Mascara, eye shadow, brushes and lipstick are strewn on the counters in the dressing rooms. The smell of hairspray still lurks in the air.

The cast is ready.

The moment is here. Months of rehearsal will now be put to the test.

Backstage, some are mouthing the lines they’re about to speak, others are stretching or practicing dance steps, but most of them are silent.

Director Robin Stephens comes in for the final talk before show time. There’s no mention of things to work on during practice. There won’t be any more practices. It’s show time.

“You’ve put so much work into the show at all kinds of levels. Please honor the work,” Stephens said. “Break a leg and have a wonderful show.”

“Places!” The stage manager gives the final call before the orchestra strikes up the overture.  Just like that. Everyone from the dancers to the costume designer come alive.

After months of preparation the cast of “Guys and Dolls” performed in Brown Auditorium last weekend. There were four performances over the course of the weekend.

“Guys and Dolls” is set in New York City during a time when gambling was illegal. This play was filled with secret casinos and unexpected love through the lives of the four main characters: Miss Adelaide, Nathan Detroit, Sky Masterson and Sarah Brown.

Flashback: Dress rehearsal

It’s Tuesday. Opening night is two days away and the cast has been having nightly rehearsals for two weeks.

Dressed and ready, the performers listen while Stephens gives notes before rehearsal starts.

“Let’s go forward with our work and not backwards,” Stephens said. “I had to pry myself out of the fetal position yesterday, but last night I was grinning and loving every moment.”

While waiting to go on stage Allison Friloux, who plays general Matilda B. Cartwright, and McKenna Giovingo, who plays Miss Adelaide, make small talk.

“It’s been a long week,” Friloux said.

“It’s only Tuesday,” Giovingo said.

Tucker Futrell, who plays Nathan Detroit, paces back and forth while practicing his gestures. Mouthing his lines. Earlier Futrell talked about how he feels while onstage during the performance.

“I always want to at least make sure the audience is engaged with what I’m doing. If they are engaged I can take the energy they’re giving me and always try to give that back,” Futrell said.

Futrell, a music education major, said he was a little nervous because he hasn’t played a part this big. His first performance was in last year’s production of Chicago when he played the master of ceremonies.

The girls have changed into their outfits for “Bushel and a Peck.” One of the dancers is practicing steps. Another dancer goes to grab her shovel, which is a prop in the performance. But then they run off to their places.

Flash forward: Opening night

“Opening night is always a frenzy of emotions for everyone involved. It’s the culmination of all the long hours of hard work that have gone into the planning and rehearsal process,” Alison Tugwell, the stage manager, said.

While the stage is lit with vibrant colorful dresses and loud musical numbers, the lights are off backstage. Only one blue light leads the performers back and forth from the green room to the props table and then on stage. Any other light comes from flashlights.

While the performers sing loud on stage and project their lines toward the audience, all is quiet backstage. There has to be silence so the actor’s microphones won’t pick up the noise.

But just because no one’s talking doesn’t mean the action hasn’t picked up. It’s much like the dress rehearsal. Performers run off stage to change for the next scene while listening to the overhead speakers set up in the green room.

Out on stage the cast lights up the auditorium with dramatic dance scenes of crap games and trips to Havana. This play is a complete turn around from last year’s production of “Chicago.” Stephens said “Chicago” was a “great way to hook an audience.”

“You can’t do Chicago every year. You have to do some varying away from that,” Stephens said. “This is iconic and it should be part of everyone’s experience with the musical theater.”

The cast gives all they’ve got until the very last note. And once the production is over the dresses will go back to the racks, the dressing room counters will be free of makeup and the scent of hairspray will dissipate.

But everyone involved will always remember the experience and hard work put into this production.

Don Cincone, a renowned black artist who grew up in the Monroe area, was a featured speaker during African American Heritage Week.

Jesse Flunder brought Cincone in to discuss how he made it as a black artist in a time of racial tension.

“I chose Don Cincone because I was very taken by his art, especially the one with the woman and the banjo,” said Flunder, a secondary education major.

Cincone was born in a sharecroppers shack in Alto, La.

He said he doesn’t remember when he started school because in those days all able hands had to pick the cotton for the harvest.

Cincone recalled the days he spent in that one-room school house.

“I remember drawing, drama and singing were all intermingled with math, history and reading,” he said.

It was there where he learned “negro spirituals” that he keeps with him today.

At age seven, Cincone moved with his family to Monroe, where he attended Carroll High school.

He would later attend Southern University where he received a Bachelors degree in Arts.

When he graduated, he asked the department head what he should do after graduation. He was told that he could teach art, but that did not satisfy him.

He went overseas and explored Europe, spent some time in New York, got married and went to California where he attended San Francisco School of Fashion Design.

When trying to make a career in fashion design in California, he was racially discriminated against. He was told that his kind was not allowed to be fashion designers there. Instead of giving up, he went back to his first love, art.

Because of so many requests, Don Cincone began teaching art in 1966 and continued until 1993. Universal Studios also assigned him to create 85 original paintings for the movie “Art of Love.”

“Art is the paradigm of all other disciplines. If you can manipulate anything that will create a mark, you can draw,” Cincone said.

“I don’t have to say the words, but I express the feelings through the colors,” said Cincone. “I paint to rid myself of the pain.”

Interested parties can find Cincone’s artwork in the Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum.

The UL System board of supervisors approved the new name in February after an application from ULM. This comes 10 months after the university received permission to rename the School of Nursing after DeGree.

“Due to her dedication to this community and specifically to ULM…the naming of the Nursing Building in her honor is fitting,” Bruno said.

DeGree was a long time sponsor of ULM despite having never received a degree of higher learning herself.

“Higher education would have been something Kitty would have liked for herself,” said long-time friend Cindy Rogers, who is president of the Kitty DeGree Foundation.

Rogers said DeGree was a self-made business woman, who, had the computer been invented when she was younger, would have given Donald Trump a run for his money.

Rogers also said she felt sorry for those who didn’t know DeGree, and she was saddened at the thought that after a few generations DeGree’s memory will fade—leaving only her name on the many buildings around campus and Monroe.

“I think people will be curious, and I think they will know she made an impact,” Rogers said.

Louis Bremer is the President and CEO of St. Francis Medical Center.

Bremer likened DeGree to St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the center.

“She showed us the meaning of a servant’s heart,” he said. “Every time I think of Kitty, I think of St. Francis of Assisi.”

Other buildings which bear DeGree’s name include the Kitty DeGree Bell Tower, the Kitty DeGree Computing Center, the Kitty DeGree Pharmacy Student Resource Center, the Kitty DeGree Speech and Hearing Center, the St. Francis North Kitty DeGree Breast Health Center and the Kitty DeGree Emergency Room at St. Francis Hospital.

Bruno called on the students at the gathering to “live like Kitty” and to give whenever they could.

“We may not be able to give as much money as Kitty, but we can share ourselves,” Bruno said.  “We must keep in mind the spirit of Kitty: to give and not expect to receive.”

Friday night’s game was set up to be one of the best pitching duels in the Sun Belt Conference this season. Cale Wine (3-4, 2.08) took the mound for the Warhawks (11-19, 1-9) facing #25 Florida Atlantic University’s Austin Gomber (3-1, 1.75).

The final outcome was nowhere near the expected result as the game ended with 14 combined runs and an 8-6 win for the Owls (21-9, 8-2).

Wine cruised through the early innings not allowing a run until the fourth. FAU had back-to-back hits in the inning followed by a walk, which loaded the bases. A two RBI-double followed, giving the Owls the early 2-0 lead.

The Warhawks didn’t have any life offensively until the fifth inning. Gomber retired 14 straight batters until Dalton Herrington came up with two outs and sent a successful bunt down the third base line.

“Both starters were really good early then the hitters made adjustments,” said Head Coach Jeff Schexnaider.

Herrington’s bunt-single gave the ULM bats life. Kodie Tidwell had an RBI single to right field followed by a two RBI double from Jeff Fuller. The score was tied at three after the fifth inning.

“I like to be aggressive early in the count, getting fastballs and luckily they were giving me those tonight,” said Herrington. “When I got on base, the guys behind me did a good job of getting me around.”

FAU countered with four runs of its own in the sixth inning. Wine found himself in a tough situation early in the inning. The bases were loaded with no outs when a double to left field and an infield single signaled the end of Wine’s day at the mound.

Reliever Devin Malone replaced Wine. Malone kept ULM in the game pitching three and two-thirds innings, only giving up one hit and one run.

ULM gave the hometown fans a reason to stay in their seats as they made a push in the ninth inning.

Herrington led off the inning with a screaming line drive single to right field. He was followed by a walk and three consecutive outs, one of which was Fuller who had 3 RBI’s on the night.

“It felt good to contribute a little bit,” Fuller said. “I kind of wish I could have contributed a little more there in the end. We have to stay confident and stick together and relax and play the kind of baseball we are capable of playing.”

The Warhawks return to the diamond on Tuesday for a one-game matchup with McNeese State before traveling to Miami to face FIU in a three-game series beginning on Friday.

ULM fell behind early and never recovered, losing 5-2 to FIU on Saturday at Warhawk Field.

The Warhawks (16-19, 3-7) quickly fell down 3-0 to the Panthers (23-19, 6-7) in the second inning before Elena DiMattia’s RBI ground out got ULM on the board.

ULM pulled within one run in the third inning, but would come no closer to closing the gap. FIU held the Warhawks scoreless for the rest of the game.

Stephanie Routzon went the whole game for ULM, giving up eight hits in seven innings pitched. As a team, the Warhawks recorded two hits.

GAME 2 – 7-2

FIU stayed hot at the plate to start the second contest, leading off with the game with a home run.

ULM quickly found themselves down 6-0 in the midpoint of the fourth inning. An RBI single by shortstop Summer Melancon scored ULM’s first run in the bottom of the fourth.

ULM didn’t get on the board again until. the sixth inning thanks to Janel Salanoa’s RBI single.

Haylie Wilson pitched all seven innings for the Warhawks, giving up three earned runs on eight hits. ULM recorded six hits, but struggled to score runners all game.

Napoleon Bonaparte marched up to the front of the classroom, faced the confused students and began teaching.

Bonaparte never broke character to reveal his true identity for the entire class period.

Horace “H.P.” Jones did whatever it took to make sure his students learned.

Jones, 83, died Tuesday, March 19, 2013 in his home.

After 47 years of teaching history at ULM, the amount of lives Jones touched would be nearly impossible to count.

Jones was one of those teachers whose lessons and tales will be carried by many students for the rest of their lives.

ULM alumnus Michael Free knew Jones when Free was a graduate student completing his masters in history.

“[Jones] was a great story teller, and had the uncanny ability to make history come alive,” Free said.

Free said his first memory of Jones was during a graduate class of medieval history when Jones walked in the room, picked up a piece of chalk and hand drew a complete map of Europe. The class was in awe.

Many students will say that no one could tell a story like Jones could.  He didn’t just teach history. He lived history.

After serving in the United States Marine Corps, Jones hopped on a bike and began an 18-month trip around the world. He eventually traded in biking for hitchhiking, traveling through 22 countries and four continents.

“He was one of the most passionate and inspiring professors I’ve had. He’s the kind of professor you’ll tell your future children about,” said Sarah Dean, a senior sociology major.

Students aren’t the only ones who will remember Jones fondly. He influenced his colleagues equally as much.

Neil White, professor of sociology, pulled out a long piece of paper that had Jones’ handwritten version of the Civil War on it.  It was a gift for White’s son.

“He cared so much about his students,” White said.

When a lot of people think of ULM, they think of Jones.

He was like Mr. ULM…or Dr. ULM according to White.

“He spoke the truth,” White said. ”He was above the “games,” and there was no guessing with him.”

Dressed in a denim graduation gown, Jones walked into his history 112 class on the first day of the semester, throwing candy out of a prosthetic leg. The “Rocky” theme was playing in the background.

During the 2011 University Mile, Jones could be seen throwing candy from the same leg while being pulled in a cart by his graduate assistant.

Landon LeJeune even intentionally took the wrong history class and later had it subbed for his check sheet, just so he could have Jones as a teacher.

“[Jones] also had a respect for literature, and he preferred to do as many things as ‘old-fashioned’ as possible,” said LeJeune, a ULM alumnus. “This was the first time since junior high that I actually had to turn in a hand-written book report.”

One semester, Jones asked one of his classes to write a poem to read to him.

It was the Ides of March, and they gathered outside of Stubbs for the reading.

Lyndsey Floyd, now a ULM alumna, chose to write her poem about Jones.

An excerpt from Floyd’s poem:

“That Jones sure is a funny man. 
And he makes things easy to understand. 
He dances around; sometimes he sings, 
just to stress exactly what he means…”

It is apparent that Jones left behind a trail of memories, stories and admirers- all coming together to create the huge legacy that can be summed up with just his name.

White said the most prominent legacy Jones probably left behind was the theory that “story-telling is still the best method of teaching.”

With the countless recollections of stories Jones told that took over Facebook and other social media just hours after the news of his passing occurred, how could that theory be denied?

The students may not remember the semester they took the class, the grade they got or the amount of homework they were given.

But they will always remember the teacher.

The Maroon team came away with a 17-7 victory over the White team in the annual Maroon and White spring football game on Saturday at Malone Stadium.

Head coach Todd Berry used the game as an opportunity to evaluate the younger players on the roster, holding many of his starters out of the game.

“We had a lot of guys that didn’t play because I’ve seen them play enough and, quite honestly, I needed to see how some other guys were going to handle some things,” Berry said.

With Browning on the sidelines, sophomores Brayle Brown and Earnest Carrington got the chance to take the reins of the offense.

It was Carrington who stood out, connecting with Rashon Ceaser on a 65-yard touchdown bomb in the second quarter.

“I love throwing deep balls,” Carrington said. “That’s my forte.”

The White team scored its only touchdown on a 34-yard interception return by cornerback Rob’Donovan Lewis.

The Maroon team also scored on a four-yard Nathan Meadors touchdown run and a 40-yard field goal from Justin Manton.

SCIONEAUX CLEARED TO RETURN

The Warhawks received a welcomed surprise when sophomore tight end Harley Scioneaux announced he has been cleared to return to the team.

Scioneaux has been battling cancer all semester, undergoing treatment in his hometown of Reserve, La.

“I had gone down there thinking I was going to have to have surgery so once I got the news I wanted to show up at practice and surprise them,” Scioneaux said.

Scioneaux’s teammates have been holding fundraisers since January to help raise money for his medical bills, including selling #TeamCNO bracelets at the Maroon and White game.

“Harley has been a true inspiration to not just the team but to an old 52-year old coach,” Berry said. “I couldn’t have handled this as well as he has.”