Today is your day!

“I’m glad we had the times together just to laugh and sing a song; seems like we just got started and then before you know it, the times we had together were gone.”–Dr. Seuss or Carol Burnett or whoever. Someone definitely had the right idea, so go to one of these arts events—compiled by the Angsty, Artsy Kyra Bloom—with your friends before the semester is over

Thursday:

• Cymbeline plays this weekend all around campus on Thursday and Saturday at 8 pm, as well as Friday at 11:59 pm for some true Shakespearean revelry.  It’s free for everyone, so grab some friends and bring a blanket (beer or otherwise).
• Barnard’s spring arts show, the Music of Words, is at 8 pm in the Diana Black Box.  Jenny Singer and CU Bellydance are performing along with other independent talents.  Free event with free food: what could be better?

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The best part of old films is the countdown

As your yearnings for summer are quashed by a brick wall of constant work for the next few weeks, step aside from it all for a few hours by taking advantage of the cultural opportunities of Columbia and the city. Ambrosial Arts Editor Kyra Bloom has put together the following assuredly kick-ass events. Submit an event to events@bwog.com.

Thursday

• The Barnard/Columbia Senior Thesis Festival begins this weekend, with three plays directed by Rebecca Clark, Christina McCarver, and Kyle Radler, respectively.  You can pick one or stay through all three–the times are different for each, so check them out on the Facebook page. Tickets are free, so reserve them at the TIC and head over to the Minor Latham Playhouse this weekend.

Friday

• The Barnard-Columbia Chorus performs Verdi’s Requiem this Friday, 8 pm, at Union Theological.  The four soloists are talented and seasoned singers, so go support them for a measly $3 with CUID.
• The Columbia Review and Postcrypt are hosting a literary open mic at the Postcrypt Coffeehouse.  Original works of fiction and poetry will be shared, so take a study break at 8:30 pm and go enjoy the creations of your talented classmates.
• The Jester presents their “Varsity Show” at 9 pm in the Lerner Blackbox.  Fruit Paunch, Control Top, and CHOWDAH are all performing, with further guests to be announced later this week.  Reserve a free ticket at the tic for an entertaining night.

The film festival, WBAR, and Wallach below!

That ballet class your mom made you take.

Travel near, travel far! Whether via the subway or shopping carts, travel to the arts! Kyra Bloom has composed this list of the most happening happenin’s in the area. Submit your own to events@bwog.com.

Near:

• “Expedition,” an original play by Rae Binstock, opens this Thursday in the Diana Black Box.  This piece combines the concept of a long-distance homosexual relationship “collided and refracted” through the story of Lewis and Clark.  Come show your support for this talented writer and cast; tickets are $5 at the TIC or online, as usual. 
• The e r a Dance Collective is a small but mighty dance group on campus.  The Collective is having a performance on Saturday morning, from 10:30 am to 12 pm, in the Streng Studio in the Barnard Hall Annex.  It’s a casual and free way to admire some beautiful dancers while recovering from last night’s hangover.
• LyricLion presents its first solo concert on Friday at 8 pm in Furnald Lounge.  Singers and harpists will be featured in these new compositions.  Check out their Soundcloud here.
• The Musical Mentors Collaborative is teaming up with Columbia Classical Performers for a fundraising concert!  Musical Mentors is a student-run volunteer organization that gives free music lessons to elementary school-aged kids.  The concert is on Saturday at 4 pm in Lerner C555.  Suggested donation is $5, and all proceeds go toward providing music and instruments to the students of PS 145.  Good for your soul and for the kids.

Go far!

Piazzas, Italy, and such

The best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time, and the best time to go to a cultural event is also all the time. Arts Editor Kyra Bloom’s got you covered in that department as you uncover yourself in the warm weather. Submit your event to events@bwog.com.

On Campus:

• CMTS presents The Light in the Piazza in the Glicker-Milstein Theatre in the Diana.  Shows are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night, but all are sold out, so come early to a performance and put yourself on the wait list.  You won’t to miss this beautiful story performed by your talented peers!
• Orchesis is back this semester with a new, albeit strained, title: DumbledOrchesis.  Performances are 8:30 and 11 pm on Friday, and tickets are $5 with CUID.
• The Black Theatre Ensemble presents their Spring Festival of One Acts.  Written, performed, and directed by students, these plays will be performed Thursday and Friday at 8 pm in the Lerner Black Box.  Tickets just $4 with CUID.
• NOMADS is also performing original works this weekend in their festival entitled “Wordplay.” The plays will be performed as staged readings, and each one is an hour long. The reading will occur in Weber Lounge, so come and support these budding artists for FREE! (If you can figure out where Weber Lounge actually is.)

Around Town:

• It isn’t open quite yet, but the Met just received an incredible gift of 78 Cubist paintings, drawings and sculptures.  All of the pieces together are worth over $1 billion, and will put the Met at “the forefront of early 20th century art.” Read the Times article, and keep a look out for this new collection to go on display. 
• The new Broadway musical Kinky Boots has a score entirely written by Cindy Lauper and is based on the 2005 movie of the same name.  The book was written by 4 time Tony winner Harvey Fierstein, and the show is directed by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell.  Columbia offers its students a $57 ticket, and 5% of that goes back to CUArts, so you won’t feel as bad about spending money.
• Renowned jazz drummer Jeff Ballard is performing at the Village Vanguard through the 14th.  He has performed as a sideman at the Vanguard often, notably with Fly and the Brad Mehldau Trio, but this is his first weekend at the front of the set.  Cover is $25 with a one drink minimum; good for an unconventional date or a calm night before Bacchanal.

Venice via Shutterstock

Swooning: “Wow Bwog, thanks for these events!”

Just thinking about all of the cultural activities around campus and in the city makes Bwog swoon, so we’d like to share what we’ve found with you. Arts Editor Kyra Bloom delivers the scoop on your talented peers and discounted tickets. Send your event to events@bwog.com.

On Campus:

• CUPAL’s Special Project this semester is a combination of six diverse opera scenes directed and performed by Columbia students.  Opera Untapped is playing in the Lerner Black Box, Thursday at 7 and Friday at 7 and 9.  Tickets are $5 and are available at the TIC. 
• Latenite is back in action, but in a different time and place due to a slight scuffle involving the Lerner building staff and illicit alcohol last semester.  Tickets are free as always, available at the TIC.  Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, all at 9 pm.
• The Barnard-Columbia Ancient Drama Group (who knew?) is performing Seneca’s Thyestes. It will be performed in Latin with English subtitles in the Minor Latham Playhouse on Thursday and Friday at 8 and Saturday at 2 and 8.  Tickets also $5, available at the TIC and online.
• Postcrypt presents Abject Beauty in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel.  Curators say the exhibit is one of “happiness, hatred, and the space we inhabit between the two.” The opening reception is on Friday at 7 pm, and we hope there will be free food.
• There will be a piano recital featuring pieces by Schumann, Ravel, Berg, and Beethoven performed by Prof. Michael Skelly on Saturday at 7:30. The event hopes to fundraise for a music scholarship begun in memory of Ana Marquez-Greene—one of the Newtown victims, whose father is a musician and professor. Music inspired by children begins and closes out the program.  The recital will be in the Milbank Chapel at Teacher’s College on 120th, and there is a $5 suggested donation for students.
• Beyond the Bars: Moving Forward is this weekend, the third annual Conference on Criminal Justice at the Columbia School of Social Work.  The conference begins with speakers Angela Davis, Marc Lamont Hill, and Soffiyah Elijah with special guest performers throughout the evening.  Registration necessary, and more information about conferences and events is available here.

Around Town after the jump.

It’s not Aruba, but it’s something.

Some of us may be visiting family, taking drugs and impregnating one another near the Caribbean, or just doing homework. But others are taking the break to spend a week exploring New York City, and Bwog hasn’t forgotten about them! Here’s our list of fun things to do during the free week.

On Campus

• Tomorrow night, experience an evening of classical music at Miller Theatre.  The event is called Two x Four, and the violinists will play four double concertos from Bach to Phillip Glass. The orchestra features a good number of students from The Curtis Institute, the soloists’ alma mater.  Tickets $7 with CUID, as always.

Around Town

• Seth Meyers is coming to the 92nd Street Y on Monday and will be performing an event “in conversation with” Bill Carter. Tickets start at $29. David Cross and Michael Cera are coming a few days later, but you can’t see them ’cause they’re already sold out.
• The Kaufman Music Center presents the 2013 Ecstatic Music Festival.  The festival ends on March 23rd and showcases original collaborative performances that are different each night.  There don’t appear to be any details regarding who plays each night, but it’s guaranteed to be an interesting and unique surprise.  Tickets $15 with CUID.
• A Trip from Here to There opens at the MoMA, an exhibit feature native Colombian Mateo Lopez’s work.  The artist spent two years (2008-2010) travelling through his country and sketching ordinary objects he came upon in great detail. Entrance free with CUID.
• The Pearl Theatre is hosting an open rehearsal of Julius Caesar with John Douglas Thompson as Brutus.  Thompson has been called “one of the most compelling classical stage actors of his generation” by the New York Times, and you only have to pay $20 to see him this time.
• The Gagosian Gallery downtown presents an exhibition of recently deceased Helen Frankenthaler’s work.  Entitled “Painted on 21st Street: Helen Frankenthaler from 1950 to 1959,” the exhibit will have works created during the 1950′s from both private and public collections.
• If you’re feeling wealthy, Nitehawk Cinema is having their second Film Feast featuring the film Amelie and a traditional French five-course meal cooked by celebrity chef Sara Nguyen.  Tickets are close to $100, but check out the menu and you’ll understand why.

NYC’s only true “beach” via Andrew F. Kazmierski / Shutterstock.com

Now that’s a Party Worth Crashing.

We know you’d rather be sipping margaritas on a sunny beach in the sand. But you’re not. You’ve still got over a week to go until spring break (but day-drinking could be fun). Lucky for you, Bwog’s Arts Editor Kyra Bloom made this list of arts-related events that will ease the pain of midterm season. Submit your own to events@bwog.com.

On-Campus:

• CMTS presents Party Worth Crashing, a song cycle written by new composers Kait Kerrigan (BC ’03) and Brian Lowdermilk.  Performances are Thursday at 8 pm and Saturday at 7 and 9:30 pm in the Lerner Black Box.  If you like musicals but detest long, winding plots, this hour-long piece is for you! $5 with CUID. 
• Dog Sees God will be playing this weekend in the Glicker Milstein Theatre in the Diana.  Have you ever wondered what happened to the Charlie Brown Peanuts characters post-elementary school?  Probably not, but the outcome is dark and entertaining.  Come find out at Thursday at 8 pm, Friday at 6:30 pm, or Saturday at 8 pm.  Tickets available through the TIC for $5.
• V-Day presents their annual production of The Vagina Monologues in Roone.  Every year is different, so come experience a new way of thinking about your genitals.  Or something.  Performances at 8 pm on Friday,  and Saturday at 2 and 8 pm.
• Eye Piece, an original piece by Pulitzer Prize nominee Rinde Eckert, will be performed by the Barnard Theatre Department.  As of now, only the cast understands what it’s about, but the concept certainly sounds different and worth seeing.  Performances begin Thursday at 8 pm and continue Friday at 8 pm, and Saturday at 3 and 8 pm.  $5 with CUID.

Discounted events after the jump.

Clothing optional for all events below

Stuck in the doldrums? Dreary days can do that to you, but music, dance, and art are sure to have you grinning. Giggling guide Kyra Bloom, also Bwog’s Arts Editor, compiled this list of arts-related events to cheer you up in no time. Submit arts events you know of to events@bwog.com.

On Campus:

• The MaMa Project, one of the most anticipated dance events of the semester, presents its spring production: In This Here Game. The two student choreographers, Jaclyn Hoffman and Kyley Knoerzer, present their interpretations of contemporary and modern dance.  Tickets available at the TIC for $5 with CUID.
• Audition for the new on-campus group, Columbia University Chamber Singers.  Repertoire will span from Bach to Whitacre, and the creators’ goal is to create the tradition of a small, student-run chorus on campus. Auditions are tonight from 8-10 and tomorrow in Hamilton at the same time.  Check their Facebook event page for details.

Discount with CUID and Wish List after the jump.

A young Picasso

MetroCards only cost $2.25—what’s keeping you on campus? There are places to go and things to see around New York City! Our Arts Editor Kyra Bloom spent hours meticulously researching how to best spend your money on cultural events, and here’s what she found. If you know of a super-cool event, send it to events@bwog.com.

On-Campus

• The Columbia-based French theatre company Les Non-Dits is performing Godot Acte 3, the 1993 play written by Sylviane Dupuis.  This version is directed by PhD student Noémie Ndiaye and produced by French faculty department member Pascale Crépon.  If you’re aren’t a fluent francophile, never fear!  There will be sous-titres (subtitles) for the faint of heart. $10 at the door.

Discounted Tickets

• CU Arts is offering discounted tickets to the Met Opera’s classic rendition of Carmen.  For a preview, watch the “Hey Arnold!” version of the episode on Netflix. We’re not saying it’s better, but…
  
• Tickets available for the NYC Ballet Production of The Sleeping Beauty for Thursday evening at 8 pm. The production is receiving a good deal of talk, so try to see it before it closes on the 24th.
• Carnegie Hall presents the 3 Cohens Sextet this Friday, a sibling trio of wind and brass instruments.  The group plays original pieces along with New Orleans and post-bop standards.  Discounts available at the TIC.
• Brecht’s comedic and complex The Good Person of Szechwan is playing through the 24th at La MaMa.  Discount tickets available for the Sunday matinee, but the general admission tickets aren’t too bad if you can’t make it then.

Hit that jump for splurges!

Shake your groove thing

Button your buttons, shine your shoes! There’s culture all around, and it’s pretty fun too. Our Arts Editor Kyra Bloom brings it all to you. 

Tonight

• Grupo Quisqueyano is sponsoring an Afrobeats Dance Workshop tonight at 6 pm in Barnard Hall, Studio 1.  The event is in honor of the beginning of Black History Month and will be taught by Afro-Cuban dance teacher Rebecca Bliss.

Thursday

• Pussy Riot, the Russian feminist punk collective of which three members were imprisoned for their protest against the oppressive government, has a reading at Barnes and Noble in the East Village.  To raise money for the group, the Feminist Press published an e-book entitled Pussy Riot!: A Punk Prayer for Freedom, and members will be reading excerpts from their contributions to the book.

Ongoing events

On Broooaaadwaaay

As campus groups are still rolling into the new season and you still don’t have a shit-ton of work, why not go further?  Break out of the bubble while you still have the chance and catch some of Bwog staff’s cultural picks for the week.

Columbia:

• The Institute for Comparative Literature and Society is hosting Remembering Edward W. Said: A Conversation and Performance and Miller Theatre on Friday at 7 pm, $12 for students.  The conversation will be between Daniel Barenboim and Ara Guzelimian (Dean and Provost of Juilliard); the performance will be by Barenboim and members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Theatre:

• From January 22nd to February 7th it’s Broadway Week!  This means that 2 for 1 tickets are available for some of Broadway’s hottest shows, including Annie, the Lion King, Newsies, and Spiderman.  Go and bring a friend for a great night out.
• Similarly, from January 28th to February 10th it’s Off-Broadway Week.  Check out the Blue Man Group or STOMP for rollicking good fun.
• Once is still on Broadway and still completely dazzling.  If you haven’t seen the wonderful adaptation from the charming and heartfelt film, try for rush tickets this week.  Fall in love, have your heart broken, laugh, cry, and get into heated arguments about whether it’s better than the movie or not.

Dance:

• The All Tschaikovsky program is continuing at the New York City Ballet.  Many pieces feature Balanchine choreography, and the performances culminate in a full-length staging of The Sleeping Beauty from February 19-24.

Opera, visual art, music, and film after the jump

Listen to others make fine music

Before the semester sucks away all of your time for doing things you actually enjoy, why not take advantage of the city we live in?  Bwog has compiled a list of upcoming and ongoing arts events that we’re interested in, so maybe you will be too.  Take out some of that left-over Christmas money and spend it on culture, dammit!

Theatre:

• Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is still playing at the Booth Theatre until February 24th!  Discounted tickets available through the TIC for CU students.
• “The Suit” runs through February 2nd at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.  An intense retelling of a story of “adultery and pitiless punishment” by South African writer Can Themba.  Tickets anywhere from $25-$90.
• Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella begins its Broadway previews on Friday, the 25th.  If you liked the Brandi version, you’ll love this.

Dance:

• An All Tschaikovsky program runs for four weeks at the New York City Ballet.  Many pieces feature Balanchine choreography, and the performances culminate in a full-length staging of The Sleeping Beauty from February 19-24.

Film, Opera, and Visual Art picks

But what is art?

Join Arts Editor Kyra Bloom in a walk on the wild side of art this week. As always, submit upcoming events to events@bwog.com.

Thursday

• Barnard Theatre Department presents Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, directed by Alice Reagan.  Currently, all performances are sold out, but feel free to try stand-by at the Minor Latham Playhouse on Thursday at 8, Friday at 8, or Saturday at 3 and 8.
• Latenite Theatre’s Fall Anthology opens.  Performed in the Lerner Black Box, this anthology has something for everyone: Frisbee, dogs playing basketball, Star Wars, gynecology, and more!  Tickets are free, but move quickly, because they will sell out.  Performances are Thursday at 11 pm, Friday at 11 pm, and Saturday at 8 and 11 pm.

Friday

• The Black Theatre Ensemble presents Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro.  Performances are Friday at 8 pm and Saturday at 3 and 8 pm. $5 with CUID.  The group will also be hosting a talkback with the actors after each performance to discuss the themes and issues within the play.
• Hoot Magazine is throwing a launch party and film screening to celebrate their sixth issue.  They will be showing the documentary Picture Me by model and former CU student Sara Ziff (GS ’11).  The film screening is at 7-8:30 pm in the 2^nd Floor Diana Dining Room, and the reception will follow with live music by Chateau Rouge and others.  Free with CUID.

Mona all dressed up for the Goth Formal

So maybe finals start in just a few weeks, and maybe you’re regretting those nights you spent going wild at frat parties eating Ben & Jerry’s and watching a movie in your room. Still, there’s no need to become a Butler zombie to make up for lost time yet, as Bwog’s Arts Editor Kyra Bloom has assembled a list of arts-related events for you to attend! Submit your own interesting event to events@bwog.com.

Wednesday

• The A Cappella Board presents Almacapella on the Steps at 8:30 pm. Come listen to the (possibly shivering) members of the Kingsmen, Clefhangers, Uptown Vocal, SHARP, CU Glee, Bacchante, and Notes and Keys. Hot cocoa and apple cider will be provided for warmth and enjoyment.

Thursday

• CMTS presents Bernstein’s musical version of Candide.  Based on Voltaire’s satire of the same name, this production is fun and inventive, with a dash of cultural introspection, of course.  In the “best of all possible words,” you would certainly come see the show on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday in the Lerner Black Box at 8 pm.
• Orchesis presents their Fall 2012 production: Gimme Gimme mOrchesis.  The more Britney, the better. Performances are Thursday at 10:30 pm, and hit them [up], baby, one more time on Friday at 8:30 pm.  Tickets are $8 for all, available at the TIC.
• NOMADS presents American Ghosts, a collection of student-written plays in the style of a bake-off. Five potentially haunting pieces are created and performed by various students. Tickets are $2 with CUID. Where else can you get entertained and frightened for less?
• The Met’s incredible production of Aida is being performed, and Columbia students can attend for a measly $28.50.  The revival is conducted by Fabio Luisi with recent choreography by Alexei Ratmansky. The performance begins at 7:30 pm; tickets available at the TIC.

He asks: What is art?

It’s that time of the week when you’re busy with work and are looking for something to distract yourself—oh wait, that’s almost every day. Regardless, plan your second half of the week with Bwog’s Kyra Bloom, a true cultural connoisseur. As always, email events@bwog.com if you know of arts-related happenings on and around campus.

Thursday

• The Barnard Project at New York Live Arts begins, at 7:30 pm.  University students have participated in a semester-long residency program, collaborating with professional dancers and choreographers.  One of the most exciting dance events of the year for just $12 for students.
• CMTS’s exciting production of HAIR opens.  The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical has three performances: Thursday at 8 pm, Friday at 8 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm.  Tickets are $5 with CUID, but if you’re a high-roller, you can pay more for priority, or even VIP, seating.
• Come support the Barnard Beauties of Bacchantae by going to their All-You-Can-Eat Dumpling Extravaganza. Literally, all you can eat for $7 at the door.  Diana Center, Second Floor from 6-8 pm.  Hot tea will also be provided.
• Carnegie Hall presents Pierre-Laurent Aimard playing Debussy’s Preludes, Book 2, as well as some Schumann and Holliger.  An incredible $11 with CUID at 8 pm in Isaac Stern Auditorium.  Location information on the TIC website is incorrect, so be sure to clarify when getting your ticket!
• Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 pm King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe presents “Romeo and Juliet” in the Glicker-Milstein Theatre! Currently sold out (congrats, guys!), but come early and add your name to the wait list if you didn’t get a ticket.