Friday, November 16, 2012

Open Mic Night encourages all students to perform


By Midge Reller
Cardinal Staff

All Saint Mary’s students are encouraged to perform at Open Mic Night (OMN) whether students have no performance experience or ample amounts of it.  It takes place one Thursday each month at 9 p.m.

OMN Co-President Andy Bauer said, “It is a place for performers of all sorts of talent varieties, performance abilities or performance histories to perform with an encouraging audience.”

Paul Schmitt, OMN social media guru, described OMN as casual and open to all sorts of acts.  He said, “You can read poetry, do something musical, a comedy sketch or whatever you want to do—we’re very open.”

Both Bauer and Schmitt said one should expect free coffee, a variety of talents and a very accepting atmosphere when attending OMN. 

Each OMN is a different experience with different performers and performances, said Bauer. He said, “The best thing to do is to go in with an open mind.”

Schmitt encourages students to go to support not only friends that might be performing but other people, too. “It’s a good outlet for a lot of people,” he said. “People who wouldn’t typically perform get to, and it helps to get that out.”

Bauer added that OMN builds community.  “You’ll see a lot of people there that you didn’t know had talent,” he said.

The group plans to try new things this year to increase OMN attendance. Bauer said this may include doing an event off campus. He also said he would like to get both WSU and Saint Mary’s involved because it “would help build more community between campuses.”

If interested in performing at OMN, simply show up to the event and sign up for a slot that night. Schmitt said that the event will go as late as necessary to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to perform.

Bauer encourages people interested in performing to take advantage of the opportunity. He said, “There’s no other place where you’ll get the support or the ability to go up and put yourself out there and have that much support and positivity coming from the audience.”

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