Renting a Place in my Heart

            Rent is a phenomenal musical performed by Florida Southern College’s theatre program. The show first premiered the weekend of November 13-16 and was then performed again the weekend of November 20-23. Originally written by Jonathan Larson, Rent was wonderfully executed by Jim F. Beck at Florida Southern. As seen by the sold out shows in the Loca Lee Buckner Theatre, this was a popular play that stole the hearts of many.

Set

The first thing noticed when walking into the theatre was the outstanding set. Looking at the completely realistic backdrop of a low-end apartment complex prepared the audience for the dramatic performance to come. If the set were not as realistic, the play would not have been taken as seriously, and the depressing problems in the plot would not have seemed as ominous. After noticing the exceptional scenery, the audience then noticed the street sounds. Normally, before a play starts, the audience is immersed in music that sets the mood for the performance. The street sounds played actually did a better job of setting up the musical than songs would have. The result was a satisfying transition into the first act of the show.

Collins and Angel

Even though the exceptional set led to such a high standard for the rest of the play, this standard was met during the show. At the beginning of this performance, viewers quickly realized that all of the characters have their own lives along with their own set of problems. These different people are all united by one dreadful fact; they all have AIDS. Even then, it is heartwarming to see that such different people can get along so well. For example, Mimi, a stripper, dates Roger, a musician. Also, the homosexual public interest lawyer dates the bisexual  poetry performer, Maureen. Most notable, though, is Collins and Angel. This male, homosexual couple contains a teacher and a drag queen. Even with such stark differences, it is made very apparent that the driving force in all of these relationships is love.

Maureen Performing

Love is the overriding factor seen in the beginning of the second act. All of the characters seem happy, even in such horrible circumstances. The turning point of this attitude, though, is when Angel dies. After that, the other two couples split, and all of the friends do not seem to care about each other anymore. Roger, who obviously still has feelings for Mimi, even sold his guitar to move elsewhere. After he returns to Bohemia, though, it becomes evident that this place is home to the characters. They all eventually made their way back to their apartment complex and, after Mimi’s close death, befriend each other once more. This stressful situation led to the realization that they all need each other in order to forget about their problems and enjoy the remainder of their lives. At the end of the play, Roger shows the necessity of living in the moment by saying, “There is no future, there is no past, thank goodness this moment is not the last.” Unfortunately, the viewers do not know the ultimate outcome of the characters after the play ended. It would be interesting to research what Jonathan Larson originally intended for everyone, not only in regards to their relationships, but also to their health.

Works Cited:

“Festival of Fine Arts.” Florida Southern College. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

Larson, Jonathan. “Rent Script.” N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

Beautiful Beats Under the Bandshell

Music Under the Stars is a performance by Florida Southern College’s Symphony Band and Jazz Ensemble. Each year, it is located at the L.N. Pipkin Bandshell and features many musically talented students that attend the college. This year, the event premiered on Thursday, October 23 at 7:30pm. Jo Jossim directed the Symphony Band while Paul Butcher directed the Jazz Ensemble. This annual event is obviously very popular, as was seen by the large audience in attendance.

My first response to the Symphony Band was that they performed the music beautifully; I was just not able to analyze it well. After a while, though, I was better able observe the different pieces and understand how they are able to portray certain emotions. For example, one of the first pieces I understood was called Firefly. Although it may appear that the song is about an insect, it is actually about Tinker Bell. Transitioning from a fast beat to a more serene and pastoral pace, the listener was able to imagine going on an adventure with this magical fairy in Neverland. Overall, this song represented the importance of holding on to one’s youthful imagination.

Another piece that I was able to easily analyze is Three Heirs. This song was able to portray the personalities of three different heirs to a throne by using the tempo of the music. The first heir was represented in an energetic but organized way, as if this heir was ready and responsible to take the throne. The second heir also seemed like a good candidate, but the tempo made him seem more somber and reserved. The third heir was obviously youthful and a little less responsible as seen in this lighter and more fast-paced movement. While I was able to understand these two songs, as well as a few others, skillfully analyzing music obviously takes much practice.

After the intermission, I was able to try analyzing jazz songs. This was a more difficult task, though, because jazz is much different than the more traditional music played by the Symphony Band. The composer wore a very casual hat, which enhanced the nontraditional aspect of the jazz portion. It seemed like he only nodded his head and danced around the stage instead of directing the musicians. In a way, the second portion of the concert broke the rules that had been established in the first portion. This can be related to how the romantics broke the rules that were set by the more classical artists. Even though the jazz pieces may have contained some order, they were overall more disorganized and harder to analyze. I did enjoy the jazz, but further research into the structure of jazz music would be beneficial in being able to analyze it better in the future. Also, it would be interesting to know if jazz is a more rebellious musical movement that broke the rules of a more structured movement. It is obvious, though, that in order to be better at understanding music, more research and practice must be done.

Work Cited:

“2014-2015 Festival of Fine Arts.” Florida Southern College. Florida Southern College, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://www.flsouthern.edu/festival-of-fine-arts.aspx&gt;.

Stepping Into Confusion

     Stepping Out is a play shown at Loca Lee Buckner Theatre from September 25 to October 5. This performance is directed by Mary T. Albright and choreographed by Erin LaSala. In this show, Roxanne Jester stars a Mavis, a past professional choir girl struggling to prepare an armature tap dance class for a show. Each character has their own unique personality as well as their own separate problems. In order to escape the struggles of their everyday lives, these characters come to dance class as a release.

Although it is apparent that these characters have problems outside of the dance studio, I feel as if those stories are undeveloped. Each character has an issue brought up in the play, but those issues are never resolved. For example, Mavis, the dance instructor had an unintentional pregnancy. When she said that she took care of the problem, it is insinuated that she got an abortion. At the very end of the play, though, another character pushes a baby stroller across the stage, hinting that Mavis actually had her baby. Another example is Vera. The play obviously implied that her husband is having an affair with her daughter. Also, Andy is abused by her husband and as a result grows affection for Geoffrey, whose wife died. With all of these problems, there should have been some sort of resolution.

In addition to there being undeveloped story lines, the plot also seemed choppy. It appeared that the director cut many of the scenes, especially at the very end. As a result, the viewer is left confused because they do not know what happened in the lives of the characters. For example, in the second to last scene, the characters were still very uncoordinated in their tap routine. The very next scene, they were dancing at the same show only one year later. This time they were much better, signifying that there was resolution, not only in their dancing, but also in their lives. Unfortunately, the audience is not able to tell how the characters resolved their issues, or if they even resolved them at all. Further research would be beneficial in learning whether the actual Stepping Out was as choppy and unresolved. Overall, in the Florida Southern College reproduction of this play, the acting was very good, but the plot left viewers confused.

Works Cited:

Harris, Richard. Festival of Fine Arts: Stepping Out. Lakeland, Florida: Florida Southern College, 2014. Print.

“Stepping Out.” Ticket Master. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ticketmaster.co.nz/Stepping-Out-tickets/artist/1379753&gt;.

“2014-2015 Performance Schedule.” Florida Southern College. Florida Southern College, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.flsouthern.edu/festival-of-fine-arts.aspx&gt;.

The Art of Critiquing

Since I was born and raised in a science dominated family, critiquing art is an undeveloped skill in my life.  When I was in high school, my parents advised me to take AP Chemistry and Calculus instead of the art classes that I felt would be more stimulating. Because my foundation in art is not as established as most people’s, I did not know how a trip to an art museum would go.

When my class arrived to the Polk Museum of Art on August 27th, I was definitely feeling apprehensive. As soon as the curator, Mr. Justice, started to explain the process behind arranging artwork, I began to better understand the art itself. For example, when setting up a colorful exhibit, it is necessary to make sure the colors in the different artworks easily flow from one piece to the next. The curator would not want to set up two pieces that look harsh next to each other because then the viewer would not have a favorable experience.

Terra Incognita, a black and white exhibit on display from June 21 – September 13, is a little easier to arrange because the flow of color is not an issue. Mr. Justice does still have to ensure that the images arranged next to each other have similar styles. The viewer might be confused if they are looking at a picture of a serene landscape next to a picture of a war scene. Even if the colors go well together, the mood does not. After Mr. Justice explained this to the class, I was better able to observe the images in each exhibit.

Some of my favorites were O Sole Mio! by Gabrielle Wu Lee, Cow (Pink on Yellow) by Andy Warhol, and Psalm Print by Damien Hirst. These pieces were located in the Collected Color exhibit, which is on display from June 21 – September 13. The piece by Lee was interesting because it was a colorful, abstract piece that represented the liberation from the traditional Chinese ways that used to imprison her creativity. Warhol’s artwork was fascinating because he takes mundane images, such as a cow, and makes those images pop using vibrant colors. My favorite piece was by far the Hirst. He lined up butterfly wings in an attractively symmetric way and portrayed the message that there is beauty in death. This message is shown because even though dead butterflies are featured in this masterpiece, the image created is still magnificent.

Viewing these images has piqued my interest in art and the technicalities behind creating such beautiful pieces. I had previously heard of Andy Warhol, but not Damien Hirst or Gabrielle Wu Lee. As a result, I did further research on these artists. I found that Hirst has many other pieces that are extremely symmetrical while Gabrielle Wu Lee tends to paint pictures of nature. This trip to the Polk Museum of Art has not only allowed me to view beautiful artwork in the museum, but also learn about other pieces outside the museum.

Citations:

“Andy Warhol – Andy Warhol Cow Pink on Yellow Painting.” Painting Here. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2014. <http://www.paintinghere.org/painting/cow_pink_on_yellow-10799.html&gt;.

“Collected Color.” Polk Museum of Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2014. <http://polkmuseumofart.org/exhibitions/collected-color/&gt;.

“Gabrielle Wu Lee.” Polk Museum of Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2014.<http://polkmuseumofart.org/exhibitions/gabrielle-wu-lee/&gt;

So I’m a Competitive Water Skier…

I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve ever said that phrase. Most of the time the conversation that follows looks something like this:

 

“Oh, so can you do flips and stuff?”

“Well, um, no.”

“Do you ski over ramps then?”

“Kind of. I actually hurt myself jumping so I don’t do that as much anymore.”

“What do you do then?”

“I slalom ski.”

“How do you do that?”

“I ski around buoys.”

“Oh.”

 

Even though slalom skiing might not seem as exciting as tricking and jumping, it is a huge part of my life and who I am. I chose to come to Florida Southern College in order to ski for the team. Doing so has not only allowed me to better my skiing, but has also resulted in friendships that have helped me grow in college thus far.

 

Unfortunately for my team, though, I chopped through my Achilles tendon with a jump ski the day before I was going to leave for Florida. Let me tell you, that hurt! Achilles may have been shot in the heel with an arrow, but he has nothing on me. He also did not have to go through the embarrassment of being a freshman and riding around campus on a scooter.

 

While my injury may have given me an interesting story to tell people, it did not stop everyone from calling me “scooter girl”. This was definitely not the identity that I was going for coming into college. I am more than just “scooter girl”. I am a biology major on the pre-med track. I love dogs and being outdoors and hanging out with my friends. I especially love waterskiing, but no, I cannot do flips.