Author: Yoseph Ahmed

The PCA Drama Program presentation of In The Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney was phenomenal. I was surprised by just how good the actors were. The way they fluently spoke their lines and with such flare was laudable. It also made me reminisce of how I screwed up my lines during the final play presentation. The ability to recall, retrieve and orate at the same time is a very nice skill to have.

My favorite part of the play was the ending, when the actor playing Oya, the main character, expresses a passionate, but naked pot of emotion. The actor playing her really chilled my spine with how she stressed her voice like she was in despair. It was a similar feeling that the prima donna had on me when we went to see La Bohème.

Everyone on stage, including: the Director: Prof. Maurya Wickstrok, the helpers backstage, and the people controlling the lights, they really put on a great show. It made me realize that a play is as great as the sum of its parts, and everyone contributed in a significant way that made this experience perfect. Sure you can have one actor thats really just phenomenal and steals the show, but if you have several bold actors that exhibit a natural raw talent for this sort of stuff, you’ve really got something nice.

Our opportunity to meet and discuss the roots and rise of punk rock with Rich Stremme was an amazing experience.

Overall, he is a very interesting person that is full of wisdom and knowledge about popular culture movements, as well as the more crucial movements that are underground.

I was stunned by the invaluable amount of rich content of albums, music, and information Stremme brought for us to see during our encounter. I could tell that these items are priceless to him, and the fact that he was generously sharing his belongings with us makes me really appreciate him as a person.

He also gave us valuable life tips about being different and doing what we want even if we might be stigmatized. Thats exactly what underground movements are, especially the punk rock movement before it exploded like how it has today.

Rich Stremme certainly changed my perspective over some things, and it would be awesome to meet him again in the future! (possibly over an ink needle)

If you’re looking for something different and unique, then watching a dance performance at the Joyce Theatre in Manhattan is right for you!

The dance was good in so many ways. I was particularly fond of the lean, muscular physique of both the male and female performers. You could tell that they take their health very seriously (and I would assume the same for other major performers), especially since dancing for an extended period can be physically demanding.

Whenever I watch a dance performance, I always try to figure out the hidden meaning beneath the ambience of the music and the choreography. I believe the dance expressed major themes of love and being a social outcast, as well as companionship and unity.

The only thing I was disappointed about were the costumes. I believe that the outfits could have been a lot better suited towards the music choice. For instance, during one major segment of the dance performance, I believe there was an African tribal theme reminiscent in the background (the music -drums- sounded very tribal as well). It would have been really cool if one dancer was dressed as a shaman or if the dancers were wearing masks or even body paint.

Still, that is not a major disappointment, I was overly satisfied with the show.

The opera was phenomenal. La Bohème was the first opera I had ever seen, and I was very impressed by the singing, costumes, and set design. It was a very fruitful cultural experience that I hope to experience once more. The opera house itself was very lavish and decorated with nice carpets, soaring chandeliers, and polite ushers that were helpful.

The Prima Donna, Anita Hartig, offered a delightful note that struck a sweet spot in my nerves. Whenever she would elongate a note, a cold chill would move down my back. Truly an amazing, talented singer.

It was also very nice that english subtitles were provided during the singing. I was able to keep up with what was going on.

I would definitely recommend the show to a friend or family member. It was truly a rich cultural experience that everyone should witness at least once in their lifetime.

On October 29th, the Macaulay class of 2021 ventured into the heart and soul of New York, finding refuge in the cozy New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) amidst the volleys of heavy rain and strong winds. As we walked into the auditorium, my friend and I were amazed by the vibrant set. There was so much detail put into the environment where the actors would later perform, and I was more amazed by how dynamic the set was; it all came to life.

The performance by actors: Kerri Brackin, Grace Choi, Ben Durocher, Jason Jacoby, Nick Kohn, Dana Steingold, and Danielle K. Thomas was phenomenal. To my surprise, I was hooked throughout the entire musical. I was never interested in going to watch a performance done in the city, but the Avenue Q musical has certainly changed my mind. I certainly recommend it to anyone who is looking to have fun in the city, and I look forward to attending more musicals in the future!

Since our professor, Professor Lisa French, is so awesome, we got to meet the cast and ask them questions like what kind of preparation they have to go through during rehearsal, and significant experiences they’ve had while performing. It made me really appreciate all the effort the actors put in into producing a unique, fun performance.

Vin is a knowledgeable guy. He knows a good deal about the film industry, much more than your average person like me. What really stood out about Vin’s presentation is how he didn’t rely so much on the slides. It was almost like the information was ingrained in the circuits of his mind. He gave ample information regarding the plethora of works Scorsese worked on, making notes on how his works were different to the works of other directors at the time. In particular, he made note that The Godfather (1972) was a dark-drama series, highlighting the evil of criminal activity, whereas Goodfellas (1990) showcased the ecstasy of being bad and the challenging tribulations of being part of the mafia. He accomplished all of this while remaining entirely comfortable, and his presentation is surely memorable.

Nick’s presentation on Frank O’Hara was superb. He had excellent tonality, making it very easy to hear him clearly from the back of the room. His slides were synthesized professionally. They were pleasant to look at and flowed into each other like water. Despite having slides that were alluring to the eye,  Nick provided adequate essential information regarding Frank O’Hara, such as: his difficulties before fame, accomplishments, and background. Great job Nick, 

For my independent museum trip, I decided that I would go to the Staten Island museum for two reasons. One, since I moved to SI four years ago from Brooklyn, I have never went to the SI museum and I’ve heard positive feedback from my peers about the artwork there. Two, the museum itself was only a mere ten minute drive from my home, which made my previous reluctance to visit there pathetic. It also made visiting there during a school day manageable.

When I got to the museum  at 3:30ish PM, I was surprised to learn that they would be shutting down within an hour and a half. Similar to Night of the Museum, I would have to manage my time wisely if I wanted to see as much artwork as possible. This is really difficult for me because occasionally I run into a section or hook on a certain piece that really reals me in. I had this problem when I discovered the Asian Art section.

Asian art is awesome. Really awesome. Samurais, bushido, brilliant splashes of paints, cut edged character strokes and shinto art are just some of the things that amaze me. My 3rd oldest brother, Hesain, is also a major geek for Japanese art (he has Japanese inspired tattoos -koi-fish, scenery of a mountain with Japanese characters). Maybe next time I’ll bring him along to see Samurai and Woman. A woodcut depicting a samurai with his katana unsheathed and a woman (assumably his spouse) wearing a kimono. I watch a lot of Japanese anime, Dragonball Super, Parasyte, Samurai Champloo, and Bleach to name a few; these animes have aspects of medieval Japanese culture in them. For a piece that doesn’t offer a lot of vibrant colors like Boating Scene, its use of black ink was cool and reminded me of the charcoal paintings we saw in the Brooklyn museum by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes.

I also enjoyed the Staten Island from New York Bay by Edward Morgan (1829-1901). I remember facing the painting and jokingly thinking to myself that Staten Island did not look like a safe place to live in the 19th century.

It was a fun experience, I recommend anyone to visit there that hasn’t already. Theres so much to look at, just make sure you have enough time!

It was a very interesting experience to be able to visit the Brooklyn museum once again after so many years. The last time I was there was to see the Egyptian exhibit back in ’05. It has changed very much from the last time I remember it. The artifacts on display were just gorgeous and there were so many. I also learned some cool facts about Ancient Egyptian culture, because each artifact on display came with a nice little factoid blurb in its proximity. One cool thing that I learned was that when the elite Ancient Egyptians buried the wives and daughters of powerful families, they would decorate the tomb with ornaments that mimicked male genitalia, because it was believed that the dead woman would need to impregnate herself in order to be reborn into the afterlife. Very interesting concept and that was only a general way of putting it without going into specifics.

My group and I collaborate our opinions over various works of art. We were particularly fond of was the charcoal art done by Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. It was such an amazing style that I have personally never seen before.     Just incredible how much detail he was able to bring out as well. I wondered if he chose charcoal as his drawing material because it was cheaper than oil paints, but Gab made an excellent point on how it makes the art “pop.”

We didn’t get to see everything in the museum and that upset us a little bit. But we did manage to see the Life and Death exhibit that guy in the auditorium was talking about. In my opinion it was more awesome than the Egyptian stuff they had on display. The sculptures of the skulls looked so real (and I’m not entirely sure if they weren’t).

I didn’t take that many pictures, but the ones I did take were bad quality. Anyways I believe people shouldn’t go to art museums and take pictures. They should take a step back instead and enjoy the moment. Most of the pictures we take anyway when something “cool” happens, end up never being viewed by us anyway. Let’s put an end to pictures of art. #boycottphotographyinmuseums