Edited at 12:20 p.m.: The headline of this story was changed to reflect the actual amount of the Toyota Alumni Grant.
Two NKU students received a $2,000 Toyota Alumni Grant from the Governor’s School for the Arts to produce the pilot of “It Takes Two,” a situational comedy following the lives of two college students and the shenanigans they get into.
The pilot is being directed by Terrance McCraney, a junior acting major, and was written by Charles Sykes, a junior theater major. The two co-founded Showtime Liaisons Entertainment, the production company behind “It Takes Two.”
McCraney said that what makes this production unique is that the cast and crew is made up entirely of students. They’ve gotten theater students to act and electronic media and broadcasting students to work the cameras and lights and to edit it all together.
Hector Diaz-Morales, EMB major and crew member, said, “I like how it’s going so far,” explaining that he thinks McCraney is doing a really good job pulling everything together and the actors seem to be coming together well.
Garth Whitaker, theater major and production manager for “It Takes Two,” said that the show has been in the works since last spring, when Whitaker, McCraney and Sykes, who are all good friends, were sitting around and came up with the idea.
“It’s something that we had talked about for a while,” Whitaker said, saying that it all just came together when they started working on it. “This has been the most stressful yet rewarding experience of my life. There is so much to do.”
“It Takes Two” is not all that Showtime Liaisons Entertainment is involved in though. They also have their own music group, called the L7evens. Whitaker is involved as one of their rappers, as is Sykes. McCraney is both a singer and a songwriter for the group.
The L7evens have one mixtape out right now, showcasing the talents of McCraney (performance alias of “Emmit Jay”) and Sykes (performance alias of “Cali Skyz”). The mixtape, entitled “Act I: The Voiceover” may be found online.
For more information about Showtime Liaisons Entertainment and their works, visit their website.
