We had such a great evening celebrating our student award-winners and enjoying a poetry reading by contest judge Jennifer Oakes! Thanks to all the students, alums, families, and friends who joined us.
Photo credit: Most of these photos were taken by IUSB New Media major and Pub Hub student, Tobi Alaofin.
Morgan McKenna is a senior majoring in Graphic Design and graduating this spring. In her time at the Pub Hub she has been involved with writing for The Deadline, helped design covers for book projects, and been an integral part of many other projects. Congratulations, Morgan!
By Robin Dubree
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what sorts of things you’ve been involved in at IUSB.
I’ve participated in Choir, English Club, and an Art Sale while here at IUSB. Outside of college I’ve picked up fishing and have taken a gap year between my sophomore and junior years to work.
What are your plans after graduation?
My plans after graduation are to dive into work. I hope to be able to save up for getting my own car, moving into my own place, and maybe put some towards a fund for hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Do you have any professors that have stuck with you? Any favorite classes?
With the multitude of history courses I’ve had to take, Professor Andrea Rusnock’s many two and a half hour classes will stick with me. Her lessons were always enjoyable and taking notes in class was the key to passing the quizzes. As for a favorite class, I’d have to say that was Professor William Tourtillotte’s Special Topics in Studio Art which was like an introduction to print making. Being what could be considered a lab course I found it very fun planning out prints and getting my hands dirty with the inks.
What advice do you have for current students?
Some advice I have for current students is to pace yourself. Set deadlines and goals a bit earlier than they need to be to give yourself some wiggle room, especially if you tend to procrastinate like I do.
What’s a fond memory you have of your time at IUSB?
A fond memory I have here is in one of my first classes. An intro to the fundamentals of drawing course where our last project was to do a self-portrait. Traditional paper [and] pencil art has never been my forte and using charcoal instead of graphite had a bit of a learning curve to it. But with all the hours [I] put into that course, I’d do it all over again for the final result I got.
“…Puffs is full of heart. We set out to create a play, not just a parody. The characters are all fully realized. They go through difficult journeys. They deal with death, personal identity, relationships, and what it means to feel insignificant in the world at large. There may in fact be some tears in the end. Maybe. You don’t have to tell anyone if there are.” – Matt Cox, Playwright
By Natasha O’Hara
The Raclin School of Arts Theatre and Dance Company has brought an incredible world for wizards to campus! Now, as someone who grew up attending Harry Potter conventions but is not a fan of J.K. Rowling, Matt Cox’s 2015 play Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, resonates with me on a deeply personal level. Being that I am in the cast (as the Narrator), I am biased, however, the heart of this comedy captures the essence of fandom, friendship, and the magic of storytelling in a way that feels both nostalgic and exceptionally relatable.
Audience members are transported to the 1990s, a decade filled with, platform sneakers, boy bands, and the boom of the digital age. Something often overlooked about Harry Potter is how deeply rooted the series is into the last decade of the 20th century. Puffs joyfully celebrates the glory of the ’90s, from the infectious tunes of popular boy bands, to the heartwarming tale of friendship with Free Willy. It’s a nostalgic nod to a time when the biggest dilemma was choosing between VHS tapes or CDs. Puffs not only captures the essence of this iconic decade but also reminds us of the magic of our youth and the power of ’90s pop culture.
When you step into Northside’s Upstage theatre, you are stepping into a world where magic meets the mundane. Directed by Justin Amellio-Ashbrook, Puffs follows Wayne Hopkins (played by Senior Bobby Simons), just your average adolescent boy—until he discovers… he’s a wizard! Join him on a hilarious journey to a school in England, where he befriends two companions, Oliver Rivers (played by Sophomore Taavi Crumbley) and Megan Jones (played by senior Shanya Osburn), and embarks on adventures that will have the crowd laughing and cheering along. But here’s the twist: Wayne is no Brave or Smart or Snake; he’s a Puff!
Come along with Wayne and his fellow Puffs as they navigate the ups and downs of wizarding school and the challenges of growing up, all while trying to steer clear of evil wizards and their dastardly schemes. It’s a tale of friendship, bravery, and finding the magic within yourself, even if you’re just a regular kid from small town USA.
PUFFS opens Friday, April 12th at 7:30 pm, then runs for the next two weekends. April 12th, 13th, 19th, and Saturday April 20th all start at 7:30 pm. The Sunday matinees on April 14th and 21st start at 2pm. Puffs is for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!!! Admission is free, but we highly encourage those who can to donate a non-perishable food item per person to help support the IUSB Titans Feeding Titans Food Pantry.
Parking to the Upstage Theatre is located in the lower parking lot on the east side of campus, on the corner of Northside Blvd and 20th street. If you have any questions please contact the IUSB Box Office at 574-520-4203
About a year ago I put together my Bachelors of Fine Arts show, that being a mixture of digital art and creative writing. I’m taking the chance now to look back on the inspirations that helped develop the story and set the bar for future work.
By Morgan McKenna
For my senior project and center showpiece I decided to tackle the challenge of writing a graphic novel. A small 48-page work just to set the bar of growth for my university career. It was a tale of self-discovery for the main character, stuck in a world with a stagnant and uncertain future. With themes of dystopia, spirituality, and a search for something like Nirvana but not quite as clean cut.
Two of the biggest inspirations for this work was an indie video game called Rain World and a manga series called BLAME!.
The former of the two takes place on an alien world, where cycles of crushing rain dictate the land and strange beasts struggle to survive. It is an abandoned world but one still teeming with life and secrets. It inspired the setting of my story being that of times between change. There on the precipice of history in the making but not quite there yet.
The latter of these works is a futuristic dystopia where earth has become an ever expanding city stretching across the solar system. The building of this massive structure had grown out of control and where people used to have the ability to control and dictate the city’s growth, now that is no longer the case. This series took a more slice of life approach with many of the volumes being able to stand alone from the series as a whole. The chapters of my story took this approach as well, leaving gaps between each part and keeping them loosely tied together through the characters and the themes.
Writing a book was by no means an easy feat. Even disregarding the drawn half of it, it still took a lot of time, effort, and dedication to this single project. On top of everything there was a time crunch to get everything finished. But I wouldn’t change much for the experience I got. To iron things out more for the story, I’d need to take more time, and hopefully one day I can come back to it to rework the story. As for the project, I think the bar was set nicely to judge future works against.
“When there are wrongs in society, as there always are, it is the responsibility of theater to point to them. Theater has a great power to create awareness for these issues, and from awareness comes action.” – Bobby Simons
By Natasha O’Hara
When thinking about Theatre, people tend to flock to what they know, but every show that one could think of started out as an idea. Step into the world of local theatre beyond the familiar venues of the Morris or Civic, where innovation takes center stage. In this post, discover the journey from idea to production as we delve into the creation of Odd One Out, a one-act play crafted and directed by IUSB senior, Bobby Simons. Gain insight into Simons’ creative process, the advantages of a double major, and the profound significance of theatre.
Join us on February 8th and 9th at Northside Hall, room 013, where the doors open at 7:00 PM, and the curtains rise at 7:30 pm for a unique theatrical experience.
Can you share the story behind Odd One Out?
Odd One Out is a comedy with dramatic elements. It is a story of quirky and unlikely people being exposed to the idea that they don’t have to be outcasts. Roger, the central character, is a person who goes through life with no emotions, no human connections, and nothing more to his life than eating, sleeping, and working. After being the victim of a failed burglary, he becomes involved with a wannabe Bonnie and Clyde couple named Macy and Pierre whose dreams of heists and big money are impeded by their inability to conduct even the smallest robberies successfully. While these characters have little in common, they force each other to encounter and re-evaluate the forces that have made them who they are. Perhaps they inspire change within each other, and perhaps change for the better.
What inspired you to become a playwright?
If I could narrow down my life goal into one action, it would be to entertain people. Playwriting allows me to do that in a way that is active and collaborative. Through the process of working with a team to develop a live theater production, I am able to share the satisfaction I receive from creating entertainment with others.
How does being a double major influence your writing style?
As a double major in Theatre and English, I understand the connection between language and performance. In my writing, whether that be plays, short stories, or any other kind of fiction, I try to approach it as a performer. I ask myself questions like: “what would this look like in real life?” “how would this sound out loud?” “would an observer understand what they are seeing if they were watching this unfold in front of them?” Those questions help to add a level of self-awareness to my work that I wouldn’t have without the double major.
How do you approach developing characters in your plays?
I find that a lot of the characters I write imitate people I see every day, people I’ve heard of, or often my own personality. Tennessee Williams once said, “I have never written about any kind of vice which I can’t observe in myself,” and I think that is true of many writers, including myself. I don’t necessarily try to do this, but I notice it occurring frequently when I re-read my work. I suppose I mean to record attributes I find in myself and others through my characters, but they usually end up heavily exaggerated.
What challenges do you face when translating emotions and stories into a theatrical experience?
What a playwright intends to communicate through their writing can differ vastly from what is interpreted by a reader. I think this is one of the most important things about art, that everyone sees it differently, but it also poses a challenge to the collaborative process of theater. Because actors, directors, designers, and anyone else involved with the production all have diverse perspectives, it can be difficult to find ways to get everyone on the same page. Theatrical artists must be responsive and flexible. They must be able to address and involve everyone’s approach to the production while still having clear and solid goals.
How do you handle criticism or feedback on your work?
I try to want criticism. I don’t mean that I write work in order to be criticized, but that I understand criticism is a crucially important aspect of the process, and I make the effort to have my work reviewed by peers. As said in the previous question, everyone sees things differently when it comes to art. Disregarding that and having only your own set of eyes evaluate your work is a recipe for disaster. That being said, allowing criticism can be a very difficult thing to do. Personally, I often tend to attach myself very closely to my work and have the habit of predicating my feelings of self-worth on other people’s comments. This is rather unhealthy and does nothing to further my artistic pursuits. As I go forward as a writer, I intend to take criticism with an open mind.
Are there specific themes or messages you aim to convey through your plays?
With Odd One Out, I guess I would say I intended to communicate the message that the way you live doesn’t have to be defined by some kind of pain you suffered, even if you’ve been living that way a long time. This theme sort of developed on its own rather than being something I had in mind when I started writing. In general, I want my stories to communicate that everyone is worth being written about; everyone deserves the opportunity to be understood.
How do you balance the creative and technical aspects of playwriting?
This is something I still struggle with. It is tempting as a playwright to simply have happen what you want to happen and let the director/designers deal with it later. That becomes a problem though when you are the director. There are a fair amount of technical/design elements of Odd One Out that I honestly did not think through fully how they would be accomplished when I was writing it. Luckily, thanks to my amazing and patient cast, stage manager, along with the faculty of IUSB’s Department of Theatre, I have had plenty of help figuring these things out.
Can you discuss your creative process from the initial idea to the final production?
Essentially, the process is composed of a large number of short- and long-term goals. First, we need a script, then we need people to fill the cast and technical roles, then we need a space to perform in. We need props and scenery to fill that space and communicate the atmosphere of the story. We need time and a schedule to do all these things within. There are a lot of elements that have to be thought through and well-planned out, but there is also a lot of things you can’t plan for, like what kinds of props you’ll have access to, conflicts and absences, in addition to clever, hilarious, and/or off the wall things each member brings to the production. It can be a very daunting and stressful undertaking, but it is also incredibly rewarding and fun.
Are there playwrights or plays that have significantly influenced your work?
I like to think I have been influenced by a great deal of sources, including plays, but also novels and films. I admire playwrights like Arthur Miller and Lorraine Hansberry for their ability to portray seemingly inconsequential and individual choices as deeply meaningful moral conflicts. At the same time, I draw influence from filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, whose writing of dialogue is unparalleled. I also have a deep appreciation for the novelist Herman Melville, who wrote Moby Dick. Specifically, a short story of his called Bartleby, The Scrivener was a strong influence for the writing of Odd One Out.
How do you see the role of theater in addressing social or cultural issues?
Theater has a way of taking the dramas of our everyday lives and making us an audience to it. We are exposed to aspects of life in theater that we often don’t notice outside of it. When there are wrongs in society, as there always are, it is the responsibility of theater to point to them. Theater has a great power to create awareness for these issues, and from awareness comes action.
Can you explain the process of submitting your work for approval for the department?
Any student within IU South Bend’s Department of Theatre can submit a project to be produced. Project is a loose term, which can refer to anything from an original play, such as I have done, or some other kind of performance which would require use of any IUSB Department of Theatre spaces and/or materials. On page 52-53 of the IUSB Department of Theatre handbook, which can be accessed online, there is a breakdown of the Student Project Policy. There is then a student project proposal form that can be filled out and submitted to the faculty on page 65. I 100% recommend any theatre student interested in doing some kind of project to take advantage of this provision in the handbook.
If you are looking for something to do to kick off spring break, a new piece of art is coming to IUSB in the form of musical Theatre!
By Natasha O’Hara
Assembly The Musical is an original piece created and produced by IUSB students that delves into the lives of six individuals who are reunited at their 10-year high school reunion. I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz around this production for months, and I am so excited that opening night is right around the corner!
Assembly takes place in the fictional town of Maplewood, where six individuals are reunited at their 10-year high school reunion. Memories are powerful, and Maplewood High is full of them. What starts as a simple evening becomes something much more meaningful for each character. Join us on this journey as our characters face heartache, grief, and hard truths from the past. How will their stories intertwine? Who will have the most striking revelation? And most importantly, will each of them find what they are looking for?
Creators of Assembly The Musical
Assembly was written and composed by Carlee Baldwin, and is directed by Baldwin and Addie Pfeiffer. Baldwin and Pfeiffer are both graduate students studying vocal performance, and the six person cast is comprised of Raclin School of the Arts students. The piano and vocal arrangements come from Spicer W. Carr, a NYC based Composer-Lyricist.
Assembly The Musical is premiering this weekend in the Upstage, Northside Hall. The public has two options for show times: Friday, March 10 and Saturday, March 11. The show begins at 7:00 pm both nights. Keep up to date with their Facebook and Instagram, and make sure to watch out on Spotify for the album drop!
For Box Office Information Call (574)-520-4203
“The geese that are always hissing at me… I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG AND THEY ARE [redacted] AT ME?!?!” – Jordan Keen, IUSB Sophomore
By Natasha O’Hara
If you read the Daily Titan, or if you have a professor that told you about Spirit week the week prior (like mine did), then you would’ve known about IUSB’s spirit week. On Monday, students dressed up in their pjs for a cozy start to the week. I decided to wear my Slytherin onesie that is very warm… and I had tap class at 10am so, not my best decision. Monday also offered banner decorating and window painting. The banner decorating was held at the Grill and offered students an artistic venture to support our Women’s Varsity Volleyball and Soccer teams. Window painting was offered at the Grill, but clubs were encouraged to compete in the 2nd annual Window Painting competition that is held at the Hammes Family Bookstore in Northside. Clubs had to register and complete their window paintings by noon on Monday, with cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Monday night on the Greenlawn, students were treated to a spooky night with an outdoor viewing of the Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus.
Tuesday’s spirit day was all about wearing crimson and cream (or other Titan gear), and was fittingly titled Titan Tuesday. At noon, there was a send off for the Women’s Varsity Soccer Team as they had an away game with Trinity International! At 4pm, students could go to the Greenlawn to celebrate both the Women’s Soccer and Volleyball teams in a Titan Tailgate. Students were treated to music, free food, and could participate in giveaways, before the Volleyball team left to compete against IU Northwest.
Wednesday’s spirit day was all about dressing up as your favorite character. A Mental Health Resource Fair was held from 11:30am to 1:30pm for students to get information for both campus and community mental health resources. Another event held this day was the Student vs. Staff Volleyball Tournament that was held in the SAC from 5:30pm to 8pm. Two students, Link Odiorne and Jordan Keen, who dressed up as a famous duo graciously allowed me to interview them.
What year are you in currently, and what is your major(s)/minor(s)?
Link: This is my second year attending IUSB and my major is Performing Arts.
Jordan: I am a Sophomore and I am a pre-Theatre major.
Why did you pick Jesse Pinkman and Walter White?
Link: I picked this character because me and my roommates have recently been watching Breaking Bad together and we really enjoy it so far!
Jordan shares this sentiment.
What is your favorite thing about IUSB?
Link: How much they [IUSB] care for the students and staff. And that they put on events that give us a break from work and allow us to connect with one another.
Jordan: Campus life! Everyone is very nice and it’s always active.
Do you have a favorite place/spot on campus?
Jordan: The 5th floor of the Library.
Link: The Grill. I get to have some time to relax, eat and be able to enjoy the events that are held there!
Anything about campus that you do not like?
Jordan: The geese that are always hissing at me… I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG AND THEY ARE [redacted] AT ME?!?!
Link: I don’t really have anything, except the geese poop on the sidewalks.
Wrapping up spirit week on Thursday, campus saw a variety of decades walking around. From noon to 3pm, students were able to participate in a Fall Fair on the Greenlawn. Students were treated to popular fall treats like cinnamon donuts and hot apple cider. Entertainment was available in the form of lawn games, music and pumpkin painting. I was able to snag an interview with Kathryn Riley, a student rocking the 70s decade.
Why did you pick the 70s?
Kathryn: My grandma. She was really iconic in the 70s, her outfits and I get my inspiration from her.
What year are you in currently, and what is your major/minor?
Kathryn: I’m a freshmen majoring in Law with a minor in Criminal Justice.
What’s your favorite thing so far about campus?
Kathryn: I love my professors and the people around here.
Do you have any one you want to name drop?
Kathryn: Professor Smith, James Smith for Political Science. He’s an amazing professor and I’ve learned a lot from him.
Anything you would change about campus?
Kathryn: No, not really. I really like it here.
If you want to keep up with upcoming events on campus, make sure to check out the Titan Atlas.
MJ is one of IUSB’s grad students graduating this spring!
Interviewed by Izabella Gardner
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what sorts of things you’ve been involved in at IUSB.
I’m MariJean (MJ) Wegert and I’m graduating this spring with a master’s in English. I transferred to IUSB from another school where I was concentrating in rhetoric and composition and am finishing with a concentration in Creative Writing. Last year I got to be the editor of Analecta, IUSB’s literary journal, which was really fun. It was the pandemic edition and also the 50th anniversary of the journal, so it was special to be a part of that.
What’s a fond memory you have of your time at IUSB?
I really loved David Dodd Lee’s poetry class, conducted online during the pandemic. I made some good friends and had the chance to expand my writing into a whole new genre – contemporary poetry!
Do you have any professors that have stuck with you? Any favorite classes?
All of my profs were so warm and caring — I will miss their direction and insight!
What are your plans after graduation?
That’s a secret 🙂
Here is another one of our honourable seniors! This time featuring the one, the only… Andrew Miller!!
Interviewed by Izabella Gardner
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and what sorts of things you’ve been involved in at IUSB.
Hello. My name is Andrew Miller. I am a senior undergraduate at IUSB. My major is English, with a focus on Creative Writing. My minor is in Criminal Justice. I was a cross-country runner for IUSB in 2018. One of my poems, “Train Track Talk,” was recently published in the 2022 edition of Analecta.
What’s a fond memory you have of your time at IUSB?
A fond memory of my time at IUSB is playing the role of a court stenographer in a mock trial in Dr. Merken’s class.
Do you have any professors that have stuck with you? Any favorite classes?
Some professors that will forever stick with me are Dr. Michael Hepner, Dr. Joe Chaney, Dr. Jake Mattox, and Dr. Stacie Merken. My favorite classes I have taken at IUSB are CJUS-B 190, Crime and the Media with Dr. Merken, and Intro to Creative Writing with Dr. Chaney.
What are your plans after graduation?
I do not have any definitive career plans after graduation. However, I am looking for jobs that center on writing and research. I would be thrilled to work for a news station, print, or online news outlet.
Students in two creative writing courses celebrated the publication of books of their own essays, poems, collages, and comics!
These students in Prof. Ervick’s ENG-W311 Creative Nonfiction published chapbooks of their final lyric essays. They wrote about subjects such as climate change, mental health, body image, gender and sexuality, lost friends and loved ones, and even about being a real-life mermaid. Here are the students and their books:
And students in Prof. Ervick’s ENG-A190 First-Year Seminar class chose their favorite creations from the semester to be included in a single anthology. The title of the book—ALL TOGETHER NOW—refers to the fact that, after more than a year of online courses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, students are back together in classes on campus. The cover of this book features collage poems made by each of the students. They wanted a cover that represented all of them, together. Inside the book are poems, essays, comics, and drawings that they created all semester.
We used drawing as well as writing to tell stories and get insights into one another’s lives. For example, in Daily Life comics, we learned about each other’s jobs and families and hobbies, and even about how we spent our snow days. In other comics and essays, we learned about each other’s parents and grandparents: immigration stories, war stories, and love stories. In poems, we learned about one another’s experiences in grade school and high school. We created haiku comics, dialogue comics, and even dancing comics. And we learned about times we proved someone wrong or learned something the hard way.
– from Prof. Ervick’s introduction to ALL TOGETHER NOW
The Deadline 