ARTS

New coalition seeks to revitalize Yale’s student art scene

BY OPHELIA HE CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

The Dramat opened its fall season during Family Weekend with “The Government Inspector,” a satirical comedy originally written in Russian.

Written by dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol and originally published in 1836, the play ran at the David Geffen School of Drama’s Iseman Theater from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8. “The Government Inspector” tells a story of corruption, bribes and human greed. Its plot centers on a traveler from St. Petersburg, Ivan Khlestakov, who is mistaken as a government inspector by town officials.

“It’s a play about deception, and what it feels like to be duped and the shame of emerging from deception.” said the director of the show, Leo Egger ’24. “My work has always been interested in the experience of going into a play and losing yourself in it.”

The Yale Dramatic Association is the second-oldest college theater association in the country and the largest undergraduate theater organization at Yale. Students organize two shows every semester. According to Egger, over 70 people auditioned for a cast of 16 parts.

This was Egger’s first time directing a non-classical piece. Describing his goals for the show, Egger said he wanted to be “as authentic as possible to the text Gogol’s writing about” while also combining “[his] own artistic vision.”

Miriam Huerta ’23, the sound designer and engineer of the show, said her biggest challenge was including “authentic Russian music.”

“We actually did a really cool collaboration with the Yale Russian Chorus,” Huerta said. “They just had their anniversary concert ear-

GAVIN GUERRETTE/PHOTO EDITOR

The satirical comedy tells the story of corrupted officials and was originally written by Ukrainian-born novelist Nikolai Gogol.

lier in September, and we were able to record it and use some of the songs that they performed in our show.”

Working from early August until the start of the show in October, the production team and actors committed to rehearsing on a tight schedule.

Simon Rabinowitz ’23, who played the Mayor in the show, described the time commitment to the play as between two to ten hours a day.

“[Egger’s] got such a great vision,” Rabinowitz said. “He’s able to execute that in such an efficient way, while at the same time being really detail-oriented.”

The team also consisted of people with varying experience levels. Rabinowitz, who had only ever performed improv comedy before, said this was his first experience acting in a show on this scale.

For Nico Taylor ’23, who played Khlestakov, the show marked a transition from acting in sketch comedy to a role in a longer production.

“The main difference is just that with a sketch, you have at most five minutes that you have to sustain laughs, and so you can pack a lot more,” said Taylor. “You can get away quickly with it, like a shooting star, … but this is kind of like a whole day, like the sun going over it and everything. … This show has to come less from gags than from a character. You actually have to think about other things like characterization and making a believable world.”

The show was performed over Family Weekend. Sarah Brockus, who came to see her daughter Anya van Hoogstraten ’23 as the Mayor’s Daughter, was excited for the show.

“They did a terrific job of highlighting the organization of the farce and keeping weaving around all the characters,” said Brockus.

The Dramat’s next show, the musical RENT, will be held Nov. 9-12 at the University Theatre.

Contact OPHELIA HE at chuning.he@yale.edu .

New Haven Documentary Film Festival kicks off packed schedule

BY MIA CORTÉS CASTRO CONTRIBUTING REPORTER

The New Haven Film Festival, also known as NHDocs, returned to the Elm City for its ninth installment with 116 screenings of films made around the world.

Topics this year ranged from the silent epidemic of benzodiazepine abuse to the experiences of a death-positive farmer who documented his life on film in rural England.

NHDocs has been key to connecting creatives from around the city and now around the globe to each other, helping them market and distribute their films. One of the short films screened at the festival in 2021, “The Queen Of Basketball,” went on to win an Oscar for Best Documentary Short in 2022.

“I think, in terms of the art world, film is the one artform that combines all other artforms,” said Gorman Bechard, director and founder of NHDocs. “I think film is the most important art form. For there not to be a film festival in a town with so many people and so much culture, it would be a travesty.”

Originally created in 2014 by four New Haven filmmakers, the festival has grown rapidly, from showing four films in its first year to 116 this year, including 12 as a part of a student film competition.

Programming included a variety of events, including a beer tasting by Westville brewer Alisa Bowens-Mercado, a DJ party by Talking Heads’s drummer Chris Frantz and a performance by Air Guitar World Champion Andrew “Flying Finn” Finn.

In highlighting these filmmakers’ works, the New Haven Film Festival brings together creatives and lovers of film alike, spreading important messages and educating viewers on topics they would not typically be exposed to.

NHDocs will be hosted at the New Haven Public Library, Cafe 9, The State House, and The Criterion. The Criterion was added as a venue this year.

“The Box Truck Film,” Oct. 16 at The State House

Films screened at NHDocs are full of purpose and perspective, connecting to the filmmakers’ values and priorities.

Alex Eaves, who directed “The Box Truck Film”, expressed appreciation for the festival’s focus on documentary.

“Especially in this day and age, when we’re getting so many posts and videos on social media, these festivals are important because this is real life, there’s important things to take away and learn from documentaries,” said Alex Eaves, who directed “The Box Truck Film”.

“It’s not like you’re going to the movies and getting two hours of entertainment. You’re also gonna learn and take away something from the experience.”

Eaves’s film discusses his journey to build a sustainable home from completely used material and covers his three years of traveling around the country and living in his new home. This is Eaves’ second film on sustainability.

“As Prescribed,” Oct. 15 at the Criterion

Some films are infused with personal history, and others with calls to action. “As Prescribed,” a film written and directed by Holly Hardman, engages with a community of people affected by benzodiazepines.

Hardman follows advocate Geraldine Burns’ experience raising awareness about the dangers of these commonly-prescribed medications.

After struggling with the effects of the drug Clonazepam herself and seeing the damage it caused in her life, Hardman used her experiences to create awareness about the issue.

“Art has given a deeper meaning to my life,” Hardman said. “More than inspired to make this film, I felt it was a duty because I didn’t think that enough people knew about this. I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I went through. I felt called. I felt as though to live with myself, to be a decent person who tries to do the right thing, I had to make this film.”

“Deerwoods Deathtrap,” Oct. 14 and 16 at the Criterion

“Deerwoods Deathtrap,” a short film by James P. Gannon, was recently selected for Sundance Film Festival.

The comical and intriguing film follows Gannon’s parents as they revisit the site of a car crash they were in 50 years prior.

Being back at the site jogs his parents’ memories, with each recalling the vastly different version of the same event. The result is an intriguing, two-perspective story.

“It’s cool having a festival that’s just dedicated to documentaries,” said Gannon. “Especially

DANIEL ZHAO/SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

NHDocs will host screenings of 116 documentaries over the next eleven days at venues across the city.

with my documentary which is very unusual. I’m glad that they’re embracing something that’s different and quirky like that.”

“A Life On The Farm,” Oct. 14 and 22 at the Criterion

With a similar perspective on the importance of documentary-specific film festivals, British and Irish filmmaker Oscar Harding voiced both his appreciation for documentary film festivals and film festivals in general.

Harding’s film, “A Life On The Farm,” centers around the home movies made by a farmer in rural England who happened to be Hardgin’s grandfather’s neighbor.

When sifting through his grandfather’s possessions, Harding’s family found a tape made by this neighbor, Charles Carson. Though Harding was prohibited from seeing what was on the tape at the time it was found, his curiosity about the content never faded and he was able to watch it 12 years later. In his film, Harding follows Carson’s love for filmmaking and for his subject: death.

Discussing the death positivity movement and other themes that are not typically discussed in film, NHDocs will help “A Life On The Farm” gather an audience that loves the story as much as Harding. He said NHDocs helps the film reach audiences it would not normally reach.

“There’s a very real chance that if this movie plays in theaters, it’s not gonna play anywhere in New England,” Harding said. “It may sell in the big markets like LA and New York, but then you’ve got tens of thousands of movie lovers that won’t get a chance to see it. Festivals like NHDocs are really important for that.”

How to get tickets for NHDocs

Accessible to all members of the New Haven community, tickets range from free to $15. Tickets are on sale on the NHDocs website.

“New Haven is such a culturally diverse town but a lot of the time, culture is out of reach to the average New Havener,” Bechard said. “That’s what’s so special about NHDocs.”

Entries for film submissions for NHDocs will reopen in March 2023.