Wentzville Student to Perform in Play

Cal Hawkins of Wentzville, a William Woods University performing arts student, will display his talents during a variety of performances through May 1. The performances, which include dancing, singing and acting, are free and open to the public.

The series of performing arts shows was kicked off with the student-led Served Up Crispy Improvisation Team Performance April 21. The performance consisted of scenes and situations inspired by "Whose Line Is It Anyway."

Jason Cavallone and Drew Arnett led the performance, which included Maggie Hunter, Nick Hoover, Kyle Hendrix, St. Charles and Hawkins of Wentzville.

On April 22, students performed a stage reading of "Proof." Students began working on the staged reading in the fall of 2010. A scene was presented at the American College Theatre Festival held in Iowa this year where students had the privilege of receiving feedback from theatre peers, guest artists, and faculty from other institutions.

Dustin West of Kansas City, a WWU junior who was in charge of creating the event, says he first encountered Proof his freshman year.

"Having only read part of the play, I was quick to dismiss its content as being simply a play about math and not having the depth I like to see in a drama."

West came across the play again this past fall when he was presented with it as a choice in the Society for Stage Directors and Choreographers National Fellowship Scene Audition at the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival. This is a directing competition where the focus is mainly on the actors and how they portray character, relationships and emotion.

"The actors read from scripts, however, they created highly developed characters to present the text of David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize Winner, which reveals the strong bond between a father and daughter, a sibling rivalry, new love, pure genius vs. psychological madness, and, of course, the feeling of needing to prove yourself against great odds," West said.