The Broadway Players and Broadway Playhouse Kids will perform a joint production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

“This is a classic play, but we are performing the 1994 adaptation by John Mortimer,” said Director and Mount Pleasant resident Mike Meakin. “This particular recreation was originally made for the Royal Shakespeare Company in England.”

The production will take place following two weekends at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and one more show at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online at friendsofthebroadway.org or at the theater box office, 216 E. Broadway St.

The show tells a story of man named Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taken on a journey of self-redemption in an attempt to save his future and to become a happier man himself. Upon the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is taken by three spirits visit him and show him his own Christmas past, present and future. The journey shows him the importance of caring for others and being kind.

“The show is a great way to bring the entire family together,” said Beaverton freshman James Campbell. “It’s a great way to set the mood for the Christmas season, and we have two or three entire families in the show, so it makes the holidays interesting for people both watching and participating in the show.”

As the play is a community theater production, so having full rehearsals can be a logistics nightmare because the cast has so many people, Meakin said. Production on the show began early September for Meakin.

With show time looming, Campbell said he is feeling the nerves of a big production.

“It’s different because it’s not like the normal play,” he said. “We are incorporating a lot of music, and its different for me because I have never done a show where everyone else is speaking in accents, acting like they are from another time for the entire show. So it makes it harder for our job a lot harder to portray a convincing character.”

“We are hoping to break the pending record,” said Carly Mills, Central Michigan Life public relations intern and Orleans senior. “We hope that the Guinness Book of World Records will approve our record.”

The current collegiate record for the dance is 242 people performing the dance at one time. The dance will take place at 7 p.m. today in the Indoor Athletic Complex.

Thrill CMU is sponsored by Central Michigan Life, Moore Hall Television and Modern Rock 91.5.

Jeffrey Sell, a Clinton Township junior and a member of 91.5, said sponsoring the event will let students on campus hear and learn about the programs sponsoring the events.

“Thrill CMU is an interesting way for students to learn about different things at the school,” he said. “They get to try and break a record, which is cool.”

Get thrilling

Students need only their campus ID to participate. There will be food, prizes and contests for the largest hall attendance, largest fraternity or sorority attendance.

“I know a lot of students are pretty excited,” Mills said. “There have been decent turnouts for rehearsals. I’ve heard people are excited honoring Michael Jackson.”

There is a video link available at cm-life.com for students to learn the dance. Participants only have to dance for five minutes for the record to be made.

“I think this is something we could possibly break the record.” Mills said. This is a way to encourage other universities to try and break records as well. If people become interested in this event, they might want to attempt to break world records.”

Some students have shown interest in the event.

“I think this is a good way to portray Michael Jackson in a positive light,” said Midland freshman William Cynecki. “He has done a lot for pop culture and music today. It’s a good way for students to honor him.”

Sometimes, their only gratification is a simple “good morning.”

“My favorite part about this job has to be the seeing the students,” said Colleen Beltinck, an Isabella County Transportation Commission shuttle driver. “I like hearing the students, their conversations — it’s something I find interesting.”

The 10-year veteran has spent the last four years busing students between apartments and Lot 33 in the morning. Each morning, she greets her passengers with a “hello” and “good morning.” Some passengers walk by and greet her in return, but a few walk past without a word.

“I’m usually tired in the morning,” said Temperance junior David Fernandez, who uses the ICTC system. “I’m just trying to get from point A to point B, but it’s always nice to hear a polite gesture. It tends to brighten your day.”

Early conversations

The ICTC is the primary bus system throughout Isabella County. The busing fleet has 40 vehicles and employs 86 people.

Although Beltinck said she may not be able to see many a variety of people, she said the college students tend to have their own unique personalities and lifestyles. Over the years, only one passenger has really tried to get to know Beltinck.

“It was nice having the conversation in the morning,” she said. “But I understand that students are tired in the morning and this is the most convenient way to get from campus to their homes.”

Some passengers do not think about talking to the drivers and pass it off simply as not breaking from their daily routines.

“To start speaking to someone you see every day and don’t really talk to, most people just get on the shuttle and walk toward the back,” Fernandez said.

In her time as an ICTC shuttle bus driver, Beltinck has seen the campus expand and the number of students increase. She said buses are a good way for students to get around.

“It makes getting around campus safer for the students and that’s why I’m here, to make things safer for the kids,” she said.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a lot on film and on stage.

“The show is a cult classic,” said event co-organizer and Cadillac junior Aaron Fent. “It’s about two people who are falling in love and their terrible luck. They become caught up in a crazy world when their car breaks down. Rocky Horror is not supposed to make a lot of sense, it’s just hilarious.”

The show is rehearsed for two days before the performances at 8 p.m. and midnight today and Saturday at the Broadway Theatre, 216 E. Broadway St. Tickets cost $4 per person at the door.

Ohio senior Kathryn Meyer, three-year veteran and co-organizer of the show, said the audience gets involved, which is unusual for theater. The audience sings along to the songs, yells lines from the movie and throws props onto the stage.

“The show is also different from live theater because I am not actually speaking,” Meyer said. “We are acting scenes out in front of the movie screen. It is just ridiculous, the movie is hilarious so it’s hard not to laugh while you’re on stage.”

Charlevoix senior and actor William Barrett said being part of the show is crazy and exhilarating because of the audience involvement.

He said people should know the show was written by a man who is transgender.

“The show is really out there,” Barrett said. “There isn’t a solid plot to the movie and there are transvestites and transgender characters in the movie, so it’s shocking the first time you see the show.”

Rocky Horror Picture Show is known for shows around Halloween, Fent said.

“So for many people this could be a new way of spending Halloween night instead of trick or treating, it’s a new way to spend that night with friends,” he said.

The assistant professor of English language and literature authored “Diminished Fifth,” a collection of poems inspired by his life.

It was something he has always dreamed of doing.

“Having my own work out in the world, letting people read my work is, in a way letting the work live, so it’s not hidden on a hard drive or in a notebook,” he said. “This is something that’s still so new, so overwhelming.”

Bean will be conducting a reading of his book at 8 p.m. today in Barber Room at Charles V. Park Library.

He said there are many different types of poetry in the book, with music as a larger theme. Several of the poems are based off of musical intervals.

For a long time, Bean wanted to be a professional musician and never imagined he would be an author and professor.

“That’s what this book shows, how life changes,” he said.

The writing process took six years, and Bean had no plan.

“The book is the end result, the culmination of many years of hard work,” he said.

Bean said he is looking forward to hearing critiques from colleagues and so far, the reactions have been positive.

Assistant Professor of English language and literature Robert Fanning said he holds a great deal of respect for Bean as a poet and teacher.

“Bean is in a great position in his life,” he said. “What I hope is that CMU students know how lucky they are to have a great poet in their midst’s and this book is evidence of his potential to be a great poet in his generation.”

Also serving as the launch for “Diminished Fifth,” the reading will mark the first time many of Bean’s colleagues will get a chance to hear, read and purchase the book.

“My English 101 teacher was telling us about Professor Bean and his book,” said Royal Oak freshman Michaela Garrett. “I’m intrigued to hear some of Professor Beans work because I like poetry and I find it interesting that a professor here at CMU is now a published author. This could be a great chance for others who like me, who are interested in poetry and find a new source of inspiration.”

Michigan’s University Fundraising License Program gives a portion of license plate sales back to the universities represented on the plates, which feature the university logo alongside the plate number.

The sale of plates has raised approximately $10.6 million for 15 universities across the state of Michigan since 2000, said Kelly Chesney, Secretary of State spokeswoman.

“The initial cost of a college license plate is $35,” she said. “So the year that the plate is purchased, $25 goes towards the school that the plate represents. Each year after that, the person who owns the plate pays their registration fee plus $10 and those $10 goes toward the fundraising program.”

As of June 30, there were 9.6 million college license plates in circulation and 43,745 of which are CMU license plates, Chesney said.

“Every year, the sales increase with the number of students who graduate and the number of students who enroll in school at CMU,” she said.

Money to alumni

The CMU license plate is the fourth most popular license plate, following Michigan State, the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University.

“The money that CMU receives goes toward the Alumni association,” said Mary Lu Yardley, executive director of Alumni Relations. “The money that we receive goes toward operations of the alumni. This includes publishing Centralight, a quarterly magazine that is sent out to 30,000 alumni every four months.”

The University Fundraising License Program was initiated by former Secretary of State Candice Miller in 2000. The plates became available for the public to purchase in September of that year.

The plates can be ordered at any time, but are most often ordered when the license plate registrations are up.

Chesney said the personalized plates can be ordered online, and citizens can check how the plate will look and its availability.