Lights! Curtains! Action!

The Wayne State College Drama Club has been working hard from the get-go of the semester. They wasted no time in extending their arms to new members at the beginning of the semester. The wacky antics and charisma of the group must have rung a bell to freshmen, because the club has doubled its numbers for the 2015 school year.

Those numbers were put to good use as the club began participating in activities on campus. Earlier in the semester, the drama club had members go around campus to inform students of the new law that was passed that allowed minors to call for help safely if another minor was experiencing alcohol poisoning. The club had one member passing out pamphlets while another portrayed a dead body in a body bag.

Next, the club worked on helping the theater department hold its auditions for “The Inspector General” by putting up flyers and spreading the word to the community. The club will continue to help the theater department put on the show until it premiers on campus.

Drama Club participated in a few events on campus for Homecoming. The club began their exploits by focusing on the election of a new Mr. WSC. Freshman Braxton Dreher was nominated to represent the club. Dreher won the crowd over with his beautiful night wear and his dancing talent, and was crowned Mr. WSC.

 
With one win under their belt, the club also prepared a float and banner for the week of festivities. The banner was gorgeous but fell short of placing. The big win was the club’s float for the parade that displayed the theme “Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat.” The Drama Club has won the float contest for the past couple of years now, with this win allowing them to hold onto their title for another year.

 
The college involved the theater this year by asking for a new senator for the student senate. MacKenzie Larson, a junior, took up this mantle to broaden the voice of the theater department and Drama Club at the college.

 
This was the second year that the club has helped out the Student Council of Exceptional Children with their Halloween children’s party. Both years the club has joined the SCEC to dress up in costumes and paint children’s faces.

 
After helping with the children’s party, the club began to focus on their big event of the year, The Haunted Trail.

 
Each year, members of the club pick a horror theme and spend the week before Halloween dressing up in scary costumes and scaring the heeby jeebies out of people around the Wayne area. This year’s theme was “Haunted Carnival.”

 
If the trail didn’t fill people’s scare meter, the club also held a ghost tour around the campus, telling the grizzly stories of ghosts that haunt different areas of the college. The club ended up raising over $900 this year, making it one of the biggest years for the Haunted Trail.

 
With October out of the way, the Drama Club soldiers on and looks for other fun activities to be a part of.

 
“We are planning on going to a nursing home in Emerson, I believe, where one of our members works,” Drama Club president Amanda Hartman said. “We just plan on doing some improv. games and just performing for the residents there.”

 
Hartman continued to talk about why the club is so active this year.

 
“This group of freshmen has motivated myself and other members to do more in drama club,” Hartman said. “They just have this drive that pushes us forward and it is great.”

 
Another event that the club hopes to participate in is this year’s upcoming turkey drop at Wayne State.

 
One last event that Drama Club has already booked to volunteer in is downtown Wayne’s “Parade of Lights” this year on Nov. 19 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Members will be dressing up as elves to spread the holiday cheer.

 
Drama Club is always looking for new members to join the club and have fun with them.

 
“I’ve always liked theater and speech,” freshman Benjamin Bjorklund said. “I did it in high school, so I thought I might as well continue doing it here.”

 
Bjorklund left with this advice for anyone who is thinking about joining Drama Club.

 
“Do it. Just do it.”

 
Meetings for the Wayne State Drama Club are held on Sundays at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theater of Fine Arts.