Kellen Schneider
Routine is boring. At least, that’s what sophomore Kellen Schneider thinks. That’s why he decided to audition for the 2014 Fall Follies.
Why did you get involved in Fall Follies?
Sometimes, you find yourself in a pattern you hate – eating the same egg-salad sandwich from a gas station for every meal, seeing the same people in the treehouse you built in a national park and drinking water from the same stream you always do. It gets old. I thought, “Hey, how can I change this.” First, stop trying to convince people I have a tree house. Second, audition for Fall Follies.
What have you liked about the process so far?
It’s not living out in the wilderness. No risk of getting attacked by a bear, no mosquitos and it’s a phenomenal creative outlet. Wonderful people, funny people and Ross Collier is in it, too.
What are you looking forward to about the performances?
Just getting to see everyone’s reaction to something we created. And hopefully my mom will come and be proud of me.
What should students know about the 2014 Fall Follies?
They should definitely bring an extra pair of socks, because their first pair is going to be rocked off. We’re going to rock their socks off. Of their feet. So bring more socks so your feet don’t get cold.
What makes this year different from last year?
No one told anyone last year to bring extra socks, and I just did that. Also, the writers worked hard to make this show full of original, smart content that will hopefully please those students who are sick of caf jokes.
_________________________________________________________________
Lisa de Guzeman
Lisa Therese Mergatroyde deGuzman has three brothers, one sister and is 25 percent Filipino. As a junior musical theater major with a dance minor, she also happens to be a player in Fall Follies.
During her first two years at Belmont, she fell in love with the mischievous, fun-loving humor of Fall Follies, Belmont’s version of “Saturday Night Live.” At the end of her sophomore year, she decided to audition for a chance to join the comedy troupe.
“I auditioned last year and went to callbacks and tried to be as crazy and open as I could. For some weird reason, they invited me to join,” she said.
DeGuzman finds her inspiration in the spectacular energy of the Fall Follies team that surrounds her.
“The players, writers, videographers, producer and director are so good at what they do. It is so inspiring to learn from them,” she said.
In less than a week, Fall Follies will be live and deGuzman will find herself in for a lively, humorous night.
_______________________________________________________________________
Ross Collier
Laughs – that’s what Belmont students can expect when they see Fall Follies. But behind the scenes is a group of performers that makes the show possible.
It’s senior Ross Collier’s first year being a part of Fall Follies. He was interested since his freshman year and just never thought he had the time. Now, after getting fired from his job, Fall Follies finally found a place in his semester schedule, he said.
Why did you get involved with Fall Follies?
Fall Follies was my “in” for campus involvement this year. It’s an important concept to me. I see comedy as a means of connecting to people, and I wanted to be a part of building that into Belmont’s community.
What has been your favorite part so far about the process?
The Follies cast and crew is full of wonderful people. It’s been a great experience to work with a group that is both interested in the quality of the content that they are creating as well as the impact that they want it to have on the community. In my old job, my boss and co-workers never really “got” me. But that’s a long story.
What should students know about Fall Follies this year?
I want students to know that Fall Follies is heavily invested in building a spot in the campus community for good, meaningful and positive comedy. It’s a show, but it’s also a campus group. I want students to know that they can get involved. After I got fired last year, I realized just how isolating it can feel if you aren’t a part of a campus group. We want to extend the idea of Follies as a defining experience for us and others as students.
What makes this year different from last year?
It’s one number higher. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. But in all seriousness, it’s refocused. It’s a pretty new cast, but we have had the luxury of having returners in all aspects of the show – writers, players and production. I know what it’s like to have a lot of new faces around – it’s part of the reason why I lost my job last year – so I know it can be hard to trust new faces when you already have experience. I think that, this year, people can expect some comedy that goes beyond Belmont humor.
To see Collier and the rest of the cast in action, attend the Fall Follies performance in the Massey Performing Arts Center Friday at 7:30 p.m. or one of the performances Saturday at either 2 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
This article was written by Haley Buske and Rebecca Arnold.
PHOTO: Fall Follies promotional photos courtesy of Ike Flitcraft