Author Archives: Susan Lindsey

Review: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]

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What do you get when you have three men performing all 37 plays of one of history’s most well-known playwrights in under two hours? Utter chaos and loads of hilarity, that’s what.

I was unsure what to expect when taking my seat Sunday afternoon at the Stillwell Theater at Texarkana College to watch Texarkana Repertory Company’s performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [Abridged]. And, after sitting through a ten-minute introduction, I was even less sure of what to expect.

I honestly kept wondering how on earth they were going to accomplish such an incredible feat.

But I can definitely say, any expectations I could have thought of were deliciously exceeded.

Austin Alford, Gabe Lohse and Colin Perry took on the task of bringing to life the beloved bard’s tales of tragedy, comedy and history. The trio, playing parodies of themselves as stage actors, took on all of the roles. And in true Shakespearean-style, genders were bent, blood was shed and men wore colorful tights. But I don’t think their choice of footwear (all three wore Converse to match their tights) was exactly in fashion at the time.

The first of Shakespeare’s works brought to life is the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. Alford and Lohse play the titular roles and a few other key characters while Perry primarily takes on the role of the narrator. After twelve laugh-inducing moments, it ends with the deaths of the two star-crossed lovers.

“We’ve got to speed things up … At this rate, we’ll be here for seven and a half hours,” Alford says to a triumphant Perry.

Titus Andronicus becomes a French cooking show, the histories become a football game in which you get to witness King Henry VI literally get cut into three parts, the famed “Scottish Play” (Macbeth) is performed in kilts and horrible Scottish accents and 16 plays get condensed into one very confusing script. All culminating with the finale, Hamlet.

While the words in the script are important, it is the three actors who really bring the production to life. I’m sure other actors could have been cast and it would have been a great production, but I felt this script was written for these three. Their engagement with the audience was stellar. Audience participation made those in attendance the uncredited fourth cast member of the production.

Not to mention, several of the scenes brought to mind other productions performed by TexRep. The death scenes of Juliet and Ophelia likened to The Play That Goes Wrong and the French chef seemed a little reminiscent of Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

While it was hard to pick a stand-out, I have to hand the crown to Lohse. From the moment he walked out on stage in a dress and wig with his groomed beard to play Juliet, I felt he would steal the show. And his MANY death scenes do just that.

TexRep has one more weekend of this production and I would highly recommend spending the $15 per ticket and two hours of your life to see it.  Show times are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. You will not be disappointed.

SPOILER ALERT: be cautious of sitting in the first rows of the center section at stage right. Audience participation may be a little more “participative” than expected.

Photo Credit: Shawn Jones/Focal Point Productions of Texarkana

Red River Innovation Lab for the Humanities: Bringing scholarship application into the 21st century

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The Red River Innovation Lab for the Humanities at Texas A&M-Texarkana is a step toward bridging the gap between the old and new school approaches to scholarship applications.

“It was designed to essentially show our campus community how you can use new hardware and software tools to … creatively reimagine what their scholarship and engagement in the humanities look like,” said Dr. Drew Morton.

Morton, along with Dr. Kevin Ells, is an associate professor of mass communication at TAMUT.

Equipped with a variety of communications tools for video, photography, sound engineering and computer applications, students are able to produce video essays, podcasts, short films and word clouds, among others.

“We are in a social media era. So instead of, or in addition to, standing up in front of a class delivering a standard talk or presentation, it’s interesting to look at how somebody would use the new and all technology to make informative or persuasive … speeches in any of these apps available today,” Ells said.

Morton said the RRILH helps meet a goal of the university to increase digital citizenship and digital literacy.

“I saw the lab as being kind of a offshoot and ancillary support resource to this new initiative,” he added.

Michelle Walraven, a non-traditional student with a major in organized leadership, said the transition to a more digital presence at the university has been a hindrance for her.

“When it comes to technology, I am an idiot. I’m not a technology major but I’m having to utilize all of it just to turn in an assignment,” Walraven said. 

“I actually just had to drop a whole class because I don’t have the technical capabilities at home to complete. Knowing about and utilizing the lab in the library will be helpful.”

While non-traditional students may get more of an education in the practical application of using certain technologies, Morton said the lab will have something for all students.

To achieve this, the space is also available for tutorials, workshops, film screenings and other events with a humanities focus.

The RRILH is now open and available for use in the John Moss Library (UC305).

A list of the available equipment for student rental and in-lab use is available on the university website under the Student Resources tab.

For more information on events, contact Morton at dmorton@tamut.edu.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Craig Nakashian

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Dr. Craig Nakashian credits an encounter with an educator while applying for doctoral programs that led him to where he is today.

Nakashian is the dean of the honors college and professor of history at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.

“I like to tell this story because it’s not a story of resilience. It’s a story of stubborn petulance, and sometimes that pays off,” Nakashian said.

After graduating from his masters program in Durham University in England, Nakashian applied to several schools in hopes of entering their Ph.D. program in history. He was rejected from them all, including his top pick of the University of Rochester.

Dejected, Nakashian reached out to the university to understand why. An email back from a Dr. Tim Brown, the chair of the history department, explained that they had several good applicants and limited space, but that he was certain Nakashian would be successful wherever he was accepted.

“At this point, I figured my life’s over. What do I care? I want to be a professor, I need a Ph.D. to get to be a professor. Can’t get a Ph.D., can’t be a professor … Whatever my life’s over. So I wrote this incredibly condescendingly angry email to this random chair of a department at a top research university in America,” Nakashian said.

“I remember hitting send and thinking, ‘Well, that’s that. I wonder if they’re hiring for assistant manager at the liquor store where I am.’”

It was a follow-up reply from Brown that changed Nakashian’s life.

“The only reason I’m sitting here is because he responded,” Nakashian said.

The email chastised him for his approach but explained in depth why he was not accepted.

The following year, Nakashian reapplied and was accepted into Rochester.

It was the “grace” Brown showed Nakashian in giving him a second chance that he said he has tried to emulate in his career.

“Life sometimes gets in the way of what we want to do and we may not react to it as well … But I always try to remember that to kind of ground myself. If he hasn’t shown me that grace, I’d like to think I’d be manager of … another liquor store in Western Massachusetts. I’d be the most bitter, well-read manager you had,” Nakashian said.

Student Spotlight: Mason Higginbotham

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Mason Higginbotham is turning a childhood necessity into an avenue for students to explore their creativity.

“I grew up with a very poor family where I had to sew my own toys … I built an Iron Man suit out of scraps that had a working light bulb for the arch reactor,” Mason said. 

“I’ve always wanted … to give kids opportunities because I believe there should be a third place where kids can go to learn skills. And not all of them want to be in theater, but they want to learn how to 3-D print; they want to learn how to code; they want to learn how to make things.”

Mason, a 24-year-old Master’s of Arts in Theater student, is in his third year of teaching theater arts at New Boston High School. 

Mason Higginbotham and two of his theater students traveling to Austin for a state UIL competition.

He first began his journey into theater as a high school student at Texas High. He said it was a way of following in his brother’s footsteps and meet girls.

“…I was like, ‘That sounds interesting.’ And, you know, I was a high school boy and there were girls in theater … I can do the tech stuff, I can build stuff, do all the manly stuff,” he said.

His first year, he worked in the technical and production sides of his high school theater program before trying out and winning a leading role in the high school musical. He continued to learn and grow in theater arts throughout high school and into college, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Theater with a minor in Film Studies from the University of Central Arkansas.

While Mason enjoys teaching at the high school level, his ultimate goal is to open a business where he can create a makers’ space for anyone interested in exploring creativity, no matter their economic status.

“I want anyone to have the opportunity to do things they can’t afford … I don’t want there to be barriers for a kid to want to be able to be creative,” he said.