Cedars, September 2018

September 2018 12 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Cory Brookins: Here for a Second by Daniel Garcia D uring his time in Cedarville’s the- atre department, Cory Brookins has always been motivated by one pas- sion — people. For as long as he remembers, the stage has been an integral part of Brookins’ child- hood. “When I was maybe 5, I had the entire- ty of ‘Cats’ the musical’s lyrics and choreog- raphy memorized,” he said. Despite first entering Cedarville un- declared in 2016, he soon found himself drawn to the theatre department and be- came a theatre design major. Brookins fell in love with the technical, behind-the-scenes part of theater. His time as an actor during “Ken Ludwig’s Basker- ville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” gave him an immense respect for the part actors play in every production. Nonetheless, he found his place among the people who work away from of the spotlight as master electrician for multiple plays. Brookins said he had an experience be- fore coming to Cedarville that helped him understand theater. He recalls attending a performance by a group called Stone Soup Shakespeare, a team consisting of seven performers who set up two ropes in a park and used a tall tree as their backstage. Using only a few props and costumes, they showed Brookins what theater looked like reduced to its bare minimum. From the tiny production in the park to flashy and glamorous Broadway musi- cals, Brookins said it requires everyone do- ing their part for the play to come together. Brookins said this collaborative aspect of theater is a big part of what it means to be a Christian. “There’s this massive bigger picture,” he said. “I’m just here for a second.” He said that Cedarville exemplifies this, because it’s evident that everyone is work- ing together to bring glory to God. Brookins’ dedication to bringing glo- ry to God is evident in his work under Tim Phipps, technical director for the DeVries Theatre. Phipps said he appreciates Brook- ins’ initiative and willingness to be in- volved. “A lot of times he’ll come in and say, ‘Hey, what needs to be done?’” Phipps said. “He interacts really well with his coworkers [and] with other people that he comes in contact with. He’s always willing to step up and get done what needs to be done, even when it’s hard or time consuming or he doesn’t feel like it.” Brookins said his passion for theater is also fueled by the unique connection be- tween performers and audience. “It’s this opportunity to just have this complete relationship with the people you’re telling the story to,” Brookins said. He also said the audience can influence how well a particular show does; a good audience can make it feel bigger and more energetic, while a bad audience can make it feel like an obstacle to overcome. Besides making each show unique, Brookins said that the constant interaction with the audience also provides a special advantage for showing the love of God to others. Plays like Cedarville’s recent pro- duction of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” have a chance to impact people’s lives and spark conversations between ac- tors and their audience that may not occur otherwise. After graduating from Cedarville, Brook- ins plans to work in dramaturgy or artistic management, but his specific plan doesn’t involve any particular kind of job. Rather, his goal is for his day-to-day interactions to point others toward Christ, no matter what he does. “I’m hoping that whatever I do, I can set an example for coworkers, for neigh- bors, for anyone,” he said. Phipps said he already sees this future. He said Brookins has grown in autonomy and trustworthiness and won’t be easy to replace once he graduates. “There won’t be another Cory,” Phipps said. Brookins’ goals for the future are the same as his goals for his current time at Ce- darville. “It’s all centered around the idea of bringing glory to God through our art,” he said. Whether that means performing on- stage, behind-the-scenes or at a regular of- fice job, his passion will always be to play his part in the massive collaboration that tells the most important story. Daniel Garcia is a junior computer engi- neering major and a writer for Cedars. He likes chocolate milk, the Metric System, and pretending he knows more than he really does about comic books. Photo by Lauren Jacobs Cory Brookins is a junior theatre major at Cedarville University who has a passion for people, the stage and lighting up those on the stage.