Spring Break
Sheep steals the spotlight
Erin Maher
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: News
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This past weekend, Horrabin Hall Theatre was occupied by numerous audience members, nine actors and one sheep.
"Curse of the Starving Class," which opened Sept. 26 and ran through Sept. 29, featured a live animal that quickly worked its way into the hearts of cast members and production staff alike. Having come from a local Macomb farm, this sheep's fate was changed when she was dropped off at Western Illinois University to star in the "Curse" production.
The sheep, nicknamed Buttons, spent her two weeks with the theatre department in a pen constructed for her in the Browne Hall scene shop. Patrick Keeven, theatre major, who was also the sheep's primary caretaker, built the kennel. According to Keeven, Buttons' days were spent outside grazing or lying in her pen, where there was plenty of food and water. Taking care of a sheep proved to be a rewarding yet time-consuming responsibility for Keeven.
"I had to get up early every day to make sure she had fresh water and fresh food to eat, and during the middle of the day, during my breaks from class, I had to spend time taking her out to graze," Keeven said.
Despite the obvious responsibility of being a full-time caretaker, Keeven said it was an experience where the pros outweighed the cons and included a few pleasant surprises.
"She was a great chick magnet," Keeven said.
While waiting outside of Horrabin with the sheep during performances, passersby would question why he was hanging out with a sheep.
"I would make up stories as to why she was there, such as she was in the sheep witness protection program after seeing her father being eaten by a coyote," Keeven said. "Then people would get confused, so I told them the real reason to ease their minds. But I figured as long as I had a sheep around, why not have some fun?"
With the script calling for a live sheep, director Jamie Mccoy purchased it with the production budget in order to be "true to the artistic idea."
"Curse of the Starving Class," which opened Sept. 26 and ran through Sept. 29, featured a live animal that quickly worked its way into the hearts of cast members and production staff alike. Having come from a local Macomb farm, this sheep's fate was changed when she was dropped off at Western Illinois University to star in the "Curse" production.
The sheep, nicknamed Buttons, spent her two weeks with the theatre department in a pen constructed for her in the Browne Hall scene shop. Patrick Keeven, theatre major, who was also the sheep's primary caretaker, built the kennel. According to Keeven, Buttons' days were spent outside grazing or lying in her pen, where there was plenty of food and water. Taking care of a sheep proved to be a rewarding yet time-consuming responsibility for Keeven.
"I had to get up early every day to make sure she had fresh water and fresh food to eat, and during the middle of the day, during my breaks from class, I had to spend time taking her out to graze," Keeven said.
Despite the obvious responsibility of being a full-time caretaker, Keeven said it was an experience where the pros outweighed the cons and included a few pleasant surprises.
"She was a great chick magnet," Keeven said.
While waiting outside of Horrabin with the sheep during performances, passersby would question why he was hanging out with a sheep.
"I would make up stories as to why she was there, such as she was in the sheep witness protection program after seeing her father being eaten by a coyote," Keeven said. "Then people would get confused, so I told them the real reason to ease their minds. But I figured as long as I had a sheep around, why not have some fun?"
With the script calling for a live sheep, director Jamie Mccoy purchased it with the production budget in order to be "true to the artistic idea."
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Michael Rice
posted 10/19/07 @ 11:52 AM CST
Erin-
I always enjoy reading your stories. Keep up the great work!
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