The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Tuesday October 9, 2018
Volume 104 Issue 17
‘Bee-luther-hatchee’ captivates
Noah Michal (left) and Hayden Allcorn (right) deliver a passionate performance for ‘Bee-luther-hatchee.’
CSUF fall theater season begins with an intimate new production. SOPHIA ACEVEDO Asst. Opinion Editor
Cal State Fullerton’s “Bee-luther-hatchee” sets a mighty example of what can be done with a relatively small cast of seven characters that is immensely dependent on their relationships with one another. Directed by Saundra McClain, “Bee-luther-hatchee” is neither a superfluous or grandeur story. It eloquently explores the question of
Crisis centers spark debate in California
authorship, particularly who has the right to tell someone’s story. Set in New York City during the 1990s, a far simpler time of pagers and colorful windbreakers, Shelita Burns (Noah Michal), an African-American editor accepts an award for “Bee-luther-hatchee,” an autobiography written by a mysterious 72-year-old African-American woman from the South, Libby Price (Adrianna Callendar). The two women have never met. Up until this point it never concerned Shelita but she chooses to embark on a journey to discover where (and who) Libby Price is.
The play is done on a round stage so the characters have limited scenery to work with, yet the actors manage to keep up their lively performance through the use of props and lively back-and-forth chatter. While the beginning of the play had a few technical errors with the revolving stage that were too obvious to ignore. The extra effort made by the cast kept the initial stumbles in the beginning from putting a damper on the rest of the show. Effective lighting changes also allowed for smooth transitions between scenes to keep from any confusion,
RILEY MCDOUGALL / DAILY TITAN
particularly in the flashbacks from the South in the 1950s and when Shelita’s judgements and thoughts begin to overwhelm her. The story does not have an overwhelmingly exciting plot or a great deal of suspense that would be expected of a mystery but what truly makes McClain’s version of “Bee-luther-hatchee” a delight is its dynamic characters, with Shelita and Libby being among the most notable. Michal manages a perfect blend of endearment and levelheadedness. She expertly brings a youthful perspective, and with a love for Zora Neale Hurston and W.E.B. Du Bois, portrays
her character as an old soul that hopes to provide a voice to those who have been silenced in history. Callendar captures Libby Price’s essence through her melodic voice and elegant movement. Though her whereabouts remain much of a mystery in the first act, her fleeting presence during scenes reminds everyone of her importance in the story. Much of the first act is effervescent and nostalgic, with ‘90s music and the comical best friend Anna (Kira Jamison) providing laughter for the play’s less exciting moments. During the second act, the story spins in a series of shocking revelations that complicate Shelita’s future, bringing the importance of authorship front and center to the plot line. The relationship between Shelita and Sean (Bernard Hefner) is truly a highlight to the play, as both Michal and Hefner have great chemistry and deep understanding of their characters’ thoughts and emotions. While the play may begin a little slow and with a few errors, the end of the play leaves the audience with a sense of amazement. The quirky, more comical ‘90s aspects in the first act complement the more dramatic and serious second act, which was a well-rounded approach that made it entertaining to watch. Overall, as the first production of the season “Bee-lutherhatchee” sets a great start to the CSUF theatre season. The show runs about two hours with a 15-minute intersession from Oct. 5 through Oct. 28 in the Hallberg Theatre, with tickets at $14 and $12 for students.
Artist unlocks personal space
State law says clinics don’t have to provide women with abortion information. NOAH BIESIADA Asst. News Editor
Recent UC Riverside graduate Jessy Rosales, 22, who now works with NARAL, an abortion-rights advocacy group, remembers an encounter with a crisis pregnancy center in Riverside after she made the decision to get an abortion during her junior year of college. Looking for treatment, Rosales was referred to nearby facilities in the area by the UCR health center, one of which she claims is a “fake clinic.” “I didn’t know that fake clinics were a thing. And that’s a problem a lot of women face,” Rosales said. “It’s just misinforming the public, which should be illegal right? It takes away a woman’s right to choose, which is just completely incorrect to me.” Crisis pregnancy centers are licensed and unlicensed facilities that present themselves like reproductive health centers. They differ from other family planning options like Planned Parenthood because they are commonly against abortion and encourage women to seek other options, according to Heartbeat International, a network of over 2500 centers around the world committed to fighting abortion. SEE CPC
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BRANDON KILLMAN / DAILY TITAN
Lucas Murgida, locksmith turned artist, creates a key for a participant of his exhibit, “None of this is Real.”
After having a revelation about space as a locksmith, Lucas Murgida BRANDON KILLMAN Digital Editor
Local artist Lucas Murgida held various jobs growing up. He went from being a busboy, to yoga instructor, to working behind the scenes on adult film sets. His more recent job was as a locksmith. Murgida referred to his varied work as “research.” In his locksmithing work, he started to notice
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a trend with all of his clients. “What I found when I would go to help someone on a (locksmithing) job, I was often helping a person that was panicking or freaking out for some reason,” Murgida said. He started to ask himself, “Why?” Murgida discovered that the people he was helping were being kept from a place that made them feel safe. His new interactive installment entitled “None of this is Real,” is located at the front of the Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana.
It’s opening reception was held on Oct. 6. Simple drywall and two-byfours make up a room that uses the gallery’s front window space as the fourth wall. The room is reminiscent of a fishbowl and allows the public to spectate the interactive art installment, where gallerygoers are given the task of escaping a room they have just broken in to. Patrons of the gallery are invited to bring their own key to the gallery. The key is then melted down into another key that fits a smaller room that Murgida built and called
a “wardrobe.” John Spiak, the gallery’s art director and chief curator looks forward to the new phase of Murgida’s work. “I’m excited to see what the wardrobe is like and the way people will engage with it. With the last project, the way people engaged with it was really fascinating. High school students would keep coming back and keep bringing more friends so they can see them locked in the room,” Spiak said. SEE LOCK 4 VISIT US AT: DAILYTITAN.COM