Despite the dreary weather on Oct. 9, the stage was bright at the 2015 Fine Arts Festival as it flooded with artists. The Fine Arts Festival is the only occasion of the school year in which Eastern students can hear magnificent instrumental solos, see elegant dances, and witness stunning theatrical performances all in one program. The music was full of color; every performance was so human and ripe with the spirit of life. From one soloist at a piano to a whole troupe of female dancers, each performer brought her own piece to this fantastic smorgasbord of flavor and fun.

The first performance of the night was a dance recital choreographed by Janet Pilla Marini. Each of the dancers put their best foot forward (and occasionally backward). The dance itself was choreographed to make it seem at certain moments that the dancers had no control of their own actions. The shocked look on their faces added greatly to this illusion and made the dance that much more memorable. Their dance to John Strauss Jr.’s “Morgenblatter” was rich with beauty, energy, and humor.

Two charismatic piano solos followed: Erikson Rojas, a member of the piano faculty, played Ernesto Lecuona’s “Malaguena,” and Greg Silverman, Eastern’s new vocal director, sang and played Jule Styne’s “Just in Time.”

The last performance of the first act was a preview of Eastern’s new original musical, “Rise.” Rachel Sparks and Alex Younger sang the duet “A Place That Knows You,” with music by Dennis Atkinson and lyrics by Rebecca Coppola. The song features Younger’s character, Camden, singing about how California can be Rise’s home. This love song to a landscape was the first glimpse many audience members received of this new musical, enticing them to come back and see the rest of the show.

The second act began with a somber dance performed and choreographed by Rachel Travis, to the song “Good Bye” by Alexandre Desplat. According to the Fine Arts Festival program, “Good Bye” was selected…at the 2015 ACDA (American College Dance Association) Festival for inclusion in the festival gala performance.”

The next performance was a solo of “Mon couer s’ouvre a ta voix”, sung by Alanna Piper with Hyeoun Eunice Jeon on piano. Alanna’s voice filled the entire auditorium and brought a smile to everyone’s face.

Next came a guitar solo of “Carnavalito,” played by Jeremy Harting. His fast fingers and precise plucking moved the audience.

This was followed by a piano solo played by 2013 alumnus Chris Kehoe.

The last performance of the night was the Eastern University Choir singing a selection of three songs. The first was “Give Me Jesus,” a spiritual arranged by Larry L. Fleming, and the second was “Daniel, Daniel Servant of the Lord,” arranged by Undine S. Moore. Per tradition, the last number of the Fine Arts Festival was a very loud and proud “Hallelujah Chorus,” sung by the whole choir with invited alumni from the audience.

Though the Fine Arts Festival may be over, it brings with it the hope and expectation of future performances. These performances were previews of a bigger picture, mere glimpses of what awaits Eastern’s Fine Arts department in the days to come.

The whole place reeks of hair, sweat, socks, and feet. Brains are splattered on chalkboards, individuals are colliding into each other, minds are melding together in a mess on the floor, and in the midst of this raw sewage dump of beauty, creativity, and personality; something truly awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping is born. Four people–two actors, a writer, and a director–from all walks of life are brought together in a single room through the meticulous hands of fate, to open up their hearts to the unfamiliar, and form unbreakable bonds, now closer than ever before. New Play Workshop (NPW) is where people are kept inside in order to open up, where a single day feels like a lifetime.

New Play Workshop took place in McInnis Auditorium, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. In this year’s New Play Workshop, 14 actors performed seven new plays. The seven plays were created merely feet away from each other, yet they are vastly different. These new plays were crafted delicately and spontaneously by seven groups of four. The two actors bring forth what they would like the play to be focused on, the writer types up the script the actors will work with, and the director gives meaning to the script and vision to the actors. When it is all said and done, the two actors walk on stage and present their beautiful craft for one performance. The process of creating these new plays is not only engaging but enthralling to be a part of.

Getting involved in NPW is simple. Eva Farrell, co-producer of NPW, says that “The best way a student can become involved is by first becoming involved with Eastern University Theater. As [many students] experienced this year the invite came straight from being present at the initial theater meeting. In the past, we usually recruit for our actors through Eastern Theater.” Eva adds says that Eastern alumni can get involved in New Play Workshop as well: “Our directors are usually current students who have been around or are alum. When we have the opportunity we like to recruit our writers from current students present in the many different English and Creative Writing classes, but our alumni also come into play in those roles as well. We like to pull from people that professors know, because the more information we can get on people the better we can place them in a room that they will serve well and be served by the others in the room!”

Eastern students with an interest in theater would do themselves a great disservice to not be apart of such a memorable experience. Anabelle Cacciatore, one of the actors involved this year, remarks, “It was such a new experience for me, meeting new people and being creative.” NPW even helps people learn a wide variety of skills that can easily be applied to their lives. Kit Apostolacus, a senior and writer at NPW, learned something new about herself. “I’d never written a play before….I discovered that I can write a play if I really want to.” Through the experience, students learned fast memorization, how to work in a contained group setting, how to be flexible when certain obstacles arise, and the art of staying up all night.

For those of you who did not have the chance to be a part of or witness NPW, fret not. Eastern’s Theater Department is in the process of getting ready for their next show, Eastern’s original musical, “Rise.” The production will feature many of the same actors  seen in this year’s New Play Workshop, including Caitlyn Hinkle, Laura Bilger, Katarina Rorstrom, Kayla Peebles, Randy Way, and Jared Maier. This original production is being directed by our own Professor Jenny Tibbels, Director of Theater at Eastern University. The cast of “Rise” will perform four shows only, starting on Nov. 12 and ending on Nov. 15. For more information on all upcoming Eastern University Theater productions, please visit the Eastern University Theater Productions web page.

Netflix’s monthly fee of $7.99 is a considerably hefty sum to some of our students here at Eastern. By the end of the school year, this monthly charge adds up to over $80. Overall it seems like quite a large dent in your pocket book and for what? Several all-night binges and a couple of decent movies? So what should modern-day students do to entertain themselves if they can’t “get it, to get it”? Here’s a list of the top five things you can do if you don’t have Netflix.

1. Go to class. Some of you may not find it entertaining, but to be frank it is the reason you’re here. Not to mention, your professor is never going to give you a free pass from class because you told them, “I had to finish my season 3 binge of Parks and Rec last night.”

2. Go to the library. You could spend money in order to watch all your favorite shows and hit movies, or you could go to our school library and watch them all for free. You might even bump into a couple of your friends on campus or even make new friends. The best part is they don’t always have the movie you want, so what you do is you check out another film instead. Now you are broadening your horizons while you wait for Mockingjay Part One to arrive.

3. See a show at McInnis. According to Professor Tibbels, the Director of Theater at Eastern University, “all theater, dance, and music performances will be free for current EU students this year. We decided to make all shows free for students this year to make the arts more accessible to our community.” If I were you, I would take advantage of this before the they change their mind.

4. Take a walk. The coolest thing about our school is all of its adventurous bridges and the pristine waterways they cross, so take some time to stop, get back to nature, and smell the pond.

5. Chill with some friends in your dorm. Take advantage of our school’s open door policy, and invite some people into your life. Don’t keep your doors closed because your room is a mess. So is everyone else’s. Have a movie night, a game night, a book club, or just gather around your TV and watch some good old Netflix.