At the beginning of the Black Curtain Society meeting on Friday there was a giant piece of paper lying on the floor. Brandon Breiner and Emma Barry struggled to fold it.
“They’re doing giant origami,” explained Dan Stone, the club’s faculty adviser.
There are many clubs on campus, but the Black Curtain Society, LBCC’s theater club, is the only one where you’ll get to see someone making a 3-foot paper crane during the meeting.
The Black Curtain Society is a club for students who want to get involved in any form of theater. However, the club places an emphasis on improv comedy. Though the club meetings are full of fundraising and performance ideas, the meetings are informal with lots of jokes and laughter.
Co-presidents Emma Barry and Kim Willaman have worked hard to make the club what it is. According to Barry, the Black Curtain Society has been floundering for quite some time. The previous presidents were often extremely busy, with little extra time to devote to the club. Last summer Barry and Willaman decided to take on the presidency together, which has worked out quite well.
One of the current goals of the club is to put on improv shows as a fundraiser. Last fall, a group of LBCC students performed at the Eagles’ Club in Albany. The show was about half rehearsed and half improv, and it was a huge hit. The Eagles’ Club is asking them to come back, and Barry and Willaman are working to find other venues as well.
These shows would be student-run, and not for credit, as paying for credits is a major hardship for some people who want to get involved in theater. Equipment comes from the people involved, with most actors wearing clothes they already own. The proceeds of the shows go back into the Black Curtain Society fund.
Barry and Willaman hope to build up the fund, and use the money not only to do fun things like attend shows, but also to submit plays to festivals and pay for various competitions. “We have a lot of very talented people,” says Willaman, who is eager to help these people get the recognition she feels they deserve. But recognition, of course, takes money, which is why the club is so focused on fundraising at the moment.
According to Willaman, theater is something everyone should get involved in, because it’s an excuse to act immature but still do something constructive, improving your communication skills and learning to think on your feet. “You can act like a nut, and people appreciate it,” she said.
Stone chimed in and said that people should get involved in theater because “their life depends on it.” He further explained that the arts are what make us human, and theater is a combination of all the arts, incorporating dance, music, and visual arts.
After Friday's meeting was over, Rose Taylor approached Stone and asked if she could get involved backstage.
“Of course!” said Stone, enthusiastically.
Taylor thanked him, and then said that she had trouble getting involved in clubs because people saw that she was in a wheelchair and were afraid she would hurt herself. But she figured of all the clubs, the theater club would probably be the least discriminating.
This made the club members laugh, because it’s so true. The theater club doesn’t just tolerate differences, it embraces them. No matter who you are, if you have any interest in theater and are willing to help out in whatever way you can, the Black Curtain Society will embrace you.
Get Involved:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blackcurtainsociety
Co-presidents’ email address: blackcurtainoflb@gmail.com
Dan Stone’s email address: dan.stone@linnbenton.edu
Meeting time: 3:30 p.m. Fridays in the Russell Tripp Theater on the Albany campus
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