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Chatham University Drama Club rocks Chatham with shadow cast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”

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In keeping with the Halloween theme that takes hold of Chatham’s campus every October, the Chatham University Drama Club decided to host a one-night-only shadow cast performance of Jim Sharman’s 1975 cult classic: “The Rocky Horror Picture.”

The event, which took place in the Eddy Theatre on Friday, October 17, was a success, with more than half of the theatre filled with Chatham students and non-Chatham students alike.

Upon entering the theatre, students were given programs and encouraged to make a donation. Additionally the Drama Club sold pre-made prop bags filled with all of the props traditionally used by audiences to participate during screenings of the show. These included bubbles to blow during the wedding scene, glow sticks, playing cards, streamers, and toilet paper, all of which coincided with lines within the show.

All proceeds from the show went to the Dreams of Hope Organization as Kimberly Webb, director of the show, explained in a short speech before the show began. According to Webb, “It is a queer youth oriented theatre group. They do really great work, providing summer camps, arts in schools, and of course putting on productions–and they do it with a queer orientation.”

In regards to her participation in the show, Webb said that as soon as the Drama Club voted to do “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadow cast she, “applied immediately to direct it, because it’s such a fun show, and I had a really good time working on the other

‘Rocky’ two years ago.”

As soon as the film began playing on the big screen, and the cast took their places on stage the audience began cheering, clearly aware of what was to come next.

Given that the show has such a colorful history and large fan-base, most of the audience had seen it before, which was evident through their enthusiastic participation. Not only did people use the props, but many also shouted retorts to nearly every line of the film. Some individuals even dressed up as characters from the show–which is another common practice at screenings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“I did not expect so many people to yell a–hole at me every time I introduced myself,” said Samantha Bigley, who played Brad Majors, the male lead in the show. “It’s a very high-energy show and having an audience there to egg us on was awesome.”

Webb expressed a similar opinion, saying, “I love the audience participation element of the show, and how into it people get.”

According to Bigley, “Preparing for the show was very weird for me. I’m used to rehearsing for regular stage plays where you learn your lines and block every single movement for each character. Blocking to perform in front of a movie was much different.”

According to her, “The toughest part of rehearsing for the show was probably learning to time what we were doing on stage so that it would line up with what was happening in the movie. We couldn’t look at the screen at any point, so we had to learn the audible cues for when we should move on stage.”

The other difficult part of the show, according to Bigley, was a costume change in which they, “had less than three minutes to change into fishnets, garter belts, corsets, and high heels.”

“I am now an expert at the quick change,” said Bigley.

All told, the show was a success, and the cast, crew, and director were pleased with the result. There are hopes of performing it again next year or even making it an annual event.

According to Webb, “This cast and crew was amazing to work with, and they did such a good job. It was everything I had hoped it would be.”

Naturality hosts viewing of Linda Midgett’s documentary “The Line”

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Linda Midgett’s documentary, “The Line,” illustrates the reality of living in poverty in the United States as opposed to the commonly perceived standards. Chatham University hosted a viewing of Midgett’s film on October 23 in Eddy Theater sponsored by the Naturality campus organization.

The documentary showcases the new face of poverty in the United States, those who are living at or above the recognized poverty line. The film was funded by several organizations, such as Sojourners, World Vision, and Bread for the World.

Midgett’s film addresses the stereotypes that surround poverty in the United States and the shame that comes as a result. “The Line” gives specific faces to those who are living near or below the poverty line by following those for whom this is a reality.

Midgett had no trouble in finding subjects to focus on and feature in her film. Locating these subjects as they are dealing with poverty and hunger wasn’t the hard part, but finding those who were willing to be featured on film was not quite as easy. This issue became one of the major challenges in her film, but also served to put emphasis on one of the driving points to which it aims to bring attention.

“For me, it highlighted how much shame is associated with being in poverty,” Midgett said of the dilemma.

The film takes a unique stance on the issue of poverty in the United States. It focuses specifically on individuals and brings their loves and their stories to the screen.

“I felt like one of the most important things I was trying to do with this film was to break down stereotypes of who poor people are, what they look like, what they sound like, and the best way to do that was just to let them talk,” said Midgett of her film.

The film follows four people as they tell their stories to Midgett’s camera and the entire audience.

The viewers meet John, a man who is living in suburban Chicago and finds himself dependent of food banks to feed his entire family after losing his prized job in the banking industry, in which he was making a six-figure salary.

The viewers also meet Sheila, who grew up in the Chicago area in poverty, but has now managed to escape it. Presently in the documentary, she is facing financial instability after suffering through a debilitating accident.

Another featured person is a man named James, who has moved from New York to North Carolina in an effort to find employment, but is still barely making enough to survive on each day. Even though he is working long and difficult hours, he is still hovering dangerously near the poverty line.

Finally, the film also follows Ronald, who is working as a shrimper along the Gulf Coast. Both the BP oil spill and Hurricane Katrina have drastically altered his livelihood, making him yet another working American living near the poverty line and struggling to get by.

“As individuals, they’re all so compelling, and have such unique perspectives; just the process of listening to them, in and of itself, breaks down stereotypes,” Midgett said. “Instead of thinking of ‘poor people,’ it becomes, ‘oh, that’s Sheila, that’s John.’ The more you know people by name and know they’re human beings, not statistics, the more it changes your heart.”

Linda Midgett’s film is successful in showing that the face of poverty in the United States is no longer what people think it is or what expect it to be. It could be anyone one passes on the street.

As “The Line” shows its audience, the face of poverty has become much more close to home, and the poverty line is hovering near by anyone who has had hours cut from their works schedule or is facing unemployment.

“Birdhouse Dialogues” on display at Chatham Art Gallery

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The most recent exhibit to open in Chatham’s art gallery in Woodland Hall is the product of a collaborative effort between two different mediums: poetry and art.  The verbal and the visual are brought together in this unique collaboration, showing the synergy that the two different mediums can have when they are combined.

The exhibit features mixed media painting and poetry that both inspired and shaped each other. The poetry, written by Carol Ciavonne, inspired Chatham professor Susana Amundaraín to create several drawings based on phrases found in the poem. The two artists have collaborated before and have a friendship outside of their artistic works.

LaFi Publishers originally published this specific collaboration, Birdhouse Dialogues, as a book in 2013.

Ciavonne’s poem was written as a response to another artist’s work.  Based on an actual birdhouse created by Suellen Einarsen, the poem was written in an effort to respond to the birdhouse itself and to Ciavonne’s life as it was happening in that moment.

Ciavonne sent the poem to her Amundaraín. The two artists had met in college and attended the same studio art classes. Amundaraín began creating her abstract drawings in response to the poem, all without Ciavonne’s knowledge. “I felt they were so wonderful and visual in nature that I was compelled to draw and paint what I was seeing through them,” Amundaraín said of the process. Upon seeing the drawings, Ciavonne was inspired to add even more to the poem.

The newer additions to the poetry were different than the initial piece. They were shorter and less concrete. The birdhouse began to shift and change into the dimensions of the drawings, both the real and the imaginary. The different mediums became the shorthand dialogue between the two friends, the result of their mutual admiration and love for each other’s artwork. “We always talked, but had few opportunities to meet in person; art was our natural bridge across the continent,” Amundaraín says.

Through this process their collaboration was published and current gallery exhibition came to be. The process became more than just one intended to create; it also served to bring the friends closer across their distance.

“It is possible to sense the genuine intention of bonding over time and distance, as we supported each other through setbacks and challenges, or through times of celebration, giving each other’s work a meaning that is both personal and separate from our professional goals,” Amundaraín said.  “I think it honors the value of true long friendships, as much as the value of art to help us live more exhilarating lives. “

In its current exhibition, it is brought from the page to the gallery walls and gives its viewers an entirely different experience. On the wall, the artists continue their exploration of the travel and pathways of an imaginary bird through the abstract paintings. The pieces guide the viewer’s eyes to rest on the drawings that call to mind the plumage of birds and their flights and let the viewer follow the journey of the imaginary bird.

Each piece pulls from Ciavonne’s writing, incorporating her verbal meaning into the visual. Through the artworks, the poems are given the ability to travel and play across the page, serving to both inspire and chase the drawings. Ultimately, “these particular works are the result of a playful combination of friendship, time, and a variety of mediums,” Amundaraín said of the collaborative works.

Birdhouse Dialogues is open from September 24 through October 22 in the Chatham University Gallery, located next to Café Rachel.

Waiting for Intermission: Review of “A Royal Affair”

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There’s a theme of dishonest love that attracts people to side with it, for what we can’t have, we find the most attractive. The film, “A Royal Affair” is no different.

Set in eighteenth century Denmark, the film focuses on the scandalous affair of Johann Friedrich (Mads Mikkelsen) and Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (Alicia Vikander). For Caroline, this secret tenderness is deeper than an escape from a neglected, abusive marriage; it is a chance to be free. The film is based on the erotic novel, “Prinsesse af blodet” written by Bodil Steensen-Leth.

Upon an arranged marriage to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark (Mikkel Folsgaard), Caroline’s dream of an adventurous life is disregarded, starting with the removal of her prized books which were banned by state law.

King Christian begins to torment Caroline, even from the first night of her arrival in Denmark. He fires her lady-in-waiting but not without smashing snow in her face, calling her ‘a useless fat cow.’ Why? The Queen kept wishing him away from her chambers while she was pregnant with their first son.

Caroline begins to accept her dismal fate, losing hope for the life of freedom she visualized. However, when Christian hires a German royal physician, Johann Friedrich, her life begins a new hopeful chapter.

When I began watching, I didn’t expect more than a scandalous love affair of the rich and powerful. Yet, as the film continued, I noticed the camera began to focus on the corrupt politics of the court in eighteenth century Denmark under King Christian’s rule.

With no background in History or in Political Science, I began to play detective on the events during his reign. The in-depth detective work meaning I googled King Christian VII of Denmark. King Christian VII did have a mental illness that had an effect on government decisions.

The film portrayed his mental illness as if the King were a small, rambunctious child whom adults put up with but never took seriously.  But in the terms of his real life history Christian had an illness that would lead him into hysterics and hallucinations that made him physically ill, as well as mentally unstable. He would physically abuse his advisers as well as his grief-stricken 15-year-old Queen, Caroline. He took pleasure in the misery of others and loved to torment the members of his court for his own personal amusement.

Normally, my opinion of romantic films, such as “A Royal Affair,” is that there is more of a emphasis of exploiting the gossip about the rich and powerful of the time. But the history of these three historical figures kept me interested to find out what happened next with each scene.

‘An English princess married to an insane King,’ director Nikolaj Arcel’s film captures your attention to see if a mind, once insane, can be made sane, or if healing hands will be corrupted by power and influence, all in the name of love.

3/5

Chatham screens documentary about alternative banking

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Chatham University hosted a viewing of Lenore and Mark Ecklund’s documentary “Time As Money” in Eddy Theater on Monday, September 22. Lenore and Mark Ecklund are a team of documentary makers from Portland, Oregon who are active participants in time banking and created their entire film by using only the resources available to them from the alternative currency program.

The film itself focuses on time banks, alternative currency systems, located in Southern California. Time banks are a way of both giving and receiving work to build supportive and strong networks in communities.

As the shift in the economy and worsening financial struggles created hardships on communities and their individual residents, time banking emerged as a way of combating the adverse effects being faced.

“With the downturn of the economy, a lot of people don’t have jobs or have greatly reduced hours, but they still have the skills; those are not gone,” is stated in the film

Time banking gives people a new way to make their skills useful to others and still be able to earn from their efforts.

Time banking plays off of  the idea of ‘pay it forward’ actions, in which one person’s good deed is followed by a chain of resulting good deeds. A well known example of ‘paying it forward’ has been seen at Starbucks locations across the country when one customer will decide to pay for the order of the person behind them in line, and the recipient will repay the kindness by repeating the same action.

A goal at the forefront of time banking is encouraging individual members to contribute their unique skills to help in the repair and ultimate rebuilding of their communities.

In time banking, the ‘pay it forward’ concept is highly organized and the number of participants can range from around 20 to 2,000 members. If one of those members completes one hour of gardening, for example, they will earn a certain amount of credit for that time spent. That credit can then be used to exchange for an equivalent of childcare or dentistry from another time bank participant.

Lenore and Mark Ecklund’s documentary on the process and benefits of time banking, made entirely by using their earned time bank credits, explores the ways in which time bankers are adapting a system working entirely on time instead of money.

They are redefining the value of a person’s time and the structures and relationships that create a community. People are taking action and helping both each other and themselves. To those who participate in time banking, it has become a valuable, “weapon to enable people to stop saying that the economy can define who are throw-away-people and who are useful people.”

Improvised Shakespeare Company performs at Eden Hall

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William Shakespeare, considered by many as one of the greatest playwrights in history, is famous for his comedies and his tragedies; however, in his day, Shakespeare never combined the two genres quite like The Improvised Shakespeare Company did in their performance at Eden Hall’s Hilda M. Willis Amphitheater on Thursday, September 18.

The crowd included students, visiting for pleasure or extra credit; members of the general public; the Falk School of Sustainability’s Dean Peter Walker; and Chatham University President Esther Barazzone.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company, as their name suggests, improvises plays based entirely on a title suggested by an audience member.  Though they employ Elizabethan language and use themes present in many of Shakespeare’s works, the troop does not rehearse, pre-plan, or memorize any material.

“Everything you’re about to see tonight has been made up on the spot,” said actor Blaine Swen, as he introduced the concept.  “If ever you’re wondering where the story is going, so are we.”

An audience member chose the title A Horse Named Shirley, and the play began for, as Swen said, both its world premier and its closing night.

The action began in France, in the middle of war with England. Princes James (Randall Harr) and William (Ric Walker) of England weep for their brothers fallen in battle.  When their youngest brother, Ned (Josh Logan), appears–Ned was their smallest brother and, as the princes point out, he is even smaller now that his legs have been severed in battle–William swiftly kills him, leaving the two brothers alone once more.

Prince James, who is first in line for the throne now that their father has died, devises a plan to sneak into the French camp and overthrow the French King. He cuts off the mane of a horse named Shirley, fashions it into a wig, and disguises himself as a French woman to infiltrate the camp–in reminiscence of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in which Viola disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian.

In the next scene, the King of France (Ross Bryant) and his son (Logan) converse–in heavy French accents–at their camp. The Prince wishes to find true love, and his father sets him up with a homely French woman (Walker) with a comically husky voice. The Prince thanks his father for choosing for him a fiancée who he describes as “the most beautiful flower in the field,” but questions whether she was the only flower from which to choose.

Next the audience is introduced to Penelope (Swen), the Princess of France, who wishes for a love of her own, just as her father has found for her brother. She, like Juliet before her, finds solace in her nurse and confidante.

The next scene takes the audience back to the battlefield where five surviving soldiers (played by all five members of the cast: Bryant, Harr, Logan, Swen, and Walker) discuss their good fortune, which has allowed them to survive the war. One soldier, Boyd (Swen), admits to having penned a one-act play that is a metaphor for the political situation between France and England, instead of assisting his friends in the fight; as one friend remembers, Boyd drafted part of his play on the back of a soldier slain in battle. The men decide to stage Boyd’s play, and they go off into the woods to rehearse.

Back at the French court, Prince James in disguise meets the Prince of France, who instantly falls in love with him, disguised as a “her.” Admiring the incognito James’s “strong arms” and “sausage fingers,” the Prince of France wishes to marry the masculine lady. James, spotting a chance to infiltrate the kingdom and conquer France, pretends to reciprocate the French Prince’s love.

The next scene takes the audience to Prince William and a Spanish assassin he has hired to kill his brother James so he might inherit the English throne instead, just as King Claudius killed Hamlet’s father to inherit the throne of Denmark.

Finally the climactic scene begins. The King of France is troubled by his son’s attraction to an “openly manly” woman, and speaks to the memory of his deceased wife. A guard interrupts his soliloquizing without knocking, sending the King into a fit of rage beginning with the line, “Was knocking just invented?” and ending with the murder of the guard for not respecting his privacy.

The King is then visited by his daughter Penelope longing for a fiancé; the ghost of his deceased wife urging him to find love for his daughter; and his son with his bride-to-be, the disguised Prince James of England. When James sees Penelope, he falls instantly in love, sheds his disguise, and begs to marry Penelope and begin a peaceful union between England and France. Despite Penelope’s hesitation at first–“Well, this is happening really fast…”–she soon falls in love with James as well.

As Brutus, Macbeth, and Romeo before him, James makes a tragic error: he puts down his dagger as a sign of peacefulness towards France and is stabbed in the back by the Spanish assassin hired by his brother. William then enters and is transfixed by Penelope, but she stabs him for killing her love, before screaming, “This is the worst day of my life.”

Penelope and her brother the Prince fight over the now-deceased James, and she stabs him, too. As he dies, he professes his lasting love for James, despite his actual gender.

Finally, although her father tries to convince her otherwise, Penelope then stabs herself, leaving the King of France all alone.

At this point, the soldiers-turned-actors arrive to perform Boyd’s play. Having lost his family, the King is suicidal, but Boyd makes a deal with him: if they play is good, the King will not kill himself. After the play, the King murders all of the actors in displeasure for the performance. Just before the King stabs himself, too, the mane-less horse named Shirley enters.  It is the production’s last survivor.

The risqué and contemporary humor presented in a Shakespearian style kept the crowd in stitches throughout the performance. Even the actors were unable to stay in character at times, finding their peers’ additions so ridiculous they could not help but laugh. The show received a standing ovation and much cheering, followed by the buzz of audience members sharing their praise for the play.

“It was hilarious,” said first-year student Kayla Doyle. “It needs to happen again,” she said.

“I would definitely come back again and again,” said first-year student Kasi Petersen, in response to Doyle.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company performs at Chicago’s iO Theater and around the country. For more information, visit their website.

“Thrival Innovation + Music Festival” celebrates its second year

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The area around Bakery Square was uncharacteristically crowded on the weekend of September 13, as people from all over Pittsburgh showed up for the second annual “Thrival Innovation + Music Festival.”

The festival, presented by PNC Bank and powered by the East Liberty based startup incubator Thrill Mill, is an annual effort to raise funds for the non-profit. According to their website Thrill Mill, founded by Bobby Zappala, “works with entrepreneurs from all industries, offering funding, a depth of hands-on programming, mentorship, investors, growth-focused partnerships and access to a first-class collaborative workspace.”

Branching off of lasts year’s efforts, the festival organizers worked to make this year’s festival bigger and better, offering two days of musical acts in their fenced in main stage area across the street from the Bakery Square complex. Performers ranged from local acts to world famous artists, including Portugal. The Man and Motion City Soundtrack.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Tickets for the event ranged from $45 for a one day pass, to $350 for a two day back stage pass, and it seemed that there was no shortage of hip twenty-somethings willing to pay for a weekend of top-notch musical acts.

The festival also included numerous vendors, food trucks, and tents with promotional materials for Thrill Mill and Thrival.

Throughout the festivities, festival workers in grey and white “Thrival” t-shirts were a common sight. Security was also a high priority, and an expansive security staff was stationed at the entrance to the music area.

Despite the security and high fences, even people without tickets could enjoy the music as the large sound system made it audible throughout the entire block surrounding the stage.

The festival also boasted free Wi-Fi across all of Bakery Square for the duration of the weekend.

In addition to the main stage area near Bakery Square, the weekend’s events also included several presentations, or “Innovation Events,” given by successful entrepreneurs and business people. According to the website, these events were for people to, “learn from leading experts from across sectors about the innovation trends of today and tomorrow, and meet the innovators and companies developing new businesses in Western Pennsylvania.”

These talks, which had to be registered for ahead of time on the Thrival Festival’s website, began on Monday, September 8, and continued through the end of the festival on Sunday, September 14. They were held at the Bakery Square location, as well as at the festival’s “North Campus” on Broad Street in East Liberty, which is where Thrill Mill’s headquarters are located.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

The weekend also involved the “PNC Pitch,” sponsored by PNC Bank, in which budding startup companies competed for $25,000 of investment money to get their companies off the ground.

When asked about the location of the festival, one staff member noted, “There is a big entrepreneurship scene here, and East Liberty is really an up and coming area,” which, based on the enthusiasm that the neighborhood showed for the event, certainly seemed to be true.

With two days worth of beautiful weather and crowds of young people flocking to the music venue throughout the entire weekend, it appears the Thrival Festival had a successful second year.

Chatham professor Corey Escoto exhibits art at Carnegie Museum of Art

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If you take a trip to the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland, chances are you will notice a prominently displayed sign outside of Gallery One that features a name familiar to Chatham University and its students. Corey Escoto, a Chatham professor for the past five years, currently has an ongoing solo exhibition in the CMOA as a part of the 2014 Pittsburgh Biennial.

His exhibition is titled “Corey Escoto: Sleight of Hand,” and features his ‘experimental polaroids’ paired with sculptures that work alongside the photos. The polaroid images themselves, 16 in total hanging on the walls, feature different images pieced together in geometric forms instead of the standard solitary image that is conventionally associated with instant polaroid photos and photography.

These altered images play on our willingness to accept photographs as a concrete representation of truth and the world around us, when in fact they too can be so easily manipulated. They also play along with the ideas of chance, mistake and experimentation, which is in fact a part of how they came to be.

Photo Credit: Alice Shy

Photo Credit: Alice Shy

After dealing with the difficulties associated with lost digital photo files, a stolen computer, as well as a lost phone, Escoto decided to try polaroids as his photography medium.

With a large quantity of the instant film, Escoto says that with the polaroids, ” I could take pictures of anything and everything and not feel too fearful about not making great photos.”  They provided a chance to have more freedom with experimenting beyond the conventional and straightforward uses of the polaroids. The new medium brought with it the freedom to experiment and make mistakes.

The polaroids in the exhibition were produced by selectively covering areas of the light sensitive film with cut stencils to control the light exposure. This is how his camera stencil method came to be, and he has been fine-tuning and experimenting with the process for nearly three years.

The camera stencil technique that Escoto uses allows for the film to go through multiple exposures instead of the usual single exposure and provides them with a look that appears to almost to have been created and manipulated in Photoshop. This creates geometric forms within the larger images that unite fragmented smaller images of different places or objects.

Photo Credit: Indigo Baloch

Photo Credit: Indigo Baloch

The various images and moments are flattened into a single pattern in one planar surface. By using this technique of multiple exposures, the instant nature of the polaroid photos is undermined, as the end product now requires more than one exposure to be finalized, but it also creates new potential for what can come of their use.

In the exhibit at the CMOA, the polaroids are accompanied by related sculptures that bring the geometric shapes and patterns of the images into three-dimensional space.

Photo Credit: Indigo Baloch

Photo Credit: Indigo Baloch

Working against the flatness of the photographs that they are modeled after, the sculptures focus on surface and are made from materials that resemble natural materials, but are exclusively synthetic and man-made. They are made from goods such as wallpaper, paint rollers, printed vinyl, spray foam, cardboard, plastic, contact paper, and Plexiglas.

This is not the first major exhibition that Escoto has been a featured part of. Last spring, he had a solo show at Taymour Grahne Gallery in Manhattan and the year prior to that he had a solo show in Brooklyn.

The show in Brooklyn, presented at Regina Rex, a small and out of the way artist run space, was able to create other opportunities for Escoto, including his current show at the Carnegie.

He says, “each show is important, even the small ones, and I try to produce the best possible outcome given the situation for every show, big or small.” This just goes to prove that every show that an artist puts their work into is important, regardless of size, as they can lead to greater opportunities in the future.

“Corey Escoto: Sleight of Hand” is on display in Gallery One of the Carnegie Museum of Art through September 29, 2014.

 

Artists gather at the 45th annual “A Fair in the Park”

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The mood at Mellon Park the weekend of September 6 was one of creativity and family fun as the community gathered to celebrate the 45th annual “A Fair in the Park.” The fair, hosted by the Craftsmen’s Guild of Pittsburgh, is an event that provides artists from all over Pittsburgh and surrounding areas an opportunity to show and sell their work. This year’s fair, which took place on Friday, September 5 through Sunday, September 7, included over 100 booths featuring a wide variety of mediums from photography and painting to woodworking and textiles.

According to Kathryn Carr of Bethel Park, a board member for the Guild and owner of Go Car Go Art Studio, planning for the event begins well in advance of the fair itself. The process, which she described as “quite an endeavor” involves everything from choosing the vendors, to laying out the locations of the tents, and organizing food vendors and performers for the main stage.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

She also explained that all of the vendors must provide their own tents, tables, and anything they may need for the show, so setting things up takes a while. “Fortunately, I got to put up my tent on Wednesday” she said, chuckling.

The efforts of the Guild paid off, however, as the park was packed with hundreds of individuals, couples, families, and friends who came out to enjoy the festivities. People strolled through the sea of white tents and enjoyed rows and rows of arts and crafts. Vendors also enjoyed themselves, as was clear by their engagement with the customers. They were eager to talk to the patrons, and were more than happy to share their backgrounds, artistic processes, and to talk about the pieces they were selling.

June Burns, the owner of Peachie Originals in Fredonia New York, was one such vendor. Her artistic journey began thirty years ago when she decided to turn her engineering degree into something more rewarding. She and her husband have been making old-fashioned wooden puzzles ever since, and the two of them, as well as their children, travel to fairs and festivals to sell their products.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

“It’s not about what you’re good at, it’s what brings you joy,” Burns said, attributing the quote to her grandmother. “I enjoy connecting with people, and talking to all of the customers.” She went on to say that, despite living in New York, she loves “A Fair in the Park” because it is a “community show.” “Other venues are too big,” she explained, “but the people who live around here invest in their community…you see people coming back day after day.”

In the center of the festivities was a large stage that featured numerous bands throughout the three days, including “Cello Fury,” “Lovebettie,” and “‘Celtic Indian’ Arvel Bird.” In addition to performing, the artists also sold merchandise, and were more than willing to meet with their fans after their shows

Around the main stage, the fair boasted several food vendors from all over the area. There were options for every dietary need, with food from BRGR, Randita’s Vegan, and PGH Crepes, among others.

Being the community event that it was, the fair was just as popular for children as it was for adults. Numerous activities including face painting, animals from the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, and backpack decorating, were organized for the kids who attended the event.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

In addition to planned activities, children were eager to watch the various artists at work. One artisan quickly gained a large group of young spectators who were eager to watch him carve a bowl from a block of wood.

Despite Carr’s point that this tends to be a “busy time of year for a lot of people,” the fair did not seem to suffer at all. After 45 years, the fair is still an important community event, and the general sentiment among the attendees was an excitement for it’s future.

Waiting for Intermission: Review of “Captain America: Winter Soldier”

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In the purgatorial void between “The Avengers” and the upcoming sequel, Marvel fans have been treated to sequels portraying the heroes in the next stage of their narratives. Without forcing exposition, sequels can take the time to flesh out characters and adapt them for the modern age.

No hero is better suited for evolution than Captain America, who questions his role in the latest Marvel release “Captain America: Winter Soldier”. In this film, Captain America (Chris Evans) searches for his role in an increasingly militarized United States and S.H.E.I.L.D. operated by the mysterious Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). When an assassin known only as the Winter Soldier starts hunting down members of S.H.E.I.L.D., Cap and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) work to uncover of the greatest historical conspiracy in world history. While an action-packed two and a half hours, the film neglects essential responsibilities in recreating the American hero.

Like all post-“Avengers” films, “Winter Soldier” possesses the advantage of character development. One could argue Captain America as a frontier hero, existing on the outer edge of society while vying for inclusion through updating himself on movies, music, and history. The film presents an interesting opportunity to redefine the characteristics of Captain America, a fact the character of Phil Coulson alluded to in “The Avengers”. Those knowledgeable in the history of the Vietnam War recognize connotations of ‘Winter Soldier,’ referring to a speech delivered by Secretary of State John Kerry, detailing the horrors faced by soldiers coming home from Vietnam.

This speech gained public attention, fueling criticism of the American presence in the Asian theater. Captain America, a relic of post-WWII optimism, must deal with the growing domestic feelings of isolation through philosophical discussions with Nick Fury. The film advances these themes by subtly introducing issues of American foreign policy: militarization, rise of numerous actors of foreign policy, and their battle for influence. This interpretation appears as over-analysis, but considering the importance of comics to convey societal context, the film establishes political literacy for an isolated public.

Of course, this film offers more than analysis for history and political science nerds. It continues the strong slew of sequels leading out of “The Avengers.” Chris Evans commands—so to speak—his return to the role of Captain America while maintaining remarkable chemistry with Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. Marvel fans will also enjoy the connection with the cannon and fill some of the holes the first film left behind. With that being said, some problems remain.

The film could have ended a have ended a half hour earlier, removing some unnecessary battle scenes and repetitive dialogue. While Black Widow did not receive the full Marvel film treatment of becoming overtly sexualized, moments of flirting generated false suspension. The real tension laid with Captain America searching for his role in modern society. The film presents this opportunity for transformation but it fails to materialize.

Cap perpetrates traditional notions of the American identity, lacking in representation. Removal of this tension weakens the film’s complexity, making “Winter Soldier” the weakest of the post-“Avengers” Marvel sequels.

Barring cultural analysis, see the film to prepare yourself for “The Avengers: Age of Voltron” coming out next summer. Or to watch the trailer for “Guardians of the Galaxy”, despite having already watched it on repeat since it was released.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is my last movie review after a wonderful three-year career at The Communique. I would like to thank newspaper staff and a community of supporters who believed in my work and made my reviews more intriguing with their scintillating discussion. I am ridiculously proud of the work I accomplished here. To quote from War Kong-Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”: “I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. Feelings just creep up on you like that.”