In 2024, wanting to share the experience of being a police chief with more children, Sheryl Victorian utilized her knowledge of playwriting to publish a children’s book inspired by the community of Waco.

For many individuals, art becomes more than just an expression — it’s a lifeline.

The tires of a black Hummer screeched to a stop. With The Black Keys blaring, three men stepped out of the truck and onto an unorthodox stage that would host their impending performance. The audience watched as the alley behind Schmaltz’s Sandwich Shoppe in downtown Waco set the scene for an act from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

Three years later, two of those audience members will bring the work of Shakespeare to different locations around Waco in the series “Shakespeare on Location.” Arlington senior Amy Dale is one of the four students who applied and was chosen for this semester’s Advanced Directing class at Baylor.