8
Arts & POP ARTS Pop CULTURE Culture
tuftsdaily.com
Friday, April 15, 2022
Arts editors and tour guides talk about their nontraditional connection to the arts on campus by Jack Clohisy and RaiAnn Bu
Arts Editor and Assistant Arts Editor
Art comes in many forms, and it permeates all facets of life. No matter how removed from artistic practice some people may be, it’s undeniable the impact that art has on everyone. Two editors of the Daily dive into their own experiences with the arts and how they came to join a greater community of Tufts students who appreciate and celebrate art in all its forms. RaiAnn: Jack and I had crossed paths for about two years before we formally met at our summer tour guiding job. I now know Jack wants to have a family large enough to fill a basketball court. When we met, however, he was the one who inspired me to begin writing for The Tufts Daily in the first place. We were both athletes, both STEM majors and on paper what I thought were the farthest things from the ‘artsy’ kids. During high school, I had little interaction with the arts. There has always been a dichotomy in my mind that puts arts and academics on two opposite sides of the spectrum. If I chose to be more involved in arts, it would be less ‘prestigious’ than a dedication to science or math. As a result, I did minimal work for music class in high school and made my interest in movies, drawing and fashion a hobby instead. When I came to college, I was excited to suddenly have such a wide range of academic freedom. My first semester, I took an art class as part of the arts requirement. Like with my interest in art, I had never had any interest in writing for a school newspaper. Before college, I had always
COURTESY RAIANN BU
Jack Clohisy and RaiAnn Bu are arts editors at the Daily. been more STEM oriented in my extracurricular activities, trying to fulfill an image of what I thought were ‘smart’ activities (I actually don’t even like science now). Additionally, two of my friends were editors of the high school newspaper, and hearing about the stress of meeting monthly deadlines was enough stress for me. So if you had told
me in high school that I would enjoy writing for the newspaper so much that I wrote an article every week, I would tell you that you visited the wrong dimension. But it has been so freeing to finally explore an interest I suppressed for so long. What’s so beautiful about Tufts and college in general is the space to grow, discover your
own interests and have your ideas challenged and changed. Since I’ve been at Tufts, my worldview has changed to consider shades of gray where I previously saw black and white. For example, math, which had previously been my worst enemy, turned out to be the class I looked forward to the most (embarrassing, I know).
A nonexhaustive guide to Tufts theater by Henry Chandonnet Assistant Arts Editor
Tufts has a vibrant theater community, with many options and on-ramps for prospective members. They range from department-run to student-led and vary in commitment level. This includes all facets of theater engagement, whether it be acting, directing, tech, costume designing or anything in between. For incoming students, the most important note is just how open and accepting the theater community is. However involved you want to be, in whatever form you would like, you’re welcomed. So, here’s an incomplete list of all the theater opportunities at Tufts. This list will surely miss a few, mostly because the theater opportunities here at Tufts are constantly changing and growing. Still, it’s helpful to have an idea of what the broader theater community
looks like. So here it is: a nonexhaustive guide to Tufts theater. To start, there are the classic department-run shows. These are the closest to “professional” and thus may expect higher commitment levels. The Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at Tufts will generally put on two mainstage shows a year, though it may support other productions on an ad hoc basis. The TDPS department put on two shows this year: “Almanac” (2021) in the fall, a student-written musical based in the past and present history of Black art, and the new-age hit “Spring Awakening” (2006) in the spring. Anyone can take part in these shows, either by auditioning to act or by contacting the production team for more behindthe-scenes roles. The TDPS department is also supporting one student-led production this semester, with four seniors
directing and acting in their own production of “Macbeth” (1606) for their capstone. In addition to these shows, there is, of course, a myriad of classes students may take within the department, each having performance and technical opportunities. Overall, the TDPS department provides bountiful theater opportunities that are both professional and accessible. In terms of student-run theater, the organizations are divided between musicals and dramas. Tufts’ musical theater student organization is called Torn Ticket II and will generally put on three or four shows a year. In the fall, Torn Ticket II produced “Mamma Mia!” (1999), and the spring brings both “Chicago” (1975) and “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical” (2014) to the stage. These productions are entirely student-run, with the whole production team made
up of students. In fact, the shows are proposed and voted on in Torn Ticket II student meetings. This means that if there’s a musical you’ve always wanted to put on, Torn Ticket II might be your chance to do it here. Torn Ticket II also puts on its biannual “Over The Rainbow” cabaret, which is also open to all for submissions. Torn Ticket II allows students to produce and perform in a number of different shows each year, giving them freedom that they may not have had in their high school programs. For plays, Pen Paint and Pretzels, known as 3Ps, is the student-run drama program. 3Ps puts on traditional shows and original student works every year. In the fall semester, 3Ps put on “Dry Land” (2014) by Ruby Rae Spiegel and “Trainwreck” (2021), written by student Tatyana Emery. The spring brought “The Impromptu at Versailles” (1682) by Molière and
I think college is a time where you learn to be your own human, separate from your parents, friends and any expectations. Tufts gives you that space and resources to explore your previously held beliefs about yourself and others. It gives you a place where you can dumpster-firestyle fail but still be safe. Jack: When I first met Rai, we immediately connected over the shared interests we had. She, a lover of Minecraft, and I, a lover of Minecraft YouTube videos, were destined to unite. It was when Rai shared her playlist with me that I realized we were going to be friends. Chock-full of Phoebe Bridgers, Lorde, Mitski and the likes, we had an instant overlap in music taste. Rai also became one of my closest friends within the first few months of our friendship when I could rely upon her for support in my personal life, and I am so grateful for her. When I was younger, because I considered myself ‘good at math,’ I didn’t think I could inherently be an artistic person. It wouldn’t be until my high school years that I discovered that art comes in more forms than visual arts. I fell in love with the artistic craft of authors in American literature such as “The Scarlet Letter” (1850) and “The Catcher in the Rye” (1951), but what really struck me was music. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that for a presentation on evolving freedoms in American culture, I juxtaposed the works of Emily Dickinson’s poetry with Rihanna’s “Sex with Me” (2016). see EDITORS, page 9
“Opus 1” (2022) by student Ryan Pratt. This means that whether you want to act in, direct or even write a play for 3Ps, you can do it. These shows also have many students in technical roles helping behind the scenes, bringing another opportunity for students interested in theater tech. Finally, there are also two audition-based children’s theater groups on campus. Trunk! puts on shows for schools in the area, performing silly skits and scenes for younger children. The group also occasionally performs shows on campus, still bringing that fun children’s theater air. Local Bard’s Players, which is housed under 3Ps, is the other children’s theater group on campus, specifically adapting Shakespeare’s plays for young school audiences. These productions are often silly and goofy but make Shakespeare’s see THEATER, page 9
