Imagine taking a college exam in
front of an audience of children — all of whom are laughing at you.
That’s precisely what some Catawba College
students were doing this month for a communications class.
But they don’t mind the laughing.
Dr. Karl Hales, communications professor, has
been giving such exams since 1966 because he thinks it’s good for students to
learn to perform in front of an audience. His second reason, he said, is simply
because he enjoys giving such exams.
Hales teaches Readers Theatre and Oral Reading,
as well as Interpretation at Catawba College, rotating one class each fall
semester. This fall, he offers Readers Theatre.
This class teaches students how to read different
characters and assume different voices and roles. Hale said it teaches “how to
get the most out of a story and how to get it across to an audience.”
Katherine Schmauss, a junior with a double major
in theater and arts administration, and sports management, didn’t know the
class existed until this summer when she took another class with Hales. Having
performed previously in plays, Schmauss said this class has given her a chance
to perform in a different way than she has before.
During the performance, Schmauss played the
Easter Bunny who wanted to give out eggs at Christmas. With just a set of ears
as a prop, Schmauss brought the character to life using the inflection in her
voice.
But it’s not only communication majors and
theater students who take this class.
“It’s nice to see other people besides
theater people acting,” Schmauss said.
Those people include Nathalie Hagan, a senior
international relations major. Hagan is a cheerleader at Catawba but had never
performed in a venue where she had to speak in front of a large group of people.
“I was so scared” before the first
performance, Hagan said. But she said she’s glad she took the class and thinks
it will help in her career.
Each student is required to perform in four of
the 13 shows the class puts on at area elementary schools.
At each school, the college students performed a
show for kindergartners through 2nd grade and then 3rd through 5th.
The performances consisted of Christmas songs and
stories such as Santa’s Skinny Chimney Adventure and a story about Santa and
the Easter Bunny.
Hales, who played the role of Santa Claus in the
various stories, provoked laughter from the children almost every time he spoke.
Senior communications major Jen Bryant said
performing for children is interesting because they laugh at different things
than adults.
“It’s hard to tell when you’re supposed to
start and stop,” she said.
The animated voices of the college students
brought the stories to life for the children in elementary schools throughout
December.
Contact Jillian McCartney at 704-797-4253 or jmccartney@salisburypost.com
.
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