Thursday, March 12, 1998
r ne Uni v ersi t y Daily K ansan
Section C • Page 7
Participants don't sleep like rocks
Tired students say work worth effort,struggle
Eryl Cochran Special to the Kansar
Sleep may take a back burner for students involved in Rock Chalk Revue, but grades do not.
Revue participants spend more than 20 hours a week practicing and working on their shows. Time requirements are set by the revue advisory board, and missed practices can result in fines of as much as $200. Despite these requirements and a few sleep-deprivation hallucinations, participants' say their grade point averages survive unscathed.
"I know some professors who call Rock Chalk a GPA killer, but I've seen it do the
exact opposite," said Chuck Marsh, associate professor of journalism.
Marsh recalled a student who was the revue's promotions director last year and actually accelerated her studies during her participation.
"It was a super internship for her," he said. "She was able to put the skills she would need for the future to work."
Being able to juggle the revue and grades requires time management skills.
"It depends on the person. There are people who don't have class until later on in the afternoon, and they will sleep until class," said Chris Jones, Overland Park junior and Phi Delta Theta's director. "In my position, you have to wake up and take that three hours to work."
The hours participants sacrifice to keep school a priority come from their sleep.
But Jones does admit that homework sometimes could be neglected.
"You miss some assignments, but in general school takes priority," Jones said.
Matt Haverkamp, Shawnee Mission junior and Lambda Chi Alpha's director, said that the last three days before his group turned in their notebooks, they sometimes stayed up until 5 a.m.
"It requires more hours and less sleep." Haverkamp said.
The revue starts in September and runs through March. Those sleepless nights can add up to sleep deprivation.
Tim Brownlee, office manager in health promotion and education at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said, "Sleep deprivation affects a person's ability to communicate and ability to concentrate."
Brownlee said that if someone went long enough without sleep, they could eventually experience hallucinations.
Many participants think sleepless nights are worth the pain because the revue gives them the opportunity to do what they have never done before and might never do again-be a star.
"Normal college kids, probably 50 percent to 99 percent of whom are not film or theater majors, get to be in a production in front of 1,000 students at the Lied Center, which is the nicest concert hall in Lawrence, if not Kansas City," Jones said.
Participants write songs, create and draw characters, make costumes, choreograph lighting and dance routines and build sets and scenery.
Chris Crago, Olathe senior and film major, said, "It sounds like they are doing exactly what the film students do. The only difference is, our's is for school and their's is extracurricular."
Rock Chalk Revue romances bloom for directors and show participants
Bv Julie Eberle
Special to the Kansan
As Rock Chalk Revue opening night nears and as practices intensify, friendships and flirtations develop into romances.
Lots of affectionate relationships and a few short-lived hookups have blossomed, cast members say.
"I think it's that way with every house," said Kelly Spehar, Lenexa junior and member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. "You start hanging out together outside of practice and you are bound to build friendships and sometimes romances. I was in it my freshman year, and as we hung out more, a lot more people got involved."
"A lot of one-night-stands, but I haven't had one, and it's kind of upsetting me," said Justin Jones, Omaha junior and member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. "I was hoping for more romance, but we'll see."
For the revue actors, a common bond usually produces sexual chemistry.
Since members practice together seven days a week, pair-up possibilities abound. Even though many people have significant others outside of the revue, that doesn't stop cast members from becoming affectionate.
Renee Plumlee, Cupertino, Calif., senior and Pi Beta Phi director, said that if two actors had complementary personalities, it helped their acting.
"It isn't like any of us are professionals, but if you are a lead role and you have to act like you love someone, it's going to help the role if they really do love each other," he said.
"If two people are in a scene
Jones said that there were instances in the past in which cast romances had developed and then ended before the actual show.
together and they end up dating, then I guess we did a good job pairing them up," she said.
"I've seen times where it can work detrimentally," he said. "It can be a source of tension."
Chris Jones, Prairie Village junior and Phi Delta Theta director, agreed.
ship. When two people act together in a scene and really get to know each other, their romance is more likely to last beyond Rock Chalk, Jones said.
"There's the kind when you see each other every day and you say, 'I think he's cute or she's cute,' and it's a physical thing," he said. "Those never last."
But whether these Rock Chalk romances last depends on the nature of the relationdirectors for the Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Phi Epsilon skit, said she used her talents as a soloist to improve productions.
The fact that participants meet in a social setting other than class or a bar also affects the duration of the relationship.
“It’s weird.” Jones said. I think the reason people get together is because when you get together in a non-drinking setting, it changes the nature of the relationship. You actually get to know a girl."
Duane Waaler
Two participants in the 1981 Rock Chalk Friends relax in front of Hoch Auditorium after a performance. Participants say close friendships are a bonus of the revue. Archive photo.
Friendships make revue fun
Special to the Kansan
Maggie Heek made 45 instant friends when she walked onto her Rock Chalk Revue set.
The Lawrence sophomore is one of seven directors for the Pi Beta Phi and Phi Delta Theta skit.
Although she has been involved in music for the last 10 years, Heck had no experience in theater and production before the revue. She said that she leaped at the chance to work in theater and found that directing the skit has brought unexpected benefits besides expanding her social circle.
"It's taught me time-management skills." Heck said.
Directors from the skis were nominated last spring by their respective fraternity and sorority chapters. They have been directing the skis since before they were chosen for the revue.
Chris Jones, another director for the Pi Beta Phi and Phi Delta Theta skit, said he thought that directing was a chance to combine his talents with six other people and also satisfy a passion.
"I've got an obsession with Broadway plays," said Jones, Prairie Village junior.
Mike Russell, Pittsburgh senior and one of six directors for a skit combining Delta Chi and Gamma Phi Beta, welcomed the chance for redemption after directing a skit that failed to make the revue last year.
"I just love to be creative," Russell said.
Directing skits involves a collaborative effort, tapping into the individual skills of the directors.
Michelle Collins, Olathe junior, and one of five
"I'm the enforcer," she said. "I make sure everybody keeps in tune."
Chris Murray, Omaha, Neb., senior and a Sigma Phi Epsilon director, uses his writing skills to improve the production.
"I'm most involved with revising scripts and lvries," he said.
The directors said that keeping the cast focused during daily rehearsals could be a challenge.
Methods for sustaining the casts' interest include exchanging gifts with a secret friend every week and motivational talks to elevate souls.
Stephen Jones, Dallas senior and director for the Phi Gamma Delta and Kappa Kappa Gamma skit admitted that there were nights that concentration wavered.
"For every one of those nights, there have been three or four nights that are great," he said.
The directors can have a difficult time juggling their lives as directors and students. Cate Pugh, Wamego junior and one of seven directors for the Alpha Delta Pi and Lambda Chi Alpha skit, said that directing permeated other aspects of her life as well.
"It takes over your mind when you should be doing homework," she said.
Despite all of the headaches involved in directing, the consensus is that the effort is worth it, especially with proceeds going to the United Wav
Russell said, "It's icing on the cake that it goes to a good cause."