Hello all, and happy first three weeks of spring semester! Although, contrary to what the title implies, I’m still not quite ready to accept that this will be my last spring semester at Holy Cross. Nevertheless, I’m excited to kick-start the semester and can’t wait to see what else is in store for me!
New Sights
Alongside starting fresh with classes, I was also able to make the first home hockey game of the semester against RIT. Though we lost 2-3, we had a valiant run and I’m glad I was able to see it before the end of the year. You can watch a recap of the game here.
But the best sight I’ve seen so far is Alternate College Theatre (ACT)’s recent production of Legally Blonde. As the name implies, the musical is based on the novel and 2001 film of the same name, which tell the story of sorority girl Elle Woods as she follows her true love Warner Huntington to Harvard Law School. Directed by fellow senior Emma Callahan and choreographed by Lauren Simeon, it was truly a treat to see at the start of the semester. I particularly loved the colorful costumes and set (designed by Emma O’Leary and Alex Poluha, respectively) and could tell just how hard everyone had been working to pull off such a fun but physically demanding production. Megan Siebecker shines as Elle, and she is heartily supported by an equally talented and hilarious ensemble, including Jacob Applegate as Warner, Andrew Farina as Emmett, Eve Wenger as Enid Hoopes, Alyssa White as Vivienne Kensington, and many more! Though this will be the last ACT show I will see during my HC career, I hope to see many more after graduation!
But this certainly isn’t the last you’ll see of HC theatre! In fact, next week several members of ACT (including myself) will be performing Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues, a collection of stories from several perspectives on female sexuality, both consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences, body image, and many other topics. The performance, co-directed by Emily Arancio and Tanusha Yarlagadda, will take place in the Hogan Ballroom on February 14th and 15th at 7:30pm. After seeing the work they’ve done in my directing class last semester, I’m so excited to see their work come to fruition through us as the ensemble!
Additionally, the Theatre Department has already cast and will present Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth this coming April, and there will also be a number of directing projects and ACT events taking place throughout the semester. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements of performances!
What’s Next
Classes this semester will be very reading- and writing-heavy for me; I am taking classes on American Film, Modern Drama, and Creative Prose Writing, as well as a class on Shakespeare that will combine both literary analysis and performance. On top of that, I am also currently writing a one-act play that will serve as my final capstone project for the year. I hope to have a staged reading of it in April before Finals Week, and I will certainly keep you posted on its progress!
In the meantime, this coming Friday will be our annual 100 Days Ball, an event especially for seniors that takes place 100 days before graduation (hence the name). It will be a fun-filled night of dancing and camaraderie, and I can’t wait! I will have more to say on that and on other upcoming events after the fact, but until then, I hope to see you soon!
Cheers,
Ali
