First Friday

This was my second First Friday experience and did not live up to the first. The first one had more musicians, street performers, and open galleries. I expected the warm weather to up the ante for the overall experience, but it failed to do so. I found myself exploring the shops like the record stores and book shop rather than the galleries and artists themselves. I enjoyed the button venders and street artists moreso than the first experience, but I was overall disappointed. The event on the whole reminded me of something I would see in Greenwich Village, New York.

Hand of Gaul

The Hand of Gaul was admittedly hilarious. It taught me a lot about the Irish perspective of the 2010 Thierry Henry World Cup mishap. The characters delivered their comedy in a slapstick-like, Monty Pythonesque way that had me laughing throughout. The minimalism of both the musical accompaniment as well as the stage added to the interactivity between the actors and the audience that made for a joyful experience overall. 

Kun Yang Lin

The Kun Yang Lin dancers delivered both confusion and awe. I have never before seen such a spectacle that evoked such befuddlement. It displayed a form of avant-garde dance that I had never seen before. Each dance made me feel different emotions, but mostly puzzlement. I can say, however, that the dancers were extremely talented and blatantly in shape to perform the dances. A major factor that weirded me out about the experience was the strange, atmospheric music partnered with the dances. My favorite part was when the dancers moved in the shape of a giant rock with the aid of multiple cloths and blankets garnered around them and their costumes. The experience on the whole reminded me of Yoko Ono.

The Liar: Comedic Nostalgia

I attended the Liar by David Ives and directed by Douglas Wager expecting a mediocre school production. I'm happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The dialogue delivered in iambic pentameter, was witty in the most comedic sense. Each character had their own comedic element whether it was Dorante's ironic and constant lies or Clarice's inability to recognize them and all the events that follow. My favorite scene was when Dorante and Alcippe have the fake sword fight evoked by Dorante's ability to fool any and everyone. The ending was satisfying and tied up the lies and resulting relationships. The play reminded me of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night with all of the confusedcharacters and mismatched relationships.