Jam Packed Weekend in Collin's Auditorium

It's been a very busy weekend at Fordham university's Collins Theatre. last night, students from a plethora of preforming arts groups came together for a great cause. Fordham held a cabaret for The make a wish foundation. The cabaret features performers from Fordham experiential theatre, mimes and mummers, theatrical outreach program, Fordham b sides, satin dolls, hot notes, and ramblers. The cabaret was an amazing way to spend my Friday night. It was so entertaining and at the same time, Fordham was able to raise 1000 dollars for make a wish.

In addition to the cabaret, Collins will feature not 1 but 2 different shows this weekend. Theatrical outreach program will be presenting the Laramie project today and tomorrow at 7 o'clock. In addition, there will be a feminist playwrights festival as well. I have had the amazing pleasure of being a part of the festival. In addition to producing high quality shows, feminist playwrights also address some very important issues such as gender and sexuality as well. I guess you could say there is no such thing as a dull weekend here at Fordham. 

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!

All the world's a stage! Recent and Upcoming Productions at Fordham and in NYC!

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to be in the Mimes and Mummers first production of the semester, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard. This show is an interesting take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Stoppard gives the audience a sort of “Behind the Scenes” look at the events of Hamlet through the eyes of two minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I played the role of Ophelia in this production. The show was a huge success; we were even sold out on Thursday and Sunday!  

The poster for this production was made by the Mimes & Mummers' Vice President, James Demetriades, FCRH '14! 

The following Monday, I went to our monthly Campus Activities Board (CAB) raffle for events around New York City. At the raffle, you’re given one ticket with a number on it. It’s free to enter the raffle, and then if your number is called, you’re given the option to buy tickets to any of the available events for only $20! This month, the events were Phantom of the Opera, Sleep No More, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Aziz Ansari’s Madison Square Garden show. I lucked out this month, and my number was called! I chose tickets to Sleep No More, an interactive reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. My roommate and I are so excited to go later this month! 

Tickets for this show normally run upwards of $85; getting them for a fraction of that price is just one of the many perks of being a Fordham student!

To complete my week of theatre events at Fordham, on Wednesday I auditioned for Fordham Experimental Theatre’s Playwrights’ Festival. Every semester, students are invited to submit shows that they have written that are between 5 and 30 minutes long. The executive board of the club picks between 3 and 5 of them to be performed. I was fortunate enough to be cast in one of the shows, The Sweepstakes Redemption written and directed by Nick McNallen, FCRH ’16. The Playwrights’ Festival is one of my favorite events at Fordham, and I’m so excited to be a part of it this semester!

The poster for the Spring 2014 Playwrights' Festival; I was in Confessions by AJ Golio! 

Theatre Community at Fordham

Theatre and preforming have been two of my favorite things for as long as I can remember. All throughout middle school and high school I was involved in theatre in one way or another. My situation at Fordham isn’t any different. Fordham is home to countless theatre groups on campus, and there is almost always some type of free, or cheap entertainment taking place on campus every weekend! Whether you like to be onstage, behind the scenes, or just a member of the audience, Fordham has a place for you!

This is Collin's Auditorium, home to both the main stage and black box theatre

Fordham has three main theatre groups. The Mimes and Mummers, Fordham Experimental Theatre (or “FET”), and Theatrical Outreach Program (better known as “TOP”).  The Mimes and Mummers is Fordham’s oldest theatre troupe on campus.  They preform two shows a semester on the main stage in Collins auditorium.  This year the Mimes will be preforming “Spamalot” “Rent” and “Inherit the Wind.”  Just this past week they preformed “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” I saw it, and it was absolutely incredible!  Fordham Experimental theatre is Fordham’s largest theatre group on campus. FET also puts up two shows a semester.  In addition to regular shows, FET is home to 4 umbrella groups including an improv troupe, sketch comedy group, standup comedy group, and a spoken word group.  All FET productions take place in a small creative space in the back of Collins called “The Black Box.”  Last but certainly not least, is Theatrical Outreach Program.  The Theatrical Outreach Program performs abridged versions of classical plays and performs them on campus, as well as at local elementary schools.

This is the black box home to FET and its umbrella groups: sketch comedy, standup, improve and spoken word

I am so excited to be a part of TOP’s first ever one acts festival this year! TOP is holding a one acts festival on family weekend while short one act plays like “The Lottery” and “The Intruder” will be performed. This is my first year I have been involved with TOP.  Last year I was in a few Fordham Experimental theatre shows, including the all student written and produced show called “A Boat on The Shore.” Perhaps one of the most exciting things about Fordham’s theatre programs is that you can be involved in more than one at a time! I have friends who are involved in all three groups.  Having been involved with various theatre groups on campus over the course of three semesters,  I can attest to the fact that each cast becomes it's own little family. I have built long lasting friendships through my theatrical endeavors here at Fordham and hope to build many more over the next three years.

This is the poster art For Theatrical Outreach Programs First two shows!

As you can see, there are plenty of different theatrical clubs to get involved with.  In addition, the theatre groups are not only in need of actors, you can also get involved in virtually any aspect of theatre you want whether it be stage management, hair and makeup, costumes, lighting. You name it! Even if you aren’t into any of that, you are always encouraged to come see your fellow rams show off their gifts and talents on stage! Theatre here at Fordham is more then just an extracurricular activity, it serves as an art form which brings all of us rams closer together as a community.