May 2, 2022 | The Columbia Chronicle

» VIVIAN JONES/CHRONICLE

MAY 2 2022

page 3 ‘Chicago’s house music queen’ DJ Lady D talks music and work with Columbia’s Career Center

page 5 Alumni share experiences and give advice on starting a business

page 8 Self-taught painter blends art and activism

page 15 Student-directed ‘Blood at the Root’ picked up by local theatre

editor’s note

Editor’s Note: I’ll say goodbye to the newsroom, but not the people »LUCAS MARTINEZ/CHRONICLE

» CAMRYN CUTINELLO CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF IN READING AND editing goodbye columns from

past staff members, I often see a similar line: “I never thought I’d be saying goodbye.”

In the last year and a half working at the Chronicle, I have found the opposite to be true for me. I always knew I would eventually have to say goodbye, and that made my time here even more special.

I graduated from Elgin Community College in May 2020 without a goodbye to my classmates, my teachers or my newspaper staff. I transferred to Columbia that fall, where I was meeting classmates through a computer screen. It was lonely, and I felt like I was missing out on my college experience.

I applied to the Chronicle in November and was hired as a staff reporter for the spring semester.

I was ecstatic and terrified. I had to learn a new style of reporting in our remote world, and it was an adjustment. It took me a month or two, but I hit my groove, and I loved it. For the first time since I started at Columbia, I had a community to fall back on.

My fellow Co-Editor-in-Chief Noah Jennings and I were promoted into our current roles in May 2021, and it was nervewracking. I felt some intense imposter syndrome, especially seeing as I had only been on staff for a semester.

But with the help of Jennings, Managing Editor Anna Busalacchi, General Manager Travis Truitt and Faculty Adviser Curtis Lawrence, I got over my imposter syndrome and began to feel comfortable in my role.

Now, as I look back at my time, all I can think about is how proud I am of the Chronicle team.

After a large part of our staff graduated in May 2021, our downsized staff stepped up to report through the summer, covering Danny Fenster’s detainment, Lollapalooza, community events and protests. We kept the Chronicle running with content.

New staff members joined us in August, right before the beginning of the first in-person semester in more than a year.

With only a week and a half of training, we covered the return to campus with a drive and a hunger to keep the Columbia community informed during an exciting but uncertain time.

The return to campus also meant a return to print for the Chronicle. We’ve now printed four issues this year: The Return, The Year in Review, The Sex Issue and last, but certainly not least, The Creatives.

»staff Editors-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editors Director of Photography Deputy Director of Photography Sales Manager Social Media Strategist Lead Graphic Designer Director of Production Design Staff Reporters

The Chronicle is a living, breathing entity that would be nothing if not for the staff members who show up everyday with a want and a need to report. It’s reflective of the rest of Columbia in that way.

The students — along with the faculty and staff — at Columbia are talented, intelligent and innovative. The work they do gives professionals a run for their money, and the Chronicle wanted to showcase that in this issue.

The people are what makes the college — and the Chronicle — stand out. As I’m slowly approaching the end of my Chronicle career, a thought that makes me cry almost every time it pops in my head, I know how much I’m going to miss seeing these people everyday.

I started at the Chronicle cut off from the rest of Columbia. I hadn’t met anyone in person and hadn’t had the chance to connect with my fellow classmates. Now, I’m leaving with some of the best friends I’ve ever had.

The Chronicle helped me find my people: Jennings, Busalacchi and staff members past and present. It helped me find my mentors and friends, Truitt and Lawrence. It pulled me out of my pandemic slump and pushed me to be the best I can be.

My time here has been stressful, hectic and so much fun. I have cherished every moment in the newsroom, because I knew one day I would have to say goodbye to it. But I hope I never have to say goodbye to the people. Not for long, anyways.

2 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

CCUTINELLO@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

Photojournalists

Producer/Director

MANAGEMENT

Camryn Cutinello Noah Jennings Anna Busalacchi Olivia Cohen Jordan Perkins K’Von Jackson Bianca Kreusel Cale Holder Julie Arroyo Vivian Jones Colleen Hogan

REPORTERS

Samaher AbuRabah Amaris Edwards Kristen Gesicki Irvin Ibarra Kimberly Kapela Rachel Patel Abra Richardson Amina Sergazina Nathan Sirkin Robin Sluzas Kamy Smelser

MULTIMEDIA

Jared Callaway Peter Midwa Sam Tucker Shane Verkest Jackie Elliott

GRAPHICS

Graphic Designers

Elias Gonzalez Kayla Macedo Lucas Martinez

Copy Editors

Gabby Bach Amanda Burris Justice Lewis

Faculty Adviser General Manager

COPY

ADVISERS

Curtis Lawrence Travis Truitt

VOL. 57, ISSUE 4

The Columbia Chronicle is a student-produced publication of Columbia College Chicago and does not necessarily represent, in whole or in part, the views of college administrators, faculty or students.

All text, photos and graphics are the property of The Columbia Chronicle and may not be reproduced or published without written permission.

Editorials are the opinions of the Editorial Board of The Columbia Chronicle.

Columns are the opinions of the author(s).

Views expressed in this publication are those of the writer and are not the opinions of The Columbia Chronicle, Columbia’s Communication Department or Columbia College Chicago. Letters to the editor must include full name, year, major and phone number. Faculty and staff should include their job title. Alumni should include year of graduation, or attendance, and major. Other readers should note their city of residence and occupation or employer, if related to the letter’s subject matter.

All letters are edited for grammar and may be cut due to a limit of space.

The Columbia Chronicle holds the right to limit any one person’s submissions to three per semester.

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

House music’s DJ Lady D spins a second role as Career Center liaison » JARED CALLAWAY/CHRONICLE

» ANNA BUSALACCHI MANAGING EDITOR DARLENE JACKSON, WHO goes by the

artist name DJ Lady D and is deemed “Chicago’s house music queen,” has been a DJ since 1995, a time when she said it was considered “new” to see a woman DJing, despite the many women who came before her.

DJ Lady D, a creative industry liaison in Columbia’s Career Center, grew up on the Far South Side of Chicago in Washington Heights and said she was born into DJing when her two older brothers and some of her male friends had turntables in her adolescence.

She started to experiment with the craft when she was at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School and continued to DJ for her college radio station at Millikin University. After undergrad, she studied to be a podiatrist for a couple years before realizing it was not the career she wanted to pursue, which led her back on the path of DJing and getting her master’s degree in health communication from Northwestern University.

After Lady D got her first gig at a shoe store in Chicago that no longer exists, called Sole Junkies, her DJ career kicked off. She was eventually booked throughout Chicago and the U.S., and eventually in Asia, Europe, Mexico, Canada and Russia, sharing her creative house music sounds.

She releases her music on streaming platforms, plays every fourth Friday of the month on Chicago’s Vocalo Radio 91.1 FM and owns D’lectable Music, a house music record label. Lady D is also a part of Super Jane, a group of four women self-described as America’s first all-women DJ collective.

“I’m inspired to present great music to people who are courageous enough to want something different than what they’re being personally force-fed through media, television, radio, even streaming services,” Lady D said.

Lady D said one of her favorite shows was playing Lollapalooza in 2011 — the 20th anniversary of the festival — because she was the first woman DJ and only Black woman DJ to ever play on the Perry stage, which is known for hosting house and electronic dance music artists.

“I know a lot of Black women DJs, and I know a lot of women DJs,” Lady D said. “I feel like a lot of the festivals have yet to really open that up or create intentional space for people.”

Lady D said especially in the industry of EDM shows, which is a genre inspired by house music, there needs to be acknowledgement of its roots and space for creators of color, believing that house music is meant to connect and elevate people.

DARLENE JACKSON, ALSO KNOWN AS DJ LADY D, STANDS NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAREER CENTER, WHERE SHE WORKS AS A CREATIVE INDUSTRY LIAISON.

“It’s become less integrated than it used to be,” Lady D said. “When I first started DJing, I would go to a club, and it would be all kinds of people there, literally a melting pot of people, very diverse audiences from all sorts of cultural walks of life … and now if you go to a club, this faction is over here, this faction is over here. It’s who you have affinity for and feel comfortable around, but I think house music was really made to get people out of their comfort zone and bring people together. And so, that’s the beauty of house music.”

Creating intentional space is exactly what she brings to Columbia’s Career Center, meeting one-on-one with students and designing programming around diversity, equity and inclusion.

Lady D said when she first started working in the Career Center in 2015, called the Portfolio Center at the time, she noticed there were not many Black students coming into the Career Center and embarked on creating programs centered around their experiences.

“I came to Columbia with the idea that it was really time for me to start paying it forward and to see what the next generation needs,” Lady D said. “To acknowledge that I had done a lot, and I had some giving back to do.”

Her concentration is with students in music, business and entrepreneurship, media and communications, audio and fashion at Columbia because she has a wealth of experience in those industries.

While Lady D did not always see herself in higher education, she said her role at the Career Center is perfect because it allows her

variety and the ability to cultivate diversity.

“I feel like everything I’ve ever done as a DJ or producer or record label owner has helped inform what I do here, the people that I can bring to speak to students, the companies and groups that I can tap into to create opportunities for students here,” Lady D said.

She started working full time at Columbia in 2018 and had already become friends with colleague Angela Sheridon, a creative industry liaison in the Career Center who has known Lady D for about eight years.

Sheridon described Lady D as wellconnected and always bringing creativity to her work. Recently, the two collaborated on an annual career fair event led by Lady D called CODE, Cultural Opportunities and Diversity Expo.

“She’s really able to activate the Columbia community and everybody else that’s involved,” Sheridon said. “She brings a genuine voice when it comes to DEI to Columbia and beyond.”

Sheridon said Columbia is lucky to have Lady D and admires her ability to stand up and take action.

“In the Career Center, we’ve always been aware that we need to be better advocates and more supportive of DEI. Darlene is one of those people: She’s not just talking about it, she’s doing it,” Sheridon said.

A senior radio major, Osa Obaseki, who goes by the artist name Osa North, met Lady D for the first time in person last semester when a teacher invited her into the class to talk about branding yourself as an artist.

North encourages students to reach out to Lady D because she helped him with his portfolio and resume, and now he has a job

with Live Nation in May as a production runner after he graduates.

“Her input is very, very appreciated, and we love to have her in that space,” North said. “I know it made a difference for me as a student to have her speak with us, and as a DJ myself, it was really cool to just have that network and build my social capital.”

Lady D is currently working on new studio releases before she tours this summer to festival performances at Movement Festival in Detroit and ARC Music Festival during Labor Day weekend in Chicago, along with various night club bookings.

Lady D said her artist journey began with concern about how the crowd would receive her. Now, her art has evolved from experience, and she has more to say, but her commitment to inclusivity has always rung true.

“I would implore people to just move through the world realizing how we’re all connected. We have these shared experiences, and it brings us closer together and to not forget that. No matter what they read or see, they have to feel things for themselves,” Lady D said. “You have to be the type of person that does the internal work.

And I just want people to just be happy and just sort of like, realize we all need each other. … It’s been a very strange world recently, and I think people need to remember the things that connect us. House music forever!”

ABUSALACCHI@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 3

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

Longtime faculty members say farewell to the college as they begin a new chapter » GABBY BACH COPY EDITOR COLUMBIA’S FACULTY AND staff are at the heart

» K AYLA MACEDO/CHRONICLE

of the college. They mentor students and give them industry advice meant to prepare them for their careers post-graduation. However, like students, they have to bid goodbye to their time here at some point.

David Berner has been with Columbia for almost 18 years. He has had a long career in broadcast journalism spanning over 40 years and has also published nine books that have received numerous accolades. At his heart, though, he is an educator.

“I don’t think of teaching as something that’s three hours on a Tuesday. To me, it seems like it’s just part of your nature. If you’re going to do this well, it’s kind of a 24hour day job,” Berner said. “You’ve kind of stamped yourself as a mentor for the rest of your life if you’ve taught at all, at least the good teachers do.”

Upon leaving Columbia this spring, Berner said he is going to focus on promoting his upcoming novella “Sandman: A Golf Tale,” hosting writing workshops and taking time to travel. “[I look forward to] being able to fill my days with the stuff that I really love — not that I don’t love teaching — but the stuff that I really love that feeds my soul every single day.

Teaching has fed my soul a lot,” Berner said.

“I feel like my edges have dulled a little bit. It’s not quite the same, and there’s probably a lot of reasons for that, so it’s time.”

Sharon Zurek, a professor of instruction in the Cinema and Television Arts Department and the owner of Black Cat Productions in Chicago, said she has a similar reason for beginning a new chapter. She was a student at Columbia and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in film and theatre in 1976.

She has been associated with the college for many years and even used to tell people, “I am Columbia.”

However, in recent years, Zurek has missed working on post-production editing projects for films outside of Columbia.

“I miss working with my friends. I miss working with people in the business that I’ve known for years,” Zurek said. “I’m really hoping that’s what’s in store for me in the future: I get on a project now and that I really love working on and [love] the people I’m with.”

Zurek added that her experience leaving Columbia is not much different than the current graduating class.

“I told my students this semester, my seniors, that are graduating in May, ‘I’m just like you.’ There’s this big abyss up in front of me, only this time I think I know where I’m going and what can be happening,” Zurek said. “You have to leave someplace to get

4 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

someplace new sometimes. … There’s so many changes. It’s mind-boggling, and then, you go through life long enough you realize, ‘Yeah, that’s part of it.’”

Zurek is not the only departing faculty member who has ties with the college as both student and faculty.

Shanita Akintonde is an associate professor of instruction in the Communication Department. Before starting her career as a faculty member, Akintonde graduated from Columbia in 1993 with a bachelor of arts degree in advertising.

When ref lecting on her time at Columbia, Akintonde is most proud of the work she has done to give back — both to the community and to her students.

When she was a student, Akintonde launched the f irst A merica n Marketing Association chapter at Columbia.

The chapter regularly visited Stroger Hospital — formerly known as Cook County Hospital — around the holidays to bring toys to children in the hospital.

As a faculty member, Akintonde uses her platform to give students advice based on her own experiences in the industry and as a Columbia alum. One particular lesson stood out to her to share with students: “You have to discover your North Star, your own North Star, your true North Star and

continue to do it,” Akintonde said. “People are going to give you advice, and they’re going to be well-intentioned, and they’re going to tell you things, and, sometimes, they will tell you what you can and cannot do or what you can and cannot become. And, I say, ‘Toss that aside. Don’t listen to that.’”

After 23 years as a faculty member at the college, Akintonde is ready to find some time to focus on herself.

“I’m just doing me,” Akintonde said.

“Sometimes you just get an intuitive moment that says, ‘You know what? You’ve done good, and you’ve done enough.’ And, when you leave something, you want to leave it in a good place, and that’s what I want to do.”

Akintonde added that she is always going to be a teacher at heart.

“I’m a teacher through and through.

I’m a professor no matter whether I’m in a classroom or not,” Akintonde said. “I’m always going to have that in me, and I’m still going to find ways to connect that because that’s just who I am.”

While these faculty members may be departing from their teaching career at Columbia, this does not mean they are severing all ties with the college.

John Green, a professor in the Theatre Department, is leaving at the end of the semester. He has been teaching at the college for 13 years and has held various roles at the college: chair of the Theatre Department, dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts and the associate director of the Acting and Contemporary Performance Making Master and Master of Fine Arts programs.

Green said he still plans on keeping in touch with many of his connections at the college, both faculty and alumni, through his next project — a book drawn on the work he has been doing with graduate students at Columbia about the city as performance.

Green sees his departure as a natural time to step away from the college to focus on his next project while also making way for new faculty members to start their journey at Columbia.

“I think that it’s so important that we have new faculty, that the institution is continually renewing itself. It’s organic, that there’s a continuum — new life — particularly with regard to our DEI commitment, which I think is fabulous,” Green said. “The more BIPOC faculty we can hire, the more new energy that can come in, the more exciting it is.”

GBACH@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

TH »LUCAS MARTINEZ/CHRONICLE

ES

REA E C TIV

Yesterday’s students are today’s successful business owners

» AMINA SERGAZINA STAFF REPORTER DANIELLE KOLB MOVED to Boston for a job in

event planning but returned to Chicago for love — to be with her now-husband. While she planned events for other companies, wedding planning was always in the back of her mind. During her second pregnancy, she quit her job and started her own wedding planning business, Danielle Kolb Events.

“I’m very fortunate, [my job] allows me the flexibility to do what I love but also being a mom to my [three] children,” Kolb said.

“Every client of mine I’m very close with, and I develop really great relationships with them. It’s a dream come true.”

Kolb graduated from Columbia with a degree in journalism in 2008.

Kolb said in order to start a wedding planning business, people do not need millions of dollars. All she needed was a few office supplies, wedding table numbers, a computer and herself.

A 2022 survey of small business owners from Guidant Finance — a small business financing company — showed that nearly 48% of people who started their own business did it out of dissatisfaction with corporate America.

“You’re coming on [to a firm], and there is already a structure in place. Sometimes that structure is good, sometimes it’s bad,” said Lucas Seiler, a 2011 Columbia journalism alum. “People have their own way of doing business and operating their companies.

I had this realization [that] ‘I know how to do this. I feel like I could do it in a more impactful way on my own.’”

After that realization moment, Seiler started the Propulsion Agency — a Chicago-based public relations and communication services company

— in 2019.

Seiler said during the start of his business he had to wear multiple hats simultaneously by being a manager, performing the services to clients, assigning projects, managing ads and many other tasks needed to run a business.

Seiler looks back at his time at Columbia with fondness.

“Listen and learn as much as you can, and try to expose yourself to other sides of the business that you’re currently working for, even though it may be outside the scope of work that you’re assigned to do,” Seiler said.

But, not every successful business owner needs a completed bachelor’s degree.

After dropping out of Columbia during his senior year as a film major in 2003, Julian Tillotson worked in automobile sales and real estate.

He reached out to brands from a random magazine he picked up with offers of free promotional materials. Fast forward 12 years later, Tillotson now owns his own Chicago-based real estate marketing agency, INDIRAP Social Club.

During his time at Columbia, Tillotson said he did not gain skills that helped him get to where he is now, but Columbia helped him learn who he was as a person, what content he did not want to do and what people he did not want to be around.

“If you’re going to start a business, for the first year or two, don’t plan on making a lot of money. The money that you do make, you need to reinvest it in your brand, in your marketing,” Tillotson said. “You can be the most talented person in the world, but if nobody knows who you are, you are going to have a hard time being profitable and staying in business.”

ASERGAZINA@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 5

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

6 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

» ELIZABETH RYMUT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Editor’s Note: This Q&A discussion has been edited for length and clarity.

IN 2017, THE associate provost for Faculty

Research and Development position at Columbia College was created and first held by Professor Ames Hawkins. They are a creative scholar, transdisciplinary collaborator and an award-winning author of the book, “These are Love(d) Letters.” In August 2022, they will be returning to the faculty of English and Creative Writing.

Hawkins administered the development portfolio for faculty members, which can be found and reviewed on the Columbia website.

HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED OR INVOLVED IN QUEER AND NONBINARY LITERATURE?

In a very focused way, I started probably around 2006 or 2007. We had an initiative at the college back then called “Critical Encounters.” I was the first faculty fellow for “Critical Encounters,” which was to lead this initiative around a relevant social topic and have it be an art activist type initiative. When I was made fellow faculty, the first topic was

about HIV and AIDS. I was already writing about my dad who was dying of AIDS at the time and so I volunteered to lead the topic.

That got me into working with that concept more specifically, and then from there I was writing this book, and I went to writers conferences, and I met other queer writers, and then I kept writing more and more queer and nonbinary nonfiction. In 2007 and 2010, I was a Lambda Literary Foundation fellow, and I would say that is when things started to coalesce for me.

YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF AS A “RADICAL COLLABORATOR.” WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?

There’s different kinds of collaboration.

There’s hierarchical collaboration, which is pretty typical, what most people assume collaboration is, like on a film set. You have all of these different people coming together, doing all of these different things, and it creates a piece of art. In that there’s a director, everyone has their role, and you might bounce ideas off each other, but there’s a real set way that’s going to happen, it’s already predesigned. Then, there’s something called dialogic collaboration that artists can engage in and what that means is that we’re going to talk our way through it and at the end

you don’t know who said what and you just know that you created this thing together.

Radical collaboration differs in that I want to collaborate with you because part of my goal is not just to bring my ideas or my skill set, but it is to learn from other people and their perspectives and to add to my skill set, so I am here to learn from you as a blank. The radicalness is two-fold. One is in the practice, so you’re blowing up any notion of how it was supposed to go. A lot of collaborations have a roadmap. With this, you’re coming to the table specifically to learn a new skill set. That is not usual. It’s kind of like the kinds of collaborations that people engage in, like Black Lives Matter. It’s an idea that just takes off. The three people that came together and created that movement, it had so much energy that it just took off. That’s a radical collaboration.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BOOK, “THESE ARE LOVE(D) LETTERS”?

It is a literary, rhetorical, cultural exploration of the love letter. I accomplish this by using the 20 love letters between my parents as the focus. It has been designed visually by Jessica Meharry, who also happens to be my partner, and we worked together not to have the book be a letter

»ELIZABETH RYMUT/CHRONICLE

Someone You Should Know: Ames Hawkins

AMES HAWKINS WILL BE RETURNING TO THE ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING DEPARTMENT FULL-TIME IN THE FALL AFTER FIVE YEARS AS THE ASSOCIATE PROVOST FOR FACULTY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

itself but to have it evoke the intimacy of letterness, so you would feel the sensation of reading a letter. It’s 20 chapters, and it is totally designed to be directly connected to those letters as objects. How does a love letter work? How do letters work? What work do they do in the world?

FIND THE FULL Q&A ON COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM CHRONICLE@COLUM.EDU

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 7

TH »IRVIN IBARRA/CHRONICLE

ES

REA E C TIV

Activism through art: Self-taught, Latin artist highlights mental health and politics through her work

ALONGSIDE WORKING ON A CANVAS, CAROLINA ROMO PAINTS ON SHEETS TAPED TO THE WALL, USING A PAINTING TECHNIQUE OF HARSH VERTICAL BRUSH STROKES WITH ACRYLIC PAINT AS HER FAVORITE MEDIUM OF CHOICE.

business and marketing side of art while still having a community to express creativity with. Outside of school, Romo’s work has been featured at the Lolita’s Bodega event at Navy Pier and Art & Edibles at the Pilsen Art House.

Throughout her years at Columbia, her artistic dreams have become further elevated due to the outlet the college has provided, and Romo said in the future she plans on fully immersing herself in her work through opening a small business of her own within the community to share her art and painting tips.

Through her experience in the art field, Romo has learned the value of uplifting artists, shopping small and supporting others within the community.

“It’s just important that [people] help each other out,” Romo said. “I think people need to think about other people, even if they don’t know them like that. It just shows how kind one can be.”

RPATEL@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

WITH STAINED HANDS, brushes laid across

the floor and walls saturated in paint, Carolina Romo, a junior fine arts major, works tirelessly in the studio to finish her latest piece.

As a self-taught fine artist and muralist, societal issues are Romo’s muse. Romo pulls inspiration from politics, civil rights and mental health advocacy while experimenting with her favorite medium: acrylic paints.

Based in Chicago but hailing from Milwaukee, Romo said she started painting in the first grade after finding a book about Frida Kahlo at her school’s book fair. Now she works through her art to uplift the importance of subjects people may not at first be comfortable discussing.

“I had no idea who Frida Kahlo was before, so after I read this picture book, it just inspired me to make art,” Romo said.

“I saw the illustrations, and then I started researching and learning about her, so I thought it was exciting ... and I thought I would enjoy it, too.”

For Romo, creating art has been a therapeutic experience and provided a place of comfort through which she can channel her experiences and emotions — which also happen to be her biggest influences next to incorporating foreign objects and infusing societal issues into her work.

Her piece “Kids in Cages” references the

child migrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2019. Another brings light to the dark side of the fashion industry in “Work Labor,” a three-piece line drawing encouraging viewers to consider who exactly makes their clothes. Romo said she wants her audience to think critically about these issues that are happening every day, without forcing personal ideas onto them.

Back home, Romo has worked on a multitude of murals in Milwaukee, valuing community and its big role in her art. One of her murals illustrated for the Garden Homes neighborhood reflects its history, the Great Migration, redlining, industrial work being done at the time and faith. Her other mural, “Tejiendo Raices,” was a project she participated in with muralist Isabel Castro in an effort to cultivate a safe, creative and inclusive space through the arts to empower the communities of color in the city. Romo said she is currently working on a mural for her grandpa’s bakery.

“I brought him the idea of what I was going to do, and I even showed him my portfolio. ... He liked the idea, and he said it was cool,” Romo said. “I love [community]. I want to be a part of it as much as I can, and I like talking to people. I think it just helps people be together.”

Through Columbia, she has gotten the opportunity to intern with the NYCH Art Gallery and have her work put on display at the POROUS Salon Exhibit. Romo said these opportunities taught her about the

8 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

»IRVIN IBARRA/CHRONICLE

» RACHEL PATEL STAFF REPORTER

IN A WORK IN PROGRESS, CAROLINA ROMO USES RED AND BLUE ACRYLIC PAINT, BLENDING THEM HARSHLY WITH LINES THAT BRING THE EYE TO THE FIGURE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CANVAS.

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

Success is ‘in the bag’ for this student fashion entrepreneur JG Designs’ bags are made of 85 to 90% sustainable materials, or are recycled bags from thrift stores. The bags Hoffman purchases come from a sustainable distributor who creates bags made from 100%

» KIMBERLY KAPELA STAFF REPORTER

splatters appear on the sustainable tote bags of junior photography major and small business owner Judith Grace Hoffman.

The sustainable fashion company, JG Designs, was launched by Hoffman in September 2021. She wanted full creative control to express her art and interlace it with trending fashion and accessories.

Hoffman takes heavy influence from her “main love” of fashion photography and uses it to fuel her inspiration for creative projects such as JG Designs.

“Fashion photography has always inspired me, but it really rooted in my love as a little girl for fashion in general,” Hoffman said.

“I would sew things with my grandma, and she would teach me how to put dresses together and do all these different things.”

Hoffman’s approach for the brand was to create custom-designed bags that are as expressive and unique as the people wearing them.

“I’ve always felt like I’ve had a really individual sense of style and I just want my pieces to represent that for other people,” she said.

»JARED CALLAWAY/CHRONICLE

ANGEL NUMBERS, HEARTS and colorful paint

JUDITH GRACE HOFFMAN, A JUNIOR PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR, SITS IN FRONT OF A DISPLAY OF HER DESIGNS, INCLUDING A DENIM JACKET WITH A BUTTERFLY AND A COW PRINT BAG.

recycled cotton.

Following the recent trend of maximalism which includes eclectic patterns, bright colors and over-the-top accessories, Hoffman wanted to capture the aesthetic through her bags.

“I love chaos,” Hoffman said. “I think each bag has a completely different aesthetic. Each [collection launch] has a similar aesthetic,

but each bag individually brings something different to the table.”

JG Designs’ upcoming launch features a spiritual touch from Hoffman’s personal influences surrounding her spiritual journey.

The collection highlights angel numbers — a series of numbers believed to have a spiritual connection — and evil eye accessories, which some believe provides protection from negative energy.

“As an artist in general, the things that you’re capturing are mostly things that are influencing you or just inspiring you at the time,” Hoffman said. “This year for me really has just been about reclaiming my spirituality and reclaiming my knowledge of just myself and my being. I think that’s just inspired my bags, and inspired my life around me.”

Kailin Noyola, the owner of K Baby Beads and longtime friend of Hoffman’s, said Hoffman has a creative eye and puts her love, work and dedication into the bags. “[Hoffman’s bags] are always so creative, and she puts so much love into them and she just wants them always to be so perfect, and she would never give anyone anything that she wouldn’t use,” Noyola said. “I know that when she’s giving one of her customers one

of her bags that she’s doing it with all the love and care.”

Karla Cortes, JG Designs’ first customer and another friend of Hoffman’s, said she trusted Hoffman with the creative freedom to design her bag because she appreciated Hoffman’s sense of style.

“I have so much faith in [Hoffman] because of the way she presents herself and that so many people see her is so positive, and they understand that she only brings positive energy,” Cortes said. “No matter who you are, I think if you talk to her for even a couple [of] minutes, you’d want to support anything that she does.”

Launching JG Designs has empowered Hoffman as a small business owner to work harder to chase her goals.

“Every day that I’m making a bag and repurposing it gives me purpose,” Hoffman said. “I feel so valid in creating things and creating art, and I think that this business has been just reaffirming my dreams, reaffirming my goals and reaffirming my purpose.”

Hoffman said JG Designs is currently launching bags and accessories but will be expanding into a clothing line that includes hand-painted jeans and custom, one-of-akind jackets.

KK APELA@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 9

TH » K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

ES

REA E C TIV

FIRST-YEAR ILLUSTRATION STUDENT ARIANA SOTO WORKS ON A PATTERNS AND CONSTRUCTIONS PROJECT. » IRVIN IBARRA/CHRONICLE

Creatives: Through the lens

JUNIOR MUSIC STUDENT JOSH TRIMBLE, WHO WILL BE THE OPE

AS THE SCHOOL year wraps up and the first in-person AMAIRANI MARTINEZ, JUNIOR FINE ARTS MAJOR, PICKS UP HER MANIFEST T-SHIRT IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING FESTIVAL.

Manifest and commencement in three years approaches, Columbia students prepare projects for classes and, for some, to showcase at the festival.

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE

» BIANCA KREUSEL/CHRONICLE

Together, they are the creatives.

JUNIOR PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR K AITLYN KRUGER FINALIZES HER GALLERY WORK FOR THE BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN GALLERY.

10 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

LAUREN JOHNSON (LEFT) AND MARI GIACOPELLI (RIGHT) BEGIN UNRAVELING PRINTS FOR A GALLERY SHOWING.

ELEGANT FASHION IS WORN BY MODELS AS PART OF THE BLACK BIA’S BLACK STUDENT TALENT.

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

» BIANCA KREUSEL/CHRONICLE

» K’VON JACKSON/CHRONICLE H SCHENCK, INSTRUCTIONAL SPECIALIST FOR THE FOUNDATION STUDIO COURSES, TEST RUNS THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED DERBY TRACK WITH A RED TRUCK AHEAD OF MANIFEST.

» PETER MIDWA/CHRONICLE

ENING ACT AT MANIFEST, STRUMS HIS GUITAR IN PRACTICE FOR HIS UPCOMING PERFORMANCE. » BIANCA KREUSEL/CHRONICLE

» SAM TUCKER/CHRONICLE

» JARED CALLAWAY/CHRONICLE

K CARPET SHOWCASE HIGHLIGHTING COLUM-

SENIOR MUSIC MAJOR K AYLA HENDERSON PRACTICES FOR HER UPCOMING MUSIC PERFORMANCE WITH FUSION ENSEMBLE, SET TO TAKE PLACE MAY 13.

ANASTASIA MURPHY (BOTTOM) AND LAUREN JOHNSON (TOP) HANG LIGHTS IN THE GALLERY SPACE OF 618 S. MICHIGAN AVE.

JUNIOR FINE ARTS MAJOR JOSHUA ROSS WORKS ON HIS PERSONAL VISUAL NARRATIVE FOR HIS “PAINTING I” COURSE.

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 11

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

» SAM TUCKER PHOTOJOURNALIST IN HIS FIRST year at Columbia, Tony Klacz

»SAM TUCKER/CHRONICLE

found himself moving into the last available dorm on the 11th floor of the University Center. Klacz, a junior music business major and guitar player, soon found his neighbors were just as musically minded as he was.

Over the past three years, dorm room jam sessions have evolved into TGM Recordings, a label with a mix of Columbia talent that puts on house shows across Chicago.

Klacz grew up in the southwest suburbs, but he always felt the calling of the big city as a place where he could pursue his passion for making music.

they knew they were onto something.

“The room just became a Mecca. People were coming up from floors ... and we’re like ‘come on and sing.’ We just had this huge group of artists,” Klacz said. “Anybody that wanted to make music was suddenly in our little, tiny dorm room.”

As word spread through the University Center, Klacz and Canaan’s dorm evolved into a collaborative space where Columbia students would come together to make and share music. Suddenly Klacz said he found himself, Arbogast, Canaan and newly introduced Andrea Contreras, who goes by the stage name Drea C., finishing about two and a half EPs in the first couple of weeks of playing together.

“I [wanted] to be there because I know right underneath [the skyline] is one of the most creative places in the entire world,” Klacz said. “And coming here, it’s everything I’ve dreamed of.”

Pedro Canaan, Klacz’s roommate during his first year, co-founded the TGM Recordings label with Klacz and the two collaborated on songs as more of the 11th floor musical talent in the University Center began to emerge.

Jackson Arbogast, a junior music major, brought his riffs and chords with guitar in hand to Klacz’s dorm. After their first session,

“We all appreciate good pop music ... and that’s the thing, we’re not extremely niche or inaccessible. But, I think what we still do is unique and different,” Arbogast said.

Contreras, a junior music major, said she never really expected to be pursue a career in performing, along with having future ambitions of owning her own venue in her home city of Los Angeles.

“Songwriting and just singing in general wasn’t like the forefront of what I wanted to do until the last minute,” Contreras said. “I just changed my mind and was like, ‘I’m just

12 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

LEFT TO RIGHT, TONY KLACZ, DREA C. AND SAMIRA JASMINE PLAY FOR A PRIVATE ROOFTOP PARTY, WITH CHICAGO’S SKYLINE PROVIDING A STRIKING BACKDROP.

going to do songwriting and everything and figure it out,’ and now I’m here.”

Klacz, Canaan, Arbogast and fellow Columbia student, Holland Sersen, formed The Groovy Motherfunkers and the band brought the inspiration for TGM Recordings, the label which the artists are all under.

“We’ve been preparing for seed funding to basically grow the label, not just into a bigger label, but into a PR firm as well,” Klacz said.

The label’s goal: “To really help artists and creatives in Chicago to be able to access sort of this underground scene that we began to cultivate and that others are cultivating so that we can all collaboratively build that scene up right underneath the skyline,” Klacz said.

TGM has cultivated a unique environment of collaboration with a blend of genres its artists offer. Klacz said TGM cultivates their ideas and unique sound in weekly writing and rehearsal sessions.

“I think that’s the most important thing about being an artist. It’s surrounding yourself with people who are not only like minded, but help you grow as an artist,” said Judah VanDyke, a TGM artist also known as Saint Romanov. “And that’s, I feel like, what this environment does for me, for all of us living here.”

VanDyke, a journalism major at DePaul University, initially started working as security for the events and is now a mainstay

in the TGM lineup with his self-described punk rock sound.

The “rogue musical theatre major,” Samira Carr, known as Samira Jasmine onstage, also did not expect herself to be involved in something like TGM. Carr, a junior at Columbia, said she enjoys exploring her other creative passions.

“I did not think I would be doing this, but it’s something that’s really fun,” Carr said.

“Just being able to share my art, honestly, in a way that I’ve never shared before because musical theatre is so different.”

At TGM’s live house shows, Quenters Simmons, who goes by Q and QLAW onstage, brings his hardcore rap sound and the occasional can of silly string to turn things up a notch at venues. Simmons wants to contribute and give back to the music scene that he is breaking through right now.

“I feel like everybody is just waiting for that chance,” Simmons said. “I want to be in a position to give people the chance that maybe I wish I got when I was young.”

Klacz said TGM is set on growing in the underground music scene that continues to flourish under Chicago’s skyline. To find out more about TGM Recordings’ current lineup of artists and more information, head over to their Instagram @tgmrecordings.

STUCKER@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

»SAM TUCKER/CHRONICLE

MIKE KELLEY, A JUNIOR MUSIC COMPOSITION AND PRODUCTION MAJOR AND THE KEYBOARDIST FOR THE GROOVY MOTHERFUNKERS, WORKS ON HIS UNIQUE BLEND OF MUSIC.

»SAM TUCKER/CHRONICLE

From dorm room jam sessions, a new underground sound emerges

QUENTERS SIMMONS, ALSO KNOWN AS QLAW, TURNS THE VENUE UP A NOTCH IN A PRIVATE SHOW, BLURRING THE LINE BETWEEN WHERE THE STAGE ENDS AND WHERE THE CROWD BEGINS.

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 13

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

» ROBIN SLUZAS STAFF REPORTER KELSEY BOGDAN BEGAN their undergraduate

college career at Harvard playing Division I basketball and studying cognitive neuroscience while minoring in women, gender and sexuality studies.

“For me, science is really philosophical,” Bogdan said. “Thinking about how a neuron works is artistic. The line between the sciences and humanities is really blurred.”

In their senior year in 2019, Bogdan took a silkscreen class, despite not knowing what silkscreen was, and realized new possibilities could be part of their future.

“It opened my eyes to a whole field of professions and careers I didn’t even know existed until then,” Bogdan said. “I had one of those 20-something moments of ‘I need to reassess the trajectory of my career.’

That’s how I got to where I am now.”

Soon to graduate from the Master of Fine Arts program at Columbia, Bogdan, along with co-creator and fellow Master of Fine Arts student Megan Van Kanegan, will showcase their artwork at their thesis show

during Manifest. Their exhibition opens on the Student Center’s fifth floor May 6 and runs through May 20, with the Manifest Masters Showcase taking place May 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Van Kanegan and Bogdan’s current show, titled “Scar Tissue” in the C33 Gallery on the first floor at 33 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, examines the mental and physical themes in the healing process from trauma.

Bogdan said their current work that will be exhibited during Manifest demonstrates an evolution in her artistic approach. “I began to shift to a place of healing and the cycles of healing and cycles of pain and joy, and ultimately it got me to where I am now with my thesis, which is what I’m working on right now … joy and celebration as tools of resistance and reclamation … this sort of radical joy.”

Van Kanegan went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles before transferring to Columbia.

“While I was there [at FIDM] I realized the artistic side of drawing, drafting and creating designs is what I was most interested in,” Van Kanegan said.“I

14 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

tra nsfer red to Columbia and that’s when I decided to do illustration. Then I found that I wanted to be more figurative and a bit more expressive so I switched to fine art as my bachelor’s.”

Van Kanegan said her collection of artwork, titled “Lifetime Warranty,” explores themes of joy and trying to figure out how to have fun with yourself again after experiencing trauma. The materials she used in the collection are “found images and paper, paint, marker and pen.”

Meg Duguid, the executive director of the Department of Exhibitions, Performance and Student Spaces, as well as one of Van Kanegan and Bogdan’s thesis advisors, said both have used their art as a method of healing.

“I think in both [Bogdan’s and Van Kanegan’s] cases, they’ve moved through the processing of trauma to create a space that’s about their joy and the kinds of safe spaces that they want to see around them,”

»AMANDA BURRIS/CHRONICLE

Manifest 2022 graduate art exhibit focuses on joy after trauma

Duguid said. “And really they’ve both flipped this year and are talking about the lens they see themselves through and a way to push the narrative of violence away from them in order to create a world that they would like to exist in.”

Bogdan’s thesis artwork is an installation with a focus on material wonder; what they describe as a “pupil-widening moment of joy.”

Bogdan said the materials used are ones that have brought them lifelong joy since they were a kid — rhinestones, light, rainbows, fur, feathers, sequins and glitter.

“Little moments of joy are so important and so critical in themselves,” Bodgan said.

“It’s kind of an act of resistance.”

RSLUZAS@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

Showstopping Columbia play ‘Blood at the Root’ to take center stage at South Side theatre »K AYLA MACEDO/CHRONICLE

» OLIVIA COHEN NEWS EDITOR SHOCKWAVES RAN THROUGH Ashley Keys’ body when she heard the expected end of her show’s run was actually just the beginning.

Keys, a senior theatre directing major and director of the play “Blood at the Root,” will be uprooted from her spring venue of Columbia’s Getz Theatre Center, 72 E. 11th St., and will be setting up at the eta Creative Arts Theater on Chicago’s South Side.

“I was in complete shock. I think I just started shaking,” Keys said while reminiscing about when she first learned her show would be remounted. “It was really intense because the show is going to transform into something more than I ever could have thought of.”

The African-American theatre and art museum, located at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., was founded in 1971 by the eta Creative Arts Foundation.

“Blood at the Root” is a play based on the true story of the “Jena Six,” a group of Black high school students who were accused of assaulting a white classmate in 2006. The play is set in Jena, Louisiana, and dives into the topic of race and identity in America.

“Blood at the Root” gained attention from the eta Creative Arts Theater through Sonita Surratt, an adjunct faculty member in the Theatre Department who also works for the theatre. Surratt attended the last show and wanted to add the show to the theatre’s summer programming.

Keys said Surratt and the theatre were attracted to the play because of the chemistry between the small cast of six actors, even calling the cast the “heart” of the show.

“I am so excited,” Keys said. “It shows that Columbia and just theatre in general needs to invest more and learn more about Black and Brown stories. When those stories get told, amazing things could happen.”

Keys said it feels heartwarming to know that, even with the small cast of six students who performed “Blood at the Root,” their voices can still be heard in a different light, and people outside of the Columbia community can hear this story.

John Green, a professor in the Theatre Department and coordinator of senior “Directing III” productions, oversaw the production of “Blood at the Root,” from

“It was really intense because the show is going to transform into something more than I ever could have thought of.” beginning to end. “[It was] really fantastic. … What was great was that the director of the local theatre went back for a second time to see it,” Green said.

“We have a wealth of great talent coming through the directing department, and Ashley’s production struck a chord.”

Green said Keys is currently one of the few students of color in the directing program.

Green added that the combination of Keys’ experience with the play, the way she directed,

the timeliness of the production and the issues the play deals with all contributed to the play being revived.

“It all came together beautifully,” Green said. “Having it picked up by a local theatre is not surprising because of the quality of the production that Ashley created.”

Stephanie Shaw, a professor of instruction and coordinator of the directing program in the Theatre Department, also worked with Keys on “Blood at the Root,” when Keys directed it for her “Directing II” course, which was entirely on Zoom.

Shaw said after pursuing a 20-minute version of the play via Zoom, Keys took “Blood at the Root” to her next directing class to perform again but this time on stage for a 60- to 90-minute play.

Shaw said Keys was the first student in her experience to pursue the same play but in a more comprehensive way. Shaw added that revivals of plays like this “never” happen, adding to the significance of an outside theatre company picking up a collegiate production.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it. …

I’ve been with the [Theatre] Department for forever and never in my six years of directing has a show been picked up by somebody,” Shaw said. “I am so happy for Ashley because I think it’s going to help her transition fabulously.”

Before the play departs from the college, “Blood at the Root” will have three performances on May 12 at 7 p.m. and on May 13 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The summer performances for “Blood at the Root” at the eta Creative Arts Theater will take place during the four weekends between June 23 and July 17, with four performances per weekend. Keys said, as of now, the full cast and crew from the Columbia performances are planning to stay on for the summer shows as well.

“I was expecting: ‘Okay, do the show, graduate, you’re done,’” Keys said. “To know that these amazing things have surfaced out of this last year and specifically this last semester at Columbia has just been unreal.”

OCOHEN@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 15

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

Music business student manages upcoming artists from Chicago and Detroit SIENA MOCCIA PLANTED the seed for her

company, Appealing Orange Records, during a class her first year, and now, during her senior year, it has blossomed into a tree of “oranges” that constantly changes with her.

Moccia originally created the business idea in her “Information Management” class where students had to make up a business and present it at the end of a semester.

Moccia, a music business major, said the name of Appealing Orange Records was inspired by her mother. “[My mom] was really into music, so she was like, ‘If I ever had a band, I would call it “Appealing Orange” because it can be like an appealing orange, or it could be an orange that’s peeling,’” Moccia said.

Moccia’s creation did not truly come to life until the professor encouraged her to buy a domain and offered to host the website.

The Appealing Orange Records’ website and Instagram highlight small artists from Chicago and Detroit, Moccia’s hometown. Moccia said inspiration comes to her in waves when it comes to projects

for the website, such as weekly playlists and articles. Moccia said the more knowledge she gets from classes, the more different her brand looks.

Liam Taylor, a junior music major, is friends with Moccia and works with her to release his music. Moccia helped him create a press release and send mass emails to local venues to grow his following. Taylor said he and Moccia would meet up every week, and she helped him get out of his comfort zone.

One of the instances when Moccia pushed Taylor out of his comfort zone was when they talked about advertising his music. Taylor thought advertising his work was tacky, but Moccia explained that he needed to expand his audience beyond Columbia students. This made Taylor look into his future after graduation and trust Moccia more. “[Moccia] is very good with people, so that’s how she’s been able to make a lot of the connections and build the name for herself that she has because she’s very good,” Taylor said. “She’s a people person, and one thing that I love about her is that she always pushes me.”

In 2021, Appealing Orange Records was heavily focused on weekly articles, with nine writers working on Moccia’s team.

» SAM TUCKER/CHRONICLE

» AMINA SERGAZINA STAFF REPORTER

FROM WRITING HER BLOG TO SETTING UP SHOWS FOR LOCAL ARTISTS, MOCCIA WORKS IN THE COMFORT OF HER HOME OFFICE WITH A LAPTOP AT HAND.

“Siena is the kind of person that if she sets her mind to something, she will get it done”

»SAM TUCKER/CHRONICLE

The same year Moccia hosted a three artist showcase called Dearborn Dreamscape at her apartment, where each artist played a set of 30 minutes. Moccia’s boyfriend, Miles Whitworth, said this was one of his favorite memories they share.

Whitworth, a cinema and television arts major, dropped out of Columbia in 2020, but met Moccia during their Big Chicago class, “Music & Media in Chicago,” and said, “She was always the first to answer every question and was ‘that girl’ in my class, even though there were like 200 people.”

Whitworth is a videographer and noticed that Moccia works with a lot of the same people he makes the music videos for but said work never stood between their love life.

“Siena is the kind of person that if she sets her mind to something, she will get it done. ... That’s always something that MOCCIA’S HOMETOWN OF DETROIT INSPIRES HER TO HIGHLIGHT ARTISTS FROM THE MOTOR CITY, AS WELL AS CHICAGO, UNDER HER COMPANY, APPEALING ORANGE RECORDS.

16 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

I’ve admired,” Whitworth said. “She has always been [a]consummate professional.

If I’m hanging out with her, she’ll be getting calls from musicians just asking for advice, and I think it’s crazy that she just has so much knowledge and ability and that people trust her to give the right answer and guide them.”

The experience Moccia gained by managing artists under Appealing Orange Records helped her land an internship at the music venue Metro where she updates promoters’ sites and assists with other dayto-day operations.

Appealing Orange Records now focuses more on its public relations and Moccia is working on a marketing plan.

Moccia said one day she hopes her orange tree will grow into a big orange garden with venues, merchandise, public relations and management.

ASERGAZINA@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 17

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

REVIEW: ‘SIX The Musical’ makes history through modern twists on the stories of Henry VIII’s six wives

» VIVIAN JONES/CHRONICLE

» ABRA RICHARDSON STAFF REPORTER ON A SET made for a singing competition rather than musicals, “SIX The Musical” immediately suggests to its audience what’s to come from the show.

Taking over the CIBC Theatre, located at 18 W. Monroe St., “SIX” will run through July 3 in the venue which has previously hosted “Hamilton,” “Rent” and “Hairspray.”

“SIX” is a musical created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss in 2017 while they studied at Cambridge University and were inspired by the book “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” by Antonia Fraser and a documentary series called “Six Wives”

by Lucy Worsley.

“It’s the six wives of Henry VIII as pop stars, all competing to be the lead singer of our girl group, and whoever has the worst story about what it was like to be married to him gets to be the leader of the band,” cast member Gabriela Carrillo said.

Accompanied by an all-female band, the show starts with an electric opening song that previews the energy of the show as each “queen” is introduced based on the historical timeline of their marriage to King Henry VIII and how they died. After each character is individualized, it starts to become a competition where they each battle to be the best queen, or in this case, the lead singer.

The show immediately relates to the mindset of competitiveness for leadership and the desire to be the best, which is something that has clearly been going on for centuries.

The first queen to get a solo is Catherine of Aragon, who is known for her refusal to get an annulment and her speech to Henry VIII when he brought her to court.

Her song “No Way” incorporates pieces of said speech as well as inspiration from Beyonce’s “Lemonade” era, which comes from the mentions of cheating, and nods at Shakira’s choreography.

Anne Boleyn was the second queen to be introduced, and she has a fun rivalry with Catherine due to the ending of Catherine’s marriage, which transitions to a fun poprock song, “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” that will not let anyone forget that she was

beheaded and that she had a sixth finger.

Her feisty character is notable throughout the show when she argues and interrupts the other queens.

The high tensions loosen when Jane Seymour takes the stage as she performs a power ballad, “Heart of Stone,” inspired

by Adele and Sia. Seymour is known as the “only one he truly loved,” which irritates all of the queens. Her role doesn’t match the others’ level of competitiveness because she’s more laid-back, and while that makes her stand out, her disposition does not work with the idea of a competition.

The energy picks up soon after her song as a fun, retro ensemble song, “Haus of Holbein,” gets the crowd excited to get up and dance.

Competition returns as Anne of Cleves performs a hip-hop piece called “Get Down” where she speaks on her failure to impress Henry VIII with her looks. This song stands out because they compare her rejection to modern-day dating apps,

18 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022

where the parallels between oil painting her marriage. portraits and filtered selfies resemble each To end the show, a reprise of the opening other. This song is the strongest of all of song “Six” gets the crowd on its feet as it them with the way it ties into mainstream highlights each queen. It was a perfect media, something a lot of people relate to. ending, taking the theme of independence The youngest queen, Katherine Howard and allowing each to reclaim their stories. takes the stage next with a classic pop “I think ‘SIX’ is going to inspire young song “All I Wanna Do.” Her rebellion writers because the writers of the show, peaks through, nodding to her death Toby and Lucy, are young, and they’ve by execution. achieved so much,” Carrillo said. “I think Before Catherine Parr takes the stage, there’s a lot less gatekeeping in theatre, the theme of the show shifts from a and with social media you can release competition to a reflection of all of the music, videos and ideas whenever you queens’ stories. The reason the show was want; you don’t have to be connected to made was to highlight each queen and somebody to get your work out there.” showcase their individual stories rather Like Carrillo mentioned, this show than categorize them as all being married proves that theatre is ever-so evolving, to the same man. and it’s an exciting time to be a creative.

The last queen, Catherine Parr sings “I “SIX” is a great show for all generations Don’t Need Your Love,” which resembles and one that will stand out from any compositions by Alicia Keys and Little other musical.

Mix. She takes the stance that even ARICHARDSON@COLUMBIACHRONICLE.COM though she’s the one who survived, there is still a lot of trauma she faced before

TH

ES

REA E C TIV

» K AYLA MACEDO/CHRONICLE MAY 2, 2022 THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE 19