Showing her work face to face

VANESSA STAUBLIN | Staff Reporter IMG_9489

Bold colors and words make bold statements in student theatre showcases this week.

Theatre majors will showcase their hard work and creativity during senior capstone projects starting this Friday and Saturday.

First, this weekend, senior Katie Shamory will showcase her passion for makeup design and its development during her time here at Butler. She has been developing this idea for her senior project since taking a makeup class her sophomore year.

“The purpose (of senior capstone projects) is to show how we have taken our knowledge of our craft and developed it over the four years,” Shamory said.

Shamory will set up her project like an art gallery, showcasing makeup projects from her time here. Photos and live installations will be a part of her gallery.

“I’ve learned a lot about my capabilities as a makeup designer and how to build on my craft so that I can eventually work on movies as a makeup artist,” Shamory said.

Shamory met her project advisor, professor Wendy Meaden, two years ago after taking a makeup class.

Shamory has served a makeup crew for a number of productions, designed for productions and helped as a teaching assistant last fall, Meaden said. Sharmory  has done several makeup projects in other classes with Meaden as well.

The senior capstone project is the culmination of a student’s individual focus at Butler, Meaden said. All theatre majors complete a senior project, ranging from writing a thesis or creating a gallery show to writing a play or designing costumes. Meaden said she has been helping with senior projects since 2000.

“I help students clarify thesis statements, find research sources and project ideas, keep the project  a manageable size, and work out a calendar to measure progress and maintain persistence,” Meaden said.

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Shamory said her project advisor has been very helpful.

“Wendy has been a great advisor. She looks at my projects and gives feedback on how to improve them and make the next project even better,” Shamory said. “She pushes me to do the best work that I can.”

Senior Shannon Campe was slated to perform her senior capstone project this weekend as well, but the event will now be held in March with a date yet to be determined. Campe will produce a staged reading of a screenplay she is writing.

“A good senior project showcases the special talents and ideas of the senior who created it,” Campe said. “A great senior project not only shows off these talents, but also teaches the senior creating it something new.”

Campe  said she has learned a lot during her project.

“Taking criticism on your writing is so hard because it’s intensely personal,” Campe said. “I think I’ve learned a lot about how to fairly and accurately assess my own work, as well as incorporate the opinions and ideas of others.”

Senior projects help students explore and showcase what they want to do when they graduate.Shamory chose her makeup project because it has been a part of her life for two years and hopes to make a career out of it.

“Last semester, I did eight makeup projects with three to four subjects per project.” Shamory said. “Each project takes me anywhere from an hour and a half to three hours to complete, and then another half hour to photograph.”

Completing a senior capstone project not only shows what a student has completed at Butler, but also where he or she is going next in his or her life.

“I’m so proud of how much Katie has grown here at Butler,” Meaden said. “She has really come into her own, and I am looking forward to seeing where she goes from here.”

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