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Xavier High School A & E 12 Behind the scenes of Xavier Theater Each play at Xavier is put on by a director, actors, and a technical crew. But there is also a group not often recognized. The set is created by Rod Bowen and Mark Hepworth and painted by Mrs. Stephanie Wendt, juniors Hannah Becker and Jacob Herndon, along with the actors involved in each show. Whether it is a town during the Renaissance in Taming of the Shrew, a messy apartment in The Odd Couple, or an oriental palace in The King & I, the set takes audience members to another place. Each set takes days to put together and a lot of teamwork in order to make the show as realistic as possible. Becker has been painting sets since her freshman year. “The King and I was the hardest set I’ve done,” Becker said. “It took two months to do and we were working until a half an hour before the first show.” Each set has to portray the style of the show and must be incorporated into the actors’ performing. Before the sets can be painted, they have to be built. Bowen and Hepworth are the two adults that work on building the set. They got involved after their own kids graduated from Xavier. “I Emma Hunt A&E Assistant Editor appreciate them and their help greatly,” drama director Mr. Mike Cervantes said. “They can go way overboard and do most of their work for nothing in return except for seeing the final product.” The sets they build give the actors different locations and levels to work on and add depth to the show. If interested in getting involved with set design, talk to Mr. Cervantes or Mrs. Wendt. Painters and builders are always welcome. Amadeus is in the process of being built, so stop by the theater and ask to help. This show begins on April 11 and runs for three days. Individual Speech All-Staters As the end of the month comes near, so does the end of the season for Xavier’s Speech Team. The group ended the 2012-2013 season on Saturday, February 16 for large group events, and the last individual event was held on this past Monday, March 25. “We had an amazing season this year,” speech coach Lisa Streif said. “The students really worked hard and that took them far during the competition season.” On Saturday, March 9, Xavier was well represented at the State Individual Speech Contest at Vinton-Shellsburg. Out of the team’s 24 performers, 18 received an overall rating of one, which is the highest possible score. “Overall, we did very well at State on Saturday,” Streif said. “I am proud of all the performers, and I thought there was fair judging as well.” On Monday, March 25, a small group of speech students traveled to the All-State Individual Speech Festival at UNI to support their three nominated performers. Senior Noah Hagen was selected to perform for spontaneous speaking, and juniors Nick Mlodzik and Bryce Volk were both selected for radio news broadcasting. To be chosen, all of these performers had to receive an overall “one” rating and nominated by judges. “I was so excited when I found out I was going to All- State,” Mlodzik said. “I am really happy to perform with Noah and Bryce and represent Xavier well.” Mlodzik is a two-year All- State performer in radio news broadcasting and enjoys his coaches and spending time with his teammates. “Speech is really open to anyone. You may find something you have never done before and end up enjoying it,” Mlodzik said. “I encourage everyone to try it for a year and see how you like it.” The speech banquet will be held later in the spring and tryouts for next year’s team will take place in the late fall. Senior Noah Hagen practices Spontaneous Speaking for his individual speech performance. Mrs. Streif Photo Ashley Pudil A&E Writer Documentaries Payton Janney A&E Writer This Film shows the slow death of recording in a studio. The documentary looks back at albums and the artists who created them. This documentary has big names in it, such as Paul McCartney and other music legends. The History Channel’s new show is inspired by one of the oldest books: the Bible. The show is split into 10 parts starting with Adam and Eve and ending with the book of Revelations. The show airs every Sunday at 7 p.m. Music: Sound City Historic: The Bible Nature: Chimpanzee Scientific: The Incredible Human Machine This Disney nature film follows orphaned Oscar who is adopted by the alpha male of the chimps and goes on a journey through the Tai National Park. This film takes the viewer into a high definition journey through a day in the life of the human body. Famous singers, athletes, and doctors give us insight to the human body. “I like documentaries because they are historical and also interesting,” Mr. Lilly said. Lifetouch Photo The shop is located next to the stage and is where all of the set building takes place. The shop holds all of the paints and tools needed to design a set. Meghan Gerke Photos
