May 08, 2008
Hispanic studies and drama departments put cultural exchange on the stage
Still waiting for your prince on horseback? A clever subversion of one of Western civilization’s favorite tropes might be just what you’ve been looking for. The Hispanic Studies Department and...
May 01, 2008
Vassar soap opera provides Web interaction
Jackson Reeves
Max Gold ’10 used these ideas to shape his Web series, Classic of Changes, which was filmed at Vassar and stars Vassar students. The title is an English translation of the phrase “I Ching.”
“Godot” arrives at Vassar for his 60th anniversary
Gülfem Demiray
Sixty years after the play’s premiere in a tiny theater in Paris, Unbound is presenting “Waiting for Godot” on Friday, May 2, Sunday, May 4, and Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in the Outdoor Amphitheater, located in the field behind Sanders Classroom. The play is Unbound’s final production of the year.
Shakespeare cools down with “Winter’s Tale”
Sarah Rebell
The most famous stage direction of all of the Bard of Avon’s tragedies, comedies, romances and histories appears in “The Winter’s Tale.” It is a jarringly explicit description: “Exit, pursued by a bear.”
Music Box | Overlooked Albums | Hanna
Mike Newmark
I’m (reluctantly) inclined to say that jazz-house is one of the easier musical genres to pull off, but even in a dulcet, groovy and overcrowded arena, Contemplating Jazz was something special.
Going to Bonnaroo?
Jake Berzoff-Cohen
How is Bonnaroo fitting for a Vassaroo? Many students plan to make the pilgramage to the festival this year to revel in the communal aspect of festivals.
Music Box | Portishead
Mike Newmark
“We really wanted to sound like ourselves but not sound like ourselves. It was always going to be difficult,” said Geoff Barrow of Portishead at a Pitchfork Media interview on April 7.
Arts Briefs | Celebrating 30 years of Matthew’s Minstrels
Arts Briefs | Idlewild produces deeper version of afternoon “Tea”
April 25, 2008
Erika Amato ’91: The Full Interview
The Miscellany News: “Triumph of Love” is a musical based on a commedia dell’arte play. It uses stock characters and an improvisational technique. Did anything from your undergraduate experience...April 24, 2008
YouTube videos to share student views online
Chloe McConnell
Whether providing informational videos in class, aiding procrastination in the Library or simply curing late-night boredom, YouTube has become an integral part of the Vassar community. Now College Relations is taking advantage of the two-way medium with a YouTube Contest and an enhanced Vassar YouTube channel.
“Merrily” will explore art, fame and failure
Sarah Rebell
“Merrily We Roll Along,” the drama department’s spring musical, takes place from the 1970s to the 1950s. That’s right, the show goes backward in time. Written by renowned composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, the show depicts a series of scenes that are told in reverse chronological order and span 20 years.
Erika Amato ’91 on acting, singing in NYC
Jackson Reeves
The Miscellany News caught up with Erika Amato ’91 on April 17 while the actress and singer took a break from rehearsals for the upcoming musical farce “Triumph of Love,” in which she stars as the aunt of the protagonists love interest, Hesione. It will run at the Astoria Performing Arts Center from April 25 through May 11.
Music Box | Auburn Lull
Mike Newmark
Despite four years of recording inactivity and five months of delays, Auburn Lull’s Begin Civil Twilight makes it seem as though the time that passed between their previous album, Cast from the Platform (2004), and this one didn’t actually happen.
April 17, 2008
Get intimate and go crazy with Unbound
Jackson Reeves
Unbound explores the troublesome topics of alcohol, liasons and soymilk in unconventional and intimate locations this weekend, April 16-20, as it presents Intimate Space Theater’s “3 Things to Make You Crazy.”
Student production company shoots for the sky
Molly Arnn
Remember the name Shoot the Sky Productions—you may see it credited on the silver screen one day. Vassar filmmakers Seth Cuddeback ’08, Aaron Naar ’08 and Woodrow Travers ’09 created the company in January 2008, but it has already found astounding success
‘Bare’ sings troubles of high school students
Sarah Rebell
A name such as Future Waitstaff of America (FWA) might suggest low ambitions, but its members are setting the bar high with their production of “Bare” this semester. A musical reminiscent of “Rent” and “Spring Awakening,” “Bare” will be performed Thursday, April 17 through Saturday, April 19 in Sanders Classroom.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums | Loftus
Mike Newmark
The album was pitch black except for an animal’s jawbone sitting on top of a small gold square, with no identifying information save for the story I’d just read. Naturally, I bought it.
The Chance keeps rocking with Drowing Pool
Gülfem Demiray
As a part of their North America tour, alternative metal band Drowning Pool will visit Poughkeepsie and perform downtown at The Chance Theater on April 18 at 8 p.m.
Music Box | Flight of the Conchords
Mike Newmark
People cried bloody murder when the Flight of the Conchords Season One DVD didn’t include music videos for any of the songs featured in the episodes, but it ended up being a smart move.
April 10, 2008
Dynamo keeps actors, audience intrigued
Sarah Rebells
The Dynamo Theater Lab, the ensemble theater group and senior project has been staging one high caliber, experimental play after another for the past six weeks, with only a few days to rehearse for each one.
Orson Welles’ radio martians take the stage
Laura McCoy
What would you do if you turned on the radio and heard a newsflash about an alien invasion of Earth? Vassar students have fuses the radio script and samples from Naomi Iizuka’s 2000 biographical play about Welles, also entitled “The War of the Worlds.”
Modern FLLAC collection reaches out to Japan
Gülfem Demiray
After two years of hard work and cooperation, the Francis Lehman Loeb Art Center (FLLAC) selected 86 pieces of artwork and has sent them on a five-museum tour in Japan.
Music Box | M83
Mike Newmark
M83’s sole core member, Anthony Gonzalez, calls Saturdays=Youth his paean to being a teenager and the discovery that comes with it.
April 03, 2008
Palmer exhibits the work of young Picassos
Gülfem Demiray
The James Palmer Gallery’s 23rd annual John Iyoya Children’s Art Show, A Celebration of Children’s Art, remedies this trend by featuring the artwork of Poughkeepsie’s youngest artists, ages kindergarten through sixth grade. The show runs through Saturday, April 5.
‘Unwrap Your Candy’ fuses horror and desire
Sarah Rebell
Watching the Philaletheis play “Unwrap Your Candy” is like watching Twilight Zone episodes, according to the play’s director Peter Gaffney ’08.
FLLAC outdoor film series disturbs, engages
Jackson Reeves
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center’s (FLLAC) will show both art and popular films every Thursday until June 5 at 7:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the museum, or in Taylor Hall 203 in case of cold or rainy weather. The film series presents films from the 1920s to the present century
Music Box | Overlooked Albums | Marsen Jules
Mike Newmark
Baby-faced Marsen Jules first appeared on Pop Ambient 2007 with decent success, but "Les Fleurs" transcends his previous work.
Music Box | Gnarls Barkley
Mike Newmark
From the band who brought you the Grammy-winning album "St. Elsewhere", Gnarls Barkley's sophomore album has some of the pure pop escapism they're remembered for, but this time around the sound is a more calculated than "Crazy"
March 28, 2008
Skinner Hall presents musical spring season
Gulfem Demiray
. The Miscellany News presents part one of a two-part preview of the March and April concerts being held at the Martel Recital Hall this semester.
March 27, 2008
M.I.A. to perform her innovative music at Vassar
Chloe McConnell
Maya Arulpragasam, commonly known in the music world as M.I.A., will perform in the West Side of All Campus Dining Center (ACDC) on April 11.
Vassar-born Genghis Tron discusses style of album
Mike Newmark
When metal act Genghis Tron played its first shows at Vassar, nobody had heard anything quite like it. Its approach was wholly unique, a quirky grindcore-meets-electronica rubric that sounded like Ratatat’s party being crashed by The Locust and Atari Teenage Riot.
Play echoes senior students' employment concerns
Chloe McConnell
Vassar Students often aspire to pursue interesting and fulfilling employment after they graduate. How will our future jobs shape our lives? This query provides the underlying force driving the characters in “Typographer’s Dream,” written by Adam Block.
Lehman Loeb presents bodies Out of Shape
Jackson Reeves
Malformed and even deformed figures populate Out of Shape: Stylistic Distortions of the Human Form in Art from the Logan Collection, now on display in the central gallery of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center.
Music Box | Destroyer
Mike Newmark
Trouble in Dreams is Vancouver-bred Dan Bejar’s ninth album as Destroyer in 12 years. This would be a make-or-break situation for most bands, the point at which their listeners stay tuned or stop caring. They lean toward the former by no fault of their own.
Hips don't lie at CampFly dance workshops
Daniel Savage
FlyPeople are the only official, “unofficial” dance group on campus that gives students the opportunity to choose their own music, choreograph their own pieces and organize a performance each semester to show off their hard work.
February 28, 2008
VRDT infuses show with sexuality, apathy and conflict
Jackson Reeves
Vassar Repertory Dance Theater (VRDT) is performing at the nearby Bardavon 1869 Opera House in preparation for its 26th Final Showing. Faculty, student and guest choreographers are offering up a medley of pieces covering topics such as apathy, sexuality, dehumanization and clan warfare.
One-woman show channels Zora Neale Hurston
Sarah Rebell
Famed American author Zora Neale Hurston wrote about the issues facing African-American women at a time when it was difficult for them to find an outlet. Vassar students will have the opportunity to see a one-woman play about Hurston’s fascinating life, performed by Kim Brockington.
No-ViCE brings novice, alternative bands to Vassar
Gulfem Demiray
No-ViCE has been bringing little-known yet talented bands to Vassar since it was created as a subdivision of Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) in Fall 2006.
Music Box | Autechre
Mike Newmark
The 15-year-old Autechre (Sean Booth and Rob Brown from Sheffield, England) has remained a fixture in electronica not by reinventing itself with changing times, but by adhering rigidly to a single aesthetic as though time didn’t exist.
February 21, 2008
Kitsch mixed-media comes to Palmer Gallery
Jackson Reeves
Aaron Miller’s one-man exhibit ART, LOVE, FEAR, LIFE, DEATH, TRASH, currently being diplayed in the James W. Palmer III Gallery, showcases titular words individually spelled out in bright, distinctive silk flowers mounted on the wall.
AirCappella whistles their tunes cross-country
Gülfem Demiray
AirCappella, Vassar’s whistling-only a cappella group, was certified by the Vassar Student Association in 2005 and currently has nine members. There are many people on campus who love to whistle, and it is difficult to earn a spot in the group with the tough auditions.
Dynamo Theater Lab a morphing drama project
Sarah Rebell
Innovative, dynamic and experimental theater, the type Vassar was originally known for, is being reintroduced through the senior project Dynamo Theater Lab.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums | Converter
Mike Newmark
I went to an Autechre show a few years ago that got me thinking about the incredible endorphin-releasing power of beats, and I have to believe that this is what makes Converter’s utterly destructive Shock Front such a pleasurable experience.
Love, racism and stereotypes mark choreo-poem
Laura McCoy
Ntozake Shange’s 1974 play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf”, is an award-winning play and choreo-poem—a compilation of 20 poems choreographed to music—that lyrically explores the search for black female identity.
Music Box | Beach House
Mike Newmark
Beach House is finding itself in a scenario in which the limitations of their seemingly faultless first record only become apparent after the quietly stunning Devotion eclipses it in nearly every way.
February 14, 2008
Girl Talk Rips up Vassar | Mash-up DJ to spin hits at 100 Nights
Jackson Reeves
Mash-up DJ Girl Talk became famous by creating just that sort of fun—he sampled the above songs to create his mix “Once Again.” Vassar students can bathe in his revelry this Friday, Feb. 15 at 12 a.m. when he will turn the proverbial records for the senior class’s big 100 Nights blowout in the Villard Room.
Gregg Gillis discusses the creation of a personal genre
Chloe McConnell
On Feb. 11, The Miscellany News spoke to Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk in a telephone interview, discussing the process and results of creating sampled-based music.
The "Vagina Monologues" celebrates 10th anniversary
Sarah Rebell
V-day is celebrated around the world with performances of “The Vagina Monologues,” a play by Eve Ensler that addresses women’s sexuality and experiences. Vassar’s annual production of “The Vagina Monologues” will be performed in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater Feb. 14-16 at 8 p.m. This year’s production has been dubbed “V to the 10th” because it is V-Day’s 10th anniversary at Vassar.
Alumnus to speak of music and mind
Chloe McConnell
Music, biology and psychology—seemingly disparate fields—mark the research and writings of Vassar graduate Jamshed Bharucha ’78, who will be on campus for a three-day residency from Feb. 19-21. During his stay, Bharucha will visit classes and present a lecture on “Music, Mind and the Ineffable” in Sanders Classroom at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21.
Music Box | Jack Johnson
Mike Newmark
Jack Johnson’s soundtrack to the 2006 film Curious George was a winsome piece of folk-pop that kept everything appropriately sunny and superficial. Sleep Through the Static, Johnson’s fourth proper LP, has been pitted by publicists and Johnson himself as the melancholic yin to Curious George’s carefree yang.
Vassar on Tap steps into the dance scene
Gulfem Demiray
Jenna Lemonias ’08, a tap dancer since the first grade, brought her tap shoes to Vassar her freshman year only to discover that there was no tap dancing club on campus. Fortunately, for interested tappers like Lemonias, that is no longer the case. Vassar on Tap, Vassar’s first and only tap dance group, is now an official organization.
February 07, 2008
Teen Visions bring community art to Vassar
Orli Florsheim
Chloe McConnell
Contrasting somber hues and loud colors persuade the observer of Teen Vision ’08 to view scenes through the eyes of teenagers. The exhibit, which is currently being featured in the James W. Palmer III Gallery until Feb. 9, showcases 120 works of art by Poughkeepsie High School students from the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft.
Workshops showcase first-time student directors
Sarah Rebell
Want a chance to see eight plays in two nights? On Thursday, Feb. 7 and Friday, Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Susan Stein Shiva Theatre, eight first-time student directors will present short pieces of theater. Known as Directing Workshops, this long tradition sponsored by Philaletheis, Vassar’s oldest student theater organization.
Famous actor and activist come to VCDF
Jackson Reeves
Broadway actor and folk singer Bikel and conductor Brooks come to Vassar on Feb. 12 for a week of activist lectures, discussions on and musical performances, entitled “The Arts as a Bridge to Peace.”
Women's Choir, Wind Ensemble and Mahagonny Choir conclude Modfest
Jon Roth
Artful performances and daring song choices highlighted the scope of Vassar’s musical talent during the second week of Modfest, a celebration of contemporary music. On Feb. 3 in the Skinner Hall of Music, the Vassar College Women’s Choir, Mahagonny Choir, and the Vassar College and Community Wind Ensemble convened in Skinner Hall to celebrate the close of Vassar’s sixth annual Modfest.
Music Box | The Mars Volta
Mike Newmark
No one keeps the prog-rock torch aflame in 2008 like the Mars Volta, but on The Bedlam in Goliath, the plot gets lost, the sound gets silly, and the band finds itself caught in the sucking whirlpools of misguided directions and bad ideas.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums | Seeks Who Are Lovers
Mike Newmark
About a year ago, Mexican electronic producer Ángel Sánchez appeared from out of the blue and dropped two albums under two different names. One of his projects, Antiguo Autómata Mexicano, specializes in been-there-done-that minimal techno in the vein of fellow countryman Murcof: technically accomplished, emotionally blank. The second project, by contrast, is a revelation—so affecting, so beautiful and so good at what it does that it forms its moonlit world around you and makes your heart skip a beat.
February 01, 2008
Modfest brings modern arts to Vassar
Chloe McConnell and Sara Wilf
Many Vassar students do not consider non-rhythmic classical compositions and cartoon-like drawings as significant artistic achievements. With the hopes of broadening students’ horizons, Vassar is hosting the sixth annual Modfest on the weekends of Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.
Three poets discuss politics, racism and gender
Sarah Siegel
The First Year Experience program’s latest installment, “3 Poets, 1 Mic,” captivated students gathered into the Student Center on Jan. 22. The event featured three poets presenting interrogations of race, gender and class.
Music Box | Vampire Weekend
Mike Newmark
You could call Vampire Weekend the Minutemen of the 21st century. Though singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig is more likely to greet you with a cheery wave than the late D. Boon, both bands’ defining characteristic is their propensity to overlay leftfield genres onto a solid foundation of user-friendly punk.
December 06, 2007
Unfulfilled lives, loves mark 'The Seagull'
Chloe McConnell
The Woodshed Theatre Ensemble’s new production, Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” evokes both pathos and humor through romantic confrontations.
Nine 'Assassins' share motives in FWA musical
Sarah Rebell
The Future Waitstaff of America explores nine dark hearts in “Assassins,” Stephen Sondheim’s unsettling dream of a vaudeville.
An interview with filmmaker Eugene Jarecki
Juliana Kiyan | Elizabeth Pacheco
On Nov. 28, director Eugene Jarecki came to Vassar to lead a documentary workshop and screen his film, followed by a question-and-answer session. The Miscellany News sat down with Jarecki before the workshop.
Photos capture 'life experiences' abroad
Gulfem Demiray
Trying to decide where you should apply for your Junior Year Abroad (JYA)? Perhaps a visit to the current Palmer Gallery exhibit, Vivencias: Hispanic Cultures through the Study Abroad Lens, will persuade you to spend a semester in Spain, Mexico, Peru or Bolivia.
'Tempest' storms Joss
Brian Farkas
“Heigh, my hearts! Cheerly, cheerly, my heart! Take in the topsail!” cries the frantic crew in the stormy opening of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” directed by Emily Riehl-Bedford ’09 for the Pound of Flesh theater group.
A cappella final concerts
Jackson Reeves
The end of every semester brings with it final papers and exams, accompanied by overwhelming stress. Thanks to student a cappella groups, this time of the year also features final concerts, offering brief escapes from academia.
November 29, 2007
New magazine showcases student style
Chloe McConnell
Ever paused to admire a classmate’s unique sense of style? Contrast: The Vassar Style Magazine, the College’s first fashion rag, is taking a step beyond mere admiration and devoting its pages to showcasing student style.
Exploring life and death in 'Love-Lies-Bleeding'
Jackson Reeves
A family debates the meaning of life and death in Unbound’s new production, “Love-Lies-Bleeding” by Don DeLillo, opening Nov. 29 in Sanders Classroom.
FlyPeople bust moves of their own in show
Gulfem Demiray, Juliana Kiyan
Can you fleel the flove? FlyPeople, Vassar’s student-run dance group, will show some of this year’s dances for the first time with their Works-In-Progress show on Nov. 30 in Kenyon Hall.
Broadway remains dark as stagehands strike
Sarah Rebell
For the first time in history, Broadway stagehands are on strike. As a result, most shows have gone dark without the stagehands, who are essentially responsible for their smooth and safe production.
'Glass Menagerie' for a new millenium
Sarah Rebell
“This isn’t your mama’s ‘Glass Menagerie,’” said one of the students rehearsing for the Experimental Theater of Vassar College’s final show of the semester, “The Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums: Life Without Buildings
Mike Newmark
Imagine a loose-limbed Gang of Four crossed with The Delgados and any of the girl punk groups that exploded in the late 1970‘s (see: Liliput, The Raincoats) and you’re about halfway to describing the sound of Life Without Buildings.
Music Box | Burial
Mike Newmark
Untrue—Burial’s sophomore effort and masterpiece—jettisons everything that kept his last record from being a truly immersive experience, ratchets up the emotionality, and comes bathed in an unearthly, ineffable glow.
Jay-Z critiques hip-hop game on new album
Acacia O'Connor
The tracks and lyrics that caught my attention on Jay-Z’s new album American Gangster—the ones that make it good—are the ones that critique the role of hip-hop in American culture today.
November 16, 2007
Dancers take stage for Final Showings
Gulfem Demiray
With works in ballet, modern, jazz and hip hop, the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) will showcase a full semester of work with its Final Showings performances on Nov. 15-17, in the Fergusson Dance Theatre in Kenyon Hall.
Vassar Filmmakers lead Insomnia Film Fest
Juliana Kiyan
Making a movie in 24 hours from scratch? No problem for the Vassar Filmmakers. For Apple’s 2007 annual Insomnia Film Festival, the student group wrote, cast, shot, edited and scored their film, Hobopus, all within a 24-hour window.
Issues of the times intertwine in 'Stoning Mary'
Sarah Rebell
There are three things you should know about the new Philaletheis play “Stoning Mary”: It has no distinctive characters; it is intentionally being performed in classroom rather than a theater; and director Rachel Lee ’08 will take it as a bad sign if the audience leaves feeling entertained.
Glimpses of the world via VISA photo exhibit
Jackson Reeves
Since Sunday, Nov. 11, diners in the All Campus Dining Center’s main dining room have gotten the chance to look over student-submitted images from around the world, as part of the Vassar International Student Association (VISA) second annual International Photo Exhibition and Contest.
Music Box | Sigur Rós
Mike Newmark
Sigur Rós is a spiritual experience at best—an angel laying its hands on you and flying you above the clouds toward an exalted place. But if the band has a weakness—and it’s a significant one—it’s that they’ve been providing this experience for us over and over again since 1999’s Ágætis Byrjun.
Film explores family's survival of Khmer Rouge
Juliana Kiyan
“Uplifting” is not the first word that comes to mind in the context of the Khmer Rouge genocide. But filmmaker Socheata Poeuv feels it is appropriate for New Year Baby, her 2006 documentary about her family’s survival of the brutal regime and their process of healing.
November 07, 2007
Poets join roundtable on Native American verse
Gulfem Demiray
Renowned contemporary Native American poets Janet McAdams, Kim Blaeser and Gordon Henry will come to Vassar on Nov. 8 for the poetry roundtable “Earthworks: A Night of Native American Poetry.”
Peanuts gang experiences rocky teenage years
Marcella Veneziale
Charles Schulz’s Peanuts characters has hit adolescence with unexpected results in “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead,” a new play presented by Philaletheis.
An evening of Broadway without breaking the bank
Sarah Rebell
The Miscellany News has compiled a list of ticket venues and Web sites that will allow a college student to partake in an enjoyable theatrical experience in New York City on a modest budget.
Music Box | Britney Spears
Mike Newmark
Now that her personal life is hitting record lows (drug rehabilitation, losing custody of her children, a hit-and-run with a possible jail sentence), it’s as good a time as any to release Blackout, a “comeback album” of sorts that aims to combat all of the negative attention she’s received in the last couple of years.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums: Diverse
Mike Newmark
Mike Newmark spotlights an album from the past 15 years that has been neglected, maligned, or underappreciated.
November 01, 2007
'Picasso of cartoonists' comes to FLLAC
Marcella Veneziale
Saul Steinberg is primarily known as a prominent artist at The New Yorker. But he produced a huge body of work not only for the magazine—no less than 87 covers, 333 cartoons and 71 portfolios containing 469 drawings—but in other media as well. Saul Steinberg: Illuminations at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center showcases more than 100 works by the prolific artist, representing a 60-year career that spans from the 1930s through the 1990s.
Watching society change from 'Cloud Nine'
Sarah Rebell
When many people think of the phrase “cloud nine,” a state of bliss comes to mind. But for Jessica Zalin ’08, it is the title of her senior project in drama, a play by the groundbreaking British playwright Caryl Churchill that dares to cross centuries, break gender boundaries and address the tensions of sexuality and sexual relations.
Seniors at the helm of new documentaries
Jackson Reeves
Five senior film majors are working behind the camera as directors of 20-minute documentaries for Professor of Film Ken Robinson’s and Assistant Professor of Film Kathleen Man’s Documentary Workshop course sections.
Music Box | Prefuse 73
Mike Newmark
Well, I’ll just burst the bubble now: Preparations isn’t very good. Yet it fails so strangely that anyone who cares about Prefuse’s career would have trouble dismissing it outright.
October 26, 2007
NSO does the time warp with 'Rocky Horror'
Jackson Reeves
The 12th annual production of “Rocky Horror” at Vassar on Nov. 2 will feature a midnight screening of the 1975 film in Sanders Classroom. Student actors will simultaneously re-enact the movie in the auditorium.
New organization gives space, support to student art
Juliana Kiyan
For one week, residents of Josselyn House can forsake cell phones, instant messages and Facebook for a simpler form of communication with one another: two cups connected by taut string. Multiply this childhood communication device by several hundred and Strings Attached, a unique public art installation, is born. The installation, which will be on display from Oct. 28 to Nov. 4 in Josselyn, is the inaugural project of the new Vassar Public Art Committee (VPAC).
Local art gallery spotlights Hudson Valley works
Anita Varma
Couched between Marco’s Pizza and Sushi Village on Raymond Avenue is a little-known treat: the Arlington Art Gallery. An airy space with ample room for receptions and art openings, the gallery boasts a wide variety of paintings of the Hudson Valley and Hudson River.
Music Box | Radiohead
Mike Newmark
In Rainbows is bound to resonate with listeners, but not in the way you’d expect.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums: Set Fire to Flames
Mike Newmark
Mike Newmark spotlights an album from the past 15 years that has been neglected, maligned, or underappreciated.
October 05, 2007
Upcoming play a production of women born
Marcella Veneziale
“How does a woman play MacDuff or Macbeth?” This was the question on the mind of Gwen Ellis ’08, who plays the part of Macbeth in the drama department’s production of one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays. Taking a unique approach, the Experimental Theater of Vassar College will stage the play with an all-female cast.
Plays written by and for women flourish in Idlewild
Juliana Kiyan
Formed as a “safe haven” for female artists on campus, the new Idlewild Theatre Ensemble seeks to create more opportunities for women in theater.
FilmFest celebrates Vassar filmmakers
Juliana Kiyan
A torrid affair between a professor and a student. Challenges to abstinence-only sex education. Long Island clam diggers. These are some of the topics to be explored through the camera lens at the third annual Vassar FilmFest, a scholarship benefit presented by the Vassar Club of Washington, D.C.
Music Box | Le Loup
Mike Newmark
The first time I looked at Le Loup’s debut, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, I rolled my eyes.
September 28, 2007
Palmer exhibit captures daily life in Cuba
Marcella Veneziale
Most Americans have not had access to Cuba for decades, and daily life there remains a mystery. Cuba: Photographs by Rick Miller, which opened Sept. 26 at the James W. Palmer Gallery, offers black and white snapshots of street life in this off-limits world.
Powerhouse actress takes the stage Off-Broadway
Sarah Rebell
A face familiar to the Vassar campus appears on stage in the new Off-Broadway play “Dividing the Estate.” Maggie Lacey, who visited campus last summer as part of the annual Powerhouse Theater Festival, plays a schoolteacher in the latest play by playwright Horton Foote.
Jaymay to play After Hours
Jackson Reeves
Vassar College Entertainment’s After Hours plans to begin its domination of Vassar’s not-quite-NoViCE-hipster nightlife with a performance by singer-songwriter Jaymay on Sept. 29.
Class explores cities through music
Ellen Cunningham
How is the urban experience represented through music? This semester, the urban studies department is offering a senior seminar that approaches urban culture by listening to and examining the music produced by city artists.
Fall TV Preview
Maya Peraza-Baker
By the final week of September, Vassar students have settled into their semester-long schedules of studying, sleeping and socializing. However, as the leaves change, the last element of student life can finally fall into place as the new TV season gets underway.
Music Box | Manual
Mike Newmark
The music of Manual (26-year-old Jonas Munk from Odense, Denmark) is by now instantly recognizable.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums | Lync
Mike Newmark
One of the most unsung acts on K Records, Lync’s only flaw was that they didn’t last long enough to reach anyone who could have celebrated them.
September 21, 2007
Exhibit chronicles alumna's storied life in the arts
Marcella Veneziale
A Naval enlistee during World War II and an agent at the forefront of 20th century art: Priscilla Morgan ’41 has lived her life at the bow of modern history. A selection of papers donated by Morgan now comprises the exhibit “A Life in Art and Letters: Priscilla Morgan,” which opened Sept. 18 in the Library.
Tim O'Brien to give William Starr Lecture
Acacia O'Connor
“To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true,” he wrote in The Things They Carried. While Tim O’Brien’s works have invited questions about both war and truth, they do not attempt to provide answers.
Documentary explores meaning of freedom in Kashmir
Juliana Kiyan
Vassar will host a screening of the controversial documentary Jashn-e-Azadi (How We Celebrate Freedom) on Sept. 26. The feature-length documentary explores the implications of the struggle for azadi (freedom) in the Indian-administered Kashmir region, which is predominately Muslim.
Music Box | Kanye West
Mike Newmark
Kanye West has never looked, sounded, or acted like anyone else in hip-hop, period.
September 15, 2007
Harryette Mullen to deliver Bishop lecture
Juliana Kiyan
In the tradition of the annual Elizabeth Bishop lecture at Vassar, the English Department invited an eminent poet whose innovative work reflects a range of influences and criticisms. Harryette Mullen, an award-winning American poet, writer and scholar, will deliver the lecture on Sept. 18.
Palmer Gallery displays studio art majors' works
Jackson Reeves
A small group of junior and senior studio art majors spent the summer perfecting their craft for the greater Vassar community to enjoy at the Studio Art Majors’ “Summer Work” exhibit at the Palmer Gallery, opening Sept. 13 and running through Sept. 22.
Film League presents Vassar's (free) movie theater
Anita Varma
For students who savor the thrifty moviegoing experience, Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE)’s Vassar Film League has a solution: free film screenings in Blodgett Auditorium or the second floor of the Students’ Building on Fridays and Saturdays.
Brooklyn bands to play No-ViCE venue
Marcella Veneziale
Fresh off the success of their first show on Sept. 6, No-ViCE is gearing up for another exciting performance. Ex Models, caUSE co-MOTION! and Holy Hail are slated to play the outdoor space near the Doubleday Studio Arts Building on Sept. 14.
Music Box | Animal Collective
Mike Newmark
For all of Animal Collective’s stylistic leapfrogging over the course of six albums, one could reductively say that their career has been a steady trajectory toward accessibility. “Accessibility” is, of course, a relative term, and it depends on who you ask.
Music Box | Overlooked Albums: Sweet Trip
Mike Newmark
You could call the early-2000s the era of indie electronic music, offering a deluge of indie pop albums punctuated by a kind of digital poignancy. Suddenly, electronics weren’t just the province of DJs and bedroom producers, but a way to imbue rock songs with certain moods that a guitar couldn’t accomplish on its own.
September 08, 2007
Ben Lee to serenade festive campus
Mike Newmark
If you fail to recognize Ben Lee’s name at first blush, you may still know his music. Perhaps you purchased the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack (cherry-picked by Alexandra Patsavas, who knows about postmodern cool) and sang along to his unabashedly insouciant single, “Catch My Disease.”
Alumna finds niche with teen book series
Jackson Reeves
Our youth-centric, glamour-obsessed culture has been documented by fashion-concerned reality-television shows such as America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway. Vassar alumna Melissa Walker ’99 taps into the fashion fad with her debut novel, Violet on the Runway, released by Penguin on Sept. 4.
Music Box | M.I.A.
Mike Newmark
To understand what makes Kala succeed so brilliantly is to realize why so many anti-war albums fail. Exhorting a message is easy. Getting people to sit up and pay attention is a much more formidable task, one that’s proven too tall an order for the likes of the Flaming Lips, Nine Inch Nails, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, From Monument to Masses, and dozens of others.
Walking on Eggshells in the Palmer Gallery
Marcella Veneziale
As the second half of a two-part, Spring 2007 sculpture class project, Lexi Cote ’09 has filled the Palmer Gallery with 1,200 dozen carefully-scrubbed eggshells.
Hudson River School unites three collections
Marcella Veneziale
The Hudson River School Trilogy, the current exhibit at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, culls an impressive range of 19th-century Hudson Valley-inspired drawings and paintings divided into three parts.
Harry Potter finale creates literary frenzy
Molly Finkelstein
I guess I should warn you that this will have spoilers, but seriously, if you really cared you would have read the book already.
May 03, 2007
Miscellany News Top 15 Albums of the Year
Rank-ordering is a more difficult process than it may seem on the surface, especially when the criteria are ambiguous. As we began to rank the best albums of the school year, we asked ourselves questions about what, exactly, we were looking for. Did the “best” albums mean the ones that we felt were the most artistically sound? The most creative or groundbreaking? The ones we liked best, or the ones we thought others would enjoy?
Summer promises big thrills, big laughs
Rachel Pittenger
Though summer doesn’t officially begin until late June, the much-anticipated summer movie season kicks off with a bang this weekend. Summer 2007 promises a variety of huge blockbusters and exciting sequels, and it seems that the quality (and quantity) of movies will be above and beyond those of recent summers, making it something to look forward to.
Philaletheis performs black comedy “The Pillowman”
Liza Darwin
Audience members who attend Martin McDonagh’s “The Pillowman” (2003) will laugh—but only until they realize what they are actually laughing about.
Music Box | Bjork
Mike Newmark
Like few others in her field, Björk has been christened by her admirers (are there any people left on Earth who don’t admire her?) as an “artist,” rather than merely a musician.
April 26, 2007
Vassar’s The Powder Kegs win radio contest
Mally Anderson
Last weekend, Vassar student band The Powder Kegs won the Prairie Home Companion radio show’s first annual People in their Twenties Talent Show in St. Paul, Minn. The six diverse finalists that competed were selected from over 700 entries, and won the chance to perform live on the radio show on Saturday, April 21. Over 11,000 listeners cast votes for their favorite band, who would win a $1,000 prize.
Russian futurist opera to be revived at Vassar
Liza Darwin
The Russian futurist opera “Victory Over the Sun,” first performed in 1913, will come to life at Vassar on Thursday, May 3. Rooted in the idea of transcending the visible world for a better one in the future, the opera plays with the concept of breaking down the monotony of past traditions and creating a new self.
Velvet Underground receives its own exhibit
Mike Newmark
The Velvet Underground—a serious contender for the greatest band of all time—embodied so many features of the late-’60s zeitgeist (sex, drugs, psychedelia, a mixture of apathy and anxiety) while simultaneously shunning them and defying easy pigeonholing.
Students present compositions
Rachel Pittenger
A variety of composers from the Vassar student body will demonstrate their musical talents in a concert on May 1. Pieces to be performed were all written by Vassar students in music department composition courses. A select group of musical compositions were chosen for the concert; they will be performed by student members of Vassar’s music community.
New spoof comedy Hot Fuzz offers wit, action
Matt Poland
As perhaps the sole opposer to 2004’s spoof-y cult classic, Shaun of the Dead, I entered into Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright’s follow-up burlesque of Hollywood action flicks, with a bit of trepidation.
Music Box | Mice Parade
Mike Newmark
“Post-rock” arguably stands as the most infuriating genre tag for musicians and the most convenient for music journalists. So far removed from Mojo magazine supremo Simon Reynolds’ original definition as rock that focuses on timbre and texture above all else, post-rock eventually served to classify bands that were deemed unclassifiable, from Labradford to Gastr del Sol to The Sea and Cake.
April 19, 2007
Indie darlings TV on the Radio to perform
Marcella Veneziale
Lauren Sutherland
When David Sitek and Tunde Adebimpe formed TV on the Radio in 2001, they were lumped together with just about every other indie rock set coming out of Brooklyn. Although they have recorded several albums and EPs—OK Calculator; Young Liars EP; Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes— they have distinguished themselves from the pack with their latest offering, Return to Cookie Mountain.
Philaletheis produces acclaimed play “Proof”
Liza Darwin
How closely tied are genius and madness? David Auburn’s acclaimed play, “Proof,” tackles the close relationship between the two mental states. “Proof” follows the story of Robert, a once-genius mathematician who has supposedly had a mental breakdown.
Reviewing published alumnae/i authors:The Miscellany News evaluates notable novels and nonfiction
Music Box | Nine Inch Nails
Mike Newmark
Zero is a non-entity, a symbol of nothingness. It’s the absence of something once there and the idea of what never was. It carries obvious apocalyptic connotations that speak to all things—time, the world, us—ending as they began: at zero.
April 12, 2007
Victoria Legrand ’03 to perform with Beach House
Mike Newmark
The warm, sensual duo Beach House (singer/organist Victoria Legrand ’03 and guitarist Alex Scally) concocts lovingly simple music that wouldn’t be out of place inside a dream. Three years after Legrand graduated from Vassar, the duo quietly dropped their debut album, Beach House, which was lauded by the press and landed at number 16 on Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2006.
ASA invites art figureheads to speak at conference
Marcella Veneziale
In support of this year’s Asian Students’ Alliance (ASA) Conference, “Art and Activism,” five artists who work in a variety of media will perform and talk with students. The theme of the conference changes annually, as ASA addresses timely issues affecting Asians and Asian Americans on campus and beyond the gates. ASA President Wayne Coito ’07 said, “[The conference covers] people from different artistic genres: poetry, comedy, film, and fashion. [We wanted to show] how a message can be sent through different media.”
Jazz vocalist Melody Gardot sings at After Hours
Rachel Pittenger
After Hours has promised us the moon, and they’re just about giving it to us by inviting 22-year-old rising jazz singer Melody Gardot to perform on campus. With the hype surrounding her nascent album increasing, Gardot’s show will likely preview a blossoming career that is quickly gaining momentum.
Music Box | Pole
Mike Newmark
Berlin producer Stefan Betke took his nom de plume from a busted Waldorf 4-pole filter that lent his most characteristic work a little crackle and hiss, but I couldn’t help hearing his early electronic experiments as the aural equivalent of an actual pole: cold, metallic, not very interesting and utterly devoid of emotion, personality and authorship.
Double-feature Grindhouse all silly, half-satisfying
Matt Poland
I entered into Grindhouse, a double-bill ode to the exploitation films of the 1970s, equipped with all the necessary accessories: a large tub of popcorn with a triple-squirt of butter, a 32-ounce cup of syrupy Cherry Coke, and a king-size package of Sour Patch Kids. By the end of the 190-minute program—two feature lengths plus a handful of fake trailers—I felt bloated, nauseous, and more than a little malnourished. Like my makeshift meal, Grindhouse offers a lot of bang for your buck, but ultimately, it might be a little too much of a bad thing.
April 06, 2007
After Hours undergoes revival and returns to Mug
Rachel Pittenger
If you’re wondering where the wealth of talented musicians at Vassar go to get their creative juices flowing, look no further than After Hours. Every Thursday at 9 p.m., After Hours provides a creative outlet in which the College’s singer-songwriters can perform in a relaxed setting.
NoViCE presents Erase Errata
Marcella Veneziale
You’ve probably heard Erase Errata before. The all-female trio has released a number of split-records with the likes of Black Dice and Sonic Youth. The San Francisco-based group has been a part of the San Francisco Noise Pop Festival and the Los Angeles’ Fuck Yeah Fest. Now on tour, they are promoting their third album, Nightlife, at Vassar at a concert on April 12.
Art sale to support Haitian school
Liza Darwin
While Director of International Services at Vassar and founder of the Vassar Haiti Project Andrew Meade was attending high school in Haiti in the 1970s, he got to know the land, the people, and the culture of the country. Concurrently, he discovered that beneath the poverty and political turmoil of Haiti, the people there still possessed an immensely vibrant spirit.
Music Box | Fountains of Wayne
Mike Newmark
Google tells me that as many as 13 Fountains of Wayne album or concert reviews contain the word “sugar” or one of its variants. That critical short-circuiting once struck me as odd—bands with a higher sugar content didn’t get this characterization nearly as much—but after hearing Traffic and Weather, I finally understand.
March 30, 2007
Chikanobu’s nostalgic prints come to FLLAC
Liza Darwin
Japanese woodblock print artist Yoshu Chikanobu explored a wide range of themes during his career, and influenced many international artists during the latter half of the 19th cen