Category — Christian

The International Center of Photography is home to many examples of excellent photography. Various exhibitions line the walls and one of these is by the renowned photographer, Susan Meiselas. Ms. Meiselas took a series of pictures of the conflict in Nicaragua in the late 1970’s. It takes a special kind of person to take pictures on a field of battle because of the vast amount of risk involved. It is not exactly safe to go around snapping pictures of armed factions who are currently at war. Ms. Meiselas was able to not only document the conflict but to capture the emotions of the combatants. She took many photos that showed the humanity of war and the conditions that people find themselves in. [Read more →]

The war in Iraq has been one of the most controversial conflicts in American history. It has produced many heated debates and many questions about whether it was justified. Many of those concerned are the parents of American troops who are fighting in Iraq. One such mother is Francis Richey. Ms. Richey’s son served in Iraq and is now done with his career in the military. While he was over there however, his mother chose to deal with her considerable anxiety [Read more →]

The concept of war is one that transcends time. Conflict in one form or another is a part of human nature and war has been around throughout the whole of human history. Soldiers are, more often than not, the ones who have to pay the price of war. This point was very clearly made in the play, In Conflict. As the audience hears the words of soldiers who have recently returned from the conflict in Iraq, it becomes abundantly clear that the war has left them both physically and emotionally scarred. It is truly sobering to hear the toll that war takes upon those who have to wage it. [Read more →]

Upon hearing the words, “hip-hop musical”, I instantly thought it was an alternative term for a rap concert. It never occurred to me that it could be a superb one-man performance that is driven by a well-constructed story. Clay was just that, a one-man hip-hop musical that chronicles the life of a young man who goes from awkward teen named Clifford to a rapper extraordinaire named Clay. [Read more →]

The dark stage and the even darker material make Irena’s vow a very serious portrayal of the true story of a young, courageous Polish woman. This play tells the real life story of Irena Gut Opdyke who made a daring decision to hide several Jewish people from the wrath of the Nazis. The play is told in unique fashion with Tovah Feldshuh introducing the story as an elderly Irena, and then she continues to narrate the story while pretending to be the youthful Irena. This unique way of telling the story gives you a more personal connection with the character. The story is told fluidly with the different characters all playing their roles quite well. The only character issue that I had was with Ms. Feldshuh herself, she sought to portray herself for most of the performance as the young Irena but the transition was not very visible.

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 From the opening line to the closing scene, South Pacific does an excellent job of making you feel as though you are witnessing actual scenes from World War II. The musical follows several lead characters and their trials and tribulations and like any good plot, the different storylines eventually converge and affect each other. The story is full of typical 1940’s style issues, there is the quintessential, simple, girl next door who is exposed to the real world, there is the loud-mouth, smart-aleck enlisted man who is always concocting a new scheme, as well as the hotshot soldier with his degree from an Ivy-League school.They each go through their own conflicts but a recurring theme is that of acceptance of others. There are several instances where prejudices get in the way of relationships and this represents a truth of American society at this time.

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My name is Christian Iezzi and at age 14 a rather traumatic experience helped me look at my life in a new way. While on vacation with my family in Florida I had an incident in which a slip on a boat caused a debilitating injury to my right leg; my kneecap popped out of its socket. My first reaction upon seeing that my leg was now badly mangled was panic, as I wondered if I would ever be able to walk again. My second reaction was how just seconds ago I was physically able to lead a perfectly normal life. This experience certainly changed me and how felt about life. Before this happened I felt physically impervious to anything and I took everything for granted. [Read more →]