The recently moved and newly remodeled Einstein Bros. Bagels is reopening the week of Sept. 19-23 after a summer-long absence, much to the delight of students looking to add another dining option to a rotation that already includes Freshen’s, Chick-fil-a, Starbucks, Wild Blue, W.T. Harris Dining Hall and the Marketplace. After several months of construction, the caution tape was finally removed last week after the restaurant passed inspection and was given the go-ahead by the county.
The new version of Einstein’s will be located at the rear of the Ethel K. Smith Library, with most of the seating options being outside. The former location in the lobby of Smith was constantly crowded with students waiting for their food in the midst of library-goers. The university decided to move the establishment outside of the library in hopes of clearing out the front lobby and making it easier for students to maneuver around.
As the outside seating area is not covered by a roof, many are wondering about what bagel-buyers will do in extreme weather conditions. The inside area looks to have very limited space for customers to stand and wait. “I’m curious about where we can wait if it’s now outside,” Wingate senior Blake Jones said.
When it was inside the library, students and faculty had the option to wait inside and eat. Students found it convenient to pick up a quick coffee or bagel on their way to class, but some of their morning schedules were affected by its long closure.
In addition to the convenient location of the former site, students were able to use a meal exchange to dine there.
“As of right now, I don’t eat breakfast in the morning given that Einstein’s was my go-to breakfast place, so it definitely has changed my routine,” Wingate senior Heather Morse said. Apart from W.T. Harris, most dining establishments on campus that accept Bulldog Bucks don’t open until 11 a.m.
On Aug. 2, Dr. Jordan Wilson, Associate Professor of Voice, took the stage for the first faculty recital at Wingate since 2018. With the reduction of COVID-19 cases, life on campus has been slowly returning to normal. The Wingate Music Department began its transition by bringing back the recitals this academic year.
Recitals are typically performed by Music Performance majors throughout the school year on their primary instrument of study. They are required to perform a 30-minute junior recital and a 50-minute senior recital to provide standard practice to perform. For years at Wingate, faculty members have been also showcasing their musical abilities simply because they love performing, but also because it is a part of their scholarship to be involved with a performing style of choice. Under the scholarship, faculty can give a recital, perform in operas, conduct an outside group, the list goes on.
Dr. Jennifer Hough, Associate Professor of Music, said “I enjoy hearing songs that aren’t normally sung … like a piece that was performed in Danish. It’s an amazing experience!” Dr. Hough was the last faculty member to perform a recital in March 2020, just before the school shutdown due to COVID-19 precautions. There, Dr. Hough performed for a crowd that included her parents, husband and in-laws. This took place in McGee Theater at the George A. Batte Fine Arts Center on campus, where all recitals took place after Covid Quarantine. Now, all recitals are returning to the Recital Hall in the Batte Center.
It’s not only the faculty that enjoy these recitals. Leah Hatherly, a senior Communications major, said she enjoys faculty recitals because students don’t often see professors perform their crafts. She enjoys hearing them sing in different styles, ranges and languages. All Wingate students are strongly encouraged to attend these events to not only support their peers and teachers but also to discover different cultures of music.
Staff Writer: Savannah Phillips, Triangle Features Editor
First year marketing major Hailey Brumett has a backyard full of bones at her family’s house in Pageland, South Carolina. Why? She makes animal bones into jewelry and is beginning to dabble in taxidermy.
Hobbies can develop in many different ways, and Brumett’s did gradually. From the time she was little, Brumett enjoyed watching the tv show Bones– but that’s not all… She would often collect bugs and other nature items, and was intrigued by the stray bones her dog would bring up in the yard.
Though her family was not taken aback by Brumett’s new hobby that emerged in September of 2021, she never can tell how outsiders of the Vulture Culture will react. “AWW that’s really cool and some people are just like ‘huh?’ and they’re confused,” Brumett said smiling.
Coyote Skin
Brumett is desensitized to the process itself, which is listed below for further curiosity, but she finds it hard to skin the animals, remembering them full of life. “A big thing for me is not wasting anything,” she stressed. Brumett emphasized the importance of giving back to the earth.
With each animal she finds, Brumett allows it to decompose naturally outside, letting the nutrients sink back into the soil. Coming back to collect the bones for jewelry making, Brumett cleans them as part of the process. For fresher finds, she skins them and uses the fur productively, and even eats the meat when safe.
Always on the lookout for material, Brumett noted the ideal time to find remains. During the colder seasons, it is easier to spot bones under dead bushes with nothing to hide the remains. As springtime approaches, the peak reproduction season is in full swing, leaving many fresher remains to be found after young animals appear. “It’s the cycle of life,” Brumett said.
Though Brumett doesn’t want this hobby to become her lifelong career endeavor, she sees herself doing it years from now. Already getting an insight into the marketing field, Brumett has her own Esty website called “BoneyTrinkets,” where she has been selling her jewelry creations from anywhere between $10- $20 since September of 2021.
As for her status on her hobby now that she is at Wingate, it continues here! Brumett recalled that she found a “squirrel skull and bones in front of the Neu building underneath a bush,” and that it was the “weirdest place” she had ever found remains. Brumett caught a glimpse of the vertebrate and proceeded to take it with her to her dorm in Northeast.
Working from behind a desk in her room, Burmett is determined to prove that there is indeed, life after death, making the most of what is meant to be forgotten.
Steps by: Hailey Brumett
★ Please remember to treat the animal with respect during all of these processes and remember that ethics and morals are a major part of the vulture culture community.
★ The process of cleaning bones for jewelry, articulation, or a personal collection is a lengthy but rewarding process.
1. The first step is either letting the body decompose naturally or skinning, gutting, etc. to get the bones.
● If you choose the second option, please use as much of the body as you can: fur for gloves, taxidermy, etc. and meat for food or nutrients for the earth.
2. After you have your bones, place them into a covered container of plain water and let them sit outside until all “gunk” has been removed.
● Change your water when it looks like nothing else is happening, but leave some of the old water to continue the maceration.
● Heat speeds up the process of maceration which is why you would leave them outside. If it is too cold, you can use a heating pad or set up a
heating station.
● Too much heat can make the bones brittle so please do not boil them or combine processes. The process of maceration can take a while, so you must be patient.
3. After there is no evidence of further processing in maceration, you will want to move on to degreasing. Depending on the animal bones you are processing (size, type, etc.) you can use water and dawn dish soap or ammonia. The steps of degreasing are pretty similar to maceration.
● Degrease the bones until all grease has been pulled from the bones and do water changes when the water becomes very cloudy. This step can take a while as well, however it usually doesn’t take as long as
maceration.
4. Once all grease has been pulled out and the bones are clean of gunk and smells you can move on to whitening.
● The best method of whitening is soaking the bones in a 1:1 ratio of hydrogen peroxide and water. This step length usually depends on
personal preference, however, do not leave the bones for too long or they will become flaky and brittle.
● A smaller animal may only need a few hours while a larger animal may take a day or so.
● Keep a close eye on your bones during this step.
5. Once your bones are whitened to your liking, you can continue to make jewelry, articulate, or pop them onto your collection shelf!
Dr. Sergio Castello, Wingate University’s Dean of the Porter B. Byrum School of Business since 2020, came to the United States on a tennis scholarship at the age of 18 with $157, one suitcase, and two tennis rackets. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Castello did not speak English upon his arrival but continuously saw the United States as the land of opportunity.
At an early age, Castello felt compelled to help people but didn’t know quite how. As he developed a passion for learning, his professors encouraged him to further his college education, giving him time to figure out the questions he had been asking himself.
Reminiscing of a time in his undergraduate career, Castello explained that a professor had written, “I know you can do better,” on one of his papers. It was this act that made him wonder what he was capable of. “How hard are you going to try, and how many times?” Castello recalled saying to himself.
Castello earned three degrees, with the first being a bachelor’s in business administration from Freed-Hardeman University in 1989. In 1991, he received his MBA from the University of Memphis and then obtained his Ph.D. in economics from Colorado State University five years later.
Castello soon felt inspired to educate people and ultimately help them choose their educational goals, putting him on the path to Wingate in 2016. “When the door opened, I walked through it,” said Castello, who added that he never really planned his professional life.
Though he had worked at two previous institutions, Castello found Wingate to have the feeling of home, and he closely related to the university’s motto: “faith, knowledge, service.” Having been an international student and athlete, Castello was attracted to the programs that Wingate offered such students.
He has found that being a dean is a rewarding experience, but he continues to teach economics courses at the university. “Make sure that the knowledge that you acquire, you use it to serve others and not just yourself,” said Castello. “The more you know, the less you know. You realize how much you don’t know.”
Castello said he keeps three key terms, each of which keep him centered, in his mind for constant remembrance: “gratitude, humility and patience.” In a world that demands things instantly, Castello offers a different approach—to simply have faith.
“Have faith that God will always lead you,” Castello said. “When the door opens, take the opportunity and go through the door.”
Castello has paid it forward, putting back into the world what he has been given.
The Wingate field hockey program started its inaugural season with shutout losses on the road to Frostburg State and Indiana University of Pennsylvania Sept. 1-2, but the experience it took to get here started with inaugural head coach Kat Lind.
Her experience with field hockey as a player and coach is nothing new. She previously started a program at Coker University in 2018. Three years later, she led the Cobras to their first-ever South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship.
Lind was on a campus with a similar Southern feel at Coker in Hartsville, S.C., and her plan is to bring the same vibe here that she left there.
Since her arrival in September of 2021, Lind has recruited 24 players for the program. Regardless of the opening-weekend losses, Lind is excited about starting her third field hockey program from scratch.
“Going into this year, I think the number one focus for the entire season is establishing a really strong culture,” Lind said. “When I came on campus, I felt how strong of a culture Wingate has and just the overall vibe of feeling how competitive all the athletic teams are and I knew that was probably the number one thing to focus on this year because it’s going to set us up for success for years.”
Lind was a four-year member of the field hockey program at American International College and also played lacrosse for one season at the Springfield, Mass., school. She had a coaching change going into her senior year, but it proved successful for her and her former teammates.
Beyond her graduation from American International, Lind landed her first coaching gig at Elmira College in 2011. It followed with stops at Newberry and Coker to start the D2 field hockey programs at those two South Carolina colleges.
Before the Bulldogs went up to Frostburg, they hosted Meredith College in an 11-on-11 scrimmage to “get nerves out, work on formations and see everything in practice come into play in a game-like situation.”
Senior Gianna Musicaro (#00) is one of Wingate’s most experienced players with knowledge of Field Hockey. She is the only senior on the team, striving to help the Bulldogs make history in their inaugural season.
Wingate has 19 freshmen, one sophomore, one junior and one senior on the 2022 team, goalkeeper Gianna Musicaro (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), who along with Belmont Abbey grad transfer Camrynn Aiello (Centereach, N.Y.), will serve as a captain. Musicaro is the only true upperclassman who had previously been a student at Wingate before this fall.
The Bulldogs will host Lind’s old school, Coker, on Sept. 10 at Graham Gill Field for their first home game in search of a first program win.
Lind can’t wait.
“Especially in our first year with everything being a historic moment, the thing I’m excited about is when we score the first goal in the history of Wingate field hockey,” Lind said. “That’s such a big, moving moment and I’ve seen it with our first win and everything. … Just knowing that I have a family at home, [these girls] are my second family. I’m really excited about all of them.”
Wingate University student Jaquan Edwards is making a difference in the lives of middle- and high-school boys by volunteering for the LEAD ME (Lead, Empower and Develop Me) Program in Johnston, South Carolina.
A motivator and a mentor, Edwards strives to encourage them to see the good in themselves.
“A lot of the time I remind them, ‘You are a prosperous person. When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself that. Remind yourself that. You are somebody and you have purpose,’” Edwards says.
A native of Johnston, Edwards loves the Edgefield County town, where nearly a quarter of the population lives in poverty, but also understands the importance of helping youth see a pathway toward larger opportunities. His goal is to give young men someone they can look up to.
“Jaquan grew up in this community, so it’s exciting to see him not just come back, but give back,” says Marcella Edwards, chief executive officer of the Edgefield County Youth Empowerment Center, which operates LEAD ME.
Edwards began volunteering in 2021, but this past summer, moved up to a leadership role, conducting seminars to teach boys valuable life skills, such as job efficacy, the importance of manners, and showing up on time.
Edwards describes a particular young man who started out feeling that he would not amount to much in life. Though it didn’t happen overnight, Edwards helped him develop a new mindset, encouraging him to have a dream and direction. Now, he’s volunteering for local churches and in his community.
Edwards says he loves seeing the kids grow and go through a metamorphosis of sorts. “Everyone has a unique story and journey – what I call ‘the walk,’” Edwards says. “Everyone wants to accomplish their dreams.”
By giving the young boys work opportunities and time dedicated to activities outside of school, the LEAD ME Program keeps them off of the streets and away from areas where youth violence is most common.
Program leaders say their main focus is to “feed and fellowship youth, rather than funeralize them.”
The program uses the “little brother system,” reminding both volunteer leaders and program participants that younger kids are looking up to them. Edwards says the system helps boys realize that they are no longer accountable only for themselves, but for someone else as well.
He recognizes that the LEAD ME participants are the future of his community.
“Helping the future of Johnston just means the world to me,” Edwards says. The 22-year-old earned his bachelor of science in psychology from Wingate in May and is now pursuing his master’s from Wingate’s Thayer School of Education online. It was a football scholarship that led him to Wingate, and he has made the most of his experience.
Named Wingate’s Athlete of the Week in November of last year, Edwards (#30) plays linebacker for the Bulldogs.
“Not only is he a hero on the field, but he’s also a hero to our local community,” Marcella Edwards says.
Edwards hopes to one day become a school-system administrator. It was his mother, a retired teacher of 37 years, who volunteered Edwards for the LEAD ME Program initially, knowing that he had a heart for helping people.
“Real meaning in life never comes from what you get; it comes from what you give,” Marcella Edwards says. “Motivating our youth is not an easy task. But, it takes a team – a community to do so. And, Jaquan is part of the team!”
WINGATE, N.C. – The Wingate University men’s and women’s cross-country teams are striving to repeat as South Atlantic Conference champions for the first time in program history. Their goals to compete and overcome obstacles together have been helpful for head coach Pol Domenech’s approach to the sport.
The men’s team fared well in the Fall of 2021 after placing first in four meets: The Bulldog Stampede, the Pre-National Meet, the SAC Championship Meet, and the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet. The women’s team also placed first in three meets.
According to a preseason poll by the conference, the men’s team were picked to win the conference again after a productive season and sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division-II national championship meet.
Domenech is entering his second year as the head coach of the cross-country programs, but he is confident that their offseason production is translating to continued success on the pathway. He has the combination of being a player’s coach and having expectations for a championship-caliber program.
“(Cross Country) is a lot more like proper fitness that is a personal win,” Domenech said. “Just got to make sure we’re doing the right things in training and getting the girls and guys ready for when it matters. I think we have just as good as a team as last year, so definitely the goal is to accomplish that to win both championships.”
According to Domenech, the strength of the men’s team is their depth and depends on the ten guys starting in each regular season meet. Some players returning to anchor the men’s team include junior Bastian Mrochen (Liebenau, Germany), sophomore Scott Nutter (Blencogo, U.K.), and graduate student Oliver Way (London, U.K.) – who were honored by the conference as Runners to Watch for 2022.
Mrochen helped the Bulldogs with an individual gold-medal victory at the 2021 Bulldog Stampede with a time of 25:34.6 in the 8K race. He also earned All-South Atlantic Conference and Region honors after performing elite at the post-season events. Domenech looks forward to working with him on his team leadership.
Wingate Men’s Cross-Country Team
On the women’s team, Wingate returns a sophomore All-American runner from Molina de Segura (Gemma Rebollo), who placed eighth in the outdoor national championship meet in New Orleans in June. The Bulldogs also return two seniors: Tatjana Mense (Bremen, Germany) and Meg Rapley (Wickford, U.K.).
Some promising rookies may become program contributors in the next four years, including freshman Isaac Mendoza (El Paso, Texas) for the men’s team and transfer student Tamica Jooste (Cape Town, South Africa) for the women’s team.
While the players already know how to set team times and school records on the pathway, Domenech’s focus is on getting the minds of his racers “ready to suffer for thirty minutes.” He also has aspirations for the programs to win the regional and national championships.
“It has tolls, and it plays a big role,” Domenech said. “If your mind is not ready to put your body to the limit for a long amount of time, we’re going to lose. I want to do pre and post to make sure we race one race and move forward to the next one. … It’s getting brains prepared to do what they’re capable of doing.”
The Bulldogs will kick off the 2022 season at the Catawba Fleet Fleet Invitational at Salisbury, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 3.
The Wingate football team kicks off the 2022 season at Shaw University in Raleigh on Sept. 3 striving to obtain a goal it hasn’t reached in three years: the South Atlantic Conference championship.
The Bulldogs, who finished 8-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play last year, began the 2021 season on a six-game winning streak but were derailed by close losses at Barton and Newberry. Those setbacks were the difference in WU not receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Entering his 22nd season as head coach, Joe Reich has been pleased with the spring and summer development of his players, who experienced their first full offseason program (due to Covid) since 2019 when the Bulldogs went 10-2 overall.
Wingate enters the current campaign projected to finish third in the league, according to the SAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Aug. 8. Here’s a preview look at what to expect from the Bulldogs on offense, defense and special teams:
OFFENSE Quarterback Shaw Crocker, a redshirt senior from Greenville, S.C., is back under center for his fifth season on campus after throwing for 1,894 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He helped Wingate produce 3,809 yards of total offense and 31.4 points per game during the ’21 campaign.
Hunter Jolly, a 6-2, 315-pound center, will be the key returning lineman responsible for protecting Crocker and opening rushing holes. The redshirt senior from Cumming, Ga., has played 31 games across four seasons for the Bulldogs and helped them rank third in the SAC in rushing yards per game (162.1) and fifth in passing last year.
At running back, the Bulldogs will have to adjust to the graduation of leading rusher Nijere Peoples (171 carries, 883 rushing yards, 6 touchdowns). Reich is looking to redshirt junior Kalen Clark (347 yards, 3 TDs) and sophomore Alexander Wilson (219 yards) to help fill that void.
An experienced group of wide receivers return to help Crocker get the ball downfield—including redshirt juniors Trevor Grant (221 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns), Kamal Desor (322, 5), Myles Dillon (175 yards) and senior RaQuan Simmons (270).
Grant, a 6-3, 215-pound product of nearby Cuthbertson High in Waxhaw, has seen the receiving group grow and mesh together since he arrived in 2018 as a freshman.
“Our receiving corps has grown to be a veteran group since the beginning of my freshman year,” Grant said. “We have some great depth and talent in the receiving department coming into this season, not to mention the addition of our new receivers coach, (former Appalachian State pass-catching star) Shaedon Meadors. Coach Meadors has been a great fit for our offense and has helped our core grow closer to develop a more player-led atmosphere within our group. When it comes to improvements, our receivers have shown much more physicality this offseason, and I am excited to see it in action this year.”
#84 Trevor Grant
DEFENSE The Bulldog defense, which accounted for 450 tackles and 17 sacks in 2021, should be stout again with the return of senior linebacker Jaquan Edwards, a preseason All-SAC pick. He was a powerful force for the defensive unit last year, contributing 70 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and an interception.
Making the plays in front of Edwards on the defensive line of be redshirt seniors Sirod Cook (41 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks) and DJ Horne (30, 7, 3). Rounding out the linebacking corps will be redshirt sophomores Dontorian Best (8 games in 2021) and Davon Gilmore (3 tackles for loss), who have impressed in preseason. Experienced returnees Dequan Mosley, Justin Armwood (2 interceptions) and Jaheim Mullen should make the secondary a strong suit.
Edwards, a 5-11, 228-pound Johnston, S.C., product who should be one of the top defensive playmakers in Division 2, is the group’s unquestioned leader.
“The big thing for me this offseason was to move more into that vocal- leader role the program and the team needs more from me,” Edwards said. “Becoming more consistent and confident in my role, just perfecting the little things, getting players to buy into what Coach Reich and our defensive coaches preach, which is dominating the moment—and to dominate on Saturday we must dominate Monday through Friday.”
SPECIAL TEAMS Wingate’s special-teams unit will return a lot of experience and be led by 6-4, 235-pound Ethan Evans, who is back for his fourth season as the placekicker, kickoff man and punter. The senior from Mount Airy has amassed 146 kickoffs for 9,050 yards during the past three seasons and averaged 42.5 yards per punt last year. Redshirt sophomore J Max Swaim, a backup wide receiver who had 131 of WU’s 641 kickoff-return yards in 2021, is the top return threat.
In just a few weeks, Wingate students will be faced with final exams. For some, the results of the test may change a letter grade or make a difference between passing and failing a course. For others, final exams may hold graduation in the balance.
Whatever your situation, the following are a few simple tips that can up your odds of exam success. Here’s wishing you good luck and good grades!
Make a study guide . . .
Study guides can be a very effective tool to use for different tests, especially final exams. They can come in a number of forms including making flashcards or simply re-writing information. Sometimes you can use a friend to quiz you on the information. Sometimes a professor will provide students with a study guide. Make sure to use this to prepare for the information that will be on the test.
Don’t cram for your exam . . .
While cramming may be the ideal way to study for the procrastinator in you, Williams College psychologist Nate Kornell, Ph.D. found that although that last-minute study time may allow you to pass a test, you won’t remember the material for long. There is a lot of research that has shown spacing out study sessions over longer periods improves long-term memory. Researchers aren’t exactly sure why the spacing is so effective, but one possible cause is that over time people often forget what they learn during their initial study session. So, when students come back to the material later, the study session jogs their memory allowing them to recall what they learned the first time. This process of forgetting and retrieval helps cement the new knowledge in place.
Join a study group . . .
Studying in groups is beneficial for students so that they can share their notes with each other. It can help students bounce their ideas off of each other and it encourages students to think creatively and comprehend what will be on the exams. According to the Education Corner, many students feel more confident after studying in groups prior to taking their test. It can improve your notes, gives a support system, helps cover more material, and can be a fun way to study!
Take a break . . .
Taking short breaks during your study time allows room for you to de-stress and eat a quick snack or brain food. These breaks increase your energy, your ability to focus, and productivity, according to experts at Cornell University Health. Rest breaks can range from 5 minutes to an hour, and no social media does not count.
Spend time with pets . . .
Cortisol (the stress hormone) levels are already high in university students, but the levels get even higher as exams get closer. A 2019 study conducted by Patricia Pendry and Jaymie L. Vandagriff showed that students who were randomly assigned to participate in 10 minutes of hands-on interaction with cats and dogs had significantly lower cortisol levels. Polheber and Matchock found that therapy dogs have a stress buffering effect on students who took their tests in the dog’s presence. When studying, take 10 minutes of your time to spend time with your pet. If you don’t have one, Pendry and Vandagriff’s study showed that even just looking at pictures of animals reduces stress and anxiety. So – look for cool dog videos on YouTube or google your favorite breed and scroll through the pictures. It may sound weird, but it is scientifically proven to help.
Exercise . . .
When you keep your body healthy, your mind stays healthy as well. Going beyond eating and sleeping well, if one regularly exercises it helps give the brain a clear horizon for focusing on studying or taking the actual exam itself. Exercise helps release tension and regulate oxygen to the brain, which leads directly to helping your brain retain information more clearly and to be able to recall it during exam time.
Eat a real meal . . .
Eat a healthy, substantial meal the morning of an exam – something that will keep you awake.
Unfortunately, a bowl of cereal isn’t gonna cut it; all that sugar will just go right through you and you’ll be tired and hungry again before you know it. Try some oatmeal; oats are some of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat. They’re packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Try making it with plant-based milk for an extra punch.
Don’t cheap on sleep . . .
While college students generally suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, the additional
stress and anxiety associated with exams can lead to students pulling “all-nighters,” or
not sleeping at all, to cram for tests. Unfortunately, those all-nighters can actually hurt
your grades. Some studies have found that getting a full night’s sleep before taking an
exam is correlated with better grades and a higher overall GPA. Research also shows that a brief nap late in the morning or early in the afternoon can help prevent “burnout.”
Taking a quick nap between exams may help you maintain peak performance for the
rest of the day. Many researchers even think that sleep can help improve your memory. Getting a full night of sleep after studying may help your brain “consolidate” new information. This may help you recall the information as you take the exam.
Last week before Easter Break, the talented cast of “Murder is a Fine Art” conducted an audience interactive play, highlighting a love triangle, jealousy, revenge, and obviously a murder. The play was brought for entertainment for friends and families by the Wingate University Department of Communication and Art directed by Barbara Pann and took place in the lobby area of the Batte center.
When you first walked in, the actors were already in character greeting guests at the door and making their rounds of the tables. One of those esteemed individuals was Hailey Beshore who played the straightforward event planner of the gallery opening, Sharon Sharealike who toted around a suspicious bag all night.
“The show is very interactive and majority improv and so there’s a lot of things to not expect.” Sophomore, Beshore said.
The gallery opening was only the middle of what was already a storm of tangled relationships and vengeful individuals. When Libby LaBelle (played by freshman Madison Blackwelder on Monday and senior Emily Lewczyk on Saturday), who wrote reviews, suddenly collapsed on the floor, the attending cast and audience gasped with shock. The surrounding suspects: Fiona Fakes (played by freshman, Audrey Courtney on Monday, and Leah Hatherly on Saturday), Luigi Lambrusco (played by Senior Irene Wang), Pete Casso (played by freshman, Piper McClellan), and Brett Cutler (played by freshman, Nicholas Valles ) all stood around shy of any remorse. Like many influencers today, Libby’s words carried a lot of weight and seemingly ruined the lives of her counterparts. With the help of sophomore William Worthan who played The Security Guard the killer was going to be revealed before the night was up.
“I can’t tell you who the killer is or what happens,” Worthan said. “All I can say is I’m just the security guard, I’m not the killer but you will help me figure out who the killer is.”
While the Security Guard rushes Libby LaBelle to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, her cousin, Lilac LaBelle who was played by Junior Caroline Monroe, showed up at the art gallery only to run into her ex-lover and Libby’s ex-boyfriend Brett Cutler and the news of her cousin’s death. She was immediately thrown into the pool of suspects for arriving late on the scene.
After many arguments between the suspects, and Cutler’s and Lilac’s, ooey-gooey romance, the actors were prompted to walk around each table and answer the questions of the eager audience. With this allowed time the audience took matters into their own hands to find the killer with interrogations and witty assumptions.
The killer turned out to be Sharon Sharealike. All other motives were obvious but hers was more believable with the murder weapon being the high heels she wore previously in another scene, shoving them into her embroidered bag and playing innocent fooled many tables but one.
“At first I thought it was her but I was like ‘no’, Fakes had a better motive but it ended up being Sharon.” Junior Acacia Brooks said, “It was fun.”
Trevor Hagan, a BA vocal performer, was shocked about who the killer was stating, “I really thought it was Pete Casso because the origin of the paint was poisonous.” Hagan said, “I enjoyed it, it was very interactive and I like how we got to participate. It felt like we were part of the show.”
While many students were led astray by the red herrings, not Junior Devyn Eury said she was not surprised.
“I did think it was Sharon just because she had so much hate and anger towards Libby.” The human service major said.
The night ended with the wrap of a murder, a few laughs, and applauds. If you did not get to attend this play Monroe promises more in the next semester.
“I think we are going to do something similar next year. It’s got a lot of crowd interaction and I think people will really enjoy it. Monroe said, “If you weren’t able to see this showing, next year don’t miss it for sure.”
Wingate Triangle 