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A gift to the community: Stows very own art lady brings joy to drivers passing by

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By: Trevor Ing/ Editor In Chief

Stow legend, known to the community as the “Art Lady,” sits on Graham Road in her wheelchair nearly everyday showing drawings with a smile on her face. 

     For the past six years, the Stow community or people who happen to be driving on Graham Road after the Fishcreek intersection, see Forty-seven-year-old Shauna Pope, who sits at the base of the Adult Living Facility holding up pictures of art.

Shauna Pope sits at the base of the driveway to the Adult Living Facility on Graham Road.

     Pope grew up on the north side of Akron, moving high schools frequently from North, to central, to Wadsworth. Her high school career was filled with positivity and activity, but her life changed on a random day in 1998. 

     “I was walking down the bridge, and I got hit by a vehicle in the back of the head. I fell 150 feet off the bridge, and the cells in my head got severed,” Pope said.

     Pope was a nurse’s assistant for Valley Vue Hospital and was simply walking home, when all of a sudden this accident caused her to enter a coma for 13 days. After she woke up, Pope began seeing visions, many of which would eventually come true.

     “I saw visions in my head, and I saw where I live right now, and it’s weird because I knew I was going to live here,” Pope said. 

     Pope continues to have these visions even today, and instead of just thinking about them, she now puts them on paper.

     “I see cars going by and these beautiful beautiful visions, and I just said, ‘Well, you know what? Let me copy these visions I see on paper and let me draw these people,’” Pope said.

     Funny enough, these people the Pope drew, eventually started to appear in front of her. As if she was seeing the future, almost everyday people who looked very similar to the person she drew that day would come up to her.

Illustration by: Shauna Pope

     “[One time] I drew a man with purple hair with a pink, green and yellow striped shirt, and the same man walked up to me. He said, ‘This is a nice picture, but how do you know me?’ I looked at him, and I was like, ‘Whoa, what? This looks just like him,’” Pope said. “I was like, ‘Woah, I didn’t know I was drawing you.’”

     This gift Pope was given is something she believes to be truly special, and she gives God credit for her ability, believing in the philosophy: “God gave me a gift, so I’m gonna use it.”

     “God gives you certain things that help you,” Pope said. “Don’t ignore what God gives you in life.”

     Putting her faith in Christianity, Pope lives to uphold one main part of her religion from the Bible: “Love thy neighbor.” Pope upholds this value in the best way she knows how–“just smile.”

     However this was not always the case. Throughout the past six years of showing off her artwork, Pope learned just how powerful a smile really is.

     “Maybe somebody else is going through a bad time or you’re going through a bad time, too. If you smile, it’s not going to go away, but just seeing you smile, you’re going to brighten up their day,” Pope said.

     Along with staying positive, Pope believes people are so caught up in the future that they start to forget about the present. She mentions how she will see people walking around that look like “zombies” because they are so stressed thinking about life. Pope believes this epidemic is starting to make the world a less positive place.

Illustration by: Shauna Pope

     “Everybody’s going through trouble. Everyone’s going through stress. The whole world’s not happy. The whole world’s down,” Pope said. “I just wish that people would work together. If people would just work together on things it would just make [the world] a better place.”

     In Pope’s perfect vision, she sees the world as one big amusement park where what you look like, what you wear or how you act does not matter at all. A place where everyone joins together to help each other, and where everyone “is their own president.”

     In her park, the color of someone’s skin or race they are does not matter. 

     “Who gives a whoot what color you are. I mean, just be happy with what you are and what you’re given. Life is a gift, so use it,” Pope said.

     Pope wishes for the day the world can become more together and positive as a whole. The one thing she wishes everyone would do is just simply “smile.”

     “Just smile,” Pope said. “Forget about yesterday. Forget about next year. Live for now, not in the past, not in the future but for now.”

Feature, Front/Home

Professional wrestling creates art through stories

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By: Copper Gregg /Copy Editer

 The music industry is an ever changing landscape, fueled by constant technological advancements and means of production. Despite this continuous change, one particular method of releasing music has remained the standard: albums. 

     Years ago, the album model of releasing music just made sense. With music being exclusively physical, albums allowed listeners to purchase one vinyl, compact disc or cassette, giving them access to a good number of songs by their artist of choice.

     It also allowed artists to release a number of songs at once. Releasing one song at a time would likely not go well as people would have to buy a physical copy of each individual song. 

     Now living in a world where music is easily accessible at any time online, it is no longer “necessary” for artists to put out full albums. Musicians in the past have released singles; however, releasing an individual song has never been easier with streaming services.

     This begs the question; why are albums still so important today? 

Photo by: Copper Gregg

     Albums allow an artist to go far beyond the creativity of simply releasing individual songs. There’s so much more that goes into an album than a single which lets an artist truly make a large and meaningful work of art.

     The physical aspect of albums is also up for question as many artists to this day still release physical copies of their records. This once again allows for an immense amount of creativity from an artist.

     With modern production methods, the possibilities for unique vinyl records in particular feel nearly endless. Many artists have, and continue to do unique things to the actual disks, like different colors, printed images and patterns, zoetrope effects or different shaped vinyl altogether. The band Glass Animals, for example, released a decagon shaped pressing of  their album “ILYSFM.”

     The other reason why the physical aspect of albums is so special is the simple process of actually listening to it. By using physical media, you add an additional tactile element to the listening experience. With vinyl, there’s something almost ritualistic about putting the record on the turntable, cleaning it and placing the needle in the grooves that makes the listening experience so much more enjoyable.

     Album covers are also a massively important aspect of what makes them so special. The album cover itself can tell a story, and iconic album covers, such as Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” or Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumors,” often transcend the album itself and become culturally significant independently of the actual songs.

     One specific type of album is the pinnacle of why albums are so important and relevant to this day: concept albums.

    A concept album is when the album as a whole tells a greater story or shared theme, which allows for artists to tell a much larger and more complex story than is possible in one song. 

Photo by: Copper Gregg

     Glass Animals’ “How to Be a Human Being,” on its own is a great album that has many catchy and well-made tracks. What makes this record so special is the theming that connects all of the songs. Every song is a story that the band was told while on tour, and each song corresponds to a character displayed on the cover of the album. 

     The album would function completely fine without this added layer of story, but its addition is what makes this album have the emotion and nuance that it has. 

     Other concept albums tell one continuous story that typically follows one or multiple characters. 

     An example of this is My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade,” which tells the story of a man dying of cancer, reflecting on his life. 

     There is no one size fits all formula for concept albums, and it’s partially because of this fact that concept albums remain so unique and important. Each one tells its own unique story that is different from all the others. 

     The artistry and creativity facilitated by the idea of albums is justification enough for keeping them around. For musicians who care about their craft and want to express themselves and their artistic strength as much as possible, the album still reigns supreme as the way to do so. 

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Q&A with inspiring actor and English teacher Morgen Kyser

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By Gianna Jacobs / Staff Writer

Q: At what theater do you currently perform?

A: I’ve had the opportunity to work at a variety of theaters through the years–Theatre 8:15, Wolf Creek Players and Dynamics Community Theater have been my most recent.

Q: Are there any shows that you are in currently?

Pictured above, Morgen Kyser performs as the baker’s wife in “Into the Woods.” This production ran in 2019 at The Jackson Players Theater.

A: Since I began directing at SMFHS, I keep my acting to the summers. Directing three shows a school year alongside Mr. Hinman is a time consuming (but very fun and rewarding) gig, so I’m not in any shows currently. I am currently working on directing our upcoming production of Into the Woods! I encourage everyone to come check it out April 17-19.

Q: How does your experience as a theatre actor influence the way you teach English?

A: I always like to add a little theatrical flair to my teaching. For student birthdays, I encourage my classes to stand on chairs and belt out the birthday song; when reading a literary text, I like to use different character voices and inflections and when standing in front of the class at any given time, I like to try to be as engaging as I can be.

Q: What has been your favorite role to perform?

A: Oooo, what a mean question! Every role I’ve gotten to play has a special place in my heart. I guess I have to say getting to play Ariel in ‘Footloose’ was my favorite because it directly led to me becoming a director. It was the summer after my first year of teaching (at a different school), and some of my administrators came to see me perform. After the show, they asked me if I would like to run the school’s drama club and direct the school’s play. A castmate from that show also asked me if I would co-direct a show with him. I said yes to both and ended up directing two shows at one time, which was a wild thing to do for my directing debut! Fast forward a few years, and here I am now. Had I not had that role of Ariel, I’m not sure I’d even work at SMFHS, and that would be tragic because I love what I do and the people here so much!

Q: How do you prepare for a character on stage?

A: I’m a big believer that character’s motivation should drive them–I always ask myself, “What does this character want in this scene, and how are they going to try to get it?” I think the answers to those questions help with building the nuances of a character.

Q: What’s the biggest lesson theatre has taught you?

A: They say there are no small parts in theatre, and it is 100% true. Every single person matters. Theatre is a collaborative effort, and everyone contributes to creating something that is larger than the sum of its parts. I’ve been in leading roles, I’ve been in ensemble, I’ve run tech, I’ve moved a single bench in a production–every part I’ve ever played has mattered. This lesson is true of life, as well. Everyone matters. YOU matter. As my boy William Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.” The part you are playing right now is an important one, and the ones you’ll play throughout your life will be important, too.

Q: Do you get nervous before performing? If so, do you have any techniques to help?

A: Oh for sure! Fighting those nerves starts the second I get my script–being prepared is the best way to combat the nerves. I try to learn my lines and my blocking as soon as I can. When the nerves creep up, I can remind myself that I am prepared. There is also something to be said for the healing elements of a deep breath or two before stepping on stage.

Q: How does performing help you better understand the characters in plays you read for teaching?

A: Can I tell you a secret? I hate simply reading plays. To sit with a script and just read it in my head is so boring to me. I think plays are meant to be performed (or read aloud at the very least). Through my experience with performing, I find that I want to hear a character’s voice–I want to think about what inflections they would use when saying any given line. I also want to hear how different people interpret that character–there’s often not just one “right” way to do it. When I teach a play in class, I’ll assign roles to students, and it’s always neat to see how different students approach the same character. In one class, a student may be shouting Hamlet’s lines, where in another, they may be whispering. Theatre truly is an art, and art is driven by the artist.

Q: What advice would you give students interested in theatre or the arts?

A: DO IT! At the end of every show, Mr. Hinman and I ask seniors to give a speech at our cast parties, and so many of the students say the same thing: “I wish I had joined sooner!” There are so many opportunities to join at our school alone–we have Drama Club every Wednesday from 2:45-3:45 in the auditorium, there’s the All-Class Play in the fall (keep an eye out for auditions and crew applications around September), the Senior Class Play (for senior actors and all grade-levels of crew members) and the All-School Musical (watch for auditions and crew applications for the latter two around late November). When in doubt, reach out to Mr. Hinman or me (Ms. Kyser).

Q: What first made you fall in love with acting?

A: When I was four years old, I started dance classes. When I was nine, my parents told me I had to choose between dance or sports. I decided on the latter, but I missed dancing. I saw a flyer in my elementary school for auditions for a production of Babes in Toyland, so I tried out and the rest is history.

Q: Who was your biggest inspiration when you started performing?

A: My friends, hands down. I learned so much (and still learn so much) from my friends when acting with them. There’s something so special about collaborating with the people you love on a creative project.

Q: Was there a specific moment when you realized you wanted to pursue theatre seriously?

A: I think theatre pursued me, not the other way around. There were so many times in my life when I thought I would be done with theatre, but it always found me again and again. I’m a person of faith, and I truly believe every time theatre popped back up in my life it was God directing me to here and now.

Q: What was your very first role?

A: I had the esteemed role of Toy Soldier #25 (or something like that) in “Babes in Toyland” when I was 9 years old.

Q: How do you prepare for a new role?

A: Aside from attending rehearsals, I study. I quiz myself on my lines and my blocking, I dig into the character’s motivations and I read over the script often.

Q: What advice would you give students who are nervous about auditioning?

A:  Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard is to “do it scared.” Life is filled with opportunities that make us feel nervous or scared–we should never let that keep us from trying. We have big feelings about things because they matter. If you want to audition, go for it! If you want to fight off some of those nerves by being prepared, make sure you know what the expectations are for the audition so you can correctly prepare. Need to perform a monologue for the audition? Pick one that aligns with the character you’re auditioning for and start memorizing early. Not sure where to start? Reach out to the director(s), and ask for advice. Just don’t miss out on being a part of something you want to be a part of because of nerves–you’ll thank yourself for your bravery later.