This past weekend, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra, directed by Professor of Music Jeffrey Lindberg performed in the Gault Recital Hall. I am rather skeptical of most orchestra performances, but I was blown away and truly moved by the phenomenal performance of the company.

Anna Lemler ’10, beautifully performed Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor. The piece is considered to be the premiere cello solo and for good reason. Lemler’s passion for the instrument and the beautiful sounds of the orchestra brought the concerto to life. (more…)

Published Friday, February 26th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment, Featured | No Comments »

“Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off,” by Scottish playwright Liz Lochead opened this Wednesday, Feb. 24 at the Freedlander Theatre and will continue to run this Friday and Saturday at 8:15 p.m.

The play centers around the relationship between Mary Queen of Scots (Amanda Keith ’11) and her first cousin, Elizabeth I of England (Bridget Hillyer ’12). La Corbie (Nina Takács ’11) is the storyteller, taking on the form of a crow who quietly and beautifully informs the audience of the tension and actions taking place. (more…)

Published Friday, February 26th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment | No Comments »

“Valentine’s Day” was without a doubt the must—see date movie for couples and friends on St. Valentine’s Day this year.  With a $52 million dollar budget and an all star cast including Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jamie Foxx and Jessica Alba, this film was nothing short of great. (more…)

Published Friday, February 19th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment, Featured | No Comments »

On a typical day, students witness seniors completing their Independent Study through different methods: staring for long hours at a computer screen or book in their library carrel, or mixing dangerous chemicals in a science lab. But theatre and dance majors won’t be found in the libaray or a lab. (more…)

Published Friday, February 19th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment, Top Stories | No Comments »

My freshman year, there were two plays to try out for — there was a fall play, and a spring play.  If you didn’t get into one, that was that. You worked backstage, or you waited until next year.  Things have changed.  Last year students took matters into their own hands and a whole slew of student-run productions appeared.  Shakesperiments, Effie’s Players and the Broadway Revue all gave lots of students opportunities to get on stage and perform. The Ten Minute Play Festival and 24-hour Play Festival are back, and almost every spring, the campus sees senior theatre majors looking for new talent to appear in their I.S. shows. (more…)

Published Friday, February 19th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment | No Comments »

One great thing about the Wooster music scene is how much variety there is. One group which exemplifies this trend is Red Wire.  Formed in September of 2008, this group of five seniors has an interesting, dynamic sound.

“I’d describe it as progressive rock,” said Ginny Kincaid ’10, who plays guitar and sings, “But it’s not, really.  I mean, we aim for like, high energy rock, but some of our songs are really complicated musically.  We have a lot of music theory going on, ‘cause we have a lot of really musical people.” (more…)

Published Friday, February 12th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment, Top Stories | No Comments »

Every February, the senior theatre and dance majors come together to present performances that complement their Senior Independent Study research. What makes these performances unique is the not just the name, but the format. (more…)

Published Friday, February 12th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment | No Comments »

It seems like more movies have been adapted from plays, musicals, books — both  classic and contemporary — and even older movies in the past 10 years than in the history of cinema. Naturally, many are inclined to spout lines like “the original was better,” or even “the book is always better than the movie,” or “they ruined it,” but I believe that’s the easy way out and to hold an adaptation of any sort against a rigid evaluation solely related to the original piece is a poor excuse for criticism. (more…)

Published Friday, February 12th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment | No Comments »

Some people just can’t help making an impact anywhere they go.  And Brandelle Knights ’12 has made a huge splash in her first year and a half at Wooster.  After succeeding last year as a dancer and a choreographer, Knights diversified her talents last semester, joining the cheerleading squad and fronting a successful new band, now called “Freddie Cool and the Rest of Them.” (more…)

Published Friday, February 5th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment, Featured | No Comments »

Perhaps we’ve become desensitized to the idea of theatre etiquette since most of us spend more time in movie theaters than seeing a play or musical. We’ve come to expect the talker or hearing the odd cell phone noise. But when one shells out more than $60 for a ticket to a musical you’d expect a little bit more decorum in the more formal setting. Which is why I was so surprised and a little embarrassed recently when I went to a Sunday matinee showing of “Chicago” at Play House Square in Cleveland. (more…)

Published Friday, February 5th, 2010 in Arts & Entertainment | No Comments »