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Volume 52, Issue 59 | tuesday, december 5, 2017 | ndsmcobserver.com
Shakespeare program announces lineup Annual Notre Dame theatre festival will focus on enduring issues of discrimination, prejudice By CIARA HOPKINSON News Writer
Last week, the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival announced the lineup for its 2018 season. The festival will feature the professional company’s performances of “Othello” and the touring company’s performances of “The Merchant of Venice.” The festival also includes Shakespeare After Hours, an adults-only evening performance, and ShakeScenes, an all-ages performance, both of which are comprised of scenes from various plays. Grant Mudge, artistic director of the festival, said this coming season’s plays center on Shakespeare’s perspective on “the excluded, the outsider or the stranger in our
midst.” “That allows us to take a look at race, immigration and religion,” Mudge said. “And when you’re talking about looking at religion, you’re definitely going to have “The Merchant of Venice” and obviously we can’t really look at Shakespeare’s treatment of race and not have “Othello” on the stage.” Part of the mission of Shakespeare at Notre Dame, the larger organization of which the Shakespeare Festival is a part, is to foster conversation in on both a local and global scale about Shakespeare’s continued applicability today. “We decided that we’re given the most wonderful see FESTIVAL PAGE 4
Photo courtesy of Jason Comerford
The 2017 Professional Company performs “Much Ado About Nothing,” a comedy exploring both the difficult and beautiful sides of love. This year will feature “Othello” and “The Merchant of Venice.”
Basilica offers Student argues for right to evening Vespers, peaceful assembly Christmas mass By JORDAN COCKRUM News Writer
CHRIS COLLINS | The Observer
Mass goers experience the Basilica’s Advent decorations Monday afternoon. The Basilica is set to offer several Christmas masses. By TOM NAATZ News Writer
Even though nearly all students will be off-campus for Christmas, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart will still offer Masses on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this holiday season. Even
though the Basilica will operate on a reduced schedule for break, Mass will be held on Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. and midnight, as well as on Christmas Day at 10 a.m. Katie Barrett, the associate director of campus ministry see BASILICA PAGE 4
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Saint Mary’s sophomore Anne Maguire spoke out in support of human rights throughout the year. However, because December is Universal Human Rights Month, the importance of advocating for others is especially relevant. “It is our right as humans living on this earth to use our voices for the good, and as college students we are taught to question our realities and use our voice in ways that we may not feel comfortable doing but are very important,” Maguire said. One major way that Maguire is currently working in support of human rights is through her work to have revisions made to the new policy regarding student assembly at Saint Mary’s, she said. The student assembly policy was put into effect Nov. 13. According to the written policy, students must submit an application at least 72 hours prior to the assembly, and the reason
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for assembly must align with the College’s mission. “When that was proposed, that immediately kind of struck me because throughout my life I have attended a lot of protests,” Maguire said. “It’s something that’s important to me and it seemed like an infringement on our rights to assemble as students.” In response to this policy, Maguire said she had a few critiques she wished to point out to the administration. “I had critiques about the specifics of the policy itself — it seemed like there weren’t many students who had much to say in opposition to the policy, which I think is why it went through so easily,” Maguire said. Maguire spoke with administration recently about these critiques, and said that the administration is open to potentially revising the policy to meet some of the critiques raised by Maguire. “I wanted to bring it up to Karen Johnson, which I did, and she was open to what I had
to say,” Maguire said. “Overall I think I was received well because after the meeting she said that the points that I brought up, specific criticisms to the policy, would allow her to enter into the process of revision of the policy.” Being able to peacefully assemble on campus is important to Maguire because of her involvement in peaceful protests in her youth, she said. “Assembling has always been a way I could express my voice in a peaceful manner, that people would pay attention and listen and I think the cause gains great awareness when people come together collectively in a commitment to peace,” Maguire said. The assemblies that Maguire participated in during her childhood gave her the opportunity to see peaceful assembly as a form of showing solidarity in a visual fashion, she said. “I felt such a strong sense of solidarity to the cause and to the people I was standing with,” Maguire
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see ASSEMBLY PAGE 4