Entertainment
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72 Hour New Play Festival: A Showcase of New Playwrights If you had the opportunity to see the beginning works of the world’s upcoming famous playwrights, wouldn’t you want to be a part of the magic? Virginia Tech’s MFA in creative writing program and the department of theatre arts have collaborated to make that possible with their “72 Hour New Play Festival”, a free event starting this weekend in the Performing Arts Building (PAB) on campus. This festival is of utmost importance to MFA student playwrights. “Young playwrights get to work with professional directors. Plays don't really exist, alone, on the page. They don't come to life until actors read the roles and directors participate in the shaping of the story,” said Edward Falco, professor of the MFA graduate workshops responsible for the works of the festival. Rock-a-thon Raises Money for Scholarships⨠The Neighbors Growing Together Rock-a-thon was held in the atrium of Wallace Hall on Tuesday, April 22, to help raise money for student and program scholarships. ⨠â¨Neighbors Growing Together is part of Virginia Tech’s Intergenerational Program, which is a cooperation between the Adult Day Services program and the Child Development Center for Learning and Research in the Department of Human Development. â¨â¨ Rocking chairs were provided for participants of all ages and individuals rocked back in forth for the time allotted by their sponsors. â¨â¨ Naturally Sharp Prepares For Spring Concert Naturally Sharp, one of Virginia Tech’s all male a cappella groups, is currently busy preparing for its spring concert that will take place later this month. According to member Robert Blackard, Naturally Sharp is constantly improving, and with the new talent the group has gained over the past year, this year’s spring concert promises to be one of the best shows yet. “We’re continuing to practice three times a week, learning brand new songs and polishing our established repertoire, along with practicing choreography until our feet bleed,” Blackard said. “We’re also singing at a few gigs beforehand.” Naturally Sharp will perform at Relay for Life on April 18. Reel Planet Tragedy in the Digital Age: Virginia Tech, One Year Later In April 2007, Virginia Tech was racked with an event so monstrous, so incomprehensible, that one of the only things many Hokies could do was turn on their cameras and point them towards the nightmare. Capturing the sounds and the images in the moment allowed everyone to piece together the experiences of the day. The major news networks were salivating over pieces of footage from digital cameras and cell phones. We are at a point in society where the technology truly allows anyone to create a story. So many tragedies have become more relevant because of the presence of an amateur with a camera. On Sept. 11, 2001, citizens were there, recording the events while trying to make sense of the horror. Musician Interview: Barry Privett of Carbon Leaf On April 26, Carbon Leaf will join five other bands on the stage at Top of the Stairs for the 20th annual Sudflood Music Festival. Barry Privett is the lead singer of the Richmond-based band, and he recently sat down with Planet Blacksburg to discuss Carbon Leaf’s involvement and success in the music industry. Following is a selection of questions from the interview. FASA Presents 20th Exhibitiion Of Filipino Culture FASA, the Filipino American Student Association, is holding the 20th annual culture night, this year called Bagobo. Kissa Fernandez, a senior at Virginia Tech and the vice president of FASA, is the event coordinator for culture night. Bagobo “is a dance,” Fernandez said. “It’s about clearing the field for planting new rice. Bago means new and tubo means growth.” Vassar Returns To Perform In Burruss The Virginia Tech community is not a stranger to Phil Vassar’s musical talent, after watching him perform alongside Nas, John Mayer and Dave Matthews Band during “A Concert for Virginia Tech,” in early September. Vassar’s popularity after his short set earlier this school year is why Virginia Tech Union (VTU) avidly worked to schedule his return to the Virginia Tech campus, according to David Silberstein, of VTU. Vassar, a Virginia native and Hokie fan, is returning tonight to once again, musically revive the community in Burruss Auditorium at 7 p.m. The American Cheeseball |
Album Review: Sans Exclamation Point, Panic Impress
Pretty. Odd. however, is a pleasant surprise. You can certainly see the influence. The album opener, “We’re So Starving” has a Sgt. Pepper’s feel to it as the band apologizes for the layoff between albums and loudly proclaims “You don’t have to worry/ We’re still the same band.” Mustache Bash Ranked High On Blacksburg's Must-Do Events Food? Check. Music? Check. Mustaches? Not exactly the first thing you’d think of for the biggest local concert of the year, but that’s exactly what makes the Mustache Bash one of the best things to attend in Blacksburg. “I went last year, but the turn out this year has been incredible!” said Virginia Tech sophomore Katie DeMoss. For those who don’t know, the Mustache Bash is an event that happens every year, now in its fourth season, based entirely upon glorifying the mustache. Everyone shows up with a mustache, whether it’s fake or real. Battle of the Bands Has A Local Flavor “This was one of the closest battles that we’ve ever had,” said battle of the bands judge Bobby Beaton. The final round of the three-month-long contest was held at Attitudes Bar & Café Saturday night and proved to be a tight race for the title. All Kinds of Gravity took first place with Bitter Hill snagging a close second and Groova Scape finishing third overall. Rock Club Bringing Battle Of Bands To Attitudes Many bands can attribute their success to the recognition that resulted from a friendly, yet serious competition between local talent in their own hometown. The big question in Blacksburg is, are there enough local musicians around to even have a local rock scene? The Rock Music Club at Virginia Tech looks to answer that question by hosting its Battle of the Bands finals at Attitudes Bar and Café on Friday, April 18. Matt Allen, Attitudes’ head of booking and lead sound technician, said the finals will start at 9 p.m. and the doors will open around 8 p.m. with ample parking at the adjoining Holiday Inn. There is a $5 cover charge at the door and anyone 18 and older is welcome. Darfur Benefit Show Scheduled Megan Ouellette knows the importance of international relations after interning with a student leadership organization focused on world issues over the summer. Ouellette is the main organizer for the Darfur Benefit Show, a concert which intends to highlight the ongoing genocide there. “Music can bring together a lot of people, the way a good cause can,” Ouellette said. The show at Attitudes Bar and Grill, is set for Friday, April 4. Lee Street Riots, The House Floor and Altaire are the performing bands for the event, which will run from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday. People who wish to attend must be at least 18 years old. The price for those 18 to 20 years old is $7 and $5 for people 21 and older. Lively Arts Bringing "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" So you think you have a dysfunctional family? Maybe you can relate to the colorful themes of the performance Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Virginia Tech students, faculty, staff and members of the general public will have the opportunity to watch this dramatic story of a powerful southern family on campus tomorrow. The theatre event was arranged by the Lively Arts committee of Virginia Tech Union (VTU). “This is a spicy play of intrigue and manipulation and was written by a great artist, Tennessee Williams” said Kerri Friedman, the director of that committee. The Artistic Glow Of Science
“Roanoke is literally glowing,” said Nancy McCrickard, executive director for the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Concurrently geared towards achieving her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech for Teaching and Learning, McCrickard knows exactly what this science exhibit needs. Based off a Franklin County native who was fatally injured by his work in 2004, this exhibit has made him and his passion timeless. Sea corals, bumblebees, custom clocks, cartoons, human faces, reptiles, jellyfish, and historic Coca-Cola signs line the walls and suspend from the ceilings. What do they all have in common? They’re glowing of neon. Many who are curious as to how this works should make sure to visit McCrickard’s exhibit, In the Glow: The Science Behind the Art of Neon. This 3,000-square foot exhibit is scheduled to run until May 2008. A Fourth Glorious Go-Around Eve Ensler’s play, The Vagina Monologues showcased this past weekend at the Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center here at Virginia Tech for the fourth time. The entire theatre was packed with women and men equally excited to view the very talked about play on campus. Before watching the show, I visited Christine Dennis, the faculty advisor of the V-Day initiative to get a better feel for the content of the show. She informed me of how hard the actresses had been working and that they were ready for the opening night. |
When advance reviews of Panic at the Disco’s new album Pretty. Odd. Began surfacing, many lauded the album, and built up dangerous hype, with many making comparisons to the Beatles. I feared for the album because no one can equal the Beatles, and imitators no matter how talented, always fall short. 