Campus calendar
(02/21/08 5:00am)
Thursday, Feb. 21
Delivering American University's news and views since 1925
Use the fields below to perform an advanced search of The Eagle's archives. This will return articles, images, and multimedia relevant to your query.
603 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
Thursday, Feb. 21
The shooting spree at Northern Illinois University that claimed the lives of six people Thursday has renewed questions about the safety of college campuses across the nation.
Valentine's Day may seem like a strange day for the opening of a play about a woman who murdered her husband and subsequently received the death penalty. But with its winter production, "Machinal," the Department of Performing Arts proves able to take on this challenge. The "romantic" date is total coincidence: Director Cara Gabriel picked the performance date two years ago without even knowing the show. "It's fairly obscure," said Gabriel, noting that many people didn't even know how to say the name of the show. "Machinal," (pronounced "mah-KEE-nahl") written by journalist Sophie Treadwell in 1927, is based on the story of Ruth Snyder, a female murderess who was convicted and electrocuted. The play is a study in Expressionism with its vague character names (such as "Young Woman," "Lover" and "Telephone Girl") and the over-arching theme of one person's struggle against society. But Gabriel found a pointed in the show, saying it is heavily relevant to a contemporary audience. Stage manager Mike Burgtorf, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, also believed the show's themes are topical to students. "We get stuck in the machine, going to class, home, to class, to rehearsal," he said. The show questions how positive developments can have negative effects, Gabriel said. Technology such as electricity leads to the electric chair. Even today, our technological advances such as texting or self-checkout lines at stores can be "detrimental to human interaction," she said. With a play that tackles such solemn fare, the cast has found creative ways to keep their energy and morale high. "We've started making jokes up," said Kyle Encinas, a sophomore in CAS, as a fellow actor broke into a Mickey Mouse impression. CAS sophomore Liz Ennis said Gabriel also encouraged them to find the humor in the text itself, creating moments of comic relief if the audience is sharp enough to catch the dark humor. The nuggets of humor aren't the only things to which the audience can relate. Jessamyn Fuller, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, plays Young Woman, the central character trapped in the machine. The plot, though covering several years of Young Woman's life, comes across as a very personal, albeit fragmented, snapshot into a tender yet troubled mind. Fuller says she doesn't believe Young Woman is crazy, but rather a character anyone can get in touch with. David Conison, a sophomore in CAS, described the rehearsal process as "awesome." "Cara gives a lot of freedom to explore," he said. "[She] helps us find our own way." The actors' training rooted the development of such an industrialized, mechanical play. Three hours of work resulted in a three-minute sequence, Gabriel said. But it was important to her that the play become the actors' own work and creation, and the cast blossomed under such instruction. "Machinal" takes great care to keep the machine at the forefront of the audience's mind. From grinding, echoing sound effects to the cylinder-shaped set design, the play's artistic elements combine in perfect unity to support the textual themes. The lighting smoothly shifts from harsh and saturated, creating sharp silhouettes, to muted, warm tones that comfort. Lighting designer Jason Arnold isn't afraid to wash the whole stage in color, keeping the audience's eye captivated by the scene on stage. The cast and crew of "Machinal" take a risk with this dark, bold tale of murder and industrialization. Much of their success comes in their commitment to tell this story without unnecessary glamour, leaving the audience with more questions than answers. So this Valentine's Day, find your sweetheart, grab dinner and prepare to become a part of the machine that is "Machinal."
The Undergraduate Senate passed a bill to allow students to use Blackboard to monitor their EagleBuck$ accounts and discussed extending hours at the Student Health Center at its meeting Sunday.
This is the second part of a two-part series on seeing theater on the cheap in D.C.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
The red, white and blue of AU's student athletes will be replaced by the stars and stripes of Team USA wrestling when they takes on the Belarus national team Thursday inside Bender Arena.
D.C. bursts with exciting theater beyond the comedy and tragedy staged on Capitol Hill. Plays as diverse as the Shakespearean classics and modern, boundary-pushing plays unfold on local stages. Unfortunately, the intimidating price tag that often comes with live theater makes it seem inaccessible to students.
Members of the AU community who are planning to attend President Neil Kerwin's inauguration ceremony or the combined Inauguration Celebration and Founders' Day Ball will need to obtain tickets to get into either event.
Thursday, Nov. 29
Monday, Nov. 18
Thursday, Nov. 15
Thursday, Nov. 8
Thursday, Nov. 1
A night of heavy drinking could now leave George Washington University students with more than a nasty hangover the next day.
EagleBuck$ will now be accepted at more vendors across the District, according to Chris Moody, executive director of Housing and Dining Programs.
Feminism is seen in an exciting and challenging, new light with "WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution," the newest and largest exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts since the museum opened its doors 20 years ago.
Thursday, Sept. 27
The Eagle supports University Librarian William Mayer's plans to increase collaboration among students, staff and faculty and to improve the physical appearance of the building.
Sixty-one people used their AU IDs to swipe in to the library Monday, using the library's new 24-hour schedule, which started at midnight.
Solutions by The State News