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."

"So, now National Novel Writing Month has officially begun, and we've kicked off with a bang," writes Katy Metcalf. "Or, at least, a passably loud squeak. There are tons and tons and tons of Uni students participating, which I am thrilled about, including our nine-member support group. And, so far, no one's dropped out. So, thus far, everything is going well."

"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.

[Updated with audio] Why wait any longer to write that novel you've had percolating in the back of your mind? Do it now! National Novel Writing month begins this weekend, and it offers the perfect excuse to take time out of your busy schedule to flex your literary muscles. The challenge: Write a 50,000-word novel in 30 days. Check inside to meet four current Uni students who accomplished that feat last year.

Ahh, Halloween. What was once a celebration to honor the dead has now turned into a commercialized holiday where kids run around in costumes to get candy. But we don’t mind the change. We love all the lovely treats we can get just by ringing a doorbell. Read on to see what’s on our Halloween checklist for this year.

Halloween is right around the corner, leaving us with barely enough time to procure costumes. Don't despair — there's still time to quickly put together some accessories and knick-knacks and call it a costume. Read on and learn about a few stores in town that will lead you to costume success!

The 2009 Buddy Walk will take place Saturday at the Champaign County Fairgrounds in Urbana. The Buddy Walk is an annual fundraiser for the Champaign County Down Syndrome Network. The organization's president is SSO secretary/registrar Ellen Lindsey, whose son, Joey, is featured in a promotional billboard.

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.

Senior Rachel Harmon challenged herself this summer by attending the prestigious Telluride Program at Cornell University. The result was nothing short of life changing. "You will learn something every day," she says, "in the same way that we physically grow every day, and because it happens so often, and it is so gradual, you will not realize the ways in which you have been transformed until you return to measure yourself against a familiar standard."

Thinking about joining Uni's new Habitat for Humanity Club? Interested in going on the annual Habitat trip to Mississippi during Agora Days? If so, be sure to check out Anna Gooler's account of this summer's trip to the Delta involving almost 20 Uni students.

This summer, junior Eleni Yannelis, English teacher Adele Suslick, and French teacher John Garvey participated in the European Union's summer study trip on governance and economy in France and Belgium. The tour was organized by the EU Center and was funded by the European Commission. Check out Eleni's firsthand account of the trip.

College visits aren't always that useful, but if you find the right program, they can truly give you a sense of what it would be like to attend. Senior Anna Gooler reports on her experience visiting Oberlin College through a fly-in program, from the airport to a vintage store and back again.

Nancy Tang is back from her year abroad in Shanghai, China, and eager to talk about her time in one of the world's largest cities. "In every sense, Shanghai is a city at the crossroads," she writes. "The cultural capital of China is where old meets new and East meets West, all blending into a bustling, cosmopolitan city."