As quickly as she set foot on campus, Abby Setterholm, a junior at Tufts University, set her eyes on the Balch Arena Stage and got involved in student theater.
“I always performed in high school,” said Setterholm. “I chose to attend Tufts, because the theater opportunities were so available.”
Since freshmen year, Setterholm stage-managed six productions, most recently Pen, Paint and Pretzel’s (3P’s) spring major “Alice in Wonderland.”
What’s wrong with the American theatre is producers asserting their creative “license” over directors. Or at least that’s what Derek Wills, the director of the fictional musical, Bombshell, yells as he quits the production on NBC’s “Smash.” “Smash (2012-),” the NBC musical drama follows Bombshell, a musical making its journey to the Big White Way.
In its second season, the series has featured an “edgy” list of underground musical theater composers that includes Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Pasek and Paul) of Edges fame, Joe Iconis, and Drew Gaspirini. To justify incorporating this new musical sound, “Smash” conjured two cutting-edge composer characters into the storyline who are working on a musical ironically titled Hit List.
Seniors Rachel Rubin and Alyssa Wohl brought hand-made tissue paper flowers to the workers at the Dewick-MacPhie dining hall yesterday in an effort to say ‘thank you’ and demonstrate the student body’s collective appreciation
Wohl (left) and Rubin (right) in the lobby of Dewick dining hall
“We decided to make the flowers to thank the dining hall staff for coming in when they’re risking their own safety in order to provide some semblance of normalcy for students,” Rubin said.
Rubin, Wohl, and Dining Services workers
Wisler Clerjuste, one of the workers at Dewick, said she appreciates the gesture.
“It was very, very fine. Everyone over here was so happy about it,” he said with a smile.
Allie Wollum, a senior and a friend of Rubin’s and Wohl’s, taught the two seniors how to make the flowers this morning quickly and efficiently.
“It was something simple that we could make at home,” Rubin said, “but it’s still a nice thank you gesture.”
If the pair have time to gather more material, they plan to do the same for the workers at Carmichael Dining Hall in the near future.
Thousands of online contestants try out each year to win their chance to be on Jeopardy, America’s favorite quiz show. This year, Tufts University’s own Jed Silver, a senior English major, was recently a contestant on College Jeopardy which will air on May 6. The Tufts Daily got an exclusive interview with the Jumbo trivia contestant:
Q: Hi Jed! Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed while you’re in LA.
A: Hey, Alex! Not a problem at all.
Q: What are you involved with on and off campus?
I’m involved with Theta Chi, BUILD: India, and Rural Research and Development Innovations (RREADI), an NGO in Uganda that friend and adviser founded.
Q: Could you tell me about RREADI?
A: So RREADI is an NGO that I co-founded last year with my former research adviser, Donnas Ojok, It’s located in and partners with Barongin Village in Northern Uganda and focuses on participatory and sustainable rural development, driven and led by the community. Based on the community assessment we began over winter break, our first project is tentatively going to work with village savings and loans groups and agricultural marketing.
Q: Why did you try out for Jeopardy?
I tried out because I’ve always wanted to be on Jeopardy. I have always seemed to remember random things and Jeopardy was always my favorite game show, so I thought it was a good match for me because I’m competitive and nerdy as hell.
Q: What was the process (talk about each step at length please – the more description the better)? More =>>
Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence and two-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams were spotted in northern Medford last week where a new David O. Russell film was shooting.
Chloe Rotman, a senior, said she and housemate Jeff Richmond were sitting at home on the night of March 25 when a friend posted a status that Lawrence was in Medford.
“We hopped in a car and drove to the lake where we found a bunch of trailers and were politely asked to leave,” Rotman said.
They then followed signs for the set into a residential neighborhood near the lake, and found another house with trailers and equipment outside where the actors had finished shooting earlier that night. A security guard stood outside the set reading 50 Shades of Grey guarding the equipment, according to Rotman.
Later last week, Marnie Kingsley, a senior, was working at Made By Me, a pottery store in Porter Square when she came face to face with Amy Adams last Friday evening.
“Amy Adams, her daughter, her husband and a friend came in and picked up two mugs, a tile, and an elephant hat that Amy had painted for her daughter a week ago” Marnie said.
Russel with Cooper in a 2012 Film Festival. Courtesy Medford Patch.
Medford Patch has also reported that A-list actors Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, Bradley Cooper and Louis CK are rumored to join the shoots on Doonan Street in Medford, as well as in Malden.
Coming off of David Russell’s recent success in “Silver Linings Playbook,” it’s no surprise that Jennifer Lawrence and he are working together again. With Amy Adams in the mix, along with Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner and Bradley Cooper this film is could be a box-office winner — and these Tufts students can say they saw it firsthand.
Passover: for many this represents a time for families and friends to come together for two nights, for bowls on matzah ball soup and brisket at the Seder table – subsequently to be followed by 6 days of constipation and/or starvation. Now that there are 4 lovely remaining days of celebrating the Jewish exodus from Egypt, 4 days without leavened bread and happiness, we would like to provide you with Passover-themed movies and TV episodes with which you might want to distract yourself and while the time away.
1. “Prince of Egypt” (DreamWorks, 1998)
Let’s be honest: a musical retelling of the story of Passover is exactly what your Jewish grandmother ordered, along with a bowl of soup, and some Yiddush guilt (read: love). DreamWorks’s first animated film proved to be an instant classic, and one that might one day, if not today, stand next to “The Ten Commandments” as a timeless film. The colorful and beautifully done animation paired with enchanting songs like “Deliver Us” (after the jump) and “Through Heavens Eyes” written by Academy Award-winners Hans Zimmer and Stephen Schwartz make viewers feel as though their reliving the exodus with the ancient Israelites. For many, watching this movie can even be a religious experience.
I have to give it up to the classics, there’s no way around it; respect and reverence is due to this 220 minute classic. This hallmark to the bygone days of film, with few special effects that remind us now of bad graphics and poor wireless connection and booming Shakespearian-like acting, The Ten Commandments is a Passover must. Academy Award winning actors Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner face off as Moses and Pharaoh, respectively, make this movie the epic that it is. Heston, who some of you may recognize as the narrator from Disney’s “Hercules,” represents an era in which Hollywood took itself seriously and when heroes like Moses came from the Bible or history. His powerful presence on screen reminds us how liberating true artfulness can be, and the power of the Passover story simultaneously.
3. “The Rugrats” “A Rugrats Passover” (Nickelodeon, 1991-2004)
If I could sum up my childhood in a TV episode, I think I’d choose this one. If there were a word for “nostalgic” and “adorable” at the same time, that’s what “A Rugrats Passover” embodies. The episode surprisingly gets a lot of the Passover story correct based on a reading of the Torah, while very aptly placing Angelica in the role of Pharaoh, and Tommy as Moses when the story is retold with our favorite little tikes as the biblical players; Angelica would never let those “dumb babies” be free if she could make them do her work all day. The episode adds humors to its educational portrayal of a typical Seder, the ceremonial dinner on the first two nights of the holiday. The running sight gag from the episode is unforgettable. Each time someone leaves the table, everyone yells, “Don’t close the—door” as people perpetually get locked out.
4. “The Nanny” “The Passed-Over Story” (CBS, 1993-1999)
Among my all-time favorite TV shows, “The Nanny” does Passover (and New York Jewish culture) right. Every other line is a Jewish joke or a translated Yiddish phrase that is funny enough to get a person who knows the least about Judaism to laugh. In “The Passed-Over Story,” the Sheffields join Fran’s family for a Passover Seder. At one point Fran shouts, “It’s the miracle of Passover; the Messiah is coming!” when she finds out that Barbra Streisand is coming to New York. And like any good Jewish dinner, the episode ends with everyone saying how full they are, and that they can’t move. Some may just never know how true that statement is.
So here’s the scoop. If you still need housing on campus, well it’s almost too late, but here to help in your decision is a profile of some campus dorms that you may want to consider or reconsider.
West Hall
This is the Regina George of the available dorms on campus (not including Sophia Gordon and Stratton, because obviously their the Queen Bees reserved for the Old Queens). Pristine, on the new(er) side, and Hogwarts-style, West is the dorm that you want to be in if you can get it and your lottery is high enough. Situated on the Academic Quad, right at the top of the hill, the dorm looks down on the others. If you’re taking a class at Olin, Barnum, or need quick access to the administrative buildings, West would be key. Plus, your friends will hang out with you all the time because the building is pretty immaculate. That being said, the dorm is reserved for sophomores and up and there are four steep flights to climb if you’re on the fourth floor, so try to be closer to the ground. Lofty goals with earthly needs – got to love the paradox.
West Hall / Tufts University ResLife
South Hall
Now, South Hall, a mixed dorm primarily made of freshmen and sophomores right at the edge of campus, is…an interesting story. My professional opinion as a campus commentator would say to avoid South if you have to, but know that it is a solid option. Location wise, it’s close enough to Dewick and Hodgdon, there’s a direct road to the Campus Center, and easy access to the Aidekman Arts Center and Granoff music building. On the flip side, because the dorm is mixed, if you’re stuck with the wrong hall combo, leaving that door open to socialize might be the wrong thing to do. Also worth mentioning is that the rooms are the size of closets. Seriously, I lived there sophomore year and loved it simply, because of my awesome roommate, but I had about four steps of personal space. If you like being involved in your roommate’s life in a very, VERY close way, South is for you. If you’re normal avoid it.
South Hall / Tufts University ResLife
Bush Hall
Don’t even get me started on Bush. I’ve been in Bush enough to know that being that close to Dewick and Hodgdon is not as worth it as it seems. Not to mention that there have been consistent rat and roach sightings each year that I’ve known people who live there, and that’s every year since I’ve arrived on campus. I place Bush at the bottom of the campus dorm food chain.
Bush Hall / Tufts University ResLife
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As for the other dorms that weren’t specifically profiled (Metcalf, Miller, Carm, and the others), I would rank them either on par with South or in between South and West. You’d be safe to go for those dorms before you go for South, and certainly before you choose Bush. Shoot for West – you might just get Carm.
Cadley called for civility in his State of the Tufts Community Union address, citing the Committee on Student Life’s decision regarding student religious groups.
This week disney enthusiast Alex Kaufman is joined by fellow vlogger Brionna Jimerson to dish on Todrick Hall’s “Beauty and the BEAT!” Watch the vlog below, and to watch the original video click here!
