Photography Exhibition: "35minutesmen"

The Center Gallery at Fordham's Lincoln Center Campus is hosting a photography exhibition entitled "35minutesmen," on display until December 19.

Fordham's Visual Arts blog  states that," “35minutesmen” brings together a sampling of work from a Tokyo based collective of photographers in the format of a gallery exhibition and accompanying book with essay. The collective existed for just one year, yet they created a tremendous volume of work that was displayed in a series of monthly exhibitions held in their gallery – a now defunct Fuji film 35 minute processing lab."

The Center Gallery is right in the lobby of Lincoln Center making for a nice visual treat as you enter and exit the building. Be sure to check it out when you visit campus!

Ailey/Fordham B.F.A Program

The Ailey School has produced an inspiring short video that gets to the heart of the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A program. A fusion of physicality, intellect and spirituality is at the core of what these students are experiencing.

Current students, faculty and deans delve into the unique, stimulating experience that is the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A.

Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Program from AlvinAileyAmericanDanceTheater on Vimeo.

The Arts Thrive all over NYC & our Students are in them!

With the visual and performing arts at our disposal, of course many of us will go and venture into any venue that will allow us the opportunity to quench our thirst. New York has so many theatre and dance companies, that at any time one can come across an off-Broadway or off-off Broadway production. And though Lincoln Center houses such a huge portion of the performing arts, one can go to a local playhouse anywhere in the city and find a more affordable entrance to an art setting.

As a matter of fact, Rebecca Zoltowski (FCLC '13 Theatre and Visual Arts Double major) and I went to capture some theatre after a long day of work in the city. We attended “12 Incompetent (and Women)” presented by the Fringe Festival at The SoHo Playhouse located at 15 Vandam between Varick Street and Sixth Avenue.

The play consisted of a juror who tries to persuade his fellow jury men (and women) from convicting a man of abducting cats from his neighbor's yard sale. This hilarious play, contains an eclectic group of characters that when placed together create an atmosphere in which their personalities and intentions constantly collide against each other.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the production was the diverse collection of Fordham Alumni from our theatre program in both the cast and the production crew. It was quite in fact a very pleasant surprise to see some many alumni collaborating in an after-Fordham production. To name some of those involved in the cast there were:

Ian Mcwethy (both playwright and actor in the show)
Jessica Howell
Marco Formosa (FCLC ’03)
Amir Wachterman (FCLC ’09)
Josh Lacasse (FCLC ’05)
Chris Bester
Kim Carpenter

The cast had a range of students from recent grads to current students:

The costume designs were made by Cassie Foote (FCLC ’10). The sound was designed by Chris Barlow (FCLC ’10), to which he included popular theme sounds of TV programs like Law and Order. Dan Durkin (FCLC ’11), the assistant director is a rising senior director, who will be working on an adaptation of slaughterhouse-five this fall.

In addition some of our other past graduates on the production include:

David Ruttura (Scenic Design/Producer)
Jeff Glaser (Director)
Phil Gutierrez FCLC ’06 (Production Stage Manager)

As a student with a passion for the arts it was completely invigorating to see a performance made by an alumni network from different years. The fact that there is such a strong community even after many years of graduation that collaborated in this project defies any misconception of people not coming together once they’ve left college.

So with that I say Go Fordham Alumni!

For further information on the cast and production go to their website: http://www.12incompetentmen.us/THE_SUMMONS.html

____________________________________________________________________

A few days after I went back to the SoHo Playhouse to visit my good friend Preciosa Sipin (Theatre FCLC ’12) who interns at the SoHo Playhouse and she encouraged me to see a show featured that day called “Naked in a Fishbowl” which by its title drew my immediate attention.

So that very day, I witnessed an additional comedic performance at SoHo unlike anything I had seen before in the stage.

“Naked in a Fishbowl” is practically a one-hour improvised sitcom show based on the lives of four girlfriends in New York City. Every week a new chapter in their story as friends comes to life in front of the audience as an improvised episodic performance.

Like a meet-and-greet between you and your close friends, every Monday-night one can capture an unexpected performance full comedy and dramatic honesty. Though one may not be familiar to these actors or the show’s history (which has been running since 2007 for every season of the fringe festival), the dynamics between friends are universal. So if you casually walk around and stumble upon it, go see it! Or if you happen to set a date with your friends, that’s even better because this is an opportunity in NY theatre not to be missed.

It’s quite hilarious and tender as true friends can be, but with a unique twist to improvised comedy. After the show, I had gone to see the cast and director sat with the audience for an opportunity for to ask questions and come to get to know the show and the actors in the production.

It really is unlike anything else currently on the New York stage. For further information, visit their website http://www.nakedinafishbowl.com/ for clips, episodes, and future ticket information.
And with there goes to show you that the arts are unlimited just explore anywhere in New York City and open yourself to the endless possibilities!

Fordham Students Rock Out at FringeNYC 2010

Less Than Rent's poster for the production.
photo credit: Jamie Chance

Over this past year, some Fordham Theatre students got together and created a company called Less Than Rent Productions. This summer, they are performing a "punk rock musical" adaptation of Richard III by William Shakespeare. The director, James Presson, adapted the script and added all of the music. The play takes place after WWIII in "conditions that can only be described as a man made Apocalypse". There is nothing useful left. It has all been destroyed in the war. The survivors of the war are torn, battered and malnourished. Instead of wearing cotton clothing, they wear materials such as spandex, trash bag pants, pleather, vests made out of bottle caps, tinsel, and any other found object.

Some of the company.

photo credit: Jamie Chance

The company consists of about 33 talented artists and designers. They've all worked very hard to bring the director's vision to life. This weekend they succeeded. They had their first two performances at the Ellen Stewart Theatre at La Mama. In my opinion, they pulled it off with flying colors. It captivated me. Through the adaptation, every audience member can empathize with at least one of the characters. I, personally, felt an emotional connection to Queen Elizabeth, played by Rachel Buethe. Her character is riveting and compelling.

In rehearsal

photo credit: Jamie Chance

Also, two of our tour guides, RJ and Rebecca, are involved in the production. Both have been extremely excited about the Richard 3. RJ plays Catseby, one of Richard's assassins. Rebecca is the assistant costume/makeup designer. They constantly talk about it in the office. RJ can been heard running lines here and there, while Rebecca works on some of the costumes. One piece I loved was the awesome vest made entirely out of soda tabs and bottle caps!

During one of teh runs.

photo credit: Jamie Chance

If anyone is interested the Fringe Festival continues throughout the month of August and the first few weeks of September. Less Than Rent's Production of Richard 3 has three performances left. August 18th, 19th, & 20th. I totally recommend anyone who is in the area go an see it!

Check out company and Fringe's webstie for more information:
www.lessthanrentprocuctions.com

www.fringenyc.org

WE ARE ... FORDHAM!

If you do end up coming to Fordham, this is something you will hear A LOT. It’s pretty much our catch phrase and it’s how we get the freshmen hyped up. Yesterday was the Commuter Student BBQ at LC. It's a day where all of the commuters get to meet each other before classes start. The Orientation Leaders running the event were also commuters, so all of the new students were able to meet current commuting students. Rebecca and I remember our Commuter BBQs like they were yesterday, and it made us feel more at ease meeting fellow commuters from our areas.

The day was filled with fun games, activities, group chats, and plenty of food. Here are some pics from the day’s events:

The Best Kept Secret!

A few days ago, the five of us, headed out to the outdoor plaza for our usual lunch break. The girls (Jordan, Sandra and I) had gotten into the habit of catching some sun for the hour we were out there. This is something that can be seen often during the school year when it’s warm. However, today was a bit different. Since our plaza is a public space, we were just people watching when we heard loud music coming from behind us. Being the adventurous group that we are, we decided to follow the sound. It led us right across the street to Lincoln Center where a band practice was going on for a show that was happening later that night. It was “Lincoln Center Out of Doors,” a summer music festival taking place from July 28th-August 15th. Some of the bands include, “No Snakes in This Grass,” “Asphalt Orchestra,” “Balkan Beatbox,” “Wild Magnolias,” “Kronos Quartet,” and “Los Straitjackets.” Interestingly enough, we were able to watch some of the bands practice for free!

Since we were already at Lincoln Center, we decided to take a walk around to the fountain. It was bustling with tourists and theatre-goers who were attending a matinee performance of South Pacific. Although Lincoln Center is part of our title as a school, many students don’t take advantage of what Lincoln Center has to offer, simply because they don’t realize how close it is. You could say it’s one of the best kept secrets here! I guess now it’s not much of a secret anymore, but hey!

Becoming inspired, a few of us decided to do our own impressions of the actors from South Pacific. We got really into reenacting the pictures as you can see:

^Jason & Sandra

"Some enchanted evening

You may see a stranger,

you may see a stranger

Across a crowded room

And somehow you know,

You know even then

That somewhere you'll see her

Again and again." - "Some Enchanted Evening."

If you want to check out the concert we mentioned above, you can check out their website: http://www.lcoutofdoors.org/

... and that's a wrap!

GET EXCITED ... WE'RE HERE!

Hey everyone! Welcome to Fordham College at Lincoln Center! We’re some of the student ambassadors (Rebecca, Jordan, Sandra, Jason and RJ) and are really excited to begin sharing with you our campus, city, experiences and everything in between! Of the five of us, we have seven different majors and minors including Theatre, Communications, Sociology, History, Spanish, Visual Arts and Business. Because our academic interests are so different, we each have a lot to offer. At the same time, our interests can overlap one another which enables us to collaborate and create a community. We have all formed lasting friendships and still have the opportunity to meet new people.

We are located right across the street from Lincoln Center and a block away from Columbus Circle, which has proven to be quite beneficial for all of us in our own ways. For one, we always have fun! We travel to different neighborhoods to explore and take advantage of what they have to offer. Some of our favorite neighborhoods are the West Village, Williamsburg, Astoria, St. George and Chelsea. Stay tuned for entries about food, student clubs, on and off campus activities, theatre, academics, free stuff and much more!

- FCLC’s Ambassadors (Rebecca, Jordan, Sandra, Jason and RJ)