressive, and there just wasn’t a lot of fight from our guys.” The players understood that they needed to be tougher, both physically and mentally, in order to win important conference games like this one. “We have a target on our back,” redshirt junior Jalen Tate said. “We have beaten teams that way, so for them to want to come back at us on our home floor is definitely understandable.” Senior shooting guard Tyler Sharpe said the team needed to be prepared.
“We just have to come in and be ready to compete every single day, and know that nothing is going to be easy, no matter who we’re playing or when we’re playing them,” Sharpe said. With NKU’s loss combined with Wright State’s victory over IUPUI on Sunday, the Norse now trail the Raiders for first place in the Horizon League standings by two games. The two teams will meet at BB&T Arena in the regular-season finale on Feb. 28. NKU will now hit the road following a four-game homestand, traveling to Cleveland State on Thursday night. Despite the disappointing result on Sunday, the Norse remain focused on the task ahead—getting to the NCAA Tournament in March. “We’re still a really good team and we do the right things and come to play the right way, so we just need to put this one behind us and get back to work tomorrow,” Tate said.
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