Weekend Update

Cerisse Gabion

On Friday after all of my classes were done, I headed into the city to shop around for dresses for the Under the Tent dance, one of the main events of Spring Weekend that is coming up. After browsing around Chelsea, the Flatiron District, and Union Square for a bit, I finally found a jumpsuit that I thought suited the "Illusionists" theme of the dance, for a great price as well! Saturday was also a beautiful day, which I spent half of in the library preparing for finals and the other half enjoying Chipotle on our beautiful Eddie's Parade. I then concluded my weekend by performing in a voice recital in the University Church. As a music minor, I receive credit for my voice lessons and I finally got to experience a culmination of a semester's long work of these musical pieces from my colleagues.

The Flatiron Building

Deirdre Hynes

This weekend a few of my friends from Fordham and I decided to have an adventurous Sunday afternoon by trying an aerial yoga class (for only $10!). We had no idea what to expect going into it, but we all wound up leaving refreshed & excited about going back for another class!

Hanging around in aerial yoga

 

Cat Gallagher

This weekend was a big one for the Rose Hill theatre community! I went to see Fordham Experimental Theatre's Sketch Comedy and Standup joint show. They completely packed the Black Box, and it was a great show! I also went to see the Mimes and Mummers' production of Inherit the Wind. This show is based on the 1925 Scopes trial about freedom of thought and evolution in schools. This show was also wonderful, and I really enjoyed it!

Inherit the Wind's show poster

Making the Most Out of Fordham's 135 Clubs

Are you the kind of high school student who is an all-season varsity athlete, NHS scholar, after school volunteer at a local nursing home, school newspaper editor-in-chief, president of both French Club and Painting With Watercolors Club, and an active member of the Chess Club and Grecian Club even though you’re 100% Irish?

If you can relate, have no fear, most Fordham students were also stupidly over-committed in high school too.

Being involved in so much isn’t necessarily a bad thing- it usually means that you’re passionate about a lot of things and have a wide array of interests, which is an extremely respectable quality to have. It also helps you master the art of time management, and allows you to meet new people with similar interests as you.

However, being over-committed, especially in college, can also be a curse. If you take on too much, you not only overwhelm yourself, but also lose the opportunity to really immerse yourself in what you’re involved in. College can be a big adjustment for some people, so between classes, homework, internships, having fun with friends, exploring New York City, and getting enough sleep, it’s important to remember to only join things you think you will have time for.

That being said, I will now tell you that Fordham has 135 clubs and organizations for undergrads. That’s everything ranging from the Finance Society, to club sports teams, to Fordham Experimental Theatre Group to the Paranormal Society. You can pretty much find an organization geared toward anything you’re interested in; but if not, you can always submit a proposal to start something new!

At the beginning of every semester Fordham hosts a fair (in the fall around Eddies and in the spring in McGinley 2nd) to showcase all of the different clubs. It’s literally like a scene out of Pitch Perfect- the performance groups are singing and dancing at you, and every group in between is offering you candy and trying to get you to sign up for their organizations. 

Fall Club Fair Around Eddies

My advice to freshmen would be to get a feel for all of the clubs first. Talk to the people representing the club at the fair, take tons of brochures and flyers and free food, and do a little bit of research. Whatever you do, don’t sign up for a club right on the spot because if you end up not joining, you’ll still get tons of emails from them until you graduate anyway. After you’ve thought about it and figured out which clubs’ schedules fit into your schedule, join one to four of them. Join some that you know you’re passionate about, and maybe one that you’re curious about. You might learn something new, and meet different people. Also, be active in your clubs! Attend meetings, volunteer to work events, and maybe even run for an e-board position. Getting involved is such a great way to meet great people and truly feel like a part of the Fordham community. 

Expressions Dance Alliance at the Fall 2014 Club Fair

For a full list of the clubs and organizations offered on campus, click here!

Weekend Update

This NJ Transit map shows you how to get anywhere

Caroline Dunn

I spent the weekend at home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. While the Bronx and my hometown are only a 2 hour drive, without a car traveling from NY to PA can take much longer than expected. My other students and commuters from Philadelphia believe their only affordable option is a Mega or Bolt Bus which can cost as little as $6, but can take up to 5 hours (not to mention the extra trains from the Bronx and/or to the suburbs). An Amtrack train can take you into center city in about 90 minutes, but can cost almost $100. The hack from getting for NY to PA is not to go to PA at all! The New Jersey transit, which costs $15.50 can take you directly to Trenton Transit Center in anywhere from 60-90 minutes. Then from NJ, SEPTA transportation lines offer routes to Philadelphia and its surrounding areas. If you're lucky, maybe you can even manage for a parent to make the drive to Trenton!

The wonderful cast of Rent

Vanessa Agovida

This past weekend I performed as Joanne in the Mimes and Mummers' production of RENT. After a whirlwind rehearsal period of just five weeks, we finally got to present a show that had become very special to all of us in deeply personal ways. RENT is about love and survival, but most of all, it's about community--and our cast really became a family during this process. There's nothing like singing "Seasons of Love" with people you love. This was my fourth show with the Mimes, and maybe the most talented cast I've worked with at Fordham. Yesterday at the traditional Sunday cast dinner, I realized how grateful I am for the theatre community at Rose Hill and for the opportunity to work with fantastic professionals, like our director Brendan Stackhouse and music director Sean Forte.

One of many incredible speakers

Matt Calhoun

This weekend, along with my floormates in the Integrated Learning Community for Global Business (ILC-GB) in O'Hare Hall, I attended the European Conference at Harvard University. We left straight from campus on a special Ram Van and headed up to Boston where we stayed the night at the Revere Hotel, and attended the conference at the Kennedy School where we networked and shared ideas with members of the European Parliament (governing body of the EU) and professors from Harvard's Kennedy School.

Stranded in Pittsburgh in action

Brendan Burke

On Saturday night, I went to an improv comedy show put on by Fordham Experimental Theatre in the black box theatre in Collins Hall.  FET is entirely student run, and their improv troupe, Stranded in Pittsburgh, had a great show. The organization has different kinds of performances nearly every weekend, including improv comedy, standup comedy, spoken word performances, and plays and musicals that are written, directed, and produced by students. Plus, all FET events are free!

Juliette Arcodia

Cute little brunch spot

This weekend a few friends and I went to the Upper East Side for Saturday morning brunch. We took the 4 train right on Fordham road to 86th street and it was just a short walk to the restaurant. We went to Penrose, a great spot for brunch or dinner. The atmosphere was casual yet classy and the food did not disappoint. Afterwords we went thrift shopping before taking the train back to Fordham. It was a great Saturday out in the city!

Rent's amazing set

Amy Caffrey

This weekend, I got to see two different shows on campus. On Friday night, I went to the Blackbox Theater to see Fordham's Improv Comedy troupe, Stranded in Pittsburgh, perform.  The group is absolutely hilarious - my friends and I were in stitches for the entire show! Then, on Saturday night, I got to see Rent, which was performed by the Mimes and Mummers, Fordham's largest theater group. It was fantastic!

Delicious dinner

Victoria Cappucci

This weekend I took the Ram Van into the city and explored the Upper East Side with my roommates. We stumbled upon an organic Shake Shack-meets Five Guys burger restaurant that was sure to satisfy any appetite! Since it was all clear skies in Manhattan, we decided to take an early evening stroll through Central Park.

Our show flyer

Cat Gallagher

This past weekend I started tech week for Theatrical Outreach Program's (TOP's) production of The Laramie Project. This club does edited versions of full length shows and performs them for members of the community. For this show, we will be performing for LGBT youth. This is an incredibly talented group of students that I am so lucky to be a part of, and I can't wait to see how the show turns out next weekend!

Club Spotlight: Fordham Experimental Theatre Umbrella Groups

Fordham Experimental Theatre, or FET, is one of our three theater groups on the Rose Hill campus. This group puts on two student directed plays or musicals a semester, as well as a Playwrights’ Festival which includes 3-4 short student written one act shows. As if that weren’t enough, FET also consists of four umbrella groups: Fordham Standup, Free Pizza Sketch Comedy, Stranded In Pittsburgh (Improv Comedy), and Verbal Essences (Spoken Word). Each group performs a few times each semester, meaning there’s never a dull weekend in the Blackbox Theatre, which FET calls home.

Stranded in Pittsburgh, Fordham's Improv Comedy Troupe
In the background is the back wall of the Blackbox, featuring signatures of members after they have graduated.

Cartoons of each comedian in Fordham Standup, drawn by member James Murtagh

Each group meets weekly to prepare their shows and critique one another’s work. They also are not limited to just performing at Fordham, but they often take advantage of our location and perform around New York City. Stranded in Pittsburgh has competed at the College Improv Tournament in Manhattan (and were awarded 2nd place in 2013!). They also recently held a joint show in the Blackbox with Quipfire!, Princeton’s Improv Team. Fordham Standup members frequently perform at Gotham Comedy club, as well as at various open Mic Nights around the city. 

Verbal Essences member Adam Seighman performing a spoken word poem!

Each group holds auditions every semester to take on new members, and even if you don’t hear the stage calling your name, the shows are a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night! My friends and I go to a show almost every weekend, and I have yet to miss a Standup show. Fordham is full of so many talented, funny people, and FET is a great way for students to showcase their talents!

Student Theatre Groups at Rose Hill

I'm more comfortable on stage than I am in most social situations. But going into senior year of high school, I knew I didn't want to be in an undergraduate acting program. Instead, I chose to attend Fordham College at Rose Hill, even though I knew the school's official theatre program (with its highly selective, audition-based admissions process) was housed at Lincoln Center. At the same time, I knew I absolutely wanted to continue performing in shows. As I prepared to attend Fordham in the fall of 2012, I prayed that I wouldn't be let down by the quality of Rose Hill's theatre community.

Thankfully, our campus is brimming with great theatrical opportunities, especially for a campus of its size. Maybe it's because we're so close to New York City, but for a campus that doesn't host Fordham's performing arts departments, Rose Hill has an abundance of talented and creative students who—despite majoring in unrelated fields—pursue their artistic passions through the student groups on campus, or at professional venues in Manhattan. We even have students from Lincoln Center who come over regularly to audition for our shows.

For those of you who want to continue acting, but don't want to major in it, rest assured that you can do just that here at Fordham Rose Hill. To help you out, here's the run-down on Rose Hill's three student theatre groups!

The Mimes and Mummers
Website: http://www.themimesandmummers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMimesAndMummers

The Mimes are Fordham's mainstage student theatre group based in Collins Auditorium in Collins Hall. They put on two shows each semester, usually one play and one musical each semester. The students on the Mimes' executive board hire professionals from the NYC area to direct each production. Students manage all technical aspects of the production (lights, costumes, props, set), and cast members are required to complete a certain amount of "tech hours" as well.

So far I've been in four shows with the Mimes: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The 39 Steps, Legally Blonde, and currently RENT. It's been one of my favorite parts of my Fordham career to work with such talented people and act under the direction of professional freelance directors. My director for The 39 Steps is also a teacher at NYU, and we're still friends on Facebook!

If you're visiting Fordham anytime soon, try and catch our production of RENT which opens on February 26 and closes March 1.

Fordham Experimental Theatre (FET)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FordhamExperimentalTheatre

FET is an exclusively student-run theatre group that performs in the well-loved Blackbox located on the first floor of Collins Hall. Like the Mimes, they put on four show a year, two each semester. Many are student-written, and all are student-directed. FET is known for unique show concepts and sometimes wild directing choices. Since I've been at Fordham, several student-written shows that debuted in the Blackbox have been accepted into various theatre festivals in New York. Two of them—Cowboys Don't Sing and My Personal Hell—have even played at the New York International Fringe Festival.

My Personal Hell by Jonathan O'Neill at the NY Int'l Fringe Festival, August 2014.

Me and Mike Dahlgren in The Pillowman, April 2012.

FET also has a number of umbrella groups who regularly perform in the Blackbox, including Stranded in Pittsburgh (improv), Free Pizza Sketch Comedy, Fordham Standup (who occasionally perform at Gotham Comedy Club in Manhattan), and Verbal Essences (spoken word poetry). On top of that, they put on a Playwrights Festival every semester, which features student-written one-act plays. Needless to say, FET offers students a ton of opportunities to perform, and it's a great way to get started in the Rose Hill theatre scene.

Currently FET is working on Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Jonathan O'Neill and Chris Pedro. The show opens during the third weekend of February.

Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/topfordham

TOP is dedicated to abridging important plays, often from the classical tradition, and staging them in a more accessible way for today's audiences. Last semester they put on Our Town and Twelfth Night, or What You Will. After their performances at Fordham, for instance, they bring their productions to under-supported high schools in the Bronx area. They put on two shows each semester, and like FET, all productions are put together solely by students. Currently TOP is working on The Laramie Project, directed by FCRH junior David Schillinger.

Production still from Twelfth Night, fall 2014.

There are so many ways to get involved with student theatre at Fordham. You don't need to be a major to be involved in rewarding, high quality productions. For that, I'm extremely grateful. If you have any questions about the arts scene at Fordham Rose Hill, feel free to email me at vagovida@fordham.edu. Hope to see you at auditions this fall!

Weekend Update

Hello everyone! Happy Monday. This is a busy time at Fordham. This past Thursday would have been our last day of classes, but we had so many snow days this past winter that we added a make-up schedule to the end of the semester. So students are balancing attending their last few courses as well as starting to study for finals, not to mention just doing all of those last things you want to do before leaving for the summer! Check out what some of our students did below.

Deirdre Hynes

Even though most of my weekend was spent studying for finals, my friends & I were able to make the best of it by studying & writing our papers outside Keating on Edward's Parade, where we could enjoy the sunshine and nice weather while still being productive. Plus, it was easy to play a quick game of frisbee when we needed a break! 

Laura Bellows

My friends and I took the D train (a 10-minute walk up Fordham Road from the Rose Hill campus) to Yankee Stadium for a night game. We didn't have to worry about getting out of the game late because Fordham's Ram Van was outside the D train to drive us back down Fordham Road to campus. This off-campus shuttle service is available to all students seven days a week from 10pm-5am and the Ram Van doesn't leave the stop to bring students back to campus until another Ram Van has arrived. It's free too!

Jillian Diehl

On Saturday night, I took advantage of some of the free entertainment you can find on many weekends here on campus. I have friends in both Fordham Experimental Theatre's Improv and Sketch Comedy clubs, so I attended their last show together for the year, which I loved. It was one of their best yet! Then a folk band called the Keating Steps, started by a talented group of friends at Fordham, performed on their designated spot...You guessed it! The steps of Keating Hall, our grandest and most picturesque building on campus. They played a few of their original songs as well as covering a few old favorites, and a good time was had by all. As the rain fell, I felt truly grateful to be surrounded by my awesome friends, with great music, in my favorite place.

Stand-Up and Take a Bow

I met Amanda Pell first semester of my freshman year. We had a few honors classes together, but I had never seen her preform stand-up before. Rodrigue’s, a student-run coffee house on campus, held an open mic night and I went to see her perform. Since she joined the Fordham stand-up troupe, I make a point to see her sets. Amanda’s comedy is always a great break from homework and since we're roommates, this happens a lot!

Year: Junior

Major: American Studies
Hometown: Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Clubs/Internships: FET (Fordham Experimental Theatre), Fordham Stand-up, WFUV production and videography intern, Opinion Columnist for The Ram, The Daily Show with John Stewart intern, Business Development Institute social media coordinator and event intern, WPLJ promotions intern.

Tell me why you decided to join stand-up comedy at Fordham.

Going to the Blackbox and seeing comedy shows was one of my favorite ways to get out and meet people freshman year. I was already into comedy and had done a little stand up. I wanted to keep pursuing my interests in comedy and get more involved in FET [Fordham Experimental Theatre].

How would you describe your experience with Fordham Stand-up?

It’s super cool; getting recognized around campus after shows is really great. Freshmen year, I knew who these other performers were, but they didn’t know me. Now it’s the other way around. I walk around, and people say “Hey, I loved your set!” It’s fantastic.

What is your favorite part about stand-up?

I like writing stand-up because it engages the left brain and the right brain. The comedy part is really creative, but figuring out how to put a set together is like a puzzle. You have to figure out the timing, vocabulary, laugh breaks. It’s always a struggle; it can be very frustrating, but making people laugh is the most rewarding thing.

Do you think Fordham offers opportunities for comedy that you wouldn’t have elsewhere?

Collins Auditorium houses the Blackbox as well as
the philosophy department. (Source: Forham.edu)

Absolutely. I didn’t want to come to Fordham initially, but once I got here, I realized that Fordham had a whole bunch of things that not only do I love but I wouldn’t have been able to find anywhere else. My major [American Studies] is very unique and fits my interests well. Fordham and Rose Hill in particular is so unique because we get a grassroots, underdog pulling for the little guy kind of vibe, especially in the Blackbox theater. We’re all at RH doing something different, and I think that it almost makes us work harder at comedy. We are the only stand up troupe that I’ve ever heard of. We really play off each other and help each other figure out what jokes work and what needs to be fixed.

If you could have any job in the world following your graduation from Fordham, what would it be?

Because I intern at the Daily Show now, I would love to work as a writer’s assistant. But I would also be more than willing to work as a correspondent or, if John is going to retire anytime soon, they have my phone number. Any job in late night comedy, though, would be incredible.

Do you have any advice for the high school juniors and seniors who are interested in the performing arts, comedy, or TV?

The fact of the matter is—even at Fordham where most performing arts are at the Lincoln Center campus—we have a huge talent pool at Rose Hill. Being at a program that is specifically for what you want to do is great, but it is not necessary for success. Your best performing experiences will come from outside the classroom. The difference between who won't be successful and who will be is who spends their free hour on Facebook and who spends it writing a set.