Waco Trib, April 26, 2024
Cosplay contest winners pose with their awards from last year’s Central Texas Comic Con.
Central Texas Comic Con, provided
by Alice Crow
Calling all cosplayers, fandom fanatics and casually curious nerds.
Central Texas Comic Con is back this weekend for the third year in a row. Hosted at the Base at Extraco Events Center, the Central Texas Comic Con event will bring several celebrity guests, multiple gaming tournaments, various workshops and panels, cosplay contests and more than 100 vendors and artists. “My favorite thing is just seeing people’s faces light up when they first enter the convention center,” said Clayton Afinowicz, community outreach coordinator for Central Texas Comic Con. “That feeling, especially when someone has never been to a show before, it’s almost like capturing lighting in a bottle.”
Afinowicz said he expects crowds at least as big as those in 2023. “Attendance was down across the board for those first years after the pandemic, but it has clearly bounced back,” he said. “The last I heard, our online ticket sales were roughly about where they were last year, if not a little bit more.”
Afinowicz said last year’s event sold around 500 tickets online and close to 4,000 more at the door.
For those who do purchase tickets, the event will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 for a day pass and $35 for a weekend pass. Free passes will be available at the door for children ages 8 and younger.
Although there will be fewer celebrity guests this weekend than there were at last year’s event, Afinowicz said the event will offer more interactive attractions for the entire family. “We are a family environment, and we have something for all ages,” Afinowicz said. “We’re going to have Bingo and Bluey mascots in attendance on Saturday. Fans can come up, meet them and they can get professional photos done.”
The event will feature local vendors, including Plus Waco Comics, a small independent comics publisher based in Waco, as well as artists from across the state. Attendees can also enter gaming tournaments and the cosplay contest to win prizes.
The event’s unofficial theme for guests this year is voice actors, Afinowicz said. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet voice actors from popular shows such as “Ed, Edd n Eddy,” “Demon Slayer,” “Dragon Ball Z,” “My Hero Academia” and “Tokyo Ghoul.”
Afinowicz said Comic Cons used to be niche events for comic, movie and science fiction fans, but shows are evolving to cater to fans of anime, gaming, horror and even sports. “There is literally something for everyone, no matter your fandom, no matter your age,” he said. “The great thing about it is everyone is there for the same reason. They are celebrating their fandom and they’re letting their nerd flag fly in a judgment-free zone, so come dressed as your favorite character and enjoy the show.”
Kathleen Laundy, local cosplayer and professor of costume design at McLennan Community College, has attended dozens of comic con events over the last 15 years and can attest to the magic of cosplaying. “If you are willing to have other people think you look silly, then everybody else there is willing to support you,” she said. “That’s why I love it.”
Calling all cosplayers, fandom fanatics and casually curious nerds.
Central Texas Comic Con is back this weekend for the third year in a row. Hosted at the Base at Extraco Events Center, the Central Texas Comic Con event will bring several celebrity guests, multiple gaming tournaments, various workshops and panels, cosplay contests and more than 100 vendors and artists. “My favorite thing is just seeing people’s faces light up when they first enter the convention center,” said Clayton Afinowicz, community outreach coordinator for Central Texas Comic Con. “That feeling, especially when someone has never been to a show before, it’s almost like capturing lighting in a bottle.”
Afinowicz said he expects crowds at least as big as those in 2023. “Attendance was down across the board for those first years after the pandemic, but it has clearly bounced back,” he said. “The last I heard, our online ticket sales were roughly about where they were last year, if not a little bit more.”
Afinowicz said last year’s event sold around 500 tickets online and close to 4,000 more at the door.
For those who do purchase tickets, the event will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 for a day pass and $35 for a weekend pass. Free passes will be available at the door for children ages 8 and younger.
Although there will be fewer celebrity guests this weekend than there were at last year’s event, Afinowicz said the event will offer more interactive attractions for the entire family. “We are a family environment, and we have something for all ages,” Afinowicz said. “We’re going to have Bingo and Bluey mascots in attendance on Saturday. Fans can come up, meet them and they can get professional photos done.”
The event will feature local vendors, including Plus Waco Comics, a small independent comics publisher based in Waco, as well as artists from across the state. Attendees can also enter gaming tournaments and the cosplay contest to win prizes.
The event’s unofficial theme for guests this year is voice actors, Afinowicz said. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet voice actors from popular shows such as “Ed, Edd n Eddy,” “Demon Slayer,” “Dragon Ball Z,” “My Hero Academia” and “Tokyo Ghoul.”
Afinowicz said Comic Cons used to be niche events for comic, movie and science fiction fans, but shows are evolving to cater to fans of anime, gaming, horror and even sports. “There is literally something for everyone, no matter your fandom, no matter your age,” he said. “The great thing about it is everyone is there for the same reason. They are celebrating their fandom and they’re letting their nerd flag fly in a judgment-free zone, so come dressed as your favorite character and enjoy the show.”
Kathleen Laundy, local cosplayer and professor of costume design at McLennan Community College, has attended dozens of comic con events over the last 15 years and can attest to the magic of cosplaying. “If you are willing to have other people think you look silly, then everybody else there is willing to support you,” she said. “That’s why I love it.”
Kathleen Laundy and her family dressed in cosplay from the 1966 "Batman" movie for Fan Expo in Dallas.
Kathleen Laundy, provided
Although Laundy loved things like “Star Wars” when she was younger, she wasn’t pulled into the world of cosplaying until her husband encouraged her to use her professional skills to make costumes for Renaissance festivals and comic con events.
Laundy said some of her best cosplay ideas have come from her kids. Over the last decade, cosplaying became a way for her whole family to connect with one another. They have now won over a dozen awards from cosplay contests. Laundy said it’s something she takes seriously because making a costume can sometimes require hours of dedicated work.
“It requires blood, sweat and tears,” she said.
Laundy also said she understands why people with niche interests who are marginalized or bullied gravitate toward cosplay. One of Laundy’s sons is diagnosed with autism, and she said one of his favorite ways to relate to the world is to quote lines from his favorite movies, shows and video games. “I’ve met a lot of kids who, once they’re in a costume with a mask and no one can see them, they’re free. It frees them to be that character that they identify with,” she said.
Laundy said some of her best cosplay ideas have come from her kids. Over the last decade, cosplaying became a way for her whole family to connect with one another. They have now won over a dozen awards from cosplay contests. Laundy said it’s something she takes seriously because making a costume can sometimes require hours of dedicated work.
“It requires blood, sweat and tears,” she said.
Laundy also said she understands why people with niche interests who are marginalized or bullied gravitate toward cosplay. One of Laundy’s sons is diagnosed with autism, and she said one of his favorite ways to relate to the world is to quote lines from his favorite movies, shows and video games. “I’ve met a lot of kids who, once they’re in a costume with a mask and no one can see them, they’re free. It frees them to be that character that they identify with,” she said.
Kathleen Laundy and her family cosplaying characters from the 1980 "Flash Gordon" movie for Waxacon in 2018. Laundy and her family won first and second place at the Waxacon costume contest.
Kathleen Laundy, provided
Comic con events have also allowed Laundy to meet lifelong friends and recruit multiple students to her program at McLennan Community College. She said this hobby has connected her to so many people she still knows today.
“I think the people who go to cons, especially the people who dress up, are this very accepting group of people that are all fans of similar shows or video games and that brings them together. Then you have instant friends.”
“I think the people who go to cons, especially the people who dress up, are this very accepting group of people that are all fans of similar shows or video games and that brings them together. Then you have instant friends.”
Waco Insider April 1, 2023
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April 1 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm MCC Gender & Sexualities Alliance Drag Show
MCC Music & Theatre Arts 1400 College Dr, WacoMcLennan Community College graduate Dr. Malcom Morgan-Petty (aka Coco Caliente) hosts the MCC Gender and Sexualities Alliance Drag Show fundraiser on the MCC campus. $10 – $15 |
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Waco tribune Herald March 29,2023
Drag show featuring Malcom Morgan-Petty, MCC Gender and Sexualities Alliance, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, MCC’s Music & Fine Arts Theatre building; $15, $10 students, cash only.
by Carl Hoover
by Carl Hoover
MCC graduate Malcolm Morgan, who performs as Coco Caliente, will host Saturday's fundraiser for the student Gender and Sexualities Alliance.
Malcom Morgan-Petty, provided
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MCC graduate Malcolm Morgan, who performs as Coco Caliente, will host Saturday's fundraiser for the student Gender and Sexualities Alliance.
The drag show that MCC’s Gender and Sexualities Alliance staged last year proved such a fundraising success that they’re repeating it Saturday night with a bonus: MCC graduate Dr. Malcom Morgan-Petty is hosting it. Morgan-Petty, who performs as Coco Caliente, is now a student activities coordinator at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kathleen Laundy, faculty sponsor for the alliance, which numbers about 30 to 40 students, said Saturday’s show will be tightly run given how politicians and legislators in several states have targeted drag shows as something to repress or criminalize. No one under 18 will be allowed in the show, which will feature 11 performers singing two songs apiece. “There’s no alcohol, no nudity, no stripping, but maybe a few swear words,” she said. Admission is cash only and those attending are encouraged to bring dollar bills to tip their favorite performers. |
Killeen Daily Herald May 17, 2019
Waco Tribune Herald, November, 2017
By Phillip Ericksen [email protected]
TITLE IX FOR THE THEATRE--MCC DIRECTOR EMPHASIZES EMOTIONAL SAFETY IN INTIMATE SCENES
MCC students Alec Ehringer (right) and Hannah Young stand face to face during a theatre exercise as associate professor Elizabeth Talbot (left) supervises.
Staff photo--Rod Aydelotte
At a time when men in Hollywood and halls of power throughout the nation are being called to account for past sexual misconduct, McLennan Community College associate theater professor Elizabeth Talbot’s lessons about on-stage intimacy take on a new resonance.
In a recent exercise, six of her students paired off to explore various stages of platonic and romantic relationships through only gazes and physical touches. The most intimate touch in the exercise would be a hug, Talbot told the students up front, along with an important caveat: The students can stop participating at any time.
Talbot specializes in what she calls “Title IX for the theater,” guidelines designed to protect the safety of actors performing scenes with kissing, sex, rape or anything requiring heightened emotional vulnerability.
Specific direction, such as how to tilt heads during a kiss or where each finger will be while touching, is pivotal to the comfort of actors and success of any scene, as is with frequent communication, consent and understanding of context, she said.
Among the most recent allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful men is a Los Angeles radio broadcaster’s statement Thursday that Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, forcibly kissed her while rehearsing a scene for a USO show in 2006, when Franken was a working comedian.
While many theaters are only armed with unwritten human resources policies, directors hold most of the power when workplace issues arise, Talbot said.
Abuse by a director was uncovered last year at the Profiles Theatre in Chicago, she said.
“The director was able to abuse that power really easily and affect so many people in different emotional states,” Talbot said.
MCC theater student Alec Ehringer said intimacy direction could prove especially useful to high school productions.
“There’s a lot of wanton kissing being done on stage that’s led by the kids, and it just isn’t being done in a context that is emotionally vulnerable,” Ehringer said.
The four pillars of intimacy direction — context, communication, consent and choreography — would clarify for young actors how to go about that process properly, he said.
Intimacy direction can use an intimacy scale: a one to 10 value marking the passion of the scene, and agreements on that value should be made, Talbot said.
Another student, Hannah Young, said there are warped societal expectations of college-age students that lead to uncomfortable situations on stage.
“There’s also this weird thing with our generation where there’s this pressure to feel OK with just kissing whoever, or acting with whoever, and not being allowed to be a person who is physically withdrawn or very closed off to people,” Young said. “It’s like, ‘You’re in college now, and you should be able to kiss whoever and do the scene and you’ll be fine.’ That’s a pressure that’s not always said but is felt.”
As the entertainment industry has been inundated with reports of sexual misconduct since alleged assaults by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein were made public, colleges and universities, including Baylor University, have also hastened in recent years to overhaul institutional responses to students who endure sexual violence.
Less sexual violenceTalbot said she believes widespread intimacy direction and related education could decrease the possibility of sexual violence.
“I have found that everyone is desperate to be safe on stage,” she said. “I haven’t had an experience where someone’s given me any kickback from it.”
While working in the United Kingdom, Talbot said a female actor noticed a male actor slowly moving his hand closer to her breast during a kiss scene as production continued. Because added pressure comes to actors who know how easily replaceable they are, instances like these must be corrected, she said.
There are signs of hope. The next generation of actors has less tolerance for shoddy direction of intimate scenes than their predecessors, she said.
“A lot of this has come out of millennials, which is brilliant because we’ve been telling millennials forever that they have rights,” Talbot said. “And now they’re going, yes, we actually do have rights. As a millennial myself I think it’s really important that those rights are heard.”
Staff photo--Rod Aydelotte
At a time when men in Hollywood and halls of power throughout the nation are being called to account for past sexual misconduct, McLennan Community College associate theater professor Elizabeth Talbot’s lessons about on-stage intimacy take on a new resonance.
In a recent exercise, six of her students paired off to explore various stages of platonic and romantic relationships through only gazes and physical touches. The most intimate touch in the exercise would be a hug, Talbot told the students up front, along with an important caveat: The students can stop participating at any time.
Talbot specializes in what she calls “Title IX for the theater,” guidelines designed to protect the safety of actors performing scenes with kissing, sex, rape or anything requiring heightened emotional vulnerability.
Specific direction, such as how to tilt heads during a kiss or where each finger will be while touching, is pivotal to the comfort of actors and success of any scene, as is with frequent communication, consent and understanding of context, she said.
Among the most recent allegations of sexual misconduct against powerful men is a Los Angeles radio broadcaster’s statement Thursday that Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, forcibly kissed her while rehearsing a scene for a USO show in 2006, when Franken was a working comedian.
While many theaters are only armed with unwritten human resources policies, directors hold most of the power when workplace issues arise, Talbot said.
Abuse by a director was uncovered last year at the Profiles Theatre in Chicago, she said.
“The director was able to abuse that power really easily and affect so many people in different emotional states,” Talbot said.
MCC theater student Alec Ehringer said intimacy direction could prove especially useful to high school productions.
“There’s a lot of wanton kissing being done on stage that’s led by the kids, and it just isn’t being done in a context that is emotionally vulnerable,” Ehringer said.
The four pillars of intimacy direction — context, communication, consent and choreography — would clarify for young actors how to go about that process properly, he said.
Intimacy direction can use an intimacy scale: a one to 10 value marking the passion of the scene, and agreements on that value should be made, Talbot said.
Another student, Hannah Young, said there are warped societal expectations of college-age students that lead to uncomfortable situations on stage.
“There’s also this weird thing with our generation where there’s this pressure to feel OK with just kissing whoever, or acting with whoever, and not being allowed to be a person who is physically withdrawn or very closed off to people,” Young said. “It’s like, ‘You’re in college now, and you should be able to kiss whoever and do the scene and you’ll be fine.’ That’s a pressure that’s not always said but is felt.”
As the entertainment industry has been inundated with reports of sexual misconduct since alleged assaults by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein were made public, colleges and universities, including Baylor University, have also hastened in recent years to overhaul institutional responses to students who endure sexual violence.
Less sexual violenceTalbot said she believes widespread intimacy direction and related education could decrease the possibility of sexual violence.
“I have found that everyone is desperate to be safe on stage,” she said. “I haven’t had an experience where someone’s given me any kickback from it.”
While working in the United Kingdom, Talbot said a female actor noticed a male actor slowly moving his hand closer to her breast during a kiss scene as production continued. Because added pressure comes to actors who know how easily replaceable they are, instances like these must be corrected, she said.
There are signs of hope. The next generation of actors has less tolerance for shoddy direction of intimate scenes than their predecessors, she said.
“A lot of this has come out of millennials, which is brilliant because we’ve been telling millennials forever that they have rights,” Talbot said. “And now they’re going, yes, we actually do have rights. As a millennial myself I think it’s really important that those rights are heard.”
Access Waco March, 2016
Cosplayers Prep for HOT Comic Con
Staff photo— Rod Aydelotte
McLennan Community College professor Kathleen Laundy works on her husband’s Luke Skywalker costume for the upcoming Heart Of Texas Comic Con this weekend.
Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2016 4:01 pm
By STEPHANIE BUTTS
[email protected]
> MORE: Nerd-vana — Comics buffs of all types to gather at HOT Comic Con
> PHOTOS: Heart Of Texas Comic Con through the years
Comic conventions are places where people can be crazy together, said Kathleen Laundy, a McLennan Community College costume design professor.
“When you grow up worshiping something, even when you’re 40 or 50, it’s still appealing and you still wish you had an opportunity to be that character,” Laundy said. “So if you go to a comic con with a whole bunch of other crazy people who are all dressed up, then it’s a release so that you’re not embarrassed. You’re with your peers. You’re with your people. You’re all being crazy together.”
Laundy is a Waco cosplayer who designs costumes for herself and her family for festivals they attend year-round throughout the state.
And this weekend will be no different. Laundy, along with her three children and husband, will trek to the Heart Of Texas Comic Con sporting new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” costumes.
HOT Comic Con kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd. and continues Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Event organizers have brought back Baby, the Chevrolet Impala from “Supernatural,” because of its popularity last year and have expanded displays to include the “Jurassic Park” Jeeps and the Ecto-1D from “Ghostbusters,” complete with its own cosplay “Ghostbusters” crew, HOT Comic Con spokesman Clayton Afinowicz said.
Celebrity guests include Jim Cummings, the voice of numerous characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Darkwing Duck, and Claudia Wells, who played Jennifer Parker in “Back to the Future.”
About 100 artists and vendors will be present selling wares, and mock sword battles will be fought throughout the weekend.
Event organizers hope to reach the same number of attendees as 2015, which is about 9,000 people, Afinowicz said.
“We always expect bigger and better,” he said. “That’s what every con hopes to achieve.”
Personal connection
Laundy said attendees at the Waco event often come bedecked in costume, sporting characters from genres ranging from anime to science fiction and fantasy. Sometimes the wearers put their own spin on the costume, but, Laundy said, the reasons behind the chosen character are often deeply personal.
“You start talking to the kids who are dressed up . . . and you find out how very important that character is to them,” she said. “Like it got them through some rough time. It got them through a death. It got them through a breakup. Reading that comic book or going to see that movie is very internalized, very personal.”
> PHOTOS: Heart Of Texas Comic Con through the years
Laundy teaches costume design and stage makeup at MCC but only began participating in cosplay in 2013 when Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca in five of the seven the Star Wars movies, came to a Killeen festival.
She had attended Renaissance fairs with her family in full garb but hadn’t branched out into other genres.
“We were like ‘We have to have costumes. We can’t just go,’ ” Laundy said. “So I printed out like the old T-shirt design — the images are still online — and printed it out on transfer paper and did our very own old-school transfer T-shirts like we used to actually own in the ’70s. . . . We got our pictures taken with Peter Mayhew and sort of after that we were kind of hooked. Like, this is a thing now. We have to go. We have to meet all our heroes. We have to dress up.”
Laundy said her family has gone as the crews from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly” and the original “Star Wars.”
Afinowicz said the event provides an excellent family activity because the stories span generations.
Parents often bring their children and can introduce them to stories they grew up with, he said.
“The material marketed spans generations. If you look, things like ‘Transformers,’ ‘Stars Wars’ and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ have made an epic comeback with the younger generations and those originated in the ’70s and ’80s,” Afinowicz said. “And parents get to enjoy those as well, so the whole family, it brings in.”
McLennan Community College professor Kathleen Laundy works on her husband’s Luke Skywalker costume for the upcoming Heart Of Texas Comic Con this weekend.
Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2016 4:01 pm
By STEPHANIE BUTTS
[email protected]
> MORE: Nerd-vana — Comics buffs of all types to gather at HOT Comic Con
> PHOTOS: Heart Of Texas Comic Con through the years
Comic conventions are places where people can be crazy together, said Kathleen Laundy, a McLennan Community College costume design professor.
“When you grow up worshiping something, even when you’re 40 or 50, it’s still appealing and you still wish you had an opportunity to be that character,” Laundy said. “So if you go to a comic con with a whole bunch of other crazy people who are all dressed up, then it’s a release so that you’re not embarrassed. You’re with your peers. You’re with your people. You’re all being crazy together.”
Laundy is a Waco cosplayer who designs costumes for herself and her family for festivals they attend year-round throughout the state.
And this weekend will be no different. Laundy, along with her three children and husband, will trek to the Heart Of Texas Comic Con sporting new “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” costumes.
HOT Comic Con kicks off Friday at 4 p.m. at the Extraco Events Center, 4601 Bosque Blvd. and continues Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Event organizers have brought back Baby, the Chevrolet Impala from “Supernatural,” because of its popularity last year and have expanded displays to include the “Jurassic Park” Jeeps and the Ecto-1D from “Ghostbusters,” complete with its own cosplay “Ghostbusters” crew, HOT Comic Con spokesman Clayton Afinowicz said.
Celebrity guests include Jim Cummings, the voice of numerous characters such as Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and Darkwing Duck, and Claudia Wells, who played Jennifer Parker in “Back to the Future.”
About 100 artists and vendors will be present selling wares, and mock sword battles will be fought throughout the weekend.
Event organizers hope to reach the same number of attendees as 2015, which is about 9,000 people, Afinowicz said.
“We always expect bigger and better,” he said. “That’s what every con hopes to achieve.”
Personal connection
Laundy said attendees at the Waco event often come bedecked in costume, sporting characters from genres ranging from anime to science fiction and fantasy. Sometimes the wearers put their own spin on the costume, but, Laundy said, the reasons behind the chosen character are often deeply personal.
“You start talking to the kids who are dressed up . . . and you find out how very important that character is to them,” she said. “Like it got them through some rough time. It got them through a death. It got them through a breakup. Reading that comic book or going to see that movie is very internalized, very personal.”
> PHOTOS: Heart Of Texas Comic Con through the years
Laundy teaches costume design and stage makeup at MCC but only began participating in cosplay in 2013 when Peter Mayhew, who plays Chewbacca in five of the seven the Star Wars movies, came to a Killeen festival.
She had attended Renaissance fairs with her family in full garb but hadn’t branched out into other genres.
“We were like ‘We have to have costumes. We can’t just go,’ ” Laundy said. “So I printed out like the old T-shirt design — the images are still online — and printed it out on transfer paper and did our very own old-school transfer T-shirts like we used to actually own in the ’70s. . . . We got our pictures taken with Peter Mayhew and sort of after that we were kind of hooked. Like, this is a thing now. We have to go. We have to meet all our heroes. We have to dress up.”
Laundy said her family has gone as the crews from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly” and the original “Star Wars.”
Afinowicz said the event provides an excellent family activity because the stories span generations.
Parents often bring their children and can introduce them to stories they grew up with, he said.
“The material marketed spans generations. If you look, things like ‘Transformers,’ ‘Stars Wars’ and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ have made an epic comeback with the younger generations and those originated in the ’70s and ’80s,” Afinowicz said. “And parents get to enjoy those as well, so the whole family, it brings in.”
The Wacoan Dec. 2015
Spamalot Designs published in Korean Design Magazine
A Korean magazine contacted our scenic designer, Caleb Stroman, and asked him if they could publish his scenic designs for Spamalot in their magazine. Naturally he said yes. He's the article. The name of the magazine in BOB. I have no idea what that means in Korean, but hey! my Spamalot costumes are published in a magazine. How awesome is that?!
Waco Transit Ad Series, 2014
Back in May I was asked to be on the creative team for an ad campaign. It was a joint venture between HOT Workforce Solutions, Waco Transit Authority, and McLennan College. There was a need for buses to run at night to get 3rd shift workers and college students taking night classes, back home from their jobs/classes safely. I climbed on board to help the team out. This is what we came up with. It took us a few weeks to brainstorm ideas, cast the characters, and do the shoot. Then it took the ad agency (in California) MONTHS to get the final product back to Waco so that it could go live. The ads are all over buses, billboards, and magazine pages. We shot video as well and there's talk of more grant money coming in to turn the footage into commercials. That would be awesome. It was a great opportunity for me and our theatre students. When I agreed to do this I thought I'd just be providing costumes. I had no idea that I would be looked at as the "creative" member of the team. I ended up holding a casting call for our students, coming up with the "surprising" characters, recruiting a hair and makeup stylist, and most importantly, being a major contributor to the concept. I got paid for providing the costumes, which was awesome, but it was a lot more mental effort than I anticipated. I'm not used to having to come up with "the script", I'm used to being given the script and going from there. I don't see myself going into the ad business should I decide to change careers, but I am very proud of my contribution to this. So thanks, Julie Talbert, for asking me to be on the team.
Cover Story in Access Waco, 2009
This story was Carl Hoover's idea. He found out that I'd been busy working on my husband's band's image, doing wardrobe, photos, and press for them. Press kits come across his desk every day and he thought to himself, "All these guys look the same". We got to talking about it one day during an interview for an MCC show and this story idea was born.
Interview in Mclennan's Student Life Magazine, 2008
This was the first year of our Student Life Magazine. I was told they were desperate for stories and would be interviewing various people on campus about their lifestyles. I got volunteered.
Waco Tribune-Herald Interview, 2007
Carl Hoover always gets an interview with the director for his articles previewing our productions at McLennan. When Carl came to get a story about Treasure Island I had no idea it was going to be me doing all the talking that day. I was a little overwhelmed, but I did manage to refrain from talking like a pirate during the interview...ARRRRGH!
Gallery Show at McLennan College Fall, 2005
The Art Department has several galleries to fill up with exhibits throughout the year. They thought that showcasing the design work of the theatre department would make an interesting exhibit to start off the year. My brand new (back then) digital camera didn't do a great job of documenting my work. My phone now takes better photos than this camera did.