Author: oliviafrasca

Before seeing Avenue Q, i imagined it would be like Sesame Street: tacky singing, dancing, and cringeworthy puppets. After seeing Avenue Q last week, I can admit that it was a VERY mature, sometimes offensive, take on Sesame Street. I didn’t think an Off-Broadway show could be so hilarious, or so dirty, and I loved it.

Right from the beginning, I admired how the human actors were standing onstage beside their puppets instead of hiding. It made me appreciate the show a lot more, because I could see the actors’ effort and emotion in making the characters come to life. I also appreciated how stripped down the production was. The theater was small, and there was little scenery- this allowed me to focus on the actors and music in a casual setting. I can say that I definitely prefer smaller theaters as opposed to bigger theaters; the MET at Lincoln Center was extravagant and huge, but the actors looked like ants from high up.

The show was totally unapologetic, hilarious, and relatable. As a college grad, Princeton is trying to find himself, make ends meet, and survive in New York City. His neighborhood is made up of other puppets that are lost, if not even more troubled, than Princeton. As a college student, I think about my future constantly. I want to make the right decisions and follow a successful career, but stay true to myself at the same time. Avenue Q put a unique twist on a personal conflict that anyone in the audience could relate to at some point in their life.

Out of all the trips I went to during the semester, Avenue Q was by far the funniest and most memorable. The play was raw, realistic, and had me crying tears of laughter. Avenue Q was the first mature show I visited; the jokes and issues dealt with sexuality, racism, success, and romance. My main takeaway from the play was that no one has this whole life thing figured out. Life is not perfect or predictable, so the best thing to do is enjoy the ride.

– Olivia Frasca

Traveling to the city on a week night to watch a play isn’t really my idea of fun. I was tired, and even the free coffee that the Macaulay building offered didn’t help. Prior to watching the reading, I read the play at home. When I first opened the script that Lisa emailed to us, I was not thrilled to learn that the play was 75 pages. “Born Dry But Determined To Drown” was hard for me to follow on my own. When read live by actors, however, it was brought to life.

Although there were no scenery and costumes, the actors did a fantastic job of telling Gracia and LoPorto’s story. The reading brought a newfound appreciation to the play for me. I began to understand what I read on my own. So far in the semester, our seminar class focused on visual art such as paintings, shows, and dances. What I loved about the play was that it was a simple reading. It was completely stripped down to what mattered most: the script.

The characters were humble and genuine. I loved Whitney and Joshua’s relationship, and I often found myself laughing at their witty lines. The play follows two friends, Howe and Paula, on their journey to California to throw their friend’s ashes into the ocean. Along the way, they learn more about the world, themselves, and music.

I would love to see “Born Dry But Determined to Drown” again as a full performance and not just a reading, but maybe on a weekend instead.

 – Olivia Frasca

Last Sunday was an ideal day to watch a dance in the city. It was pretty cold, but the sunny skies made up for it. We visited the Joyce Theater to watch a performance by choreographer Garth Fagan. This time, we had great seats. Sitting in the second row, I was able to appreciate the small details of the dance.

The performance was a series of dances each showcasing a different vibe. The dancers moved with the rhythm of the music, in a repetitive pattern. At times they moved so fast I thought they would run into each other. I was extremely impressed by the lifts, which reminded me of trapeze artists. The music was rapid in the beginning, and slowed down towards the end. There was only one song with a singer, which makes me wonder why the rest of the music was instrumental. I noticed that most of the dancers’ had straight faces too, but began to smile more during the last twenty minutes of their performance.

I loved the bright, colorful outfit changes. The last outfits were my favorite: they wore orange, yellow, and blue jumpsuits under sheer, looser fitting jumpsuits. The outfits were very colorful, but also basic and minimal.

As for a certain plot or story in the dance, I couldn’t really find one. I tried to just enjoy the talent instead of worry about what it all meant. Overall, I was surprised by the simplicity of it all. The performance had no set scenery, just an empty stage with specific lighting. i found that this lighting, along with the music, outfits, and dancers’ expressions, created a new mood for the dance every time the curtain opened. I thought I’d be bored just watching a dance with no words, but I found myself intrigued and entertained instead.

 – Olivia Frasca

Last Friday’s class speaker, Rich Stremme, was cool and unique for me. I’ve always been encouraged to explore careers in the STEM field, so listening to a speaker on the artistic side was new. I usually listen to pop and classic rock songs, so learning about this alternative genre was exciting. Before Stremme, I was not exposed to punk music because I was overwhelmed by punk as a whole. I did not understand how people could like such a loud, hardcore form of music. What I quickly learned, however, was that punk was not just a type of music, but a movement that challenged traditional styles and ideas.

Stremme is a down-to-Earth, fascinating speaker. I admired how his MFA in poetry contributed to his music as a punk artist. His education, style, and tattooing added to his image and exemplified the punk era we discussed in class. I enjoyed reading about the punk movement, flipping through his work of magazines, and looking at his tattoo portfolio. His entire body of work, not just his music, made him an artist. His presentation was hands-on, as we were able to view his inspirations, and even make our own buttons. Stremme touched on the many aspects of his career, and shared insightful advice that gave me a newfound appreciation for punk.

–  Olivia Frasca

La Bohème was my first opera, and it was pretty extravagant to say the least. People were taking pictures in gowns and tuxedos outside of Lincoln Center, making me feel underdressed. It was a Saturday night, and the theater was packed. I didn’t realize how many people actually went to operas. Our seats were at the highest level, and thankfully I didn’t get a nosebleed.

I turned my subtitles on once the show started. When I looked at the rest of the row, no one else had their subtitles on. During the intermission, Gianna told me that I couldn’t see the subtitles unless I was sitting directly in front of them. This made sense, as I was able to focus on the show and wasn’t distracted by the words of everyone else’s subtitles.

I found many moments of the show to be funny. I laughed because the characters sang everything, even when they were sad or angry. I just wish we were sitting closer to the stage, so I could see the actors’ faces. They looked so blurry I didn’t feel like they were singing live. Also, that stage was massive, with a bottom and top level. I appreciated the authentic scenery too. They created the illusion of sun shining and snow falling.

I initially thought that 3 hours of the show would be brutal, but it wasn’t at all. The intermissions were about an hour, I found myself actually interested in the show, and I admired the actors’ powerful voices. Would I go to an opera again? Probably not, but it was definitely a unique experience that I’m glad I got to see.

– Olivia Frasca

I really enjoyed Vin’s presentation on Martin Scorsese. I learned new things about Scorsese that I found to be interesting and cool. Before he presented, I knew that Scorsese was a legendary director, but that was really all. I was not familiar with his work until Vin mentioned that Scorsese directed many notable movies such as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, and my personal favorite, The Wolf of Wall Street. I didn’t know that Scorsese collaborated with famous actors such as Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio too.

Vin presented his project very well. Although Friday afternoons are long, he kept the class entertained. His tone of voice and enthusiasm for Scorsese was genuine, making his presentation fun to watch. I laughed at the “Funny Guy” scene from Goodfellas, which showed off Scorsese’s film style of suspense and comedy. His earlier films often glorified the lives of mobsters, which were unique from the films of that time.

Although Scorsese grew up in New York City, he redefined the Hollywood movie industry. I was not aware that Scorsese was behind so many successful films until seeing this presentation. Vin has a natural talent for public speaking- great job, Vin!

– Olivia Frasca

Last week my mom, brother, and I went to the Whitney Museum of American Art, and we were pretty amazed. Before visiting, I had no idea where to go; I wanted to go somewhere less traditional but also family-friendly. My little brother wanted to come because he’s never been to a museum, and heard about my experiences at the NAWA and Brooklyn Museum. After repeatedly telling him that the Museum of Natural History would not cut it, he was bored of going to a museum. I turned to my friends to see where they’ve visited and what they would recommend. Many of them told me to go to the Whitney, as it was unique and entertaining for them. A bonus was that tickets would be free for my brother and I because we were under 18. That said, the three of us decided to go to the Whitney because it seemed fun and was free.

The Whitney definitely wasn’t hard to find because the museum was a tall, spiky, sort of spaceship-looking skyscraper. It was gorgeous and unlike any building I’ve ever seen before. Just looking at the building made me excited to go in.

Instead of standing far away from paintings and abstract objects like I thought I would do, I was actually part of the art! What I loved about the Whitney were the unique exhibitions. I was interacting with the art, instead of being told to keep my distance from it. I never imagined art to be an experience.

Probably the coolest thing I experienced was Hélio Oiticica’s exhibit. The Brazilian artist created a way for us to take part in his world. “Tropicália” was a room that featured sand, birds, stones, and plants. My mom and brother didn’t want to walk through, but I chose to without hesitation. The atmosphere, smells, bright colors, and various textures made me feel like I was in Brazil. Just walking through the sand reminded me of summer vacation. I was nostalgic to say the least.

Another interactive piece of art was Larry Bell’s “Pacific Red II.” The exhibit was made up of six huge red cubes on the Whitney’s rooftop. The cubes looked like they were made of glass and progressively went from dark to light. I could see my reflection through the cubes as I walked by them. I wish I could have visited at night- the view of the city from the roof was stunning in the afternoon!

After seeing most of what the Whitney had to offer in a couple of hours, my little brother gave his much-awaited rating of 5 stars! I didn’t feel like I was at a museum when I was at the Whitney, but rather at a unique, indescribable experience. The art at the Whitney appealed to all five senses, something I never thought art could do. I would definitely recommend this museum to people of all ages looking for something special to do in the city.

– Olivia Frasca

“Night at the Museum” was both an interesting and fun experience. The Brooklyn Museum was the first time I visited a famous and historic museum in a long time. On the bus ride there, I couldn’t stop staring at the charming neighborhoods and historic landmarks of Prospect Park. This was an area of Brooklyn that I never explored before. The brownstones and pavers differed from the Bay Ridge area that most of my family is from. The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch and other grand buildings, statues, and landmarks reminded me of Manhattan.

Stepping off the bus and staring at the huge entrance, my first impression of the museum was totally different than my first impression of the NAWA exhibit. At the NAWA, it took time to find the entrance. I buzzed in and rode a sketchy elevator up to the small gallery. This was not the case at all for the Brooklyn Museum, as it was very obvious we arrived.

The museum was open just for Macaulay students so this definitely allowed my group and I to observe the art carefully without crowds of people to distract us. We saw most of what the museum had to offer in less than two hours. The 3^rd floor was pretty boring to me. It was filled with European-style oil paintings. Not that I didn’t appreciate the art, it’s just that nothing really caught my eye. I wanted to see something out of the box.

The 5^th floor was my favorite, as It had unique pieces that I connected with. What seemed like a random section of the floor was a dimly lit circular exhibit. Famous black and white movies played on the walls at 1 % of their original speed. I never considered movies, let alone played at such a slow pace, to be art.

I also never knew charcoal could be used as a paint, so the charcoal exhibit on this floor was fascinating to me. The paintings looked so realistic I thought they were black and white photographs.

Probably the most thought-provoking piece was a black and white painting of a large American flag. At first glance, we thought it was created in memory of the Twin Towers, as the flag was split in half. After reading the description, however, the piece was based on the 2016 election. The flag was split in half to represent the left and right sides of the political spectrum. The left side contained more stars of the flag than the right, which says a lot about the artist’s message.

Overall, the Brooklyn Museum introduced me to many types of art. I am grateful we had the museum all to ourselves, as it made the night even more unique and memorable. I spent time with friends from CSI and also met students from other campuses.

 

– Olivia Frasca