PREVIEW: Voices of the Middle West

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Image courtesy of Midwestern Gothic

Calling all book lovers, readers, publishers, bagel eaters, robots, Midwesterners4Life…whoever you are, you have a VOICE! And we want to hear it!

One year later after its debut, the Voices of the Middle West Literary Festival is a new annual event, created in partnership by local literary mag Midwestern Gothic and UM’s Residential College. From the Midwestern Gothic website, Voices of the Middle West is “a festival celebrating writers from all walks of life as well as independent presses and journals that consider the Midwestern United States their home.”

The event, set up in the East Quad Main Concourse, will be all day starting at 10 am-6pm, available for you to wend your way through tables of books to buy (including ones from Literati Bookstore), freshly-printed campus publications to peruse, publishers and editors and visionary students to chat about the future of the industry in an electronic world, and some very famous authors to brush shoulders with!

Throughout the day will be many panels featuring authors such as Matt Bell, Alissa Nutting, and Anne Valente, on different topics about the Midwest. There’s a chance to hear (or perform) poems and prose at the Open Mic, a great way to support your fellow writers on campus. And don’t miss the very special keynote speaker, Stuart Dybek, who will discuss his own take on publishing, writing, being successful, and of course, living in the Midwest.

I believe everyday should be a day to celebrate books! But Midwestern Gothic and the Residential College have put their heads together to make Voices of the Middle West a celebration that immerses you in Midwestern pride and literary splendor. Indeed- Voices is a unique “book holiday” that is too good to pass up. (Party hats optional. Love of books required)

What: Voices of the Middle West

Where: East Quad, University of Michigan Central Campus

When: Saturday, March 21 from 10-6

How Much?: FREE!!! … unless you choose to buy a book! Which I mean, how could you not??? 🙂

For more information on the schedule of events, check out http://midwestgothic.com/2010/12/voices-of-the-middle-west-event-information/.

 

 

 

PREVIEW: Saki Mafundikwa (Stamps Speaker Series)

simoka

“Graphic designer, educator, author, filmmaker and farmer Saki Mafundikwa is a visionary who left a successful design career in New York to return to his native Zimbabwe and open that country’s first school of graphic design and new media. The author of Afrikan Alphabets, a comprehensive review of African writing systems, Mafundikwa has participated in exhibitions and workshops around the world, contributed to a variety of publications and lectured about the globalization of design and the African aesthetic. Mafundikwa says, “As a designer, I really believe that Africa can change the design landscape. There is enough stimuli in Africa to inspire young designers of all kinds — from graphics to architecture, furniture, fashion, product, interior and other forms of design.” Description taken from the Michigan Theater website. As part of the Stamps Speaker Series, this week artist Saki Mafundikwa will be talking about the African alphabet and the emergence of African art in contemporary design.

When: March 19, 5:10pm
Where: Michigan Theater
Admission price: Free

Link to more information provided by the venue: http://www.michtheater.org/shows/saki-mafundikwa/

Link to more information about the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Speaker Series: http://stamps.umich.edu/stamps

REVIEW: Lucky Stiff

Jeannie Sandefer

Last Saturday night I had the immense pleasure of attending my first Ann Arbor Civic Theatre event, and I was not disappointed. Lucky Stiff, while perhaps not in my top five favorite musicals, is a show I think is drastically overlooked in the musical theatre canon. At any rate, I was happily surprised to find this production lighthearted, entertaining, and above all a night full of fun.

If you’re unfamiliar, Lucky Stiff is a dark-comedy musical farce about a man named Harry Witherspoon who has come into a lot of money vis-a-vis an inheritance left to him by his distant American uncle Antonio. However, there’s a catch; he must cart his dead uncle around Monte Carlo for one last trip. Harry takes the bait and takes his uncle to Monte Carlo, but doesn’t realize that his late uncle’s lover (who shot him due to her poor eyesight) is also after the money, as it was embezzled from her husband. Not only that, due to a clause in Antonio’s will, if Harry makes one mistake all the money goes to his Uncle’s favorite charity, a dog shelter that’s about to close, and Annabel, a young representative from the shelter, is there to catch Harry and claim the money.

As you can see, there’s a lot going on, and the cast handled it spectacularly. One thing I was surprised to note was the use of a thrust stage rather than the typical proscenium stage. For those of you who aren’t theatre buffs and don’t know what those terms mean, it’s just a way to reference the stage in relation to the audience. For this performance, the audience was seated around three sides of the stage, with the primary action happening in the middle. This typically limits set design but also gives the actors freedom to move around. I was a little hesitant at this set-up at first, and I will admit there were times when I struggled to see what was going on up stage even though I was seated in the center section on the first row; however, overall, the set-up allowed the actors to move around and incorporate a classic slapstick kind of comedy into the play. It also meant that the actors were the ones moving the set pieces around, and I was impressed with how sharp they were with the set changes.

Speaking of the actors, I thought everyone did a fantastic job. While a lot of the actors used a little too much vibrato for my taste, this was more of a directorial choice than a fault on the actors. I have to admit, my favorite performance of the night was by none other than jilted lover Rita LaRusso, played by Lauren Norris. What can I say, the role is already a great role, and her comedic timing was perfect – she shined throughout the performance. I was also really impressed with the four actors who played multiple “small” roles – they were all so flexible and I can only imagine what their costume changes were like.

Overall, I was impressed by the level of professionalism and fun that the actors brought to the stage that night, and I can’t wait for my next AACT performance!

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Just the other day I was thinking about a study abroad experience in the Emerald Isle itself, Ireland. As I manuevered through the study abroad company’s website- I came across a syllabus for Ireland’s Gothic Celtic fairy tales. And I too was curious about why many of Ireland’s old legends were the way they were.

So when I saw that at the Michigan Theater, the newly Academy -Award nominated Irish animation Song of the Sea was playing- I had to see it!

At the heart of the movie lies family. A little boy whose 6 year old sister Saoirse is a half mythical figure known as a Selkie cannot talk. Their mother, a full-blooded Selkie, has to return to the ocean the night Saoirsce was born. And over the years Saoirse has not been able to talk. One day she finds her mother’s furry white cloak and puts it on, it enables her to become a seal ( Selkies care seals in the water), as she makes her way to the bottom of the ocean. Later she comes up shore, shivering and semiconscious. Her father, fearing that he may lose his daughter as he did his wife- drops off his wife’s furry coat in a chest into the ocean. Later, their grandmother has the children moved to the city- so that Saoirse doesn’t follow her mother’s footsteps. But the children, especially Ben, realizes that they need to get back to their home in the lighthouse by the sea–especially as he notices her health deteriorate. He especially senses that the sea, holds some of the answers.

The story is no doubt, amazing, touching, and captivating at the same time. But what probably attracts me most to this film is the particular beautiful type of animation of this movie- and especially the animation of animals in this movie. The giant blue whale looked breathtaking-so lifelike yet having that unique, look, and warmth which only animation give. The badgers which live in the meadow which Saoirse and Ben pass through, look so ehereal, adorable, yet lifelike. The owls are shown to have a great mix of being vivacity and cunning- especially as the henchmen to the Owl Witch Macha. The seals will leave you fainting from cute overload. But probably the best animated animal representation is the sheepdog Cu ( Gaelic for dog). He is the cutest, liveliest, loyalest, slurping ball of fur to the silver screen in a long time.If not knowing more about Irish folklore wasn’t enough to see this movie, as well as to hear the actors, then Cu is the reason to see this movie!

Some other fun facts which might appeal to U of Mers is that the cult BBC and HULU hit Moone Boy ( I am a fan!!) lends one of their main actors as the voice of Ben. So if you are a David Rawle fan- you will love hearing Ben’s voice as well as his facial similarities with David! Famed actor Brendan Gleeson lends his voice to Conor- the children’s father.

And the soundtrack of this movie is so haunting, ethereal, and captivating. To me it is reminiscent of the essence of the song, Scarborough Fair. This is a movie which needs to be seen, heard, and felt.

REVIEW: Sister Africa 2015

Phillip Wachowiak

This was the 17th annual Culture Show put on by the African Students Association, and after weeks of hype and social media frenzy, the Michigan Theater was filled to capacity.

Comedian standup comedian Foxy P took the stage and did not hesitate bringing up diversity. It was a pleasant surprise to hear him complementing the diversity in Ann Arbor, as he told us a story about walking into a barber shop downtown and having his hair cut by a white guy named Tim. This story and every other time he came on stage was filled with an energy that kept the audience filled with passion.

There were no bad performances. Whether it was the Amala dancers flowing across the stage, the Uprizin Steel Drum Band reminding us of warming weather, or a blisteringly frank spoken word poem by Adedolapo Adeniji, the audience was on the edge of its seat.

Two standout dance performances by the Michigan Center for Capoeira and the Zuzu Dancers book-ending the second half truly made the Africa Show a worthwhile experience. Not only were the dancers shaped like bodybuilders, but we watched them flip and spin and fly through the air as if they were superhuman. The Zuzu Dancers especially condensed several acts into a short performance that deserved a standing ovation at the end.

Spaced at different points through the show was a fashion show. This was a reminder of Africa’s wide range of cultures and dress, as well as a reminder of how beautiful its people and clothing are.

Like the Fusion Show put on by ASA months before, the Culture Show was something that can only truly be enjoyed in person. This time, at least, there will be a video available of show online at 1Africa. For future reference, this is not an event to pass up when it comes around again next year.