from The Northern Iowan - Vol. 99, No. 2 - 09 / 06 / 2002

No Shame Theatre: no holding back!

By Aaron McNally

NI Features Writer

            Tonight kicks off the new season of No Shame Theatre. The no-holds-barred forum for original writing was started in Iowa City and has spread across the country to Austin, Charlottesville, Orlando, Los Angeles and New York City. It was brought to UNI by Luke Pingel and Neil VanGorder.

            Pingel, a senior English major at UNI, a self-proclaimed “free-lance artist” describes No Shame as a way for people “to stretch themselves.” In No Shame anything goes, as long as one has a script. “There are three rules,” Pingel said. “Everything must be five minutes or less, must be original and cannot damage the space or its occupants.”

            Participants bring in a script before the show to be okayed by judges, then perform the act for the other participants and viewers.

            This season’s No Shame marks the addition of a new feature, the “First-Aid Kit.” This is an extra script, culled from the No Shame website, that serves as a relief for potential performers who have come without a script.

            According to Pingel, the First Aid Kit has two functions. “It helps newer No Shames get started. We want to use it to get more performers involved. A lot of people come and say ‘I want to be in it, but I’m not a writer.’ This is a way for them to more actively participate.”

            To view past scripts of No Shame and to see schedules of No Shame events around the country, as well as in Cedar Falls, visit the website at www.noshame.org.

            No Shame begins at 10 p. m. in the Communications Arts Center. If you have a script to perform, they suggest you be there around 9:30.


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