The Packing House Zine Fest brought new artwork and writing to the Claremont community at the Arts and Bodega store on Sunday.
Author: Jo Keyser
Gender, sex and the carceral system: Panelists describe roots of their prison-abolition activism
On April 16, in the Rose Hills Theatre at Pomona College, the 5C Prison Abolition Collective held the final event of its semester-long speakers series. “Femme Futures: Beyond Carceral Institutions” brought together Jessica Gonzalez Rodriguez, edxi betts and Victoria Perez, who spoke about their direct experiences with the prison system and their resulting prison-abolition activism.
‘Machinal:’ Finding connection in a dystopian drama
Written by Sophie Treadwell in the 1920s, “Machinal” is the the fourth and final production in “Inevitable Evolutions,” Pomona’s theater department season. On a highly stylized set, characters operate as cogs in a larger capitalist machine, with each actor taking on multiple roles, suggesting people are interchangeable in a mechanized society that affords little room for individual aspirations or identity. Even so, cast and crew found unexpected community inhabiting this dark material.
Pitzer community celebrates ties to César Chávez at annual breakfast
Hosted by the Latino & Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valley, the Cesar Chavez 19th annual Breakfast honored Pitzer College Workers and Student Alliance, among other organizations and individuals who have exemplified the Roundtable’s mission “to improve the quality of life and socio-economic justice of the Latinx community and those facing inequities.” Pitzer students and workers were celebrated for their successful union campaign and for ongoing efforts to rehire three subcontracted dining workers who were fired for expressing union support. Many of the students honored were students of Pitzer Professor Jose Calderon, who as the Roundtable’s President, helped organize the breakfast and fundraiser.
MT Spotlight’s ‘Spring Awakening’ explores how sexual repression endures today
This past weekend Spotlight MT, the 5C student-run musical theater club, connected past and present with its production of “Spring Awakening.” A coming of age musical about young teenagers newly exploring their bodies without adult guidance, the show covers lightning-rod topics such as abortion, sexual violence and suicide.
Traversing the arts: Lina Patel teaches playwriting and the art of creative pursuit
Navigating a career in the arts often requires students to find their own way. Partly for this reason, the Pomona theater department invites working professionals as visiting professors to teach 5C students practical skills about their craft. Lina Patel, theater lecturer and guest teacher of Playwriting I this semester, brings professional insights to the theatre department, helping students understand storytelling structures and cultivate a love of writing.
Finding the modern in Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ at the Seaver
Three Sisters, the third of four productions in “Inevitable Evolutions,” the title of Pomona’s theater department season, delivers a powerful portrait of growing up. The 5C production, which opened at the Seaver Theatre on Thursday, demonstrates why Chekhov has continued to captivate audiences for more than a century.
‘From Baltimore to Broadway’: How Bryan Terrell Clark persevered to stage and film stardom
Actor Bryan Terrell Clark was a guest speaker at a forum hosted by Scripps College in the Garrison Theater this past weekend. A seasoned actor, Clark is best known on the stage for playing George Washington in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” as well as Marvin Gaye in “Motown: The Musical” and Cory in “Fences” opposite Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Villaintines Day Queer Cabaret subverts the musical narrative
This Valentine’s Day, Spotlight MT — the 5C student-run musical theater club — subverted expectations with a “Villaintines Day Queer Cabaret” at Dom’s Lounge on Feb. 10 and 11. In 13 acts, a cast of 16 performers re-conceived some famously nefarious roles from Disney films and Broadway musicals through a queer prism.
New multimedia exhibits at Pitzer Galleries see the past through today’s lens
Britt Ransom’s “Arise and Seek” and Maya Gurantz’s “The Plague Archives” put creative innovartion on thrilling display this past weekend.