The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 22, 1995 Page: 1 of 6
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Hoop it up highlights...see sports on page 4
TUC T? AA/TDT CD
I Mi" XV A1VInLcK
February 22, 1995
Ti:xas Whsi.i'-yan University
Fort Worth, Texas
Festival recognizes play
By Stephen English
I he Rambler
Two Texas Wesleyan theater stu-
ilents showcased theii abilities at the
regional festival of'the Kennedy Cen-
ter American College Theatre f estival
(ACTl ) at the University of Arkansas-
l ayetteville on February IX.
Life was Precious Then, a play
by junior Cieorgianna Hatcher, will be
directed by senior'Kevin Skipper at the
festival. Both students said they con-
sider the invitation to the festival to be
a prestigious honor.
"It's a highly selective process,"
Hatcher said. "I'm not sure, but I may
be the only person in Texas to be go-
ing to regional in my category."
Wesleyan will be one of three col-
lege theater programs from Texas, New
Mexico. Arkansas, l.ouisianna, and
Oklahoma attended the leitival
"(The honor) shows all the hard
vu>rk Cieorgianna and everyone else
involved put into the play," Skipper
said
"We're all good friends
and we all work really
well together."
--Kevin Skipper
According to Hatcher, perfecting
the play took one year, 23 rewrites, and
the tutelage of Connie Whitt-Lambert,
director of Play writing at Wesleyan.
"We've been rehearsing from 10
p.m. to midnight or I a.m. every night
for the last two weeks," Skipper said.
"The play has now reached the
pomi that it s at it> best." Hatcher said
In the first draft, according to
Hatcher, one of the characters was a
vampire. All the characters are now
living people, she said
According to Skipper, the ACT I' s
legional pla\ wiiling chair sa# the play
performed at a theatrre festival in
Commerce, Texas and recommended
that it advance to the regional festi-
val.
Life was- Precious Then is
Hatcher's second play to be performed
at the ACTT's regional festival. In
1903 her play .Silence as Sad as the
Dog was similiarly honored.
Both students said they are inter-
ested in careers in theater af ter attend-
ing graduate school, and that the up-
coming production.will look good on
their resumes.
Hatcher called Wesleyan's theater
program "one of the best "
"We have an excellent record, one
of the ivst in our region, when it comes
to taking original vu>iks to the festi-
vals." she said.
Being able to conf er v\ ith Hatcher
during rehearsals has hel|>ed him pol-
ish the play, Skipper said.
"It's alway s nice that if you have
a question, the playwright's there to
answer it." he said
I he cast of Life was Precious
Then consists of Wesleyan theater stu-
dents Carrie Campbell. Aaron Hoard,
and Charles Statham. Skipper said that
rehearsals went smoothly because ev-
eryone got along well,
"We're all good friends, and we
all work really well together," he said.
Life was Precious Then was per-
formed February 13 in the Fine Arts Georgianna Hatcher and Kevin Skipper
n^ib,"cd*"* worl< together to make play a festival.
Photo by Tran Dang
mith displays talent
By Kim Laster/Editor
The Rambler
There is such a thing as a split
personality but has anyone heard of a
triple personality?
Dr. Tom Smith [a.k.a. Tom Ter-
rific], professor of marketing has. He's
a-teacher. No wait. He's a magician.
No wait. He's a musician. No, he's all
three.
"My father was a psychiatrist and
that's how I first got into magic," said
Smith.
His father used to work with mari-
onettes to speak to children. He also
did other tricks too. He used to make
coins disappear, Smith-said.
Smith was exposed to magic at an
early age and has. been hooked ever
since, said Smith.
"1 would almost get ticked off if
someone checked out one of my books
oil magic at the library." said Smith.
"At home I have a lot of books,
magazines and equipment," Smith
said.
Smith began his magic career by
working with puppets. It evolved into
ventriloquism. It took a lot of time and
practice, according to Smith.
Smith also eats fire.
"It's mostly guts. You just have
40 go (take a deep breath), 'Do it,"'
said Smith
Smith is president of the Fort
Worth Magicians Club. He's also his
torian Magic clubs populate Texas
and several conventions ate held, said
Smith.
I go to some of then) but it gets
kind of expensive," said Smith.
Hisclub wilt be hosting the Texas
Association of M;tgK ans convention,
held cu'iv l abor Day weekend, in
Tom • w } t Worth
Smith has also been a member of
the International Brotherhood of
Magic MiH.e he w 14,
Wesley an enct^ursigex its faculty
to volunteer time inthe community so
Smith is able to share his talent wuh
community bixspitau and events He
[Hit on a ttu'/K sh*>w ,m Valentine's
Dr. Tom Smith performs his
magic in Science Lecture Hall-
Photo by Khampha Bouaphanh
Day to raise money for the Alta Dol-
lar Scholarship sponsored by Phi Beta
Lambda, a business organization.
Another facet of Smith's life is his
music.
"The music came about because
1 was sort of a groupie ty pe. My friends
were in bands and they would let me
unload the. equipment or play the tam-
bourines in the background," Smith
said.
i never really felt 1 had what it
took to play until this guy convinced
me."
His former high school English/
speech teacher was at college for his
master's degree the same time Smith
was getting bis bachelor's. His teacher
had a friend w ho taught Smith how to
play some of the basics on the bass
guitar
He played the piano and met this
guy who was a guitar player/ singer
who wanted to Mart a group He {the
friend| Ik new I hat! an interest and
backgrvHind knowledge tn music.' vaid
Smith who used to collect records and
vv.>1 «k m a record sk*e
Smith first played in a band
named T he Mt )os' and another
group catted the "RixidrunncrV" for
eight years Thev regroup occasion
alls
"I wns ai mis dnncc WKere liii?>
black group was playing that had made
records and stuff like that. 1. was just
there as a spectator. I wound up talk-
ing. to the band and asked the guy if 1
could play his bass between breaks,"
said Smith.
"The band was set up inside the
courthouse where the dance was held.
This rural sheriff type saw me and
came up and was within a hair of ar-
resting me for integrating with the
band even though no one else was ac-
tually playing," said Smith, illustrat-
ing the race relations of the 60s.
One of the lead singers of the ba'nd
was black the last year the "Roadrun-
ners" Were together. The members
liked him and he was good. It took the
pressure off the other singers to per-
form, said Smith.
"We felt it was time [for integra-
tion] and it was long overdue and we
did it," Smith said.
Smith's music also led him to his
wife Noel, a fellow musician.
She has a folk, country and pop
background while Smith has a rock-
n-roll, rhythm-n-blues background,
according to Smith.
They perform in an Episcopal
church folk band once a month. He
said it is a fun group, loose and ca-
sual
Noel Smith is a visiting profes-
sor at Texas Tech in Lubbock and is
gone about three days out of the week.
They take turns hiking care of their two
daughters who are straight A students
who participate in a number of extra-
curricular activities;
"It's # very crammed in life. I tend
to get up early and stay up late," said
Smith.
Smith is trying to keep his sched*
ute balanced To do that he can't add
anymore activities, he said
His, present schedule work*.
Smith said.
"It I suddenly had an extra 20
hours a week; I could easily use that
time for magic or tMmsaid Smith
c Jmi
mu
Pk VI
Henderson presents the catch of the day
Chris Henderson's senior art show, Precision in the Making
is now showing at the Sone Photo by Khampha Bouaphanh
Wesleyan explores interterm courses
Elizabeth T. Lamb
Managing Editor/The Rambler
Wesleyan administration is con-
sidering offering interterm courses in
May or January in a two to three week
Tire proposal was initiated by Dr.
Sandra H Hart, dean of the school of
business, and taken over by Dr. Mike
Dixon, biology professor. Currently
the proposal is in the office of the pro-
vost. who is going to appoint a steer-
ing committee to determine the feasi-
bihty of an interterm course program
"Theft i* no definite schedule yet.
We are -4ifl brainstorming as to how
to/structure the courses, hut there are
noawK-tvieguidelines This is a neu
concept for Wesleyan, although the
cottfac* *t*uW he similar to the En
gland program which Dr. Sowed
teaches," Hart said.
According to Dixon, "The pro-
gram is in the preliminary planning
stage and will probably begin no ear-
lier than May and possibly not until
next January, but 1 would be surprised
if it happened in May,"
Dixon's proposal catted for
courses from any discipline, but he did
not feel that they should be core
classes. He proposed exciting elective
courses
Hart said some potential classes
could be in the areas of computers,
/oology or investments In addition.
. courses offered could include a natu-
ral science Big Bend trip, backpack-
ing or canoeing.
Dixon said. "What I want to do is
take trips The trips would offer the
opportunity to cat. drink and breathe
the course, such as students do w hen I
take them to Costa Rica. I know there
are other professors also interested m
traveling."
Students, who do not want to or
cannot travel for a course, could take
a course in a new computer program
It could consist ol eight hours a day
for two weeks in order to learn new
skills, according to Dixon.
Hart said. "We ate being pushed
to reeogni/c that field experience is
important Businesses are requesting
that students come out of school wiih
more practical experience. These
courses could oiler this."
i fie >uf 11M I MS u . 111< H) V, ,IS Hit,'!
esied and theic was enough faculty
interest to generate the proposal, but
See Interterm pg. 6
"■ ■ A iwl
p'CL,
Opinions
pg 2
Diversions
pg3
Sports
pg 4
Campus Life
pgs
•J
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Kim Laster. The Rambler (Fort Worth, Tex.), Ed. 1 Wednesday, February 22, 1995, newspaper, February 22, 1995; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth287634/m1/1/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Wesleyan University.