Mount Hood

Student-directed Play “None of the Above”

PHOTO FROM SCOTT GRIM
PHOTO FROM SCOTT GRIM
By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
 Entertainment Editor

Directed by Bachelor of Arts theatre major Dani Potter, “None of the Above,” a play by Jenny Lyn Bader, opened this weekend and will run for a total of four performances.

Starring Bachelor of Fine Arts actors Rosie Peterson and Nicholas Kintz, “None of
the Above” is a comedy about Jamie (played by Peterson), a rich New York City private school student, and her SAT tutor Clark (played by Kintz).

Throughout the play, the two are at odds over their respective priorities, and importance of the SATs.

Jamie is a part-time drug dealer with distant parents, and Clark is a geeky graduate student who counts all the words in the sentences Jamie says.

In order to be chosen to direct this year’s studio play, Potter was required to take both directing classes on campus, as well as direct a 10-minute play and a one-act play for last year’s one-act festival.

“Then it was a waiting game,” Potter said. “The powers-that-be met and talked
about all of the work I had done and how they felt my productions went. Then [I was told] at the end of spring term 2014 that I was chosen to direct the studio show.”

Peterson and Kintz were cast back in December, with rehearsals beginning at the start of winter term. Potter said that she’s had this show picked out since last July, and was notified of its approval the following month.

“Directing ‘None of the Above’ has been an experience I will never take for granted,” Potter said. “It has taught me so much about myself, about people, and about how important art is for the educational process.”

“None of the Above” will continue its run Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee performance on Feb. 7 as well.

Performances are in the Studio Black Box theatre of Rice Auditorium. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 seniors, $7 students and Western students can get in free with student ID.

Tickets can be purchased at the Rice Auditorium box office by calling 503-838-8462. Box office hours are Monday-Friday 12:30-4:30 p.m.; it will also be open an hour before each performance.

“Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul” to premiere this weekend

By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
 Entertainment Editor

Television spinoffs get a bad rap. And when you look at shows like “Joey,” “AfterMASH” and “Saved by the Bell: The College Years,” it’s not exactly hard to see why. Sometimes companion shows just don’t work.

This concern was the first to pop into many a viewer’s mind when it was announced last year that “Breaking Bad,” one of the most critically-acclaimed and audience-adored television dramas of all time, would be getting a spinoff.

But for every “Buddies” (spun off from “Home Improvement”), there is a “Frasier” (spun off from “Cheers”) and for every “Joanie Loves Chachi” (spun off from “Happy
Days”) there is an “Angel” (spun off from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”).

For my money, “Better Call Saul,” the “Breaking Bad” spinoff focusing on the early years of sleazy criminal lawyer Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk) will certainly fall into the same realm those latter examples reside in.

We first met Saul in season two of “Breaking Bad,” when he became the full-time attorney of chemistryteacher-turned-drug-lord Walter White.

Throughout the series, Saul used his wits, charm, and legal know-how to keep Walt and his partner Jesse out of jail (or worse, the morgue or a ditch in the desert).

“Better Call Saul,” produced and co-written by “Breaking Bad” showrunner Vince Gilligan, takes place five years before Walter White’srise to power, when Saul was still known as James McGill, a struggling, unknown defense attorney.

In addition to Odenkirk reprising his role as Saul, actor Jonathan Banks will return to play fan-favorite hitman and fixer Mike Ehermantraut in the prequel series.

So will “Better Call Saul” find itself among the ranks of the great spinoffs like “The Legend of Korra” (spun off from “Avatar: the Last Airbender”) and “The Simpsons” (spun off from “The Tracey Ullman Show”)? With much of the same talent that made “Breaking Bad” great returning, I’d say it’s a safe bet.

“Better Call Saul” premieres Sunday, Feb. 8 on AMC, right after the mid-season premiere of “The Walking Dead.

WOU A Capella Groups Prep for NW Quarter Finals

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Photos by Neil Gravatt

Western’s very own a cappella groups, 15 Miles West (below) and Suspended (above) at their dress rehearsal on Jan. 28, will be competing in the Northwest Quarter Finals of the Inter-Collegiate Competition of A Capella (ICCAs) on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Rolling Hills Community Church in Tualatin. This will be Suspended’s first time competing at the ICCAs, while 15 Miles West has taken top-two since 2013 and, in fact, tied with the University of Oregon’s all male a cappella group On the Rocks last year. The a cappella faculty adviser, Dr. Dirk Freymuth, said performing in a larger performance space (rather than Smith Hall) will only enhance their performances.

Science, storytelling and sock-puppets

By Nathaniel Dunaway
 Entertainment Editor

“Portal. noun: a door, gate or entrance. A way in. Any entrance or access to a place.”

This is the definition provided by Portal Theatre’s website, and it helps to paint an accurate portrait
of the mission statement this small, Portland-based theatre company strives to uphold.

Portal Theatre wants to take you somewhere.

Created by Western associate professor of theatre Michael Phillips, Portal Theatre is a devised theatre company, meaning that their scripts are not the work of a playwright, but instead are created through the collaboration and experimentation of its members.

Last summer, the company took their very first show “No Belles” to Scotland to perform at the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

“It’s daunting to take your first show to the biggest festival in the world,” said Phillips, “where
you’re competing with 3,200 other shows for audience and press.

But, we were in a great venue … [and] we managed to get five press reviews. To put that in perspective, many shows go the entire festival without a single review.”

All of the reviews for “No Belles” were positive, earning raves from “The Scotsman,” “The Cult Den,” “Broadway Baby,”

“Arts Award Voice” and “The Public Review.”

One reviewer said, “I know it’s early in the month but this is my show of the Fringe this year and
anything else will have to be truly great to beat it.”

The focus of “No Belles” is women in science, and how they’ve gone undervalued and virtually unrecognized by the Nobel Prize committee for decades.

The statistics are dismal: of the 566 winners of the Nobel Prize for Science, only 15 of them have been women. Some of these women — as well as some who didn’t win, but whose contributions
to science were nonetheless paramount — are portrayed in the show.

Using song, storytelling, poetry, reenactments, and one delightful scene featuring sock-puppets, “No Belles” captures the audience’s attention from the word go.

The cast of “No Belles” is made up of Western theatre graduate Kimberly Wilson, as well as actors Jade Hobbs and Melissa Schenter. Western alum Jenessa Raabe serves as production manager.

After their success overseas, Portal will be performing “No Belles” at three separate fringe festivals in Canada this summer.

“We’ll make three stops,” Phillips said. “Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton. There are advantages to trading off between Edinburgh and Canada, in that Canada doesn’t cost the company near as much, and has the potential to actually make us a bit of money, which would then go to support the next trip to Edinburgh.

“So, the tentative plan is do that: switching off between Edinburgh and Canada every other year. And, of course, that means making new work,” Phillips said. “We figure that each show will have a life cycle of about two years, and during that time we’ll be putting a new show together. We’ll be starting on our next show soon.”

Phillips has some experience with devised theatre. In 2013, he directed the Western theatre department production “Half a Block from Home,” a play which dealt with themes of social injustice and discrimination, and was written by a company of Western students.

Another devised play, once again led by Phillips, is currently in development, slated for spring 2015. Just as the body of students collaborating on the Western shows has changed, the members of Portal Theatre will evolve as well.

“Not everyone involved in the company will work on each show, but the idea is to gather a small group of people who we can draw from for various projects.” Phillips said. “And, ideally, I would begin to use a few current [Western] students from time to time. I’ve already brought on a student intern, who will be helping with the nuts and bolts of the company in the coming year. It would be good to include a student actor in the near future also.”

Phillips added that there isn’t an idea yet for what Portal Theatre’s next project will be, but he’s enthusiastic for the company to begin work on their sophomore show.

“What matters most is that we really care about what we’re working on, and that it makes a personal connection with the audience. It’s an adventure, and we don’t know exactly where it will lead, but
finding out should be a lot of fun.”

April Verch Band

By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
 Entertainment Editor

Led by acclaimed Canadian fiddler and step dancer April Verch, the April Verch Band will perform at Western next week as part of their Pacific Northwest Tour.

Specializing in traditional folk fiddle music and supported by a combination of bass, banjo, mandolin, and guitar, the band has traveled all over the world to perform for audiences in China, Wales, and Germany, just to name a few.

Verch, who grew up in the Ottawa Valley in Ontario, Canada, told the Journal that she started step dancing (a dance style focusing primarily on the feet, tap and Irish river-dance are two examples) when she was three, and began playing the fiddle when she was six.

“I decided early on that I wanted to make a career out of it,” Verch said. “I loved performing and sharing music.”

After a year at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Verch became the first woman to win both of Canada’s two top fiddle championships. She also performed in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

The Ottawa Valley style of step dancing, according to Verch, is a “melting pot” of dance styles.

“[When] people see it, it usually looks like something they’ve never seen, but they always recognize an element of it.”

The finale of Verch’s performances typically involves the performer playing the fiddle and step-dancing at the same time.

“If you’re not a fiddle fan,” Verch said, “you shouldn’t be afraid to come out and you shouldn’t think it’s going to be the same thing all night. There will probably be something that will grab you.”

The April Verch Band will be performing on campus at the Smith Music Hall Feb. 6th and 7th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

“Frank” and the myth of the tortured artist

By DECLAN HERTEL
 Staff Writer

Many of my favorite musicians fit the idea of the “tortured artist”: a person with a tumultuous past, who has never been quite right, who creates beautiful works of art because of their messed-up life. It seems that we all idolize and romanticize these sorts of people to an extent.

I would wager that every artist at some point has wished they were a long-suffering artist, to have an endless pool of inspiration born of misery and sorrow. This idolization and worship of the “tortured artist” is what gives Leonard Abrahamson’s brilliant film “Frank” its purpose.

It is difficult to articulate what makes this movie so great without taking away some of what makes this movie so great. You can know about the incredible music though. The music is phenomenal. The whole film is a trip through our perceptions of art and genius, and I do mean a trip.

The film moves quickly through scenes depicting the trials and tribulations of Jon Burroughs (Domnhall Gleeson), a wanna-be musician that gets thrown headlong into the Soronprfbs, an inexplicably named experimental band led by the enigmatic and seemingly genius Frank, played masterfully by Michael Fassbender.

Jon’s dweeby, mainstream-grounded personality clashes with all the other members of the band, especially the domineering, violent, humorless synthesizer/theremin player, Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

These people, including the guitarist that speaks only French (François Civil) and a near completely silent drummer (Carla Azar) make “Frank” feel very much like a Wes Anderson film, if Wes Anderson decided to do an introspective, nuanced dark comedy.

“Frank” is very funny, but one still feels the pain and fears of the characters even through all the shenanigans, a credit to the direction and performances contained in the speedy 95-minute runtime. Every bit of violence is played for laughs right up until the dust settles and you realize what it means for the characters.

The film has a number of things to say about art and humanity, and says them all well. The clash of the hipster, artsy foundation of the band with the mainstream-minded Jon is a battle for the ages.

Jon’s obsession with Frank and desire to be a genius like him will be familiar to many an artist. “Frank” postulates that people are deeper than they might appear on the surface, and it is important to remember that though they might be a genius, there’s a real person under the hood.

“Nightly Show” already a fitting replacement for “Colbert”

By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
Entertainment Editor

On Monday, Comedy Central premiered their newest nightly comedy news program, “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.” Filling the time slot after “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” that has for the past nine years been dominated by “The Colbert Report,” Larry Wilmore’s show tackles serious issues such as race, class, and social injustice, but in an expertly comedic way.

In just his first week, Wilmore has gone straight for the throat, addressing controversial topics such as the Bill Cosby rape allegations and the Ferguson riots.

While not as light in tone as “Colbert,” “Nightly Show” is still satirical and fun at heart (the first episode commented on “The Lego Movie’s” recent Academy Awards snub).

Wilmore previously appeared on “The Daily Show” under the moniker of the “Senior Black Correspondent.”

Will “The Nightly Show” draw the same immense viewership as “Colbert”? It’s too early to tell, but Wilmore is a terrific host, and hopefully he and his show are here to stay.

“The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” airs every weeknight at 11:30 p.m. after “The Daily Show.”

Civil Rights in Film

By DECLAN HERTEL
 Staff Writer

This past week at Western has been dedicated to the memory and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and with Black History Month coming in February, memories of the Civil Rights movement are in the air.

For the last five years, Dr. Dean Braa, sociology professor, has presided over the Civil Rights Film Series: an open class dedicated to educating the greater community about the Civil Rights Movement through film.

“We were talking at one of our organizational meetings, and we were commenting on how most students know very little about Civil Rights, that social studies in high schools particularly are doing a very poor job,” Braa said.

“People hardly knew Dr. King, let alone the greater Civil Rights Movement.”

He suggested that showing Civil Rights-centric films would be great for providing “a very good general education through film about Civil Rights.” He offered to go further, suggesting a full class be developed around the film series to be offered during January and February when we celebrate the fight for Civil Rights. And thusly, SOC 407 was born.

The series always screens some of the 14 episodes of “Eyes on the Prize,” an Academy Award nominated documentary and personal favorite of Dr. Braa detailing the Civil Rights movement from 1954-1965, and then the struggles of a post-integration America from 1965-1985.

About three years ago, the series added several films about Native Americans and their own ongoing, oft-overlooked civil rights battle, dealing with issues like control of their land and treaty violations throughout the years that still impact their lives today, many years after the initial forced exodus of Native Americans.

The best part of this class is that it is available to everyone, regardless of whether or not they’re taking it as a class or are even a student.

The series runs every Wednesday until the end of winter term, showing a different film.

“Come as you are interested, enjoy some good films, bring some popcorn, bring your dinner, come and sit with us and watch a good movie,” Braa said. “Enlighten yourself!”

“Selma”: Celebrating and revealing MLK Jr’s fight for equality

By JENNIFER HALLEY
 Copy Editor

I went to see “Selma,” the recently released Martin Luther King Jr. biopic, assuming the horrific end to such a powerful man would be the main focus of the film, but I was wrong.

This movie is a breath of fresh air, in regards to the presentation of someone so prominent. It is beautifully written, teemed with a core of talented actors, and wonderfully carried out via unique cinematic photography.

Directed by Avery DuVernay, Selma is set in Alabama in 1965. The audience follows Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo, “Interstellar”) as he, his wife, Coretta (Carmen Ejogo, The Purge) and both the black and white communities fight for equal rights and, ultimately, the right to vote, focusing especially on the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Oyelowo’s portrayal of King Jr. is spectacular; everything from the way he carries himself to his speech is a genuine and true depiction of who King was.

Ejogo is a wonderful supporting actress and introduced the audience to a small glimpse of what it felt like to be the wife of such a known, powerful and hated man – information not always talked – or thought about – when on the topic of Martin Luther King Jr.

The emotions in the film are penetrating and palpable, due to the unique and constant close up shots displayed throughout the movie. And even though the film is slow at times, I never felt bored. Each word seems to be precisely chosen, each scene deliberate.

The tension felt between political powers, such as the President, and King Jr. are also displayed, from which the audience can extrapolate how complicated, how nearly impossible, the fight for equality was.

There were some violent scenes, scenes that made me cringe. “Selma” does not shy away from demonstrating how it was back then, how violent and painful living in that time was. But that is how the whole movie went: a realistic depicture of America’s messy and violent history and the powerful men and women who fought hard to create peace.

Go see “Selma”. This film gave me a new appreciation for the legendary figure and those who fought beside him. It is intense, painful and sad. But it is also riveting and exciting. If those are not good enough reasons to see it, then, ultimately, it is an honorable dedication to Martin Luther King Jr. and what he stood for and what we can still stand for.

Innovative Films Win Big at Golden Globes

BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

It’s awards season for Hollywood, and one of the most hotly anticipated ceremonies of the year -the 72nd Annual Golden Globes – aired on Sunday, Jan. 11, with some winners bringing little surprise and others coming seemingly out of nowhere. Here’s a brief rundown of the night’s winners and a look at whether or not this year’s Globes may have predicted the upcoming Academy Awards.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Julianne Moore (“Magnolia”, “Children of Men”) took home this award for her starring role in the film “Still Alice,” in which she plays Dr. Alice Howland, a university linguistics professor who’s diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama-
This award went to relative newcomer Eddie Redmayne (“Les Miserables”) for his portrayal of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” The film focuses on Hawking’s early life as a student at Cambridge, his marriage and his eventual diagnosis of motor neuron disease at the age of 21.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Amy Adams won her award for the film “Big Eyes.” Directed by Tim Burton (“Big Fish,” “Beetlejuice”) and co-starring Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained”), “Big Eyes” is based on the true story of artist Margaret Keane (Adams) and her husband Walter (Waltz), who took credit for her paintings in the 50s and 60s.
Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical-
Considered by many in Hollywood to be past his prime, Michael Keaton’s comeback in last year’s mind-bending “Birdman” earned him a Golden Globe. Keaton stars as Riggan Thompson, a washed-up superhero actor attempting to mount a Broadway play as his big comeback. Keaton is one of the top contenders for the Oscar for Best Actor.

Best Screenplay,
Motion Picture
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo won this award for their screenplay for the aforementioned “Birdman,” which was also directed by Iñárritu and edited to appear as though the film was shot in one long, continuous take.

Best Director,
Motion Picture
Richard Linklater (“Dazed and Confused,” “Bernie”) beat out the competition to take home the coveted Best Director award for his film “Boyhood.” Shot over a period of twelve years and co-starring Ethan Hawke (“Before Midnight”), Patricia Arquette (“True Romance”) and Linklater’s daughter Lorelei, “Boyhood” shows the coming-of-age of a young boy named Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane.
Best Motion Picture, Drama-
“Boyhood” also earned the prized Best Picture, Drama award. Like “Birdman,” it was an immensely ambitious undertaking for Linklater and company, and there’s nothing else in the world quite like it. “Boyhood” is easily the top contender for this year’s Best Picture Oscar.

Best Motion Picture,
Comedy or Musical
Undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the evening was this award being given to the Wes Anderson (“Moonrise Kingdom”) comedy “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Released way back in March, “Budapest” was considered by many to have little chance against the awards juggernaut that is “Birdman.” The 1930s set ensemble piece features Wes Anderson alumni Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum and Owen Wilson, alongside stars Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori.
The Golden Globe Awards are typically seen as strong indicators for Oscar-winners, but surprises and snubs are nearly as common as correct predictions in the awards business. Will Best Actor go to Redmayne or Keaton? Or will Steve Carell steal the show for his haunting performance in “Foxcatcher”? And which film will find itself alongside the other historic Best Picture winners, such as “The Godfather” and “The Silence of the Lambs”? Predictions are running wild, but we’ll all have to wait for the 87th Academy Awards, airing Feb. 22, 2015.

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