The Second Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Macbeth, a one-weekend show taking place September 6-9, promises to be a remarkable event distinguished by a few notable features. First, it is an entirely student-run, student-produced show. Second, the majority of rehearsals took place over Zoom. Third, it takes place in the Flatt Amphitheater, which unfortunately stays unused the majority of the year. These aspects raise several questions about the creative process, so the wonderful Emma Stanard, director of Macbeth and a Producer of 2TC, answered some of those questions for us. What is 2TC?“Second Theatre Company is an entirely student run and led theatre company. We are primarily comprised of Lipscomb students, although we are not affiliated with the university or the [theatre] department, we’re technically our own organization. Our goal right now has been very much to just provide more opportunities for students who want to participate in theatre and who are recent graduates who want to be part of shows and productions. We’ll do the 24 hour play, which is fun and crazy. We also do cabarets, which is also like doing theatre in a different way. It’s really just to help provide an outlet for artists.” What has the process been like for 2TC with this show?“We started the process of Macbeth in the spring. I think it was February or March that we were sort of picking our season. I pitched Macbeth to the producers with a vision board and what my vision was for the show. We had our video submissions the first week of summer and rehearsals started around the first week of July. We had Zoom rehearsals for a while where we did all of the text and character work to get ready to be in person. Then the actors came on the first day of in-person rehearsal with their lines already memorized and ready to block. We blocked everything in the first week pretty much. And since then we’ve just sort of been layering on the blocking, fights, more character work, costumes, and all the tech elements.” Has 2TC done anything like this before? Will they continue to, perhaps annually?“I am hoping that this is the beginning of something. In my time with 2TC, we have not done anything close to this scale. I know before COVID 2TC has done more full-scale productions, but my understanding is that this is 2TC’s first Shakespeare.What obstacles have you faced that you might not if associated with the theatre department?Well, budget. We do not work with ETS (Entertainment and Technical Services) because we just simply don’t have the budget for it. I think the biggest challenge is being a small theatre company, we just don’t have access to all the resources. However, the department has been very helpful with that. They’ve helped as much as they can in terms of lending us costumes and with figuring out what we need to do for lights and things like that. And the events departments have helped us so much. Téa Doherty has mostly been in contact with them, which has been wonderful because she was able to reserve the space and get pipe and drape through them. Other than that, we haven’t really worked with the university or the department. It’s mainly been on our own. But I think for sure all the producers have an appreciation for what our professors do as producers for our [the theatre department’s] shows. There’s a lot of little details that we’ve had to think about.” What challenges and advantages have you found in working in the amphitheater?“Rehearsals have for sure been interesting out here. As I have been told many times, the amphitheater is a challenging space. But amphitheaters are beautiful, I love outdoor theatre. That was a big thing for me when I pitched Macbeth. I wanted to do it outside, and not all amphitheaters are as challenging as this one. But I also think that it’s a fun space to work in and allows for very creative blocking. I also think it’s been fun for the actors as well to sort of deal with the challenge. However, people will walk by and they’ll feel the need to shout things at the actors and heckle a little bit. Especially when we are running fight choreography. It can also be dangerous when people decide to just start yelling at the actors during fight scenes. I don’t see why people feel the need to yell at the actors when a show is clearly rehearsing.But it has also been good for raising awareness that we’re doing this show because we’ve put up signs that say “Rehearsal in Progress” and it has the QR code to our ticket link. So it has sort of been free advertising in the middle of campus. It piques people’s interest. It has been challenging to have people walk by during rehearsal, but has been helpful in other ways.” Checkout the show on September 6 and 7 at 7:30 P.M. and September 8 at 2:00 P.M. in the Flatt Amphitheater near Bennet Campus Center at Lipscomb University. Click here for tickets.
Lipscomb education majors soon will have access to a new development center, while Stokes School becomes a memory. Earlier this year, Metro Nashville Public Schools filed a demolition permit for the former Stokes Elementary School and installed a fence around it, which is MNPS property loaned to Lipscomb University for use as additional parking. The building “is no longer suitable for occupation or use,” said Sean Braisted, MNPS chief of communications and technology. “The permit is currently under review by the Metro Historic Zoning Commission.” Tim Walker, executive director of the Nashville Historical Commission, confirmed to Herd Media that the commission surveyed Stokes School and determined it to be a historic resource and meets the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Walker said the commission has the authority to delay a demolition permit for these structures for up to 90 days. “We’ve used that time to discuss options for rehab and reuse of the building with Metro Schools as well as documentation and salvaging of the building,” Walker said. But MNPS has made its plan very clear. Metro plans to transform the property into a professional learning and development space for current and future educators in partnership with Lipscomb University. Lipscomb University is the largest provider of MNPS teachers, according to Braisted. Metro would still be the owner of the property and enter into a long-term lease agreement with Lipscomb. Therefore, this facility will not be an extension of Lipscomb’s main campus. The proposal signals that the school would continue using the property for parking while Lipscomb fundraises for the construction of a new building. This portion of the lease remains valid for five years with a two-year extension. If Lipscomb is unable to secure construction funds, Metro will cancel the lease, but the institution could still use the space for parking, as it does today. This would not be the first time MNPS partnered with Lipscomb. The institution also offers the LIFT program, which provides full tuition to 10 Metro students each year who aspire to be teachers. About Stokes The Walter Stokes School was built in 1936 and sits on five acres of land. In 2010, according to the Lumination Network, Lipscomb expressed interest in purchasing the school. At the time, then-dean Candice McQueen planned to restore the building and transform it into the home of the college of education. However, Metro Nashville Public Schools decided to take the building off the market and never put it back up for sale. The building has been vacant since 2008, and Lipscomb has been using the land as an overflow parking ever since, particularly during busy events such as Dove Awards, Grandparents Day or Lighting of the Green. Stokes has 237 parking spots, with half typically being available during the busiest part of the day, according to the Office of Student Life. The future At some point during the demolition, the entire property would be needed. The McCadams Athletic Center could accommodate part of the actual flow. For now, faculty and staff will be able to park at Stokes as usual, according to Kim Chaudoin, vice president of communications and marketing. The demolition hold on the school will expire on Sept. 8. Before the demolition can proceed, the MNPS Board of Education and the Metro Council will need to approve it, followed by a community meeting, where neighbors will express their concerns.
Originally Posted Spring 2023 When you hear the phrase “it’s a beautiful day”, there are many different things that come to mind. For some, it may be sunny weather. Perfect conditions, that aren’t too hot and aren’t too cold. Some may think of Mr. Rogers’ famous theme song, “Its A Beautiful Day In This Neighborhood”. For others, it may be just a common expression in passing conversation. For Lipscomb students, however, the phrase “it’s a beautiful day!” takes a much richer meaning. It means a day for students to temporarily forget the pressures of classes and enjoy festivities with their peers. A day for the Lipscomb community to create life-long memories and share a fun impromptu experience. It’s a day in the academic calendar that’s been a staple in Lipscomb’s student-life tradition. The roots of “A Beautiful Day” can be traced back to as early as the 1930s. Before earning its memorable moniker, the event started as a humble, annual school picnic at Percy Warner Park. The first picnic was held in 1935, and according to documents obtained from Lipscomb archives, the first official “A Beautiful Day” event was on Oct. 21, 1937. The event was given its name from the announcement of the year’s picnic, which began with the phrase “It’s a beautiful day”. Despite all of this, it wasn’t always embraced. The impromptu event continued for years after this and became an annual tradition that many students on campus looked forward to. However, in 1965 the sun would set on A Beautiful Day, and it would remain that way for nearly fifty-seven years. But why was this? With ‘A Beautiful Day’ being so popular amongst students, what reason would the school have for discontinuing the event for as long as they did? According to an issue of Lipscomb’s former student newspaper “The Babbler”, it was stated that the event “no longer served the same purpose as it did when Lipscomb was a small junior college,” and that “Once the school had grown so much it was impossible to develop close relationships through such an event. The surprise element lost,” the excerpt said. The school’s growth wasn’t the only reason for A Beautiful Day’s abolishment according to the piece. It was also mentioned that faculty members at the time were not on board with the event, as they felt that A Beautiful Day hurt academics, citing that the students’ anticipation of the event would cause them not to study. Because of these reasons, generations of Lipscomb students were deprived of one of Lipscomb’s most memorable annual events. However, last year on the final day of Lipscomb president Dr. Candice McQueen’s inauguration celebration, students were treated to pleasant surprise. ‘A Beautiful Day’ was back. “After hearing the stories and seeing photos of Beautiful Days of the past, I thought it would be fun, as I officially started my new presidency, to bring that idea back to life and make it part of the inauguration festivities,” said President McQueen. “It was a way to connect the present to the past, and to refresh it in a way that is meaningful today.” The event was filled much excitement amongst students, with multiple activities being held at Percy Warner Park, the same venue that held the so many years ago. There were also food trucks, a carnival with a ferris wheel, and roller skating in Allen Arena. For President McQueen though, the games and activities weren’t even the best part of last year’s excursion. “I have to say my very favorite part was serving alongside our students during the service project,” McQueen said. “Serving others is central to who we are as a university. So, the service project was most meaningful to me and a great reminder that we are a Christ-centered community that seeks to serve others.” “I think any time we can do something specifically for our students, it’s a good thing,” McQueen said. “While I think it is important to work hard to accomplish the goals of a school year, I also believe it is important to take time to stop and just enjoy being in community with one another — to make memories that hopefully will be some of a student’s favorite memories of their time at Lipscomb.” And for President McQueen, it’s more than just a day for students to get away from classes. “I am here because of the students, and to me Beautiful Day is an opportunity to do something fun just for the students. So, to me it means having a day to spend with students, just having fun and enjoying the beauty of a day spent together in community.” A Beautiful Day 2024 will be Tuesday, April 16th.
The Second Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Macbeth, a one-weekend show taking place September 6-9, promises to be a remarkable event distinguished by a few notable features. First, it is an entirely student-run, student-produced show. Second, the majority of rehearsals took place over Zoom. Third, it takes place in the Flatt Amphitheater, which unfortunately stays unused the majority of the year. These aspects raise several questions about the creative process, so the wonderful Emma Stanard, director of Macbeth and a Producer of 2TC, answered some of those questions for us. What is 2TC?“Second Theatre Company is an entirely student run and led theatre company. We are primarily comprised of Lipscomb students, although we are not affiliated with the university or the [theatre] department, we’re technically our own organization. Our goal right now has been very much to just provide more opportunities for students who want to participate in theatre and who are recent graduates who want to be part of shows and productions. We’ll do the 24 hour play, which is fun and crazy. We also do cabarets, which is also like doing theatre in a different way. It’s really just to help provide an outlet for artists.” What has the process been like for 2TC with this show?“We started the process of Macbeth in the spring. I think it was February or March that we were sort of picking our season. I pitched Macbeth to the producers with a vision board and what my vision was for the show. We had our video submissions the first week of summer and rehearsals started around the first week of July. We had Zoom rehearsals for a while where we did all of the text and character work to get ready to be in person. Then the actors came on the first day of in-person rehearsal with their lines already memorized and ready to block. We blocked everything in the first week pretty much. And since then we’ve just sort of been layering on the blocking, fights, more character work, costumes, and all the tech elements.” Has 2TC done anything like this before? Will they continue to, perhaps annually?“I am hoping that this is the beginning of something. In my time with 2TC, we have not done anything close to this scale. I know before COVID 2TC has done more full-scale productions, but my understanding is that this is 2TC’s first Shakespeare.What obstacles have you faced that you might not if associated with the theatre department?Well, budget. We do not work with ETS (Entertainment and Technical Services) because we just simply don’t have the budget for it. I think the biggest challenge is being a small theatre company, we just don’t have access to all the resources. However, the department has been very helpful with that. They’ve helped as much as they can in terms of lending us costumes and with figuring out what we need to do for lights and things like that. And the events departments have helped us so much. Téa Doherty has mostly been in contact with them, which has been wonderful because she was able to reserve the space and get pipe and drape through them. Other than that, we haven’t really worked with the university or the department. It’s mainly been on our own. But I think for sure all the producers have an appreciation for what our professors do as producers for our [the theatre department’s] shows. There’s a lot of little details that we’ve had to think about.” What challenges and advantages have you found in working in the amphitheater?“Rehearsals have for sure been interesting out here. As I have been told many times, the amphitheater is a challenging space. But amphitheaters are beautiful, I love outdoor theatre. That was a big thing for me when I pitched Macbeth. I wanted to do it outside, and not all amphitheaters are as challenging as this one. But I also think that it’s a fun space to work in and allows for very creative blocking. I also think it’s been fun for the actors as well to sort of deal with the challenge. However, people will walk by and they’ll feel the need to shout things at the actors and heckle a little bit. Especially when we are running fight choreography. It can also be dangerous when people decide to just start yelling at the actors during fight scenes. I don’t see why people feel the need to yell at the actors when a show is clearly rehearsing.But it has also been good for raising awareness that we’re doing this show because we’ve put up signs that say “Rehearsal in Progress” and it has the QR code to our ticket link. So it has sort of been free advertising in the middle of campus. It piques people’s interest. It has been challenging to have people walk by during rehearsal, but has been helpful in other ways.” Checkout the show on September 6 and 7 at 7:30 P.M. and September 8 at 2:00 P.M. in the Flatt Amphitheater near Bennet Campus Center at Lipscomb University. Click here for tickets.
Lipscomb education majors soon will have access to a new development center, while Stokes School becomes a memory. Earlier this year, Metro Nashville Public Schools filed a demolition permit for the former Stokes Elementary School and installed a fence around it, which is MNPS property loaned to Lipscomb University for use as additional parking. The building “is no longer suitable for occupation or use,” said Sean Braisted, MNPS chief of communications and technology. “The permit is currently under review by the Metro Historic Zoning Commission.” Tim Walker, executive director of the Nashville Historical Commission, confirmed to Herd Media that the commission surveyed Stokes School and determined it to be a historic resource and meets the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Walker said the commission has the authority to delay a demolition permit for these structures for up to 90 days. “We’ve used that time to discuss options for rehab and reuse of the building with Metro Schools as well as documentation and salvaging of the building,” Walker said. But MNPS has made its plan very clear. Metro plans to transform the property into a professional learning and development space for current and future educators in partnership with Lipscomb University. Lipscomb University is the largest provider of MNPS teachers, according to Braisted. Metro would still be the owner of the property and enter into a long-term lease agreement with Lipscomb. Therefore, this facility will not be an extension of Lipscomb’s main campus. The proposal signals that the school would continue using the property for parking while Lipscomb fundraises for the construction of a new building. This portion of the lease remains valid for five years with a two-year extension. If Lipscomb is unable to secure construction funds, Metro will cancel the lease, but the institution could still use the space for parking, as it does today. This would not be the first time MNPS partnered with Lipscomb. The institution also offers the LIFT program, which provides full tuition to 10 Metro students each year who aspire to be teachers. About Stokes The Walter Stokes School was built in 1936 and sits on five acres of land. In 2010, according to the Lumination Network, Lipscomb expressed interest in purchasing the school. At the time, then-dean Candice McQueen planned to restore the building and transform it into the home of the college of education. However, Metro Nashville Public Schools decided to take the building off the market and never put it back up for sale. The building has been vacant since 2008, and Lipscomb has been using the land as an overflow parking ever since, particularly during busy events such as Dove Awards, Grandparents Day or Lighting of the Green. Stokes has 237 parking spots, with half typically being available during the busiest part of the day, according to the Office of Student Life. The future At some point during the demolition, the entire property would be needed. The McCadams Athletic Center could accommodate part of the actual flow. For now, faculty and staff will be able to park at Stokes as usual, according to Kim Chaudoin, vice president of communications and marketing. The demolition hold on the school will expire on Sept. 8. Before the demolition can proceed, the MNPS Board of Education and the Metro Council will need to approve it, followed by a community meeting, where neighbors will express their concerns.
Originally Posted Spring 2023 When you hear the phrase “it’s a beautiful day”, there are many different things that come to mind. For some, it may be sunny weather. Perfect conditions, that aren’t too hot and aren’t too cold. Some may think of Mr. Rogers’ famous theme song, “Its A Beautiful Day In This Neighborhood”. For others, it may be just a common expression in passing conversation. For Lipscomb students, however, the phrase “it’s a beautiful day!” takes a much richer meaning. It means a day for students to temporarily forget the pressures of classes and enjoy festivities with their peers. A day for the Lipscomb community to create life-long memories and share a fun impromptu experience. It’s a day in the academic calendar that’s been a staple in Lipscomb’s student-life tradition. The roots of “A Beautiful Day” can be traced back to as early as the 1930s. Before earning its memorable moniker, the event started as a humble, annual school picnic at Percy Warner Park. The first picnic was held in 1935, and according to documents obtained from Lipscomb archives, the first official “A Beautiful Day” event was on Oct. 21, 1937. The event was given its name from the announcement of the year’s picnic, which began with the phrase “It’s a beautiful day”. Despite all of this, it wasn’t always embraced. The impromptu event continued for years after this and became an annual tradition that many students on campus looked forward to. However, in 1965 the sun would set on A Beautiful Day, and it would remain that way for nearly fifty-seven years. But why was this? With ‘A Beautiful Day’ being so popular amongst students, what reason would the school have for discontinuing the event for as long as they did? According to an issue of Lipscomb’s former student newspaper “The Babbler”, it was stated that the event “no longer served the same purpose as it did when Lipscomb was a small junior college,” and that “Once the school had grown so much it was impossible to develop close relationships through such an event. The surprise element lost,” the excerpt said. The school’s growth wasn’t the only reason for A Beautiful Day’s abolishment according to the piece. It was also mentioned that faculty members at the time were not on board with the event, as they felt that A Beautiful Day hurt academics, citing that the students’ anticipation of the event would cause them not to study. Because of these reasons, generations of Lipscomb students were deprived of one of Lipscomb’s most memorable annual events. However, last year on the final day of Lipscomb president Dr. Candice McQueen’s inauguration celebration, students were treated to pleasant surprise. ‘A Beautiful Day’ was back. “After hearing the stories and seeing photos of Beautiful Days of the past, I thought it would be fun, as I officially started my new presidency, to bring that idea back to life and make it part of the inauguration festivities,” said President McQueen. “It was a way to connect the present to the past, and to refresh it in a way that is meaningful today.” The event was filled much excitement amongst students, with multiple activities being held at Percy Warner Park, the same venue that held the so many years ago. There were also food trucks, a carnival with a ferris wheel, and roller skating in Allen Arena. For President McQueen though, the games and activities weren’t even the best part of last year’s excursion. “I have to say my very favorite part was serving alongside our students during the service project,” McQueen said. “Serving others is central to who we are as a university. So, the service project was most meaningful to me and a great reminder that we are a Christ-centered community that seeks to serve others.” “I think any time we can do something specifically for our students, it’s a good thing,” McQueen said. “While I think it is important to work hard to accomplish the goals of a school year, I also believe it is important to take time to stop and just enjoy being in community with one another — to make memories that hopefully will be some of a student’s favorite memories of their time at Lipscomb.” And for President McQueen, it’s more than just a day for students to get away from classes. “I am here because of the students, and to me Beautiful Day is an opportunity to do something fun just for the students. So, to me it means having a day to spend with students, just having fun and enjoying the beauty of a day spent together in community.” A Beautiful Day 2024 will be Tuesday, April 16th.