'Mount Pleasant by Night' creates acting outlet
Central Michigan University's registered student organization Mount Pleasant by Night "creates games of grim fairytales with tortured refugees that are a little bit insane," graduate student Nicholas Farrant said.
The Novi native said when he first came to Central Michigan University in 2009, he was wandering on campus when he spotted a few people dressed in vampire costumes and became interested in what they were doing.
"In high school, I participated in drama, and I really like the creative horror that the games encompassed. And, when they come together to tell a fully detailed story I think it's really neat," Farrant said.
MPbN consists of a diverse group of members that meet to play different games with characters including vampires, ghosts, wizard-figures and werewolves.
MPbN President Jeremy Sullivan said the fantasy and tabletop role play-inspired RSO is here for students to be theatrical.
"It's cool because the storytellers don't even know where the story could be going," the Grant senior said. "I guess it's kind of impromptu, you could say."
Sullivan said the live action role playing members create their own characters to play in the games and to encourage out-of-the-box situations for interaction between the other participants.
Besides meeting here on campus, MPbN travels to Grand Rapids, Detroit and the organization itself is globally known.
"There is a sense of community I feel from the role playing," Farrant said. "It also gives me the cure to the acting buzz I have always wanted to feel."
MPbN welcomes new members and encourages students to come out at all times. Sullivan said every time they meet, they debrief everyone on what has been going on in the games and where each character stands.
Graduate student Aaron Jiskra just recently joined MPbN and said he likes the concept of making things up on the go.
"It gets me out to socialize with people and provides that visual element you can't get from just a video game," the Mount Pleasant native said.
Sullivan said sometimes alumni even return to participate because they have missed the creative role playing.
"I think everyone has that little person in their head, that voice that's like, 'What if I could do this or act like this?' and you can explore yourself through the characters that reflect what's in your head," Farrant said.
