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University of Toronto’s community newspaper Independent since 1978
January 29nd – February 4th, 2009 Vol. XXXI, No: 17
the newspaper
the newspaper write between the lines
the news
the arts 4 5 3
10 days in a tent We’re smokin’! Gaza Op-Ed
6 7 3
U of T Film Fest! Wavelength 447 What the hell are you doing?
Fight the violence
Opera ain’t no Oprah
NERISSA CARIÑO
OLIVIA FORSYTH-SELLS
UTSC Community Bureau
Theatrical Arts Bureau
V-day comes to U of T
It is said that 1 in 3 women in North America are victims of violence. V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women, will soon take hold of the University of Toronto at Scarborough for the first time ever – eleven years after its conception. Serving as a catalyst for the V-Day movement was playwright/ activist Eve Ensler’s award winning play, “The Vagina Monologues,” a work based on interviews with over 200 women. The V-Day movement’s current goal is to promote creative events that raise awareness regarding the reality of violence against women, and to raise money for local anti-violence organizations and the current V-Day Spotlight Campaign. Although Ensler’s play has been produced in thousands of high schools, colleges, universities, and communities worldwide, and last year alone there were over 4000 V-Day campaigns across 120 countries, UTSC has never hosted its own V-Day Campaign. Because the school has a reputation for its somewhat conservative student body, there have been questions raised as to whether
or not Scarborough Campus is actually ‘ready’ for V-Day and “The Vagina Monologues” due to its ‘shock’ factor. But, the response so far has been extremely positive with more than 100 students volunteering to participate in the campaign. Challenging ideas and culturally formed ideologies is all part of the university experience. This involves reading between the lines, and looking beyond the horizon, beyond our campus and our intimate spheres to where issues such as violence against women often lie. As university students with a voice, it is our responsibility to be conscious of – and to bring awareness to – the pervasive problem of violence against women. UTSC is definitely ready for V-Day. The University of Toronto at Scarborough will be host to a series of mini events, including a showcase benefit, an art exhibit/auction, and a date raffle. Among the main events are the screening of the Emmy Award-winning documentary, “Until the Violence Stops”, productions of “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer,” and
Author Eve Ensler in Special Austin, Texas Production of Vagina Monologues
Photo: Nerissa Cariño
Continued on page 4...
Shocker of a show-stopper
The Hart House Theatre has consistently produced controversial plays, and this year they continued to shock and impress with the production of Jerry Springer - The Opera. The production was an operatic comedy designed to offend; should you have a strong stomach and a liberal sense of humor, this production is for you. Having read earlier reviews of this play, descriptions of the brilliant and blasphemous lingered in my mind as I sat waiting for the production to commence. But when the lights dimmed and the delightfully trashy chorus began, I started to realize that only the unpredictable would ensue. Well, to be fair, the first act began as one familiar with Jerry Springer might imagine: at centre stage sat a young man blessed with minimal intellect confessing his affair with his girlfriend’s best friend. For the weak of heart, this would normally satisfy the appetite for drama. But no, a mere affair won’t cut it here: enter stage right a Dr. Frank-NFurter look-a-like, confessing his love for the young man in question. Should this young man follow his heart? Should the innocent girlfriend forgive her long-time lover? And who
Byron Rouse as Jerry Springer with the Ensemble Photo: Daniel Dimarco
L to R; Ian Bender as Angel Gabriel, Greg Finney as God, Hayley Toane as Angel Michael Photo: Lydia MacIntosh and Jenny Chisolm
will take care of the lonely transvestite when all is said and done? These questions are addressed by the chorus of audience members all looking for their own personal salvation through the torture and pain of others. The second act of the play grows progressively more dramatic (and bizarre), including a scene of Jesus humiliating himself by breaking down and admitting his closeted homosexuality. From a theatrical standpoint, the production was well-executed and brilliant liberties were taken with the notion of ‘opera’. Harmonious Gregorian-style chanting even makes the song entitled “Chick with a Dick” somehow beautiful – if not only slightly less offensive. Byron Rouse, who plays Jerry Springer, miraculously succeeds in achieving an accurate portrayal of the iconic persona. Rouse presents Springer as a wounded soul simply trying to get through the day and do his job. Yes, it is a job that is morally questionable, and yes, Springer encourages people to publicly humiliate themselves for television airtime. However, the character stubbornly claims that he is not responsible for the behaviour that occurs on his stage, and he should have the right to profit from it. The newspaper sat down with Byron Continued on page 7...