NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

7/25/2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- Going from drum major to "nun" has been easier than Whitney Sanders thought it would be. Sanders, a sophomore vocal performance major from Madisonville plays the part of Sister Hubert in Nunsense which will be presented by the NSU Summer Theatre July 31 through Aug. 3 and Aug. 5 until Aug. 10 in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium.

Two years ago, Sanders was the drum major of the Covington High School band during her senior year. Upon coming to Northwestern, Sanders earned parts in two plays as a freshman.

"I was able to get parts in two plays last spring, To Kill a Mockingbird and Parade, which was more than I expected," said Sanders. "There is so much talent in this program. The people here have been good to me."

Sanders played clarinet until her senior year in high school. She didn't give much thought into developing her singing talent.

"I fell into singing by accident," she said. "In the ninth grade, I lost an alternate class and ended up singing. Then I got into theatre when they needed someone for a part. I tried out, got the part and became part of the company. That's the way life is. Everything happens for a reason."

Northwestern's reputation in theatre drew Sanders to Natchitoches.

"I heard good things about the theatre program and learned about the opportunity to study musical theatre," she said. "This was perfect for me. The program at Northwestern forces you to be versatile. I have done lighting, stagecraft, costumes, dancing and singing. They get you out of your comfort zone and make you into a well-rounded performing professional."

Nunsense makes a comedy out of event that doesn't seem humorous. In the play, five survivors of the Little Sisters of Hoboken nunnery plan a talent show after the rest of the sisters died from food poisoning after eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia, Child of God. The remaining "Little Hobos" parade their talents at a variety show staged to raise funds so that the last four of the dearly departed can be buried.

Nunsense, written by Dan Goggin, won the Outer Critics' Circle awards for best Off-Broadway musical and for Best Book and Best Music.

"The cast for this play is so small that we have to rely on each other," said Sanders. "There are a lot of connections between each cast member so we do a lot of things on the side to build a rapport and friendships have developed."

Sanders admits that she finds doing comedy for the first time "a little scary."

"A lot of comedy is timing," she said. "You have to nail a line and figure out the audience's response so you can either milk it or keep going. Comedy is very active and requires a lot more focus."

According to Sanders, director Scott Burrell was quick to encourage the cast to enjoy themselves while rehearsing and eventually performing the play.

"He told us that 'In this play, there is a lot of play.' We needed to have fun and be open to a lot of fun," said Sanders. "We play off what each other cast member does. At first, we wondered how it would all work, but each day we make more progress. I was being too reserved in rehearsal but have learned to be playful. We are all finding things we like and are adding them to the show."

Tickets for Nunsense are $20 which includes dinner and the show. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information or to make reservations, call (318) 357-6891.

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