Students hit center stage for workshop

COLUMBUS -- With a bit of make-up and powder, high school students were turned into fairies, aged into older versions of themselves and even swapped genders.

The lesson in applying the perfect make-up for stage performers was taught at a high school theater workshop at Central Community College-Columbus.

The annual event brought 140 students from seven local and area schools to the college where they learned theatrical skills and were treated to a presentation of the college’s spring production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The public can see the show at 7:30 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the Fine Arts Theatre.

Aside from getting instruction on how to apply make-up, the students also learned dance moves; how to throw a punch, kick and slap on stage; improv; graphic design and musical theater.

The workshop was taught by Matt Webster, CCC-Columbus theater instructor and college theater students.

Webster said the workshop, which is in its third year, exposes high school students to the theater department at the college.

“It’s to showcase what we have to offer the students,” Webster said.

Students said what they were learning at the workshop would help them as actors.

“Some things we have done a little with. A lot of it is really new,” Scotus Central Catholic freshman A.J. Bose said.

Levi Howe, a college theater student, was showing the high school students how to apply make-up. Howe is a technical design major and said the whole purpose of the workshop is to help the “students experience the theater at a more professional level than at the high school level.”

College students also were learning new tricks to the trade for their production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” They have been using a “flying machine” to make the students, who have the roles of fairies, actually fly through the air.

Webster said they are using the machine just for this production. The machine is on loan from Kentucky and uses a wire system to make the student fly. Liz Mohrmann, who plays the Queen of the Fairies, is one of the students who will be flying through the air. She has been practicing using the machine for about four hours a day for the past couple of days.

“It adds a magical effect,” Mohrmann said.

Webster said at the college-level, students are able to learn more about the technical capabilities about theater. But theater includes an array of different jobs, from backstage work to acting on stage. Whatever the job, Webster said getting involved in theater has many positives.

“Being on stage really frees you up. It lessens your inhibitions. You gain self-confidence. It’s also a great place to meet people,” he said.