The two leads, Rosalind and Orlando, both give lovely performances that create a comedic, yet believable romance. Taylor Hank’s Rosalind is an absolute highlight performance here, managing to be both thoughtful and energetic, fully realizing the emotional range of the character. The lovesick Orlando, as performed by Jonathan Henderson, is rather wistful and mildly melancholy, a delivery that works beautifully during the courtship scenes, but is more awkward for parts that involve physical violence. Other highlights are Noah Dates’ Touchstone, an artful dodger-like theoretician that is the perfect blend of crass and clever, and Mary Handsome’s Duchess that becomes the perfect cackling, wicked queen acting as a great foil for the more buffoonish comedy of the play. Also notable is Josiah Schock’s hobo-esque Jacques, who delivered one of the best, meatiest ‘seven ages of man’ speeches personally seen to date.
As You Like It, one of Shakespeare’s most loved comedies, is performed with wit and energy by ASFA’s theatre students, giving a fresh take on this centuries-old tale on the insatiable nature of love. The strength of this production lies with its actors, who manage to deliver the Elizabethan text with poignancy that experienced Shakespeareans can appreciate, as well as a command of tone and a sprinkling of physical comedy that, while occasionally gimmicky, allows less familiar audience members to understand the heft of the play.
The two leads, Rosalind and Orlando, both give lovely performances that create a comedic, yet believable romance. Taylor Hank’s Rosalind is an absolute highlight performance here, managing to be both thoughtful and energetic, fully realizing the emotional range of the character. The lovesick Orlando, as performed by Jonathan Henderson, is rather wistful and mildly melancholy, a delivery that works beautifully during the courtship scenes, but is more awkward for parts that involve physical violence. Other highlights are Noah Dates’ Touchstone, an artful dodger-like theoretician that is the perfect blend of crass and clever, and Mary Handsome’s Duchess that becomes the perfect cackling, wicked queen acting as a great foil for the more buffoonish comedy of the play. Also notable is Josiah Schock’s hobo-esque Jacques, who delivered one of the best, meatiest ‘seven ages of man’ speeches personally seen to date.
0 Comments
Denim Day is a fantastic event that raises awareness for rape and sexual assault victim blaming that is ridiculously easy to participate in. Wear jeans. Here's the introduction from the website: "For the past 17 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The campaign was originally triggered by a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court where a rape conviction was overturned because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, thereby implying consent. The following day, the women in the Italian Parliament came to work wearing jeans in solidarity with the victim. Peace Over Violence developed the Denim Day campaign in response to this case and the activism surrounding it. Since then, wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this rape prevention education campaign we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault. This year’s Denim Day is April 27, 2016." If you want to participate on Wednesday, all you have to do is wear jeans and make a social media post if you like. Hope to see plenty of you doing just that!
When people meet me, one of the first things they find out is that I love Shakespeare. I’ve been locally performing the bard for three years now, and recently, I have embarked upon a mission to read the complete works. I’m about halfway through, and I recently have been debating something. It came from reading two plays back to back. The Merchant of Venice, a play whose plot is often propelled by a character named Portia, an heiress and princess of Belmont. She’s kind of badass. She succeeds not only in saving one character’s life by disguising herself as a male lawyer and defending him in court, but also manages to trick her husband into giving away his wedding ring, securing dominance in their new marriage. The second was The Taming of The Shrew, a story revolving around Katherine, a strong willed woman who is forced into a marriage she vehemently protests, and then is promptly literally tortured into absolute submission by her new husband, the protagonist we as an audience are meant to root for. As a result, my thoughts are this: Shakespeare wrote some amazing and decidedly feminist characters, but he also often wrote some women who are constantly marginalized and made into objects. So—are Shakespeare’s works feminist or product of misogyny?
First of all, thank you. Thank you form reminding me that I am an object in many eyes—a pretty thing whose purpose is to receive your gaze, and therefore open for public comment. I had gotten too naive, starting thinking that I should be able to walk around a grocery store without being sexually harassed by an adult. You put me back in my place by commenting on my body and forcing me to remember how little respect I am granted in many eyes. It doesn’t matter to you that I am sixteen and you are clearly a much older adult. It doesn’t matter that I made no intention of speaking to you or anyone other than the female friends I was with (also minors whom you were harassing). It doesn’t matter to you that I am a human being who deserves as much respect and right to safety as any other person, because I am a woman, and my female body automatically gives you the right to harass without second thought.
Born: 1753
Died: 1784 (aged 31) Known For: First African-American published. Notable Works: “To the King's Most Excellent Majesty”, “On being brought from Africa to America”, “On Virtue” In historical novels, especially those set in medieval Europe, it’s rare that you find young women portrayed so compellingly. Catherine, the novel’s protagonist and exclusive narrator (the novel is written in diary form) is a fourteen-year-old girl living on her father’s manor in Lincolnshire, England during the late 1200s. Catherine has flaws, and is occasionally unlikeable, but in the end, is a fiercely independent, yet extremely selfless and kind girl.
Throughout the course of the novel, Catherine’s father, a crass and controlling man, attempts to marry her off to a series of horrific suitors. What ensues is a sequence of rather entertaining antics to ward them off, which remain successful until a man Catherine dubs “lord shaggy beard” an violent, drunk, and most importantly rich baron to whom her father succeeds in selling her to. Distraught, but not willing to give up without a fight, she attempts to run away. When she returns, she discovers that her betrothed had been killed in a bar fight, and that she was now promised to his apparently non-violent and educated son. You might think that because of their composition over four hundred years ago, Shakespeare’s plays won’t have that many strong female characters, but as a bona-fide Shakespeare nerd myself, I can tell you that he wrote some of the smartest, bravest, and truly fascinating women in English Literature. Here are five of them. Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing The first thing we find out about Beatrice during the play, is that she can hold her own in an argument. Her quick-witted sparing matches between she and her nemesis (and eventual lover), Benedick are some of the most shining moments in this classic comedy. When a great wrong is committed against her gentle and innocent cousin, Hero, based on a misogynistic and plainly false accusation of promiscuity, Beatrice refuses to accept it, demanding justice, and eventually gaining it, along with a happy ending. Women cannot have arguments properly. You cannot feel too strongly, care too much, or in any way seem invested in the topic at hand without hearing the all too familiar. “You’re being too emotional” or “Calm down, stop shouting.” It is assumed immediately that you are taking things to the extreme, making a fuss where there was none to begin with. Passion or partiality is tied back to your melodrama. Even as girls we are called drama queens. Boys don’t cry (a damaging stereotype on its own), and it is easy to call this relative acceptance of women’s tears as an advantage. However, just because it is expected for girls to cry and boys to ‘suck it up’, doesn’t keep the label of women as overly emotional from being damaging. Women who participate in conflict of any kind often have their arguments negated by supposed overreaction. It’s why we hear about ex-girlfriends who were ‘crazy’ or ‘insane’, but our ex-boyfriends often escape such reasons for a breakup.
Love is a Dog from Hell :: Charles BukowskiIf you are looking for some amazing short poems that have excellent wording and metaphors, but also very cliche and simple, then this is a good book to check out. It is a raw, lyrical, exploration of the human body and heart and everything the comes with being human. This book can be checked out at the IRC. Not convinced? Check out these quotes:
Born: September 11, 1364 (Venice, Italy)
Died: c. 1430 (age 65-66) Known For: First woman to support herself solely through writing; works identified as some of the first to argue feminist topics Notable Works: The Book of the City of Ladies, The Treasure of the City of Ladies |
by the student, for the studentInterested in contributing an article? Check out either our join or contribute pages. Archives
May 2016
Categories
All
|