By HOLLY WEILEDER

Staff Writer

College students can make a difference.

Jonathan Jolly and Jessica Phillips, both senior theatre majors, are in the lives of young theatre members at the Strauss Theatre Young Troupe in Monroe.

Cathy Webb, director of the Young Troupe, contacted Mark Guinn, production manager for Tech's University Theatre and an associate professor of theatre, for help with teaching her young students stage combat.

"I personally could not fully commit," Guinn said. "So I asked some of my students if they could volunteer."

Guinn is a certified teacher and regional representative for the Society of American Fight Directors, and for the past month, he and a few of his students have been driving to Monroe to help with the Young Troupe's production of "Macbeth."

Guinn said he and his students have spent the time teaching Young Troupe a choreographed fight sequence with swords and shields.

"Mark asked me to do it, so I started this summer where we did a three-week workshop, with one week of stage fighting," Phillips said.

"This Young Troupe is one of the best programs of this nature that I've ever seen."

Barbara Leader, head of marketing and public relations for the Young Troupe, has nothing but good things to say about the Tech students.

"I have two kids in the program, and the Tech students are good kids who are willing to work with our children," Leader said.

Jolly said working with children is a lot different from working with college students.

"It has been interesting to try and figure out how to say things to these younger people after working with the college group for so long," Jolly said. "These kids are very eager to learn."

Joshua Branson, a member of the Young Troupe, was awaiting his turn to go onstage during dress rehearsal when he was asked his thoughts on the Tech students.

"It is fun, they teach us a lot, and it is cool to have the younger people here to work with us," he said.

Guinn said he hopes the effort from his students will continue with a good relationship between Tech and the Monroe troupe.

"Hopefully this will begin a long and wonderful collaboration between the Tech Theatre and the Young Troupe," Guinn said.

The Young Troupe has been working on "Macbeth" for the past five weeks, preparing for opening night Oct. 13. There are six scheduled performances.

For ticket information or more on the Young Troupe, contact Barbara Leader at 323-0474.

Tech's University Theatre is working on their fall production of "Man for all Seasons," opening at the end of the month.

For more information on the Tech theatre and their production times, contact Cherrie Sciro, coordinator of the University Theatre and an associate professor of theatre, at 257-2930.