As a liberal arts college and conservatory, Oberlin students characteristically take pride in their creative abilities. Throughout the semester, everyone is in a frenzy to find their artistic niche and explore which clubs, projects, and communities they want to get involved with. A start-of-semester tradition is the pandemonium of club fairs and casting calls, one of my favorite parts of returning to Oberlin for the Fall. But what about the end of the semester? What about the finished products? These questions bring us to the topic of today's blog: the last few weeks of school, watching all of my fellow obies perform and show off their hard work.
One of my favorite nights of each semester is always Art Walk. For one night, usually during reading period, all of our art studios open to the student body to display pieces that students have been working on throughout various classes. Some of my favorite rooms included the short film media production room, the junior gallery, and photography studios. In the screenprinting lab, art walk guests can even screenprint their own posters using student-created graphics.
Another favorite of mine is the acting class showcases. Not only is it exciting to see what scenes my friends have been working on, but it’s just as exciting to see the talent from people whom I’ve never met but see almost every day. Throughout the semester, there are always improv shows, but the end-of-semester is always the most exciting. As a former improv actor and forever improv lover, it’s always fun to give the improv troupes words to play off of. This last show was extra exciting, as for fifty cents, audience members can change the actors’ choices in real time.
Of course, theater productions need to be included in this blog. My favorite of the semester had to be “A Bright Room Called Day,” directed by two of my best friends. It was so exciting to see where their hard work and dinners missed for rehearsal had been going; I was blown away. Something I love about Oberlin is the interconnection between academic and social life. Everyone is so invested in their areas of study that it creates a space for endeavors both academic and artistic. After studying fascism, international politics, and political theory, watching a play set in Berlin during the rise of the Nazi party felt both captivating and academically relevant.
Lastly, the Short film screenings are always must-sees. With the editing studio above our town’s movie theater, the Apollo, film class screenings can happen on the big screen. The popcorn and slushies just compound the excitement.
