THE UNIVERSITY OF DARTS KANSAN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2008
NEWS
THEATER
3A
Student strives to be on stage
BY RUSTIN DODD
Jordan White, John Volk, Chelsie Shipley and DeAndrea Herron will star in the play "Twelfth Night."The play will be at the University Theatre starting Feb. 29.
Lisa Lipovac/KANSAN
dodd@kansan.com
For Chelsie Shipley, it all began with comedy.
Comedy ignited Shipley's love affair with theater and acting, and comedy is the reason a younger, teenage Shipley took the stage two hours into a piano recital and started telling iokes.
Shipley, a junior from the small western Kansas town of Lakin, remembered the day she turned a community piano recital into a stand-up comedy routine.
"My teacher said 'Why don't you do like five minutes of whatever you want to do, and just tell some jokes?' Shipley recalled. "Everybody was falling asleep, and I get up to tell some jokes and play 'Moonlight Sonata.' Fast-forward nearly 10 years, and Shipley is still entertaining. She's just put aside the stand-up comedy - for now.
Starting on Feb. 29, Shipley will be performing in the University Theatre's production of "Twelfth Night," a Shakespearean comedy.
"It's all about identity and love," Shipley, who will play the role of Maria, said.
Her acting career has also become defined by identity.
By working with Paul Meier, professor of theater and film and a nationally known voice and speech coach, Shipley has mastered more than 10 different dialects.
In "Twelfth Night," Shipley's character speaks in a Jamaican accent.
"Dat coffin and dwinkin' will undo you, I eard my lady tawk of it yesteaday," Shipley said, rolling off a line from "Twelfth Night."
Courtney Schweitzer, a fifth-year senior from Leawood and the assistant voice and speech/dialect coach for the cast of "Twelfth Night," said Shipley had a distinct talent for mimicking dialects.
"Mostly because she has a very unique sound," Schweitzer said. "She's very creative, and she takes on a dialect and makes it her own."
Shipley's own nasally voice seems to channel a female version of comedian Woody Allen.
"All the time I hear that," Shipley said. "I think it's because I talk through my nose."
Being compared to Allen is all right with Shipley. She said she grew up wanting to be a stand-up comedian. In kindergarten, Shipley said she would fall asleep to the monologues of "The Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson. She had other influences, as well.
"My dad is an amazing storyteller and just the funniest guy in the world, and 1 so looked up to him and tried to emulate everything that he did," Shipley said.
Devoid of comedy clubs in the 2,500-person town of Lakin, Shipley began doing stand-up routines at local churches and family reunions.
"It's the most terrifying thing I've ever done," she said.
When Shipley entered high school, she had a realization.
"I really wanted to be a comedian, and I thought well, maybe if I can act that could help." Shipley said.
Shipley and her friends begged teachers to direct a play at her high school. Her high school's vacant auditorium stage was soon housing a production of the "The Music Man."
Comedy also brought Shipley to
"I wanted to get out of Kansas as quick as I could," Shipley said.
the university of Kansas, a school she didn't plan on attending.
But when Shipley was a senior in high school, comedian Bill Cosby was performing at Allen Fieldhouse.
Shipley, along with her dad and brother, went to see Cosby. During the trip, they visited the theater department.
"I had a blast." Shipley said, "I can't imagine go anywhere else."
Shipley, who has been in five University Theater productions, was nominated for an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship last year for her role in "Hay Fever."
"She makes really bold choices," Schweitzer said. "She takes every part of herself and puts it into a role."
Shipley said she'd like to give stand-up comedy another go, but right now, acting was her passion. She'd like to make a career out of it.
On stage, with the lights and the audience, was where Shipley said she felt most comfortable.
"It's going to be a part of my life somehow," Shipley said.
"I feel like it's the only time in my life when I reach some monumental amount of truth and honesty," Shipley said. "It's a lot easier to do it on stage than to do it in real life."
Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
DOLE INSTITUTE
BY FRANCESCA CHAMBERS
Past, future presidents to be discussed
fchambers@kansan.com
Students will receive the opportunity to see the 2008 presidential election through the eyes of political journalists Tuesday evening.
"Straight from the Trail" is the first lecture of the four-part Presidential Lecture Series presented by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.
Jonathan Earle, interim director of the Dole Institute, said he invited journalists to speak at this year's lectures because he wanted students to learn about aspects of the presidential race that students could not find out otherwise by other news outlets.
Cori Ast, a student assistant at the Institute, said the youth had become an important demographic in this year's election and students should not waste the opportunity to make their opinions matter.
"They can come ask these journalists anything they want, and that's what I plan to do," he said.
"The candidates are giving them a voice," Ast said. "I'm so excited to use mine, and I can't understand why other students are not."
Earle said that he thought the series was important because the University had not scheduled any other type of event that would help students better understand the presidential race. He said the series' theme was "The American Presidency: Past, Present & Future." The series will consist of two "Straight from the Trail" installments as well as lectures on Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower's and Ronald Reagan's presidencies.
Earle said many of the speakers he had invited were still involved with campaigns, which limited their availability and made it impossible for all of the speakers to visit on the same night. He also said that Tuesday's Ohio Democratic debate presented a scheduling conflict as well.
Joel Mathis, who is the blue moderator for www.redblueamerica.com, a political blog Web site, and a Lawrence resident, said tomorrow at the first lecture of the series he would explain to students why Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were so successful in Kansas and Lawrence.
Mathis said Obama's win was based on a combination of organization and inspiration. He said he had been told Hillary Clinton had a campaign organization in Lawrence, but he had never seen any proof of its existence. Mathis also said that Obama's organization had done a good job of persuading Independent and Republican voters to reregister as Democrats at the recent caucuses to vote for Obama.
Mathis said the election of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who is a Democrat, was proof of this trend.
Many fiscal conservatives had changed their party affiliation, Mathis said, because they were being pushed out of the Republican Party by the far right. Mathis said the social and religious conservatives were beginning to form the core of the Republican Party, which was why Huckabee won in Kansas.
"There are very few places on earth he would get the margin of victory he got in Kansas," he said.
Steve Kraske, political correspond-
dant for the Kansas City Star, said he, too, was surprised by the lack of effort Clinton seemed to put into her campaign in Kansas. He said Obama made a wise strategic move by visiting Kansas before the state's caucuses.
"In some ways Senator Obama has just out campaigned the old veteran here." Kraske said.
Mathis also said that he would comment on the recent New York Times article that accused Senator John McCain of having an unusually close relationship with a lobbyist.
"It was surprising to see the New York Times come out with such a weak story on such a sensitive issue — and I say that as someone who would rather not see John McCain be president," Mathis said.
Kraske agreed that the Times' decision to run the story was a mistake. He said McCain was fortunate that the poor reporting reflected in the article had become the issue instead of McCain's supposed affair.
"You've either got the story, or you don't. And if you don't have it, you don't go there," Kraske said.
Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
Presidential Lecture Series speeches
Pat I: "Straight from the Trail:
Part I"
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Presenters: Political reporters
Steve Kraske, Joel Mathis and
Jill Zuckman
Part II: "Reagan's Disciple: Has George W. Bush Advanced the Reagan Revolution—Or Derailed It?"
Part III:"Straight from the Trail:
Part II"
Thursday, Feb. 28. 7:30 p.m.
Presenters: Regan presidency biographer Lou Cannon and White House correspondent Carl Cannon
Thursday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Presenters: Journalists Chris Cillizza, Geoff Earle and Lynn Sweet
Part IV: "Ike's Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality"
Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m.
Presenter: Former President Bush speech writer Kasey Pipes
Visit www.doleinstitute.org for further details about the speakers and lectures.
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS February 25, 2008 SENATE
THE REAL CHINA and its relationship with Taiwan. Join AIESEC for an introduction and open panel discussion regarding China and its political relationship with Taiwan. Enjoy free bubble tea and spring rolls and hear about how AIESEC can help you get a paid internship in China or other countries across the globe.
Tuesday, February 26, First Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m. Email aieseckansas.pr@gmail.com or call (785) 550-2508.
Center for Community Outreach challenging, educating, empowering.
Looking to volunteer? Center for Community Outreach can help!
We have 15 volunteer programs working throughout Lawrence and can connect you to many local programs.
Contact us!
405 Kansas Union (in the SILC office)
864-4073 • cco@ku.edu
www.ku.edu/~cco
Pre-Physical Therapy Club
Watkins Health Center Crimson and Blue Room
Upcoming Meetings:
March 11 & 25
At 6:30 p.m.
E-mail: prepthawks@ hotmail.com
ABWA Meeting
Dress is business casual
Tuesday, February 26th at7 p.m. Jayhawk Room (5th floor Kansas Union)
What: Engineers Without Borders General Meeting When: Wednesday, February 27th at 7pm Where: 3152 Learned Hall
New members always welcome!
PIZZA WILL BE PROVIDED BY PIZZA SHUTTLE! ALL MAJORS WELCOME TO ATTEND
For more information about EWB-KU, check out our website: http://www.ewb-ku.org/
Lutheran Campus Ministry Got Grace? No ID required
Come join us for worship on Sundays @ 5 And Spaghetti for the Soul on Wednesdays @ 6
We are celebrating our 45th year at KU! For more info contact lutherans@ku.edu or www.kulutherans.org
We are a Reconciling in Christ Community. All are welcome!