Nashville Children’s Theatre brings Snuggery to Lipscomb University

Nashville Children’s Theatre brings Snuggery to Lipscomb University

“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” written by Ernie Nolan, is this season’s Nashville Children’s Theatre “Snuggery” show and is being performed at Lipscomb University in the black box theater.  This is not the first year Lipscomb has hosted the NCT, but it is the first time the university have hosted the Snuggery, as well as the first time NCT has done a Snuggery show. The performance is geared toward kids 5-and-under, but is most certainly enjoyable for the parents as well. The show is comprised of two characters: Glimmer and Sparkle. The two are star-catchers and spend the entirety of the show searching for “Little Star.” The cast starts the show by inviting the young audience members as well as the adults to become star-catchers with them by giving them star-catcher kits and taking them through an interactive training that includes: dancing, singing, searching for stars and learning to be star-catchers. An interactive theater is a new concept and a fun way to get away from a screen for 45 minutes, said Eric D. Pasto-Crosby (who portrays Glimmer).  “I personally love how different it can be,” he said. “I thoroughly enjoy that (children’s reactions0 part, having to loop that in as we go through. You could easily go on autopilot, but they don’t allow you to.”  The dynamic between the two-person cast creates a new energy in the theater, according to Pasto-Crosby: “We go through all the ranges. We get sad, happy and it’s a full art, they experience with you…. It’s the same energy each time, but different dynamic”  The actors are wonderful at including the whole audience in the...

Lipscomb production of ‘West Side Story’ presents new challenges, opportunities

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...

Student-led play ‘Medea’ starts run Friday

​​​​​​​​​Flatt Amphitheater is being transformed into the Greek land of Corinth as Lipscomb University’s theatre department presents the tragic story of Medea. The story revolves around Jason, leader of the Argonauts, and Medea, Princess of Colchis. They meet in Colchis where Jason is on a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Medea helps Jason get the Fleece and in the process, they fall in love and decide to flee to Corinth. They then get married and have two children. Over in Corinth, King Creon is looking for a successor to the throne and invites Jason to marry his daughter. Jason obliges in blatant disregard to Medea and his kids. The play begins with Medea finding out about the marriage. She becomes so flustered and angry that she decides to plot a deadly revenge against Jason. The plot is to first kill the king and his daughter, Jason’s new wife, then kill her own children to bring Jason great pain and suffering. Unlike most main-stage shows on campus, Medea is student-led with Tessa Bryant, a senior theatre major, sitting in the director’s chair for her first time. She is not only focused on doing her job well, but also making sure the rest of the cast and crew learn something from the production. “The goal for me with this piece is to start a dialogue about how we can care for one another better by acknowledging our own brokenness, considering one another in our actions and forgiving ourselves and others” Bryant said. “I’ve really loved working in an environment that encourages exploration. That isn’t always the case working in theatre,...

Brittany Barker looks to take love for theatre, graphic design and Disney into professional world

Brittany Barker is not your average student here at Lipscomb University. She has many talents and aspirations and has put those talents into good use during her time here. A graphic design major, Barker has used her graphing design skills outside of the classroom through her involvement with Lipscomb’s Theatre Department. Barker has been associated with productions like Hairspray, Les Misérables and other shows on campus. She is currently set to graduate this fall and seeks to embark on the next chapter of her life after college. Soon after graduation, Barker plans to get her master’s degree in graphic design and have a teaching internship as well. One thing to know about Barker is that she’s a devoted Disney World fan. As a matter of fact, one of her posts on Facebook reads, “NOTHING like Disney,” when she shared a link on her wall about a “fake Disney World” that she had seen online. Barker isn’t only a fan of the Disney franchise. She hopes to join the company, putting her major graphic design to work. “I see myself owning my own business and working at Disney, designing cool logos for them,” Barker said when asked to peek into her future five years from now. Friendships are important to Barker, but the most important relationship she worked on while at Lipscomb was her faith with Jesus Christ.  She says her walk with Jesus hasn’t changed much since coming to Lipscomb, but something did change. “My walk with Jesus hasn’t much changed since first coming to Lipscomb University, but  my faith has grown stronger since being here,” Barker said. “Lipscomb has helped me...

‘James and the Giant Peach’ preps for late week run

On Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Auditorium, the Lipscomb’s Theatre Department will be opening their performance of the childhood favorite, James and the Giant Peach. The children’s production will be coming to life in a unique fashion, as the stage will be designed like a giant pop-up book. The department decided to put on this particular show last spring. To ensure the performance’s success, everyone has been working to prepare since they got back to the university after Christmas Break. Deb Holloway, the director of the show, has been thinking/dreaming about this production for about 9 months. She said that the show’s goal is to benefit those in the audience, as well as those on stage. “Our first goal is to entertain children, which includes special school performances February 14 and 15 at 10:00 a.m., and our second goal is to train our students, whether it’s performing or working in the technical aspects.” Holloway said. “I think Jesus sets the example of wanting children to come to Him, and that’s what we are trying to do also.” Holloway noted that the play reaches a wide audience, whether it be families with small children or students right here on campus. “James and the Giant Peach will be a great presentation for the entire family to enjoy, but it also will be appreciated by college kids,” Holloway said. “James and the Giant Peach was a great choice since not only is it a very popular play, but it also is a story and movie that college age kids grew up with.” Taylor Browning, a theatre major, is the mother and the second...