Ashley Thompson: DM Emcee Extraordinaire

Name: Ashley Thompson
Year: 2013
Major: Theatre
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Relationship Status: Taken

What made you want to try out for DM emcee?
I love DM a lot- it’s a part of who I am-and I knew I had the energy and the enthusiasm to do it.  It was really important for me to keep people going and I felt I had that motivation.  When [co-emcee] Ned Baker, who has directed me in two shows since I’ve been at Northwestern, mentioned his interest and how it was something he wanted to do in his time here, we both realized we had the urge and decided to try out together this year.
 
Can you explain the application process?
You first apply with your video and then get called back to essentially emcee your interview.  One of the tasks they had us do was motivate the exec members using only the words hippopotamus and blueberry.  They asked us to interview fake guests.  They asked us how we would calmly handle an emergency situation. They told us we would be called back sometime before 8 am the next day, and we got called at 3 am. It was basically a test of if we could be energized.
 
What was one of  your favorite parts of this experience?
We spent from 9 am to 7pm one day filming the six videos of us they showed throughout DM.  My favorite video by far was our ninja kickoff video.  Both Ned and I are trained in stage combat, so we got together a bunch of our friends who were really awesome, and we shot a fight sequence trying to get to DM and being attacked by ninjas.  It was so much fun. 
 
How did you manage to keep your energy up the entire time?
Being an emcee is so much easier than dancing or being on a committee; you are able to see everything going on in the tent and can pull energy from all those other people.  It was the fastest dance marathon I’ve ever been a part of. 
 
How did you prepare yourself leading up to the event?
Leading up to DM, I told myself I would exercise but really all I did was not drink caffeine the week of.  I was also in bed at nine every night, so I got a good 10-11 hours of sleep each night leading up to the event.
 
What was your greatest takeaway from being a DM emcee?
Basically, hosting a huge party with your best friend that benefits kids.  There is no losing in that situation at all.