ROUNDUP Los Angeles Pierce College
www.theroundupnews.com
Woodland Hills, California
Volume 127 - Issue 5
A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Student feature page. 4
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Theatre department drops f-bombs
Course cancellation A play with a racy title is a contemporary take on Anton Chekhov's 'The Seagull' on agenda Faculty plans to vote on recommendation
ANNA CLARK Reporter @AnnaClarkReport
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name of a play doesn’t make a show, but it certainly can bring attention to it. Last semester, the Pierce College Theatre Department’s “Bad Jews” caused controversy, yet the show sold out its entire run. This semester, Pierce is at it again, but this time, the obscenities are more apparent. The Theatre Department chose the comedic play “Stupid F****** Bird,” a metatheatrical play by Aaron Posner, based on “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov. The contemporary piece, which was written in 2013, had been eyed by the Theatre Department since its release, according to theater manager Michael Sande. "It is a play that we had been looking at since it premiered,” Sande said. “As soon as the rights became available for us, we said we def initely wanted that.” According to Sande, the explicit title will not affect ticket sales. "We've done many plays in which the f-word is used,” Sande said. “We've had full frontal nudity on stage before. You can't please everybody, and there will be a few that will be offended by this title and won't buy it. It's not going to be everyone's favorite show, but I think by and large, especially with a student audience base, we just kind of knew." One reason for choosing the play, according to Sande, was because of its ties to Chekhov. "Because it is a take of Anton Chekhov's “The Seagull,” it allows our students to have accessibility to someone like Anton Chekhov, who is a very
STEVEN TAN Reporter @stevent̲roundup
Taylor Arthur / Roundup From left Monica Vigil, Josh Ryan, Matt DeHaven and Justine Brandy perform during the first rehearsal for “Stupid Fucking Bird” which premiers Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. and will run until Sunday, Oct. 29. in the Dow Arena Theatre at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. Actors were not in full costume.
complicated playwright. His plays are classic and older, but the theme is the same,” Sande said. “That's specifically what we were looking for." According to director Anthony Cantrell, the play is about using art to create change in the world. “It is a huge debate,” Cantrell said. “Our play is about that because even the characters in the play do not agree. I do feel art has that transformative potential, so I wanted to see how I might dig into that debate with this particular play.” Though the play discusses the question of art’s place in the world, it also includes love triangles within the plot.
“You have the debate of the role of art in society, but how do you get through life dealing with the fact that not everyone you fall in love with, will love you, and how you make decisions in life with those passions and disappointments ever present in your life,” Cantrell said. Cantrell said that Posner keeps Chekhov’s ideas alive by giving actors and the director f lexibility about how they fulfill scenes, while still maintaining what the author originally wrote. “One of the primary ways he does this, is in the stage direction. The playwright will give you suggestions and finish those suggestions by saying ‘or not,’”
Cantrell said. “All those ‘or nots’ mean that we have a tremendous latitude of how we fulfill the text. That does not mean that it gives absolute freedom.” According to Cantrell, the play will have moments where the dividing line between audience and stage will blur. Cantrell said that he was originally drawn to the play because he is a huge Chekhov fan. “He presents amazing challenges and an unending series of choices about character development and what he is trying to say about life and about art and relationships,” Cantrell said. “He is a playwright that
doesn't necessarily give you easy answers or structures his play in an easy format.” Jon Michael Villagomez, who started taking classes at Pierce's Theatre Department last semester, plays Con, the character the ensemble pivots around. According to Villagomez, he tries to not get too attached to a script while auditioning, but it was different with “Stupid F****** Bird.” "I read the play, and I fell in love,” Villagomez said. “I was so obsessed with it, and it was all I could think about. I wouldn't shut up about it." aclark.roundupnews@gmail.com
For the love of film and friends Film Club of fe rs a for um for di scu ssion and an outlet for creation NATALIE MIRANDA Reporter @natalierosemir A shared passion attracts a diverse collection of creative minds into one room. Writers, directors, actors and fans come together to enjoy and create one medium: film. Film Club, which meets Mondays at 6 p.m. in VLLG 8211, has members discuss and pitch ideas for potential projects. The club meets every week with the objective to collaborate on projects, share their visions, and most importantly, make connections. Club Advisor Ken Windrum said the uniqueness of the club depends on the students that decide to join. “We had a very different vibe a year ago. It was a great club then, it’s a great club now, but what
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makes the club unique is the people in it and how they interchange,” Windrum said. “It’s the kind of vibe in the air; there’s a nice vibe in that room.” Windrum said his favorite film is “2001: A Space Odyssey.” “It is one of the few movies that couldn’t be anything, but a movie,” Windrum said. “It blew my mind when I was 12 years old, and it's been blowing it ever since then.” Club Vice President Andrew Shaktah said his favorite film is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” “I’ve always been into films that have a very surreal element to them, and no one does it better than Charlie Kaufman,” Shaktah said. “I can’t find a single thing wrong with that film.” Shaktah said he changed his major to pursue his passion, and he relates to students who have done the same. “I figured psychology is more
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Titus Littlejohn / Roundup Andrew Shaktah, Film Club vice President and Daniel Uhlenberg, Film Club Representive reach towards the sun at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. on Monday, Oct. 9, 2017.
practical, but film is what I love. It is where my heart is, and I really wanted to meet people that feel the same way, and I already have,” Shaktah said. “I made great friends, and honestly, it just seemed fun.” Although he is new to the club, Shaktah said he knows why people enjoy being a part of it.
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“As vice president, I really want to ground the idea of what Film Club is, what our goals are every semester and what people can expect from us, which is quality content,” Shaktah said. “I want everyone to know they have a voice in this project, or any project we do.” Shaktah said that opposing
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ideas are welcome in the club, and he encourages members to create content that breaks the boundaries of mainstream cinema. “Film is a very dead medium right now. The age of superheroes, sequels and trilogies are boring. I see that there are lots of people who are encouraged by older film and older cinema. I really think
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Before the fall semester department chairs requested that low enrolled classes not be cancelled prematurely. Not all classes were saved, but the Academic Senate hopes a recommendation to deal with low-enrolled courses from being cut will be considered by administration. During Monday’s Academic Senate meeting members discussed a proposal for low enrollment classes, stating that this interfered with students’ ability to complete their majors. The proposal will be voted on at the next meeting in two weeks. President of the Academic Senate Anna Bruzzese said they tried to delay cancelling classes and urged students to register sooner. "It was a really unfortunate situation where students were having a really hard time registering with the new SIS system,” Bruzzese said. “Different committees, like the Academic Policy Committee (APC), Enrollment Management Committee and the District Senate were really concerned so, because of the new system, the idea was to delay cancelling classes as much as possible.” According to College Outcome Committee representative Jennifer Moses, there is a contract rule the faculty has with administration that allows them the right to cancel classes if there are fewer than 15 students enrolled. [see courses on pg. 7] these people should have a voice,” Shaktah said. “Film Club is a great way to voice that opinion and create new films and stories that break boundaries and deconstruct what we are all tired of hearing.” Club treasurer Kyle Coffman said “Scream” is his favorite film. “It reinvented the horror genre of the 1990’s, and it was a very cleverly written script,” Coffman said. According to Coffman, Film Club is there to support its members. “Every week, we allow anyone to pitch an idea. Sometimes after their pitch, they’ll want further help, but sometimes they just want to know if it’s a good idea. We are happy to offer any additional services to them to make sure that idea gets put on paper and even shot,” Coffman said. Windrum said the club has hosted a film series for four consecutive semesters. This semester’s theme will be “Journalism: Ethics or Profit?” The f ilm series will consist of multiple movie showings and panel discussions in the Great Hall. The panelists will be Film Club members and instr uctors from the Media Arts Department. [see film on pg. 8] nmiranda.roundupnews@gmail.com
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