This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.
Joey Goldstein is a busy UMass Student. He majors in Communication, plays and referees intramural sports, volunteers at the Amherst Cinema and, if that wasn’t enough for a senior he is also involved with Not Ready for Bedtime Players. Not Ready for Bedtime Players (if you for some odd reason don’t remember…) are the hysterical sex-ed skits presented at oreintation for incoming students and throughout the year in the dorms. Joey’s been involved with this incredible group for 3 years and worked at summer orientations for the past 2. Every Wednesday they get together and educate UMass students about sex and making safe decisions through skits that will make you laugh but more importantly think. Here’s a little more about your campus celeb Joey and Not Ready for Bedtime Players! (P.S. Ladies, Joey is single!)
Tell us the story behind NRBP
NRBP started in 1988 as part of ?The AIDS Follies?. That wasbasically a UMass theater project about the AIDS crisis. Over the years the group has moved on to a wider range of topics that address health issues impacting the university community. We have all kinds of skits that focus on topics like gender, sexuality, substance use, relationship violence and sexual health (just to name a few). Our goals as a troupe are to educate the campus to think about sexuality and to encourage students to make safe decisions. We also want people to laugh and have a good time.
Is it funded or just based on volunteering?
We are backed by the Center for Heath Promotion, which is a branch of University Health Services at UMass. However, all of the NRBP members do this voluntarily. We don’t get paid to perform for everyone during the school year. Regardless of our jobs and busy school schedules, we all find a way dedicate our time every Wednesday to give the best performance possible to our peers.
Do other schools have NRBP, or is it strictly at UMass?
As far as I know, we are the only school that has this group set up. I know other schools have a peer health program for students to get their information, but I think we are one of the only schools that actually has a theater group to help promote those issues. We have done some shows outside of UMass and from the feedback we get it sounds like more schools want to try and begin a program like NRBP.
Why did you decide to get involved in the program?
I first saw the troupe perform at my Freshmen orientation and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to be a part of it. The opportunity to perform in font of sometimes hundreds of students and make them laugh seemed like a great idea. So I tried out Freshman year and actually did not make it. I decided to give it another try Sophomore year and made the troupe. I also think that having an organization like NRBP on campus is extremely important because so many people are uneducated when it comes to some of the topics we discuss. I know when I first joined the group I learned so much that I knew nothing about coming into college.
What was the process like to become part of the team?
The process is actually pretty simple. We have auditions at the beginning of the school year and from there we narrow the field down to 15 or so who come back for a call back. At the first auditions we usually bring in anywhere from 30-50 people who want to join the group. After call backs we spend a few hours as a troupe discussing who we think would be the best fit for our group. We look for people who can represent not only the group, but the campus in a positive way.
What’s the most important message behind NRBP?
I think that the most important message behind NRBP is to make safe and smart decisions. College can be overwhelming and sometimes making the “right” decision can be a tough one. We want to help everyone understand that it isn’t as tough as you think. People may think they are educated about the topics we discuss but we find that in most cases people leave our shows knowing much more than they did when they first walked in. Another thing we do is give the students information about places they can go on campus to get more information such as the center for health promotion, the Stonewall Center and the Center for Women and Community.
Where would you like to see the program go after you graduate?
I graduate in May and I know this program is going to continue to head in a positive direction. I do not think that the students here at UMass realize how valuable this group can be to them. We see ourselves as leaders on this campus because of the messages we help send to students.It would be pretty cool to see other schools put together a program like this because not only is it great for the school, but being part of it is so much fun.
Plans for after graduation
No idea. I am a communications major so the field itself is pretty broad. I want to have some connection with sports though whether that be through broadcasting for a team or network, marketing or public relations for a specific team o something else that can keep me connected to the sports world.
You can check out our Facebook page as well as our website for more information. We perform on Wednesday nights at 8:00 at dorms all over campus and if you want to book a show email us at nrbp@uhs.umass.edu. Come out to a show sometime and see the funniest (and sexiest) group on campus. We give out free condoms… how can you not want to watch us?