Opening night finally arrived for the cast and crew of Uni's fall play, "The Miser." And, according to actress Katy Metcalf, it was amazing. "Today, I got all my lines," she writes. "Every single one. I did accidentally scream — but I can work on that later. And not just me. Monologues were finally in place, costumes were completed, everything went wonderfully. Taking the final bow was dreamlike."

"There is a particular set of smells that accompanies productions at Uni High," writes actress Anna Gooler. "I can't say exactly why I focus on these smells, but perhaps it's my brain preparing for nostalgia. I'll be flying around in my hovercraft someday in the future and smell something familiar, and I'll find myself yearning for the good old days of theater at Uni."

"I have a different perspective on this process from most, for I am a techie and I am not on stage," writes crew member Adam Joseph. "While the actors are worried about learning lines and entrances, I worry about knowing what lights to turn on when and making sure each light is where it needs to be. And just doing that presents a certain number of problems."

Four members of the Gargoyle staff — senior editor Anna Gooler and junior editors Kahlilah Cooke, Adam Joseph, and Katy Metcalf — are involved in this year's fall play, "The Miser." This week they will take us backstage to get a sense of what goes into putting on a school production. What happens in tech week doesn't always stay in tech week.

Last spring, Uni theater put on a successful production of "A West Side Story." Now, they are hard at work again on French playwright Molière's comedy, "The Miser." Directed by Barbara Ridenour, the cast includes theater veterans and newcomers. Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday and at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the North Attic. Tickets are $7 for adults and $6 for students, faculty and senior citizens.

For the second consecutive year, a remarkable 27 of fine arts executive teacher Rick Murphy's students were named IMEA all-district musicians. The district jazz festival is scheduled for Nov. 7 at Illinois Wesleyan University, followed two weeks later by the district junior/senior festival at Illinois State University. Learn more inside.

More than 60 years ago, a girl named Eleanor "Ellie" Stoddard walked through the doors of Uni. Now, thanks to her generosity, the school will host "Uni Celebrates the Arts," an art auction that will benefit the faculty support endowment that she established in 2001.

Lots of good new releases in music (Sufjan Stevens, Flaming Lips), movies ("Where the Wild Things Are," "New York, I Love You"), and video games ("Demon's Souls"), but the real news is what's going on Friday night. An art auction to benefit Uni will be held on campus at 6 p.m., and the brilliant humorist David Sedaris will appear at the Virginia at 8. Go to both!

Director Barbara Ridenour has announced the cast of this year's fall play, Molière's "The Miser." Zack Goldberg will perform the title role of Harpagon, while Ethan Schiller and Stefanie Senior will play Harpagon's children. For the rest of the cast, check inside. "The Miser" will take the stage Nov. 5-7 in the North Attic Playhouse.

"I've been drawing since … forever, I guess," Paul Miller says. With his Uni career about to end, the talented senior plans to study visual arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. "The change of setting might be healthy after 19 years here," he says. "I have no idea what my career will be. But I'm sure I'll do art the rest of my life."

Maybe you couldn't make it to Big Show, or maybe you just want to watch some of your favorite sketches again. In either case, come on inside and check out the seven video skits that the Big Show '09 directors and cast put together for this year's comedy spectacular.

Uni High's student-written and -directed comedy showcase took to the North Attic stage May 15 and 16. The two performances helped X-Week raise a final total of $3,460 for this year's charity, the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club. Lor Sligar takes a quick look back at the show, along with this series of photos by Katy Metcalf.

By all accounts, Big Show '09 was a smashing success, helping Uni raise $3,460 for the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club. Gargoyle editor Laura Dripps was part of the comedy production. Read on to find out how the cast overcame a last-minute crisis on opening night, and how Jamie Blue helped Laura work through a mild case of the nerves.

Amid a frenzied week of class projects and AP exams, Uni students had the chance to relax last Thursday evening with a full hour of music performed by their peers. Eleven student musicians took the stage for Music Club's year-end recital as their classmates, parents, and teachers listened in the South Attic. Jason He was there and brought back these pictures.

On May 13 during lunch, local klezmer band Don't Ask played for Music Club in the South Attic. Invited by Uni librarian Frances Harris, the band performed and spoke about the history and styles of klezmer music. Check inside for a photo essay of the event, plus video of the group playing at Krannert Uncorked.