Communication Club to Host “Night at the Museum”

Reminiscent of the popular movie “Night at the Museum,” great movie speeches will transcend the screen and come to life 7-8 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Ruth W. Towne Museum and Visitors Center.  

Communication students will portray speakers in an entertaining program. Approximately 25 students are involved in the project sponsored by the Communication Club (NCASC) in honor of Communication Week at Truman. At any given point about half of the students will be in character and will share what was rhetorically splendid in the speech at hand. This will allow the other student performers to move around and enjoy student speeches as well.  

The public is invited to meander through the museum in self-paced style, realizing that each student presentation is three to five minutes. Students will share brief insights about the characters, the rhetorical situation and will perform excerpts of the speeches.  

This is the seventh time that such an event has been organized at Truman, but the first time that the event has focused entirely on movie speeches. Barry Poyner, professor of communication, has agreed to perform his rendition of the Evil Emperor Palpatine from “Star Wars.”

Students are also invited to join the Communication Club. NCASC is committed to enriching the lives of undergraduate communication major and minors by promoting the study and application of communication principles through educational and social functions. Poyner serves as an advisor to the organization, the only NCA student club in the state of Missouri.

Those attending are encouraged to vote for the best portrayal based on dress, delivery of quotes, and understanding of character, rhetorical situation and rhetorical splendor. The event is free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Poyner at 660.785.4063.