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News at 6 on WNUR News – October 15, 2021 Much Ado About Nothing, NACCA a capella, and The Mentalist WNUR News broadcasts live at 6 pm CST on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on WNUR 89.3 FM
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Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:15 Live from w N U R news. I'm Maria Jima Aragon. You're listening to the six o'clock news is on w N U R 89.3, FM HD one Evanston Chicago it's Friday, October 5th, 2021. Tonight on w N U R news. The return to in-person theater on campus. Acapellas Encore performance in the Postum era and the mentalist X, Northwestern collab, nobody expected stories and more coming up tonight. Thanks for joining us in w N your news at 6:00 PM. It's currently 6:02 PM. On Friday, October 15th, feeling the Miami heat in Evanston, Illinois, the student per company, lovers and mad men are back with their rendition of Shakespeare's much ado about nothing. I sat down during their final dress rehearsal to discuss all things theater at Northwestern,
Speaker 2 00:01:13 Right? Tone. Get the plane,
Speaker 3 00:01:15 Huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Huh. Miami huh. South bring to
Speaker 1 00:01:23 Heat, Miami, Florida, a city known for its sunshine, beaches and Shakespeare. Well, at least for this weekend, it is as the classical student production company lovers and madman premiere, their rendition of William Shakespeare's much ado about nothing. W N U R news caught up with the casting crew during their dress rehearsal preparing not only for a show, but the return of in-person theater on campus.
Speaker 4 00:01:51 My name is Gabriel. I, she, her pronouns. I am a third year theater and creative writing double major, and I got the opportunity to direct much to do about nothing.
Speaker 1 00:02:02 Could you please do the show
Speaker 4 00:02:03 For us? Totally. So a budget do about nothing is a Shakespeare script, but in this particular rendition, it's reimagined in Miami, Florida. And I chose this setting because I feel that it is an explosion of joy. Um, and I think that's really, really needed right now. It's a, also a city in which people are really celebrated for the fullness of themselves. And I think that lends itself really well to healing, to an audience like at Northwestern. I think that people will really have a good time I'm specifically setting it in post pandemic, Miami, Florida. So it's that weird transitional phase in which, you know, there are the tensions of the pandemic. There are those stresses yet people are still trying and managing to find moments of joy, um, and reunification, um, and community.
Speaker 0 00:03:02 Okay. Can we start this scene again? And
Speaker 4 00:03:08 Something that I think is cool about this script is that every time I think Shakespeare is performed or classical text is performed, people find ways to reclaim, and this is a script I've been wanting to do for a long time. It's a script. I have an writer that I've been want, whose work I've been wanting to reclaim for a long time. Um, and there's something about the poetry of Shakespeare that I think flips people's insights out and amplifies beautiful things about human nature. Um, sad truths about human nature and gives a really rich textual landscape to, um, explore and have fun. I always thought that much a do sounded, um, very Miami to me, very Latin, very immigrant, very like not old white dead men. Um, so it was something I wanted to share And it feels like a party. So that was also being my hope with this production is to make it feel like a party to make it feel like an experience and not just a theatrical event that you go to, to sit down at a chair and watch, and the lights go loud. I wanted it to feel like, you know, we're being invited into the community and the world of much to do
Speaker 1 00:04:27 From dance numbers that invite guests to wobble or dance JE to beach balls thrown in the air. The show is never short of energy and excitement, and you can even see it reflected in the wardrobe, Cocos designers, Claire S scone and Jasmine, a ideas, explain their inspiration.
Speaker 5 00:04:46 Uh, very luckily we were given a very, very fun Pinterest board, um, of just kind of modern day Miami fashion. So we didn't want anything to feel tacky hopefully, but we wanted there to be colors and prints and fun. And when someone wore solid colors, we wanted it to be like a reason that they're wearing solid colors. And when someone wore a bright pattern, we wanted it to be because they would wear a bright pattern. Um, especially just because I think that when you're doing Shakespeare modern, the fun is that you're always doing it of whatever year you're doing it and trends change so fast that like, you're really kind of able to capture your lighten in a bottle with Shakespeare. Cause there's so many things you can do with it. So hopefully there's like a little bit of 20, 21 fashion in there. Um, which would be cool.
Speaker 6 00:05:30 Uh, so yeah, just like, uh, taking from, you know, like bright, bright, fun patterns, bright from colors, like Claire said, um, just trying to bring that Miami beach kind of essence into, um, Evanston, Illinois, <laugh>
Speaker 5 00:05:43 Shockingly few, um, bathing suit bottoms to thrift in Evanston. Not a lot of people going to the beach in like mid to late October and Evanston,
Speaker 0 00:05:52 So,
Speaker 7 00:05:53 And everything handsome about Away. Oh. That I were written down in as yes. So
Speaker 1 00:06:07 Tackling the realities of a pandemic has been an ongoing challenge as the show transitioned from zoom in early June to starting in person rehearsal in September double masking and weekly testing have been some of the protocols. This show is adhered to and with the university allowing actors to perform unasked, the show must go on.
Speaker 8 00:06:28 Hi, I'm Mark Barry. Iki human data pronouns. I am a third year in school communications studying theater and uh, the business institutions program. And I'm the producer of what to do about nothing. So many feelings all at once. Um, mostly just like awe that it actually is happening. Um, most of this process for me has been w L and I just kind of adding ideas on top of each other and then being like, okay, now, which of can actually happen. <laugh> um, and so much of it has been able to happen in a way that I never expected that. Um, it's going to look gorgeous. And, um, so much of my feelings are just excitement and like pride that we were able to pull it off. Things are coming together. Well, I, I think this team is genius and is working our hardest to make the best show possible, but in doing so to do it in the safest and healthiest and happiest manner, we can
Speaker 1 00:07:32 Make sure to check out a performance this weekend on Friday, October 15th or Saturday, October 16th, and a Chanley pavilion. This is Maria Jima Agon, w N U R news Stay tuned. There's more w N R news coming up in a few minutes.
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Speaker 1 00:10:10 Welcome back to w N news. It's 6:11 PM. Central time. A new year means a new Trinity for students to join one or more of the 500 clubs on campus, including Northwestern's vibrant acapella scene reporter Ella Gatlin with the story Northwestern's vibrant acapella scene is back in full force this year. After over 18 months of zoom, rehearsals and restricted opportunities to meet
Speaker 6 00:10:46 Last year, everything was virtual. It was a really difficult time for everyone
Speaker 1 00:10:51 For this interview. I spoke with senior Claire qu Kwan is the president of THK, acapella and NACA. For those who don't know, NACA is the Northwestern acapella community Alliance. The group that oversees acapella auditions in the fall and works to foster a sense of community across all 14 of Northwestern's acapella groups. I asked Quan a few questions about what acapella was really like last year in the thick of COVID restrictions.
Speaker 6 00:11:15 Um, so it was very sporadic. It was difficult because we were all kind of in a bad place mentally, but a lot of us in the group wanted to continue having meetings and trying to record stuff for our album, because this was a really important community to us on campus. I know for other groups, as well as the, we felt really strongly about that, um, about providing new students, a community, a stable community, when it really felt like the world was like totally falling apart. And that school was not real
Speaker 1 00:11:49 Taquan working to keep acapella afloat was doubly hard as a result of the pandemic related mental health decline that many students experienced last year.
Speaker 6 00:11:57 You know, it was difficult. Didn't really have a plan because I think we were all kind of in a pandemic mentality. We didn't really know what was going on. And also it was very tough overall to organize things. Um, because you know, there was a lack of motivation just overall. Um, mental health health was really struggling.
Speaker 1 00:12:14 So Quan took on extra work to ensure that acapella stayed alive. In some capacity,
Speaker 6 00:12:18 I got really excited and I was like, all right, this is how we're I was throwing out all these ideas, trying to see what would stick. And we had meetings, um, about how to run virtual auditions and, um, how to spread the word. And also I felt really passionate about the fact that acapella, it does offer such a great sense of community for new, um, students who are coming in and just starting their college career, especially during the pandemic.
Speaker 1 00:12:41 And though qu took on much of the workload. She was not alone in her efforts.
Speaker 6 00:12:45 I've had people, you know, a team who was helping me, um, that includes Steven new Craig car who really kind of acted as right hand in like the past week, Michael Sanko, uh, Liam WINZ. Uh, and before he graduated Connor burette was the only one who had been on NACA before the pandemic.
Speaker 1 00:13:07 This year auditions were held in person, but were spread out around campus more than they normally would be due to capacity restrictions for created in response to COVID 19.
Speaker 6 00:13:16 In past years, you'd walk by Kresge and loci during auditions week, um, and callbacks week. And you would see the building like swarming with people like, so, so many people just like packed in. Um, and obviously we couldn't do that in COVID times.
Speaker 1 00:13:31 Thankfully this did not deter students from audition, Quan estimates that upwards of 150 Wildcats came out to audition and has a message to share with these students.
Speaker 6 00:13:41 Thank you to everyone who auditioned, um, those who are called back, those who got into groups, those who didn't like, we are really grateful overall. And, um, if you didn't get into an acapella group that really doesn't mean anything about you. I just encourage highly courage, especially if you're first year or even a second year, you can like audition next year. Um, and yeah, my hope is to just like really expand that feeling of community outside of just acapella groups and not make it so exclusive because I think it has felt like exclusive and competitive in the past. My hope is to really just try to open those things up and, um, yeah, and to promote that sense of community overall,
Speaker 1 00:14:18 For information regarding upcoming acapella events on campus, follow the NACA Facebook page, or look for your favorite acapella groups on Instagram for w N U news. I'm Ella Gatlin,
Speaker 15 00:14:30 Oh, I'm car between your love and a hard
Speaker 1 00:14:38 While some students spend their Thursday night studying in the library. Others spend their night in a trance Justine Fisher with a scoop,
Speaker 16 00:14:50 Chris Carter, hypnotist and mentalist, wow. Students with his performance Thursday night here is a preview into the show and some insights from Chris. Uh, what made you want to be a hypnotist and put on the kinds of shows that you
Speaker 17 00:15:02 Do? I was hypnotized in high school. And in fact, I was in the audience. It was an assembly telling my friends how it was all going to be nonsense. And then suddenly I was walking off stage and had no idea how I'd gotten there, but everybody told me what I had done. So, uh, I said, this is really cool. I've gotta learn more about this. I had a psychology teacher in high school who gave me some books and I worked with them and I practiced on my friends and I got nowhere. So I kind of shelved that for a little bit, a little bit later on. I said, you know, I really wanna dig into this. So I arranged an internship with a professional, uh, hypnotherapist who also did shows. And so I would travel with him in the summertime and that's how I really learned how to do it.
Speaker 16 00:15:44 Um, did you learn anything particularly special in that internship?
Speaker 17 00:15:48 Yeah, I did. I, I learned a lot about how to take this aspect of psychology and put it on stage and you know, it, it's interesting because hypnosis can be a very powerful therapeutic tool, but I really wanted to entertain with it. I wanted people to see what it looks like when people just suddenly lose all of their inhibitions and their imaginations ramp up. Uh, I just thought it, first of all, it was innately funny, but secondly, it it's great just to have the sense of, of the, the pure freedom of the people on stage. And that's really what I wanted to show
Speaker 16 00:16:19 A returning favorite of Northwestern. What do you think about the audience here?
Speaker 17 00:16:23 I love the audience here. They're so enthusiastic and you get so many people who are, are eager to participate, which is really what the show is all about.
Speaker 18 00:16:31 I nine, 10,
Speaker 17 00:16:38 My favorite part of the hypnosis show is what I call my shoe thief routine, where I have somebody believe that he's compelled to go over and steal everybody's shoes from off their feet.
Speaker 16 00:16:49 Well, you'd be doing that one
Speaker 17 00:16:50 Tonight. Yes, I absolutely will be doing this. I, I, um, I do a show without doing that routine,
Speaker 19 00:16:56 Believe that you like shoes more than most people like shoes. In fact, you'll be obsessed by their shoes and you will feel compelled to go up to that person and steal their shoes from
Speaker 17 00:17:14 My craziest mind reading part was when I accidentally busted out a guy who was cheating on his girlfriend, and I didn't realize I was doing this, but I was talking to a woman in the audience. And I, I don't remember the name I said, but I just kept saying like Tony who's Tony. And she would nobody. And I, I knew that there was a Tony. I knew it was important. No, that means something. And then I just kept coming back to her. Are you sure? And finally I said, I know you spent the night with Tony and she went, yeah. And then I heard this shrink from across the room. Another woman just go, ah, and I realized, oh, you're Tony's girlfriend. And then some guy just got up and bolted out. And that was who it was.
Speaker 16 00:17:57 Have you ever tried to get to the bottom of other relationships?
Speaker 17 00:18:02 No, absolutely not. No, you, you, you learn the hard way don't do that. I do have something that I'll probably do tonight. I have some people, uh, concentrate on the first name of the first person that they can remember having a crush on way, way back when they were a little kid, each one write down the name of their first crush. And then somebody takes one of these and reads it aloud. And by using sort of a, a lie detection process, I figure out which crush goes to which person.
Speaker 19 00:18:27 And I can hear you thinking, uh, no one.
Speaker 17 00:18:39 And the reason I like to use crushes is because it's something that has a lot of emotional content. It's also something that they don't necessarily want everybody to know. Now, most people aren't too concerned about it, but there's just that, like, I don't know if this is kind of private, so it's right on that edge. It's not so far over the edge and they're gonna be mortified if I guess it, but that, that emotional part is what makes it easy to read them.
Speaker 19 00:19:03 Is it possible Madeline that at some point in your life, you might have said or done something that was not 100% perfect. You're a liar. Hang onto that.
Speaker 17 00:19:13 The hypnosis is purely a voluntary state. He's referred to as a process of Neo dissociation. What that means is you're teaching a person how to very quickly dissociate from the executive part of their mind, which is we'll call it the part of the mind that, uh, edits and judges your behavior. So once you dissociate from that, there is no self consciousness of any kind you're really purely creative,
Speaker 21 00:19:41 Like dead. I think I was like actually hypnotized. Cause like I think so too. Yeah. I like, I don't think I was totally in charge.
Speaker 22 00:19:50 Okay, ready?
Speaker 1 00:19:50 After the break I a quick weather and news update
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Speaker 1 00:22:32 Welcome back to w N U news. It's 6:23 PM central time. A look at the weather for tonight, expect a low of 45 degrees and scattered showers. This weekend, temperatures will be a cool 68 degrees with partly cloudy skies. Now, a look at our news Roundup Northwestern's homecoming in reunion takes place this weekend as Wildcat from all walks of life. Come back to Evanston, to in festivities, such as luncheons or guided towards on Saturday Northwestern football we'll face Rutgers at Ryan field game time is 11:00 AM. After the announcement of Rebecca blank, as Northwestern's new president on Monday, the university issued a correction in their initial press release in it. It was stated that blank was the first female tenured at economics professor in university history. But in reality, it was Irma Edelman in 1966, as reported by the daily Northwestern. The release was later changed to say that blink was one of the first tenured female econ professors. The black house at Northwestern was rededicated earlier today. The house underwent a lengthy renovation process again in summer 2019 and was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Finally opened. The ceremony was a celebration of the black house's history on campus and a space for students and alumni to gather in community with one another.
Speaker 1 00:23:52 That's all for w N R news at 6:00 PM. For more news updates and reports. Follow us on Twitter at w N R news. You can listen to these and other stories of the day on our Spotify, Google podcast, and SoundCloud. You can also find us on our brand new website, w N U r.news. Our producer today, Zach McCreary, our reporters are Ella Gatlin and Justine Fisher from all of us here at w N U R news. I'm Maria Jima Aragon. Thank you for listening. And we'll see you back here on Monday, same time and same place now back to schedule for programming and.
