10 - Fourth Estate - Feb.

23, 2012
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When roommaIes KaIIe Sawyer
and SheIbI Cox audIIIoned Ior
"CrImInaI HearIs," Ihey never
ImagIned Ihey'd snag Ihe Iwo
Iead roIes. Now, jusI days beIore
openIng nIghI, Ihey are puIIIng
Ihe IInIshIng Iouches on a dark,
buI Iun, comedy IhaI won'I soon
be IorgoIIen.
"CrImInaI HearIs" Is Ihe sIory
oI a young, uppercIass woman
named AIa, pIayed by Sawyer.
AIa Is down on her Iuck. Her
exhusband, pIayed by senIor Ihe
aIre perIormance major Derek
Knabenbauer, IeII her. She Is IIv
Ing aIone In a house IIIIered wIIh
empIy boIIIes oI Dr. Pepper, pIzza
boxes and, sIrangeIy enough, pen
cIIs. BuI when a woman named
Bo, pIayed by Cox, aIIempIs Io
rob AIa's aparImenI, an unex
pecIed Iurn oI evenIs Iurns Ihe
Iwo women InIo unIIkeIy aIIIes as
Ihey conspIre Io geI revenge on
AIa's exhusband.
Sawyer, senIor communIcaIIon
major, and Cox, senIor musIcaI
IheaIre and arIs managemenI
major, dId noI read IogeIher
when Ihey audIIIoned. However,
Ihey have Iound IhIs sIIuaIIon
quIIe convenIenI.
"When we were casI IogeIher, II
jusI made everyIhIng much eas
Ier because we're aIready cIose,"
Sawyer saId. "BeIng abIe Io work
IogeIher and have such a posIIIve
experIence IogeIher-we can run
IInes when we go home, or II we
have quesIIons we can bounce
Ihem oII each oIher-II's very
comIorIabIe."
Cox saId Ihe characIers In Ihe
pIay are cIose, so havIng a com
IorIabIe reIaIIonshIp beIween Ihe
Iwo In reaI IIIe was heIpIuI.
Sawyer and Cox aIso had noIh
Ing buI praIse Ior IheIr dIrecIor,
|ohn MarIano.
MarIano, assocIaIe proIessor oI
arIs and vIsuaI desIgn, saId he
has been waIIIng Ior Ihe chance
Io brIng "CrImInaI HearIs" Io
UWCreen Bay Ior a whIIe.
"I've done scenes Irom II In
acIIng cIasses, buI II has a smaII
casI," MarIano saId. "We can'I
usuaIIy do shows wIIh IhIs smaII
oI a casI because we have Ioo
many sIudenIs IhaI need Io geI
up on sIage."
There are onIy Iour acIors In
Ihe enIIre pIay-Sawyer, Cox,
Knabenbauer and senIor busIness
admInIsIraIIon major |oe IeIIz,
who pIays Bo's parInerIncrIme
In Ihe burgIary. MarIano saId a
smaIIensembIe perIormance was
IIIIIng aI IhIs poInI In Ihe sea
son as Ihe deparImenI pIans a
Iarge producIIon oI Ihe musIcaI
"CabareI" In Ihe sprIng.
"'CabareI' has a huge casI, so
we wanIed Ihe oIher show Io be
Ihe opposIIe jusI Ior Ihe sake
oI Ihe scope oI Ihe producIIon,"
MarIano saId.
Knabenbauer saId he encourag
es everyone Io come ouI and see
Ihe pIay, especIaIIy peopIe who
have noI seen a IIve perIormance.
"WIIh Ihe worId IhaI we're In
now, wIIh so many movIes and
ImmedIaIe medIa, a IoI oI peopIe
haven'I had Ihe experIence oI
goIng Io a pIay, and IhIs Is a very
good one Ior II," Knabenbauer
saId. "II's a IIIIIe darker In IIs
comedy, buI II's a greaI show.
Lven II I weren'I In II, I wouId
encourage peopIe Io go see Ihe
show."
Cox aIso saId Ihe pIay wIII Ieave
audIences on Ihe edge oI IheIr
seaIs.
"The acIIon sIarIs rIghI away
and II preIIy much goes consIs
IenIIy," Cox saId. "When Ihe cur
IaIn goes down Ior Ihe IIrsI acI,
peopIe wIII be IhInkIng 'whaI jusI
happened7'"
"CrImInaI HearIs" opens Ieb. 23
aI 7:30 p.m. In Ihe |ean WeIdner
TheaIre, wIIh addIIIonaI perIor
mances Ieb. 242S, 29 and March
13.
CriminaI Hearts steaIs many Iaughs
Theatre programs third produc-
tion is a dark, but fun, comedy
Photo courtesy Laura Riddle
Bo, pIayed by SheIbi Cox, senior musicaI theatre and arts management major, threatens Ata, pIayed by
Katie Sawyer, senior communication major, in an attempt to rob her apartment.
4onthefIoor stomps to its own IiveIy beat
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WIIh a new spIn on an oId
sound, 4onIheIIoor Is brIngIng
bIues back Io Ihe sIage. WIIh
Ihe heIp oI Iour bass drums, Ihe
group oI Iour Is IraveIIng across
Ihe U.S. reIncarnaIIng musIc Irom
prIor years.
4onIheIIoor Is reIurnIng Irom a
IuII Iour around Ihe wesIern U.S.,
wIIh a sIop aI Ihe Crunchy Irog In
Creen Bay Ieb. 2S.
4onIheIIoor's rooIs are In
MInnesoIa, where CabrIeI
DougIas, Iead sInger, saId he meI
|ames CouId, Ihe oIher IoundIng
member oI 4onIheIIoor.
"II sIarIed wIIh Iwo guys, Iwo
guIIars, Iwo amps and an empIy
bedroom," DougIas saId.
The MInnesoIa surround
Ings ouIsIde Ihe empIy bed
room ImpacIed Ihe band as weII.
DougIas saId he wouIdn'I change
Ihe IocaIIon where 4onIheIIoor
goI IIs musIcaI sIarI wIIh Ihe
group.
"I've had Ihe mosI amazIng
journey and meI Ihe mosI amaz
Ing peopIe In MInnesoIa, and
beIng based ouI oI MInnesoIa has
opened some doors I never wouId
have ImagIned," DougIas saId.
When Ihey sIarIed ouI, DougIas
and CouId adjusIed Iempos and
beaIs based on IheIr moods Io
creaIe a number oI songs.
"We pIugged In our amps and
sIarIed pIayIng rooIsy, swampy
sIuII," DougIas saId. "As we con
IInued jammIng, I wouId adjusI
Ihe Iempos and beaIs oI Ihe songs
Io whaIever mood I was In."
TogeIher Ihey creaIed a num
ber oI songs and decIded Io move
IheIr musIc Io Ihe sIage.
"I was goIng Io pIay Ihe bass
drum because I wanIed Io be
In charge oI seIIIng Ihe Iempo,"
DougIas saId.
LvenIuaIIy, DougIas Iook Ihe
posIIIon oI Iead vocaIs Ior IheIr
bIues group.
BeIore IIs IIrsI perIormance,
Ihe band gaIned anoIher Iwo
members, bass pIayer ChrIs HoIm
and drummer Mark Larsen, who
had Ihe same passIon Ior bIues
beaIs and Iempo. AIong wIIh Ihe
Iwonew pIayers prImary InsIru
menIs, aII Iour pIayed Ihe bass
drum. The group consIders Ihe
puIsIng oI Ihe Iour bass drums IIs
sIgnaIure sound.
4onIheIIoor descrIbes IIseII
and IIs sound as a sIompIng bIues
group whose musIcaI rooIs go
back Io bIues and rock. AII oI IIs
songs are wrIIIen In IourIour
IIme sIgnaIure. IourIour Is an
even meIer where each measure
equaIs Iour beaIs.
The name 4onIheIIoor Is prI
marIIy derIved Irom Ihe sIandard
jazz phrase meanIng each song
has a kIck drum on Iour beaIs.
"PIayIng In IourIour IIme
conIInues Io heIp us push our
boundarIes, and surprIsIngIy, we
haven'I exhausIed aII aspecIs oI
II," DougIas saId.
4onIheIIoor chose Ihe genre
oI bIues because oI IIs passIon.
IIs sound Is InspIred by Ihe
DeIIa bIues sIyIe oI bIues musIc,
and Ihe band adapIed IIs musI
caI rooIs Irom rock and earIy
AmerIcan hoedowns as weII.
4onIheIIoor aIso perIorms a
number oI covers, such as Tom
|ones and WIIco. DougIas saId
Ihe group venIures ouIsIde oI Ihe
bIues genre as weII.
"Our sound Is dynamIc, aI
IImes InIense, aI IImes a sImpIe
drum and aI IImes a waII oI
sound," DougIas saId.
DougIas grew up IIsIenIng Io a
IoI oI oIdIes. He sIarIed hIs musIc
career durIng a Iornado sIorm,
when he Iound an acousIIc guI
Iar caIaIog under Ihe sIaIrs oI
hIs IamIIy Iarm. A coupIe years
IaIer, he decIded Io sIarI IearnIng
chords. AIIer meeIIng hIs IeIIow
bandmaIes, DougIas was abIe Io
sIarI perIormIng Ihe musIc he
Ioves.
"We are goIng Io pIay musIc Ior
a IIIeIIme," DougIas saId.
In Ihe IuIure, DougIas hopes Io
Iake hIs career Io an envIronmen
IaIIy IrIendIy, wIdereachIng and
susIaInabIe pIace.
Iree downIoads oI Ihe band's
musIc and updaIes on upcomIng
shows can be Iound aI Iacebook.
com,Ihe4onIheIIoor.
Photo courtesy Meghan Pochebit
Stomping bIues band 4onthefIoor uses four-four time and four bass drums to keep the beat in its
songs.
We plugged in our
amps and started
playing rootsy,
swampy stuff.
-GABRIEL DOUGLAS
LEAD SINGER