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(11/17/08 1:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sally Bowles, an English woman scantily clad in black lingerie and knee socks a mile high, performs a soulful number. “Mama thinks I’m living in a convent in the southern part of France,” she belts.Welcome to the cabaret.There might not be cabarets in Bloomington, but the Buskirk-Chumley Theater was transformed into one this weekend. The student-run production of “Cabaret,” presented by Union Board, brought a scandalous and moving musical show to town.Joe Masteroff wrote the musical “Cabaret,” and it premiered on Broadway in 1966. It was made into a feature film starring Liza Minelli in 1972. Now IU students have made it something all their own and have brought a bit of Broadway to Bloomington.Set in Berlin during the Weimar Republic and the Nazi party’s rise to power, “Cabaret” revolves around the love affair between Bowles, portrayed by sophomore Julia Mosby, and young American writer Cliff Bradshaw, portrayed by junior John McLaughlin.Cliff moves to Berlin to find inspiration for his next novel. He sees Sally perform at the Kit Kat Klub, they fall in love, but things suddenly go down hill. Sally learns she is pregnant, and Nazi control threatens their ideal life in Berlin. Senior Sarah Kiperman played Cliff’s German landlady Fraulein Schneider, who falls in love with the Jewish Herr Schultz, played by freshman Matt Birdsong.Kiperman sang a solo song “So What?” and teamed up with Birdsong to sing the duets “It Couldn’t Please Me More” and “Married.”“It was good,” junior Katie Strandlund said. “They have amazing voices.”The stage was adorned with tables and chairs to give the stage the cabaret atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub. Several structured thresholds, adorned with light bulbs, set the stage. The stage band sat behind the set decorations and started the action with jazz numbers. The show began with the song “Wilkommen,” a performance by the Emcee, freshman Ethan Carpenter, and all the Klub staff. Sally catches the eye of Cliff with the song “Don’t Tell Mama,” accompanied by the women of the Kit Kat Klub. “The young man who played the lead was absolutely incredible,” said Bloomington resident Wendy Corning. “I thought it was fabulous ... amazing talent for such young people.”The Union Board presents a musical or dramatic production each year. Past productions included “Godspell” and “Once On This Island.” After proposing the idea to Union Board to put on “Cabaret” last semester, director Emma Strauss and choreographer Esther Widlanski have been working on the production ever since. After weeks of rehearsals, it all came together on Friday night.“I am very happy with it,” Strauss said after the show. “The actors really came into their characters.”Alexa Lopez, the show’s producer and Union Board’s performing arts director, heard many comments about how the content of the show is relatable to today. “The turnout was phenomenal,” Lopez said. “This really does fit with the times now.”
(11/13/08 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The image of Liza Minelli dressed in black, complete with bowler hat and garters, dancing seductively across a stage might not resonate with college students today, but it most likely did in 1972 when Minelli starred in the film version of the Broadway musical “Cabaret.”This weekend, minus Minelli, a group of students will put their hard work to the test when they premiere their production of “Cabaret” at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Friday.The musical is based on novelist Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories” and John Van Druten’s play “I Am a Camera.” The play is set in Berlin in the years during Hitler’s rise to power. The musical’s lead character is Sally Bowles, an English cabaret performer at the local Kit Kat Klub.She falls in love with American writer Cliff Bradshaw. Cliff and Sally’s relationship is tested by the threatening environment that surrounds them. The musical also focuses on the romantic relationship between Bowles’ German landlady, Fraulein Schneider, and Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor.“I think it’s so pertinent today. ... People at the time were looking for someone to follow,” senior and director Emma Strauss said.Strauss, who has stage-managed “Godspell” and “Once On This Island” in previous years for Union Board, was looking for a show to put on in 2008. The show’s choreographer, Esther Widlanski, suggested “Cabaret,” Strauss said. Usually a fan of straight plays, Strauss found a connection to “Cabaret” because it deals with heavier issues, such as sexuality and the rise of Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler.Strauss and Widlanski came up with the idea last year and proposed it to Union Board at the end of March. They formed a production team of 19 and began work over the summer. The team held two days of general auditions in which students were asked to perform a vocal piece and a contemporary monologue.Sophomore Julia Mosby will hold the lead role of Sally and junior John McLaughlin will play Cliff. Freshman Ethan Carpenter will portray Emcee, the man who oversees the action at the risque Kit Kat Klub. Senior Sarah Kiperman and freshman Matt Birdsong will portray the doomed couple of Schneider and Schultz. Men and women of the Kit Kat Klub will back up the main players on stage.“It’s a young cast, but they have so much energy,” Strauss said.The cast of students has been busy in rehearsals for weeks.“They are so excited about it. It’s infectious,” said senior Julie Singer, Union Board representative and one of the show’s assistant producers.The musical is divided into two acts, with 12 scenes in Act I and eight scenes in Act II. There will be 16 dance and/or vocal numbers throughout the performance. The show is estimated to run for about two hours, including an intermission, Strauss said.“For Union Board, it’s a great way to reach students that we might not otherwise reach with our programs,” Singer said.Strauss was able to fill in a lot of the holes of the musical by reading the play. She also researched cabaret performers, learned about sexuality and just finished assistant directing “The Diary of Anne Frank” for Cardinal Stage Company.“The show is scandalous, but not trashy,” Strauss stressed.Strauss wants to focus on what people wanted out of a cabaret performance of the time and the artistic message of the musical.“Smut is not what ‘Cabaret’ is about,” Singer said. “It’s about being provocative and coming to terms with the times.”Senior Quinto Ott is designing the costumes and junior Zach Miller-Frankel is musical director.“He’s done a really great job,” Strauss said of Ott. “We’ve all been working really well together.”The student-run production has received support from the IU Department of Theatre and Drama and local drama centers. They’ve also received advertising through Bloomington’s Beth Shalom Congregation and support through academic departments on campus.Alexa Lopez, Union Board Performing Arts director and one of the show’s assistant producers, said she thinks the show will have a good turnout. “People are really interested in this, and I think it’s great,” Lopez said.
(11/13/08 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The image of Liza Minelli dressed in black, complete with bowler hat and garters,dancing seductively across a stage might not resonate with college students today, but it most likely did in 1972 when Minelli starred in the film version of the Broadway musical “Cabaret.”This weekend, minus Minelli, a group of students will put their hard work to the test when they premiere their production of “Cabaret” at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Friday.The musical is based on novelist Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories” and John Van Druten’s play “I Am a Camera.” The play is set in Berlin in the years during Hitler’s rise to power. The musical’s lead character is Sally Bowles, an English cabaret performer at the local Kit Kat Klub.She falls in love with American writer Cliff Bradshaw. Cliff and Sally’s relationship is tested by the threatening environment that surrounds them. The musical also focuses on the romantic relationship between Bowles’ German landlady, Fraulein Schneider, and Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor.“I think it’s so pertinent today. ... People at the time were looking for someone to follow,” senior and director Emma Strauss said.Strauss, who has stage-managed “Godspell” and “Once On This Island” in previous years for Union Board, was looking for a show to put on in 2008. The show’s choreographer, Esther Widlanski, suggested “Cabaret,” Strauss said. Usually a fan of straight plays, Strauss found a connection to “Cabaret” because it deals with heavier issues, such as sexuality and the rise of Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler.Strauss and Widlanski came up with the idea last year and proposed it to Union Board at the end of March. They formed a production team of 19 and began work over the summer. The team held two days of general auditions in which students were asked to perform a vocal piece and a contemporary monologue.Sophomore Julia Mosby will hold the lead role of Sally and junior John McLaughlin will play Cliff. Freshman Ethan Carpenter will portray Emcee, the man who oversees the action at the risque Kit Kat Klub. Senior Sarah Kiperman and freshman Matt Birdsong will portray the doomed couple of Schneider and Schultz. Men and women of the Kit Kat Klub will back up the main players on stage.“It’s a young cast, but they have so much energy,” Strauss said.The cast of students has been busy in rehearsals for weeks.“They are so excited about it. It’s infectious,” said senior Julie Singer, Union Board representative and one of the show’s assistant producers.The musical is divided into two acts, with 12 scenes in Act I and eight scenes in Act II. There will be 16 dance and/or vocal numbers throughout the performance. The show is estimated to run for about two hours, including an intermission, Strauss said.“For Union Board, it’s a great way to reach students that we might not otherwise reach with our programs,” Singer said.Strauss was able to fill in a lot of the holes of the musical by reading the play. She also researched cabaret performers, learned about sexuality and just finished assistant directing “The Diary of Anne Frank” for Cardinal Stage Company.“The show is scandalous, but not trashy,” Strauss stressed.Strauss wants to focus on what people wanted out of a cabaret performance of the time and the artistic message of the musical.“Smut is not what ‘Cabaret’ is about,” Singer said. “It’s about being provocative and coming to terms with the times.”Senior Quinto Ott is designing the costumes and junior Zach Miller-Frankel is musical director.“He’s done a really great job,” Strauss said of Ott. “We’ve all been working really well together.”The student-run production has received support from the IU Department of Theatre and Drama and local drama centers. They’ve also received advertising through Bloomington’s Beth Shalom Congregation and support through academic departments on campus.Alexa Lopez, Union Board Performing Arts director and one of the show’s assistant producers, said she thinks the show will have a good turnout. “People are really interested in this, and I think it’s great,” Lopez said.
(11/11/08 1:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Faca amor nao faca guerra.”Make love not war, reads a graffiti-covered backdrop. A painted dove with an olive branch protests the war and violence.No, it’s not 1968, and students aren’t protesting the war in Vietnam, but the memories of that era were in the air at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater during “Singing for Social Justice: 1968’s Legacy in the Americas,” a music-filled show Sunday evening.The Latin American Music Center, Latino Studies Program, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the African American Arts Institute presented the show as a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of 1968. The show served as a link between the mentality of the time and today.Starting off with a short video clip displaying a student rally in Mexico in 1968, the show then segued into clips from the television documentary “1968 with Tom Brokaw.” The audience heard Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” say: “The country as a whole had a much more shared conscious than now.”The singers and musicians performed 12 songs throughout the two-hour concert. Professor Anya Peterson Royce started off each song with a reading of original poetry relating to the subject matter of the song and time.Singers Krista Detor and David Weber opened the show with the song “Abraham, Martin, and John,” with Detor on piano and Weber on guitar. Written in 1968 by Dick Holler and first recorded by Dion, the song pays tribute to heroic leaders Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. Images of these men flashed across the screen during the song, adding a visual element for the audience.Next, vocalist Yuriria Rodriguez, with Omar Ruiz-Oliver on percussion, performed “Me Gustan los Estudiantes,” which translates to “I Sympathize with the Students.” Written by Violeta Parra from Chile, the song emphasizes the power of student activism against the status quo.Other songs included an instrumental performance of John Coltrane’s song, “Alabama” by the Luke Gillespie Quartet; Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier” sung by Curtis Cantwell Jackson; “Calice,” written by Chico Buarque and Gilberto Gil of Brazil; and “Universal Soldier,” sung by Detor and Weber.Audience member and graduate student Sarah Dillard said the song “Calice” was her favorite.“I really enjoyed the poetry as well,” she said.Lyrics accompanied the images to songs not in English so the audience could understand the context. Vocalists Hallie Orgel and Priscilla Borges also sang, and members of the Latin American Popular Music Ensemble backed up the vocalists.The evening ended with a performance of John Lennon’s song “Imagine.”The piece, arranged by Paulo Dias, was a duet between Detor and Jackson. They were backed by Weber on guitar, Dias on piano, Guido Sanchez on bass and Ben Fowler on percussion.Audience members were encouraged to sing along to the last verse of the song. The entire theater joined in unison as the house lights went up.“It was heart-filling, and I just felt tears of joy as we all sang along to ‘Imagine,’” Bloomington resident Julianna Capshew said afterward. Capshew expressed her feelings of hope since Barack Obama’s election and said she thought the show displayed not only what we have overcome, but what we have yet to accomplish.Jodi Pfingston, a professor at Ivy Tech, said she and Capshew came to see their friend, vocalist Priscilla Borges, in the show.“I thought it was powerful using the poetry and images,” Pfingston said.Pfingston expressed how hard it must have been for teachers to see their students shipped off to war. As a professor, she related with a particular image that showed a banner for Teachers Against the Vietnam War.“I thought that was really touching,” she said.
(11/10/08 12:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Sing it brother,” shouted an audience member. With hands raised toward the sky in praise and bodies grooving to the beat, audience members got down to soulful music and a night of full entertainment Saturday. The African American Arts Institute presented “Potpourri of the Arts” on Saturday evening at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. It marked the 15th anniversary of the event, which was established in 1993 by the Institute. The event is a chance for the Institute’s three ensembles, IU Soul Revue, African American Dance Company and African American Choral Ensemble, to highlight their artistic styles in a range of performances. The theme for this year’s event was “Looking Back – Pressing Forward” which signifies a nod to the roots of African American arts while incorporating new styles into the mix.As the hands on the clock ran past the 8 p.m. start time, the Buskirk-Chumley’s packed house anxiously awaited the start of the show.Microphones lined the stage for IU Soul Revue vocalists, who were set to take the stage first. Outfitted in coordinated apparel, the men and women of IU Soul Revue entered the stage dancing from the wings to perform their first number, “Flashlight,” by Parliament/Funkadelic. The performers got the crowd moving as they encouraged audience members to stand up and clap their hands.Other songs they performed included a soulful rendition of “Got To Get You Into My Life” as performed by Earth, Wind & Fire; “Ladies Night” by Kool and the Gang, where men and women of the Soul Revue took turns belting it out at the microphone; and “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan, a song performed by the Soul Revue women for the ladies in the audience.Nathanael Fareed Mahluli directed the IU Soul Revue in its performance. Instrumentalists on trumpet, guitar, keyboard, bass, drums and three saxophones accompanied the vocalists.“I thought it went great,” said senior Terrilyn Dennie, vocalist in the IU Soul Revue, after the show.Next up, the African American Dance Company took the stage with a solo performance by dancer Meghan McGuire. She danced to the song “Espiritu” by Funkadesi, which was choreographed by the company’s director Iris Rosa. The song reflected the roots of African dance and represented the “Looking Back” aspect of the event’s theme.The entire dance company wore tribal costumes of green, yellow or red. Adorned with bells on their feet and wrists, the dancers wore costumes that highlighted their individuality.The second half of the dance company’s performance was an ode to theme “Pressing Forward.” The entire company danced to the songs “Elegba Rezo” by Emilio Barrento and “Jacob’s Ladder” (Nu Yorican Dub) by IncognitoSet. Rosa and members of the company choreographed this portion, which received a rousing standing ovation from the audience.“I liked the dance company a lot,” audience member and IU alumna Lydia Martin said.The African American Choral Ensemble, directed by Keith McCutchen, was the last to perform. The almost 30-member chorus was accompanied by instrumentalists and a string orchestra. The group started out by singing “We’re Marching to Zion” and “It’s Me, It’s Me, It’s Me Oh Lord,” two spiritual pieces.An original piece by IU professor David Baker titled “Witness,” originally recorded for orchestra and solo voices, was sung by a full chorus for the first time. The choral ensemble’s two smaller groups also sang a song each. God’s Progress, which features men and women, performed “King of Kings” by Kevin Jarido and the all-female group Sojourner blew away the crowd with a soulful rendition of “Jesus,” arranged by McCutchen. The audience got into the performance of “Jesus,” clapping and swaying their hands.After the song, McCutchen addressed the audience. “It’s great to get the reception from you,” he said. “They’ve worked very hard. Can you tell?”The “Potpourri of the Arts” finale served as a collaboration point for all three ensembles. Members of the IU Soul Revue joined the African American Choral Ensemble in the stands for the performance of “Search Me Lord,” as recorded by Ricky Dillard. Dancers took the stage in 1940s-inspired costumes that added a focal point for the next song, “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima. Men from the IU Soul Revue joined the women of the African American Dance Company for this song, performing swing-dance moves that got the crowd on their feet.Audience member Lisa Marsh, whose daughter Sarah Hamang is a performer in the dance company, was pleased with the whole performance. “I thought it was fantastic,” Marsh said after the show.
(11/07/08 5:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The year 1968 was a turning point not only for America, but the world. It was the year that promising leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, backlash against the Vietnam War was strong and social activism raged. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of that turbulent and psychedelic year, the Latin American Music Center, Latino Studies Program, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the African American Arts Institute are sponsoring a musical show, “Singing for Social Justice: 1968’s Legacy in the Americas.” The groups hope the event will unite the Americas through song Sunday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.“The concert is truly international in scope and context,” research director Luis Gonzalez said. Performers will cover songs from the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Jamaica and more. Gonzalez became intensely involved in the events of 1968 when he was asked to help research the collection of posters exhibited on each floor of the Wells Library’s East Tower. In collaboration with Alfredo Minetti, the event’s creator and artistic director, the idea of the concert developed. Performers include Luke Gillespie, Krista Detor, Anya Peterson Royce, Curtis Cantwell Jackson, Yuriria Rodriguez, Paulo Dias, the Latin American Popular Music Ensemble and others. The topics covered in the music and performance range from civil rights and gender equality to anti-government and student movements.“The concert is not a political statement,” Minetti said. The performance is more about bringing back the memories of those years through musical expression, Gonzalez said.Some of the 15 songs performed include “Alabama” by John Coltrane, “Buffalo Soldier” by Bob Marley and “Me Gustan los Estudiantes” by Violeta Parra (Chile), which is a song focusing on student activism that is often considered the anthem of Latin American students, Gonzalez said. A slideshow of historical images will be projected onto the screen behind the performers to help give context to each song. Each song has its own slide. Professor Anya Peterson Royce will also read original poetry before each of the musical numbers. A professor of anthropology and comparative literature, Royce has been writing poetry for as long as she can remember. “It is a challenge to write poems that are compatible with the messages but which do not simply duplicate them,” Royce said in an e-mail. A student at Berkeley in 1968, Royce also experienced the student movement in Mexico, so it is something to which she can relate. “If the audience is moved by the performance to reflect on all the movements of the 1960s, the hopes and dreams of the people who pursued what often seemed impossible, if not life-threatening causes because they believed in a better, more just world for everyone, and perhaps to realize that we still have a way to go, then it will have been a great thing to have done,” Royce said in an e-mail. Even though we are living 40 years later, Gonzalez said he believes it is important to remember the past and the ideal of utopia reminiscent of 1968 and that era. “I believe today’s context is different ... but it’s important to bring back those beliefs,” Gonzalez said. ‘Singing for Social Justice: 1968’s Legacy in the Americas’When: 6 p.m. SundayWhere: Buskirk-Chumley TheaterMore Info: The show is free and open to the public.
(11/07/08 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Saturday, performers from the African American Arts Institute will come together for “Potpourri of the Arts,” an event that started 15 years ago and is a fusion of the three ensembles the African American Arts Institute encompasses. The institute, founded in 1974 by Herman Hudson, who started the African-American and African Diaspora Studies Department at IU, brings African American performance and art to the community.“Potpourri of the Arts” is an effort to bring the style and repertoire of the three ensembles together. The African American Dance Ensemble, IU Soul Revue – a popular soul music ensemble – and the African American Choral Ensemble comprise the institute. The theme of this year’s event, which takes place at 8 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, is Looking Back – Pressing Forward.“The students in the institute are very, very excited about this,” AAAI Executive Director Charles Sykes said.Each ensemble will perform for 20 minutes on its own, and then everyone will gather for the concert’s finale. The IU Soul Revue, directed by Nathanael Fareed Mahluli, will take the stage first on Saturday. Soul Revue is a male and female vocal ensemble accompanied by a horn line and rhythm section. The Revue combines an eclectic mix of soul and contemporary music into its performances, including selections from Earth, Wind & Fire and Kool and the Gang.The African American Dance Company will grace the stage next. Professor Iris Rosa, who has directed the company since 1974, is the main choreographer for the performance. This will be the dance company’s 35th concert to date. Like all ensembles, the dance company is a course offered through the school of African American Diaspora Studies for which students can audition.This semester, the company has 16 members. The performance will focus on experience and expression in a larger scope by looking at a whole spectrum of music, Rosa said. The dancers will perform to artists such as Funkadesi and Incognito, among others. The company may move in unison on stage, but the individual expression of each performer is what Rosa said she thinks makes the company appealing to the audience. For Rosa, however, her company’s performance isn’t just about dancing. They are getting an education on collaborating with technicians, lighting and technology. The performance is a visual text the viewer has to look beyond in order to see what the students are learning, Rosa said.“If people don’t look beyond and question what the students are doing, they’re missing the whole boat,” Rosa said.The African American Choral Ensemble will perform last before the grand finale. In his third year of directing the ensemble, Keith McCutchen is looking forward to the smaller groups of his ensemble polishing their image as performers. Sojourner, an all-female vocal group, and God’s Progress are two smaller groups within the choir. The group will perform “It’s me, It’s Me, It’s Me Oh Lord” and “We’re Marching to Zion,” which are two spiritual arrangements by Raymond Wise. Saturday will also serve as the premiere of “Witness,” a piece by Professor David Baker. This will be its first time performed by a full chorus.“He has meant so much to the Bloomington community, and it’s an honor for us to perform one of his works,” Sykes said about Baker. The choral ensemble will also perform an original piece by McCutchen titled “Comfort Ye/Oh Come All Ye Faithful.”“I’m looking forward to the whole performance. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said senior Max Tholenaar-Maples, a drummer in the ensemble.The finale of “Potpourri of the Arts” is collaboration between all three ensembles. It will cover a wide array of music and choreography. “This gives me an opportunity to really see the students work together,” Rosa said.
(10/20/08 2:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Does the image of actor Tim Curry in black lingerie and stilettos sound familiar? What about a young Susan Sarandon running around in her bra and underwear, while Riff Raff and Magenta sing and dance?It’s the “Rocky Horror Show,” and Frank N’ Furter, Brad, Janet and the whole gang are on stage in the musical production at the John Waldron Arts Center.The show centers on newly engaged couple Brad and Janet, portrayed by freshman Hayden Moore and sophomore Alana Cheshire, respectively. One stormy night, they get a flat tire, so Brad tries to locate the nearest residence so they can use the phone.They soon find themselves on the doorstep of transvestite Frank N’ Furter’s (senior Ryan Adam Wells) castle. On that particular evening, Frank is holding an erotic event for all his alien guests, who hail from the planet “Transsexual.” He unveils his new creation, a man named Rocky (local actor Robert J. Ping), and insanity ensues as he throws Brad and Janet into the mix.Before “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was a movie, creator Richard O’Brien wrote the campy, fun-filled show as a musical. It premiered on the London stage in 1973. Play director Russell McGee and Starrynight Productions are taking O’Brien’s creation back to its roots.One of the new changes to the production was the addition of live host and narrator Don “Wolfman” Chaney, portrayed by local actor Derrick Krober. Dressed in full wolf makeup, Krober roamed the stage and led the audience through the course of events, encouraging sarcastic remarks toward the actors.The show began with the initiation of audience members who were “virgins” to the show. The Wolfman asked three people to crawl through the “tunnel of love,” under the legs of actors dressed as phantoms.The Wolfman created an opportunity for the audience to interact with performers by offering fun packs for $3. The fun packs include a bag of rice, roll of toilet paper, squirt guns and a noisemaker. Squirt guns were popular during the performance to help douse Cheshire and Moore as they approached Frank N’ Furter’s castle.“The crowd is a lot more interactive tonight,” McGee said during intermission.A few other changes included the transformation of the song “Once in a While,” which was originally a solo, into a duet between Brad and Frank N’ Furter, and the addition of the song “Superheroes.”While there might have been minor problems with the sound at times, the singing and acting more than made up for it.Cheshire, in her performance as Janet, hit every note, even when distracted by three hecklers, who were part of the performance.The phantoms danced on the stage with black and neon costumes and makeup.With wild hair and makeup, Danielle Sacks, as Magenta, started the production with a performance of the song “Science Fiction/Double Feature.”Wells, who played Frank N’ Furter the transvestite host, donned a black corset, lingerie, fishnets and stilettos. His performance was similar to Curry’s original.In addition to the main characters, the actors who played Columbia, Dr. Scott, Eddie, Magenta, Riff Raff and Rocky gave performances that rounded out the offbeat cast of characters.Ping, who played Rocky, said the last couple of performances have gone well.“Tonight’s audience was fantastic,” he said. “Everybody’s just done a really great job.”The audience is also encouraged to dress up for the performance, heckle the actors and get in on the action.“I really hope more people will come out,” said. “We want this to be a big, fun event and we want this to be a destination for the Halloween season.”
(10/14/08 2:24am)
The Indiana Daily Student sat down with entertainer Jamie Kennedy to
discuss his comedy, what inspires him and how he sees the world.
Kennedy, well-known for his roles in “Scream,” “Scream 2,” “Malibu’s
Most Wanted” and his hit show “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” is now
taking his stand-up across the country on a mission to make people
laugh.
(10/14/08 2:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jamie Kennedy comedy performanceWhen: 7 and 9:30 p.m. todayWhere: Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.More info: Tickets are $20 for reserved seating.Actor Jamie Kennedy brought the role of horror-movie geek Randy Meeks to life 12 years ago in the hit slasher movie “Scream.” But now he does not consider himself to be strictly an actor. He’s an entertainer, and he’s bringing his stand-up comedy to Bloomington today at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.The show was originally scheduled to take place Oct. 9, but was postponed several times because of scheduling conflicts with the filming of “Ghost Whisperer,” A CBS show in which Kennedy is now a cast member.Nordic Productions, LLC, an Indianapolis-based production house, helped bring Kennedy to Bloomington for a show, in part sponsored by the Indiana Daily Student. “We liked the Buskirk-Chumley because of its location to IU as well with it being on the main strip of Kirkwood,” CEO of Nordic Productions Justin Libak said in an e-mail. Kennedy accepted the offer to come to Bloomington.“Basically, it’s a really good venue – a lot of people have played there,” Kennedy said. “They made me an offer, and I was like, ‘OK.’ I’ve heard it was a really good spot.”Kennedy will perform stand-up and show a clip from his comedy-documentary film “Heckler,” which was released in early September. “Heckler,” produced by Kennedy and directed by Michael Addis, follows Kennedy as he explores the world of hecklers (people who harass a public performer) and the entertainers who put up with them.As an entertainer, Kennedy considers himself to be everything. He draws inspiration for his comedy from everyday life and everyday people.“I don’t try to put myself in a box,” he said. A native of Upper Darby, Penn., Kennedy found his calling for entertaining others early.He discovered his love for acting at a basketball game at age 9. His team was losing, he got hit in the head and he pretended to be hurt by bursting out crying.He then started scoring points, and the other team didn’t mess with him after that. His team eventually won the game.In his sketch comedy show, “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment” on the WB (now known as the CW), Kennedy used his knack for characters to create hilarious, real-life situations for unsuspecting people caught on camera. B97, a Bloomington radio station, is promoting the show.“We thought it was kind of neat, because obviously we’re aware of his work,” said Sandy Zehr, vice-president and general manager of B97. “We thought our listeners and Bloomington would be interested in the event, so we got involved and helped promote the event.Along with his Bloomington show, Kennedy will stop in New Jersey, Florida, Michigan, Canada, California and Texas. Libak said he hopes Kennedy’s show will help bring more comedy to Bloomington.“People can expect a great show,” Libak said. “We are doing this not to make money but to bring comedy to Bloomington.”
(09/23/08 2:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mammoths once walked the Hoosier state, audience members at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater discovered on Sunday.The first part of “The Natural Heritage of Indiana” four-part series premiered on the big screen, revealing hidden aspects of Indiana’s natural past to moviegoers.In conjunction with WFYI, an Indianapolis station and PBS affiliate, the first part of the program premiered on the station Sunday night. However, the program, which received two local Emmy nominations, won’t air in Bloomington until November, filmmaker Samuel Orr said.Each school in the state will receive a copy of the series and curriculum, Professor Nelson Shaffer of the Indiana Geological Survey told the audience.As a Marion, Ind., native and the “Natural Heritage of Indiana” filmmaker, Orr studied biology during his time as an undergraduate at IU. Orr’s interest in film and his love for nature led him to his biggest project yet.Originally published in 1997 by Indiana University Press, “The Natural Heritage of Indiana” is a comprehensive book that chronicles the beauty of Indiana’s natural heritage and the problems troubling its environment.More than 40 authors contributed to the book and photographers added their images to this word and picture collection.Marion Jackson, professor emeritus of ecology at Indiana State University, compiled and edited the book. It was republished in 2007.Inspired by Jackson’s work, Orr decided to take on the task of using the 482-page book as a guide for the film series. Orr used these documentaries to make the mission of the book come to life, Jackson said to the audience during the question and answer session.To cover one chapter in the book would take more than a couple hours of film, Orr said, so he had to be selective. It took Orr and his team two and a half years to work on the series, during which time he traveled 20,000 miles without leaving the state.“There are all sorts of things tucked away in the nooks and crannies of Indiana,” Orr said.He went to every county in the state except two to find subject material. To collect 250 hours of material, Orr consulted with researchers, naturalists in state parks, bird watchers and Department of Natural Resources and State Park employees to find the perfect spots to capture nature at work.“You can’t schedule nature ... it just happens,” Orr said.To capture material such as blossoming flowers, butterflies coming out of cocoons and fish under water, Orr and his team used time-lapse cameras as well as underwater technology.Living in the woods for several years, Orr captured nature outside his front door by setting up seven still cameras and three video cameras on his property. It was a case of trial and error, Orr said.After a move to Seattle, Orr taught himself filmmaking by experimenting with film as a video editor and as a director. He created 16 mm short films.From there, he got sidetracked and started making nature documentaries, Orr said. His film documenting the 17-year cicada infestation of 2004 premiered last year.After the screening, Shaffer, who helped coordinate the event, gave his thoughts.“I thought the imagery was stirring in some cases. ... It is rendered in words that anyone can appreciate,” said Shaffer, who saw a lot of things that he never knew existed in Indiana.Kate Matthen, an assistant sales manager at Indiana University Press, attended the event to coordinate the sale of Jackson’s book as well as the book signing that took place afterward.“I’ve seen clips and have heard amazing things about it,” Matthen said regarding the series.
(09/17/08 3:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What better to do than to celebrate the spirit of Halloween night early?The Dark Carnival Film Festival, a festival that proves horror films aren’t just for viewing on Friday the 13th, will allow Bloomington residents to do just that.This week, the second annual film festival, presented by Cinephile Films Arts, will bring independent horror films to Bloomington from all over the world with the festival’s main kick-off event on Thursday at the Starlite Drive-In. After searching the Internet and MySpace for filmmakers far and wide, festival organizer David Pruett and his team spoke to about 300 to 400 filmmakers. They received 100 submissions that were cut down to the 40 chosen for screening, up from the 30 chosen for last year’s festival. “Already, just like in sheer number of films that we’re showing, we’re already as big or bigger than just about any other horror film festival in the country,” Pruett said.In its first year, the festival had a write-up in MovieMaker Magazine and garnered attention from international directors. “Our very first year ... we got films from Italy, from the U.K., from Canada,” Pruett said. “We even had filmmakers travel from all over, which was amazing for a first-year event that was put on basically by a bunch of students and ex-students.”The Buskirk-Chumley Theater serves as the main hub for screenings with some activities, such as the Horror Filmmaking Workshop with George Bonilla, taking place at the John Waldron Arts Center Rose Firebay on Sunday afternoon.Films shown on opening night include “Shut-Eye Hotel,” an animated short by Oscar-nominated animator Bill Plympton, and “Unearthed.” Celebrity guests will also make appearances throughout the festival. On Friday, festivities move to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater for an adults-only screening with actress Tiffany Shepis and the Hot Halloween Fashion Show. Also starting at midnight on Friday, bands Race Bannon and First Jason, featuring “Friday the 13th” star Ari Lehman, will perform at Uncle Fester’s. While the official start is Thursday, the Cinemat will also show films tonight.Pruett started a group on campus five years ago to promote independent filmmaking, and Pruett and the group were looking for a way to raise funds. Pruett and friend Arthur Cullipher, one of the festival’s producers, decided to take fundraising to the next level with a film festival. For the first time, the festival will also feature a question and answer panel discussion on the topic of women in horror. “All the monsters and the victims in ‘Suspiria’ are women,” said Joan Hawkins, panel member and IU film studies associate professor. “Despite all the violence this says something interesting about women, about what’s important to us.”Although the film might be violent and criticized as misogynistic, Hawkins believes it says something deeper about the connection among women.Following the panel, there will be a meet and greet with television horror host Sammy Terry at the Buskirk-Chumley. Later that day, Scholar’s Inn will hold a VIP banquet and awards ceremony for the filmmakers and guests. “What I’m most looking forward to is the banquet ... it’s kind of like the Oscars for Dark Carnival,” said Marv Blauvelt, local actor and the festival’s sponsorship coordinator.The festival also provides an atmosphere for networking and connections in the film industry.“Probably no less than about seven or eight new projects came out of last year’s festival from these guys sitting around talking, including a remake of a cult horror film called ‘Don’t Look in the Basement,’ which is going to be made here in Indiana,” Pruett said. The festival isn’t just for horror fans. “It’s kind of interesting, because it’s definitely a different flavor of films, you know,” Pruett said. “Sometimes independent horror films reflect what’s going on in Hollywood, and sometimes they reflect just the opposite.” The festival takes a broad approach to the term horror, so there is something there for everyone. “We don’t concentrate on slasher films,” Pruett said. “In fact, we have very few.”
(09/15/08 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Civic Theater presented its 109th production of its 23rd season this past weekend. Janice Clevenger, a founding member of the civic theater, and Sheila Butler, an active participant in and co-directer of the theater, directed William Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” As a part of the theater’s well-known Shakespeare in the Park series, this classic found its way onto the stage at Third Street Park. Despite a strong rain storm and tornado warning Friday that canceled the show, the production went on with its opening night on Saturday. In five acts, “Two Gentlemen of Verona” tells the story of two friends: Proteus, portrayed by new Bloomington resident Thomas Root, and Valentine, acted out by senior Brent Williamson. The play, however, is much more than that. It is a tale of treachery, deceit, feigned love and fickleness. If you’re not familiar with the works of Shakespeare, the plot line might be hard to grasp, but it’s a comical play that reveals the power of friendship and true love. The four leads give wonderful performances in their roles, and the main story line certainly captivates the audience with its twists and turns. The side plots of the servants which weave throughout the main story arc are comical and bring clarity to the events of the play. Cameron Butler, a student at Jackson Creek Middle School, brought life to Speed, Valentine’s servant. He jolted across the stage, and his quips about love and his master were entertaining. Butler brought a modern approach to the character of Speed. Actor Andy Alphonse, who played Launce, Proteus’ servant, also brought a modern approach to the stage with his comical performance. One scene in particular shows Launce and his dog Crab, portrayed by dog Daisy Heise. Launce gives a monologue about Crab’s seriousness and unwillingness to shed a tear, and his speech to Daisy was witty.“It was lovely,” said Bloomington resident and doctoral student Cindy Rogers, who brought her dog along to the play. Rogers said she thought her dog enjoyed the parts of the play that showcased two other dogs on stage.The performance showcased the many talents in Bloomington and was a great way to experience traditional outdoor theater while the weather is nice.Clevenger and Butler designed the intricate and authentic-looking costumes. Clevenger has costumed 85 productions for the civic theater.Bloomington resident Britney Bowen thought the play was well done even with such a young cast. “I thought it was very well done,” she said. “It was very hard to hear, however.”Although there are speakers to project the sound of the actors, audience members should sit close to the front so they can experience all the action up close. “I hope more people come to see it, and they’ll spread the word they saw,” Butler said.She said she also hopes for blue skies and sun after experiencing the rainstorm that washed out Friday’s performance.The production continues next week with performances at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is free, but donations are accepted at intermission.
(09/09/08 2:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Sunday night, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and Middle Way House welcomed the community to enjoy a night of opera at the theater. The 20th annual Night At The Opera is a fundraiser for Middle Way House, which provides support and shelter to victims and families of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Sylvia McNair, a two-time Grammy award-winning soprano and senior lecturer in voice at the Jacobs School of Music, performed throughout the evening. Distinguished lecturer of music in voice and world-renowned baritone Timothy Noble also performed, as did soprano Lisa Williamson and master’s students mezzo-soprano Erin Houghton and tenor Matthew Wells.Host George Walker of WFIU started the show with an introduction to the audience. “Give yourselves a hand,” Walker said, adding a reference to the abbreviation of the event’s title. “You are the largest group to ever attend a NATO summit.” Journalism professor and writer Peter Jacobi served as Master of Ceremonies. Local entertainer Joe Lee also added entertainment as a Groucho Marx impersonator. A one-time professional circus clown, Lee had a chance to hear McNair rehearse for the event. “It’s going to be a wonderful evening,” Lee said before the show.As a producer and performer, Williamson led the audience into the musical performance of the evening with an animated song that jokingly contemplated table arrangements for the dinner to follow. Williamson also performed “Hymn to the Moon” from Dvorak’s “Rusalka” and a comical “Adelaide’s Lament” from Frank Loesser’s “Guys and Dolls.”A Mansfield, Ohio, native, McNair received her Masters of Music from IU in 1983. Last night, McNair shared with the audience selections from George Gershwin, Frank Loesser and Leonard Bernstein. “I hope they have a good time, and they give a lot of money to the Middle Way House,” McNair said before the show, in reference to the audience. She added that the Middle Way House does a great thing for the community.Middle Way House has the promise of a $400,000 pledge from the Kresge Foundation, a foundation that supports communities by building nonprofit organizations, if they can complete their goal of raising $4.6 million by the year’s end. They are $350,000 away from reaching that goal, IU’s first lady Laurie Burns McRobbie said.In this two-act evening at the opera, McNair helped both begin and end the show. To start, she sang Gershwin’s “Summertime,” a sultry aria from the 1935 opera “Porgy and Bess,” and got toes tapping with the musical number “What A Movie!” from Bernstein’s “Trouble in Tahiti.”Up-and-coming opera performers Wells and Haughton performed numbers in between. Wells started with an aria from George Frideric Handel’s “Giulio Cesare” and Haughton followed with a performance of “Habanera,” a classic number from Georges Bizet’s “Carmen.” The two also didn’t miss a beat when they performed a duet of “O Happy We” from Bernstein’s “Candide.”During intermission, Walker and Lee announced the winners of the evening’s prizes, which included two season tickets to IU’s Theater, four tickets to a performance of Dresden Staatskapelle at the IU Auditorium and two CDs signed by Andre Watts.McRobbie presented a call to action in support of efforts underway at Middle Way House. A board member of Middle Way House, McRobbie is also a chair of the New Wings Community Partnership, a fundraising effort for Middle Way House that will help convert the old Coca-Cola building on South Washington Street into an emergency shelter in addition to their shelter on Kirkwood Avenue.“This is all about raising money for our emergency shelter, and we need that,” said Susan Lyons, coordinator for special events and communications at Middle Way House.In the second act, Noble took the stage to perform “Joey, Joey, Joey” from Loesser’s “The Most Happy Fella” and two heart-warming duets with friend McNair. The two performed the closing number, a beautiful rendition of Bernstein’s “Tonight” from “West Side Story.”“I thought everybody was terrific,” Noble said after the show, adding that a show is a success every time it receives a standing ovation.
(09/02/08 2:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Friday, Bloomington residents settled into the plush seats of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater for a celebration of culinary creation in support of fighting hunger in Monroe County.The second annual Bloomin-gton Chefs’ Challenge, the city’s version of the show “Iron Chef” and a fund-raiser for the Community Kitchen of Monroe County, showcased three chefs in an hour-long cook-off to see who could create the best dish.Alan Simmerman, prepared foods manager at Bloomingfoods and one of the three competing chefs, won the competition and went home with The Golden Spatula award. The Community Kitchen of Monroe County went home with about $10,000, which was $3,000 more than the kitchen raised last year, said Tim Clougher, the kitchen’s assistant director.SLIDE SHOW: Bloomington Chef's Challenge“I think it went very well,” Clougher said after the event. “People are really into the idea and being a part of it.”The stage was elaborately set and the theater transformed into a television show environment. Appetizers such as deviled eggs, salmon pate and white bean dip – all created by a variety of local chefs – were passed around before the show. Three long folding tables stood at the front of the stage, which served as workstations for the chefs. Behind the tables, the pantry displayed an assortment of products and produce provided by Bloomingfoods and local farmers. The judges overlooked everything from their table at the back of the stage.Food-related murals, created by Rhino’s Youth Center mural arts program, hung from the stage and added color. Attendees who purchased bistro seating tickets sat at five tables in the pit area of the theater. People in these seats got the chance to sample the chefs’ creations once they were finished.The crowd mainly consisted of Bloomington residents and adults, something audience member and Bloomington resident Anthony Blondin would like to change. To see a younger crowd at the event would have been great, Blondin said.Emcees Brad Wilhelm, David Coonce and Gregg “Rags” Raggo kept the audience entertained throughout the night with commentary and kicked off this year’s challenge. The secret ingredient was the mystery of the event, and it was revealed minutes before the first chef took the stage. This year, apples had to be incorporated in each chef’s dish. A brief history of apples was even shown to the crowd. Last year’s secret ingredient was sweet potatoes, said Wilhelm. After the ingredient was announced, an audience member excitedly yelled, “Let’s get it on.”Jake Brenchley, last year’s winner, was the first to start off the competition. Brenchley, who was joined by his sous chef Drew Nickless, told the audience he usually incorporates fruit into his dishes, which are a fusion of French and South African cuisine. Ten minutes later, crowd favorite and “Audience Choice” winner chef Alan Booze started the competition, accompanied by his sous chef Rafael DeLeon. Alan Simmerman and his assistant Mike Clarke were last to start.Each chef worked with pork in his main dish. The audience was told beforehand that apples usually go well with pork. There was shredding, slicing and dicing of apples on stage as each chef toiled away on his creation. Brenchley tackled two dishes in the one-hour time slot. He created a starter dish of tamarind shrimp over cantaloupe with an apple, mango and roasted corn salsa. Sliced apples topped this dish. Brenchley’s second dish consisted of pork tenderloin with sautéed shiitake mushrooms and apple slices, topped with a blue-cheese cream sauce.“I liked the first chef a lot,” said audience member Geri Cowell, who sat in the bistro seating area. “I think this is a great way to raise money for the community kitchen.”Chef Alan Booze created pork tenderloin topped with an apple rice pilaf and served with a house apple chutney, apples and zucchini. He also made apple and chicken quesadillas. Simmerman created the winning dish. He prepared a Creole-inspired dish of Pain Perdu, the French equivalent of our French toast. It consisted of blackened pork tenderloin, baby spinach salad drizzled with apple vinegar and basil oil, and sliced, pickled apples on top. The dish was served in an apple beurre blanc sauce, and the bread itself was filled with apples and raw milk cheddar cheese.
(08/29/08 4:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When two chefs competed in 2002 at the Indiana Memorial Union’s “Clash of the Titanium Chefs,” little did Bloomington know the event would later inspire a cooking challenge to help feed hundreds of people.Tim Clougher, assistant director of the Community Kitchen of Monroe County, came up with the idea for Bloomington’s Chef’s Challenge – which is like Iron Chef, Bloomington style – after hearing about this event.Three local chefs – Jake Brenchley, last year’s winner and executive chef at the Scholars Inn; Alan Booze, chef at Meadowood; and Alan Simmerman, prepared foods manager at Bloomingfoods – will compete in an hour-long competition to create a winning food dish. The Community Kitchen kicked off its first cooking competition in 2007, and last year the event raised about $7,000 for the Community Kitchen, Clougher said.“I thought, ‘Wow, what a great idea that would be. ... It’s a really good fit for us as a fundraiser,” Clougher said. The event is just that – a fundraiser for the Community Kitchen of Monroe County. For the past 25 years, the Community Kitchen of Monroe County has served meals to the hungry. Each day, the kitchen prepares free meals with donated ingredients for Monroe County’s hungry.“The competition isn’t about who’s the best chef in Bloomington, but it’s about having fun and highlighting the skills that are around us,” Clougher said.In essence, the chefs at the challenge will be doing the same thing. Provided with a pantry of more than 250 food items from Bloomingfoods, meat from the Butcher’s Block and produce from local farmers, chefs will work with what they have to create a dish.Each chef has his own workstation and an assistant to help him in the process. Chefs bring their own equipment but are provided with worktables, an outdoor camping stove, a 16-inch griddle, water and a hand-washing station, Clougher said. When the chefs are finished cooking, three judges will evaluate the dishes. Steve Mangan, a judge for the challenge and general manager of dining services at the IMU, brings his background in cooking to the judging table. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Mangan will have an open mind when it comes to the competition and will look for chefs doing things the right way, he said. Aside from their personal approach, they will also have designated judging criteria to follow. Mangan said they will be looking at three things: how chefs manage the space around them, how they utilize the products given to them and how the food tastes.Audience members can enter a raffle to win a chance to sit on the judges’ bench and sample the offerings.Mangan hopes the challenge will mobilize support for the kitchen. Judge Charlotte Zietlow, economic development coordinator at Middle Way House and one of the founders of Goods for Cooks, said she is preparing by reading cookbooks. She has hundreds of them and is reading up on professional cooking techniques. “I also hope the community kitchen makes a lot of money from this because it’s a great cause,” Zietlow said.WHEN 7 p.m. FridayWHERE Buskirk-Chumley Theater MORE INFO General admission is$25 , and tickets are available at the Sunrise box office, all Bloomingfoods locations and the Community Kitchen.
(04/28/08 2:41am)
Here in Bloomington, artist Marcy Neiditz isn’t recreating Michelangelo’s “David” or Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker.” She’s doing something all her own. She makes whimsical and abstract ceramic sculptures that incorporate plant culture and molecules into her work.\nNeiditz creates everything from functional works of art such as trays, serving dishes, containers and mugs to abstract pieces such as flowery-topped teapots, vessels and plant-life sculptures. She is currently working on creating different tops to her teapots and on new sculpture pieces. Many of Neiditz’s pieces focus on seed pods of plants, which are often small parts of the plant. Her pieces are also inspired by nature and plant life. \nIn her time spent not working on her art, she’s working near art, as director of the Prima Gallery at 109 E. Sixth St., where some of her own work is also on display. The John Waldron Arts Center also occasionally displays some of Neiditz’s work. She will also display some pieces at the local Arts Fair on the Square in June.\n“I like the idea that, you know, things seem like they’re plants and they seem maybe a little bit like they’re animals, and they have sort of personality, but they’re abstracted a little bit,” Neiditz said.\nHer experiences as a landscape designer working in garden centers and greenhouses adds to her love for plant culture. She even has a microscope that she uses to capture certain parts of an object she later composites into a 3-D sketch and then into her sculptures. \n“My work is more inventive,” Neiditz said, “so I don’t specifically look at an object and then sculpt that object. Often what I start with is one little component, and I love the idea that things are growing molecule by molecule.” \nSitting down in her studio to work, she doesn’t always have a plan for what she wants to create. Most often she will sit down and look through her box of parts and go from there. With something like her teapots or plant pod sculptures, she will most often work in series.\nBorn in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1957, Neiditz said her love for pottery started in 1979. She was working in a home-improvement store and saw an ad for a pottery class. Living in Los Angeles at the time, she began renting out studio space to work. Later on, after working and continuing her art, she became self-employed in 1991 and got her Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics from California State University – Long Beach in 1996. Neiditiz also received her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from IU in 2000. \nHer pieces explore beauty in the everyday world in both an abstract and functional way, bringing their own definition of beauty to art, she said. \n“I like things that are alive, but it doesn’t mean that alive has to be pretty and beautiful colors,” Neiditz said.
(04/03/08 4:00am)
Remember that episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors” when a young boy thinks his next-door neighbors are vampires? Or the episode where two movie theater workers run into the creepily pale, long-fingered Nosferatu, who comes to life off the screen? As children, vampires seemed scary ... there was Tom Cruise in “Interview with the Vampire” or the teenage delinquent blood-suckers in the film “The Lost Boys.” Now with the release of her hit series, author Stephenie Meyer makes vampires sexy, charming and redeeming in her book “Twilight.”\nThe book, close to 500 pages, tells the story of Bella Swan, a beautiful high school girl who moves from sunny Phoenix, Ariz., to the gloomy town of Forks, Wash., to live with her father. Bella expects her time there to be dreadfully mundane, and she misses the sunny warmth of Phoenix. She is pale and scrawny, and she feels like an outsider. Yet there are some kids in school who are just a bit paler than her, and they don’t miss the sun at all. The Cullen kids: Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper are the children of the prominent town doctor, Carlisle Cullen. They are always pale, never eat at lunch and don’t talk to other students, until of course Edward and Bella fall in love.\nEdward is attracted by Bella’s scent and fights all temptation to bite her and turn her into a vampire. The Cullens are a new breed of vampire, using their abilities for good and hunting animals rather than humans. As Bella becomes more and more curious and enthralled by Edward, he lets her in on his family’s secret life. They don’t sleep in coffins but live very much like humans. They don’t sleep or eat as they don’t have to, and they have the ability for some human emotions such as love and jealousy.\nAlthough Edward is really a 100-something-year-old vampire trapped in a 17-year-old’s body, he falls in love with Bella. The character of Edward Cullen is articulately portrayed by Meyer. He is the Greek Adonis of the vampire world and his family is stunningly beautiful. He is a gentleman and finds it his duty to protect Bella from any harm. But when another mysterious vampire threatens her life, the entire Cullen family must come together to rescue a human.\nI literally could not put this book down. I know, I know: A story about romance and vampires may seem like a young adult book, right? But I think almost any one can relate to Meyer’s story of high school life with a twist. “Twilight” is like the new Harry Potter series for those interested in vampires rather than wizards and witches.\nEven an actor from Harry Potter is playing Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” movie slated for release in December 2008. Cedric Diggory, a.k.a. Robert Pattinson, will lend his face to Edward’s character. I admit I was sad to see Cedric die in the fourth Harry Potter film, but now Pattinson is back and will be better than ever in this film version of “Twilight.” Pattinson plays the debonair and suave Edward, while actress Kristen Stewart (“Into the Wild,” “Panic Room”) plays Bella Swan. \nThe best part about this book is that there are three more books, including the last, “Breaking Dawn,” slated for release in August, to finish up the series. More books will eventually mean more films. So feed your bloodthirsty frenzy for vampires with Meyer’s “Twilight” and discover how good vampires can be.
(03/24/08 10:02am)
Saturday night, customers of Rachael’s Café on Third Street experienced “The Babbling Banshee,” a new play by local director Russell McGee.\nThis is the first production for McGee’s production company, Starrynight Productions.\n“The Babbling Banshee” is a two-man play that tells the story of two Irishmen, Ryan O’Brien and Bryan O’Brien. It is set in modern times in County Cork, Ireland, at a little bar called The Irish Lion. \nWith the performance at Rachael’s Café, the stage setup is simple. Tables and chairs from the cafe are used as props. Bottles of Guinness, a lit Guinness bar sign and Irish music are also used to set the mood of an Irish pub. With the price of admission, I also dined on a traditional Irish dish of beef stew prepared by the cafe’s owner. These props are just a background to the powerful performance of the actors, who draw the audience in and have mastered their Irish accents. \nThe character of Ryan O’Brien is artfully portrayed by actor Roy Sillings, who has showcased his talents for many shows at the Monroe County Civic Theatre. Sillings is convincing in his role as a homeless taleteller who weaves his sorrowful life into his fairy tales. Actor and recent IU alumnus Ryan Adam Wells gives a sincere performance as Bryan O’Brien, a bartender who owns The Irish Lion and amuses Ryan O’Brien by listening to his tales. \nThe audience is in on the fun as Ryan O’Brien tells his fairy tales, but we slowly see the relationship between Ryan and Bryan O’Brien crumble as he tells the tale of the babbling banshee, which slowly reveals how alcoholism can destroy a family like the O’Briens. \nMcGee draws elements from his own childhood to reveal what alcoholism can do to a family. The overall narrative is powerful, and the importance of storytelling is something McGee said he wanted to get across in the play. He said so much of our history that has been kept alive through storytelling is being lost to modern technologies and culture. \nThe intimate venue brought the story alive for the audience, and it felt like I was sitting in a bar in Ireland, listening to these two men and observing their relationship. \n“It’s fun having it right there with you,” Bloomington resident and audience member Denise Valkyrie said. \nValkyrie liked the venue and said it was better than sitting at home watching television and eating a frozen dinner. She also added that the play was like taking a little bit of the television show The Black Donnellys and sticking it into a stage atmosphere.\nLeila Dabbagh, audience member and professor of applied health science, also thought the play was wonderful. \n“I loved the storytelling,” Dabbagh said. “Roy embodied the character so well. ... I felt like I wanted to hear more stories.”\nThe play definitely deserves more attention and credit than it has received and is a great example of community theater. The profits from this show will help raise money for future Starrynight Productions, the next of which is “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
(03/06/08 6:30am)
It’s Christmas in May for music professor and local jazz artist Monika Herzig. \nShe will be recording a Christmas album for the first time. \n“It feels kind of weird, because obviously you have to record it in the summer to get it ready,” she said. “So I’ll be in the studio in May and June playing Christmas songs, but I think everybody needs their Christmas albums.”\nAs a songwriter and trained piano player, Herzig will perform in Bloomington and other parts of Indiana before heading off to her home country, Germany, in July and then Rome for a festival organized by The International Adkins Chiti Foundation: Women in Music Foundation, in November. Herzig will play solo piano performances, duos with her husband, as well as work on her Monika Herzig Acoustic Project, throughout the summer.\n“It’s kind of the umbrella name for the thing I’m doing right now, meaning it’s not the electric style of jazz that I used to do ... it’s more the traditional type of jazz, more acoustically based and using the standard repertoire,” Herzig said of her project, “And it can be anything from just a basic piano trio, three people, up to four or five with a horn or violin or so.”\nWFIU radio host David Brent Johnson said that Herzig has been a wonderful activist for jazz in south-central Indiana and also a great advocate of women in jazz.\n“I’ve always been impressed by Monika’s incredibly active pace — she’s always teaching, performing and undertaking new projects, pretty much all at once,” Johnson said.\nAlthough Herzig said she loves jazz, she didn’t start out in the jazz arena right away. Born in Stuttgart, a city in southern Germany, in 1964, Herzig really wanted to learn how to play piano when she was young. After begging her parents to buy one, she started taking lessons and also learned how to play the church organ. \n“When you get (to become) a teenager then you want to be in the bands and just be popular,” she said. “But I realized I have to learn a different style of music, that classical music is not going to get me in any bands. So I learned how to improvise and do jazz and all that.”\nOnce Herzig started getting into jazz she explored the music of all the great jazz artists. She said she has always thought it to be an omen that she and jazz artist Chick Corea were born on the same day.\nIn 1986, Herzig joined a jazz-fusion group that started in Germany called BeebleBrox, and played the keyboard. With BeebleBrox, she got to tour with such artists as Tower of Power, Sting and Santana.\nAfter finishing her undergraduate studies in Germany, Herzig attended the University of Alabama to complete her master’s degree as part of an exchange program. \n“We kind of had planned to make this work and stay here any way, because we just bought a one-way ticket,” she said, adding that she and her “then-boyfriend, now-husband” brought all suitcases and her boyfriend’s guitar.\nAfter searching for schools to get her doctorate, Herzig chose IU for a degree in music education and jazz studies, which she completed in 1997. Now, after teaching all kinds of music classes at IU, Herzig has moved into teaching students about the music industry. She said the classes are popular and have really caught on. Since then, she has moved to the School of Public and Environmental Affairs full time as part of the undergraduate arts administration program that started last fall.\nWhen Herzig is not teaching, she is performing and recording. She released another CD for her acoustic project in early 2007, titled “What Have you Gone and Done?” featuring originals and covers ranging from John Lennon to Cole Porter. Recently in late 2007 Herzig collaborated with Indiana poet Norbert Krapf on a CD of poetry and music, titled “Imagine: Indiana in Music and Words.” Krapf was one of Herzig’s students in 2006 and since then, the two have shared a love for jazz and bonded over German. \n“I think both of us would agree that the collaboration has been good for us,” Krapf said. “Not only do we perform together, joining music and poetry. I have a conviction that music and poetry never should have been separated.But we also are inspired to write new material in response to the other’s work.”