Thursday, January 23, 2014
A&E A stunning ‘spectrum’
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Courtesy winlights.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
University theater group anticipates increasing prominence, appeal
Jamie Shalvey Associate Editor
As University students, many of us are familiar with the annual performances of “The Vagina Monologues” and “Voices of the Class.” But Spectrum Theater, the organization that puts on these shows, is less well-known. Spectrum has broken from its traditionally minimal schedule this semester though, with a full spring set of productions in the works — starting with a performance of “The Arabian Nights.” The group’s last full-scale production, Avenue Q in the spring of 2012, drew in large crowds, said Spectrum Artistic Director Stephanie LeBolt, a fourth-year College student. But even though the show
was popular, people didn’t connect the success with Spectrum specifically. “The show was really successful,” LeBolt said. “But, everyone knew Avenue Q and they didn’t necessarily know who or where it came from.” Another problem with Spectrum’s success had to do with membership. “In the past, people had done a show with Spectrum, but they didn’t consider themselves to be a member of Spectrum,” LeBolt said. “We want people to feel like they’re part of a community, it just takes a while to build that sort of thing.” LeBolt and Spectrum Executive Producer Lauren Lukow, also a fourth-year College student, were the primary people involved with the organization last semes-
ter. This semester, however, they brought on an entire executive board of 12 people. The board includes publicity, technical and business positions to help make the organization a success. As the organization expands, its identity and particular appeal have become increasingly important., LeBolt said. “It’s called Spectrum, and that’s a great name — in the past it has been seen as the ‘spectrum’ of theater,” LeBolt said. “It’s not [First Year Players]—it doesn’t do big-scale musicals, and it’s not Shakespeare on the Lawn — it doesn’t do Shakespeare. So it has kind of been defined by what it wasn’t. Our mission this year is to try to figure out who we are — we provide opportunities for
A whale of a tale Katie Cole A&E Editor
At a very young age, I fell in love with killer whales. Sounds oxymoronic, right? But killer whales, also known as orca whales, are historically friendly, gentle and loving creatures that live with their families for the entirety of their lives. When in the wild, they have blissfully swum alongside humans, with no whalehuman violence ever reported in the wild. But I stress the word “wild.” Magnolia Pictures’ documentary “Blackfish” takes a grimmer look into the lives of present-day killer whales, noting that these wild, gentle creatures can turn violent toward humans when kept in captivity. The documentary depends on eyewitness accounts from fishermen who captured the whales and former SeaWorld whale trainers, as well as real-life footage of killer whale attacks, sparing the audience only some of the gore. Even the gore that is included, however, is not the point. Even while creating a vivid representation of how killer whales can live up to their name, “Blackfish” does not focus solely on how dangerous these creatures in captivity can become. Rather, the film identifies why these animals lash out so aggressively at their human trainers. The true villains in “Blackfish” are not the animals themselves, but the organizations that would prefer
dead trainers to losing whale entertainment revenue. Tilikum, the “Blackfish” protagonist, is a prime example of a gentle animal turned killer by captivity, as portrayed by the film. “Blackfish” follows Tilikum from his capture in Iceland to his short time spent in a small carnival-like aquarium where he killed a young female trainer. Tilikum is later documented during his time in SeaWorld where a man wandered into his tank and met his death, and finally when a female veteran trainer was horrifically murdered while performing with him. The documentary explores the abuse Tilikum faced from other whales, showing the scars covering his body, as well as his abuse in captivity, displaying the small pen where he was left for hours at a time. Tilikum is the film’s tragic tale, as trainers who previously worked with Tilikum explain that they pitied the whale, whose brain shows that he experienced similar emotions to those of a human, and that SeaWorld kept this extraordinarily large male whale mostly as a breeding animal, in order to literally birth more revenue. While other entertainment organizations are addressed, SeaWorld comes out as the most prominent whale dealer. Despite years of insisting trainers are safe in the whale tanks as they perform impressive jumps and dives, “Blackfish” displays just the opposite. The documentary incorporates a scene where a veteran
students to create challenging and provocative work that enhances the Charlottesville and University communities.” This season, Spectrum is collaborating with Sustained Dialogue through the group’s “Breaking Grounds” reading series. The series aims to build on a legacy of thought-provoking and topical productions among Spectrum’s output. Spectrum’s full-scale spring production, “The Arabian Nights”, is a modern adaptation by Mary Zimmerman of “A Thousand and One Nights”. “It’s not a musical,” LeBolt said. “It’s a play with music and dance and improv in it. The different stories have different elements in them. The nice thing is that everyone doesn’t have to be able to
trainer is repeatedly dragged underwater by the whale he was, only moments ago, performing with. It even includes stomach-turning footage of a well-loved trainer’s final few minutes with Tilikum before being killed by the whale she had worked with for years. The documentary even includes her gruesome autopsy. It becomes very clear, after seeing this footage, that SeaWorld is not telling the whole truth. SeaWorld declined to contribute or comment in the film. Though the documentary was released in U.S. theaters in July 2013, its popularity grew recently when it was added to Netflix’s Instant Play. It has also been shown repeatedly throughout the year on CNN. As the film gains popularity, SeaWorld takes more hits in its stocks and ticket sales. While SeaWorld insists the decline was a result of weather changes and poor holiday timing, it seems plausible that the continued downward spiral is a result of the film. Large bands, including the Barenaked Ladies, have announced that they will no longer play at the venue, saying the film contributed to their decision to cancel the February tour date. While the buzz surrounding “Blackfish” has reached a new height this month, this is not the first time the public has piped up in opposition to orca whale captivity. The 1993 film, “Free Willy,” which launched my love with this endearing creature, spurred a flurry of concern for the massive, family-focused whale. Keiko, the whale who played Willy in the movie, was released into the wild via the Free WillyKeiko Foundation and lived for five
do all three; you can kind of bring out or bring down the different elements that you really want to emphasize.” LeBolt only hopes for growth of the organization in the future. In five years, she would like to see Spectrum Theater as “the thirdpillar theater group on grounds.” By adding underclassmen to the organization’s board, she hopes future generations will be able to pass on the knowledge and enthusiasm of the organization. This semester, “The Vagina Monologues” will be taking place in the Student Activities Building from Feb.13-15, and “The Arabian Nights” is also in the SAB from April 3-5. The “Breaking Grounds” reading series will take place three times this semester: Jan. 27, Feb. 17 and March 3.
years in the wild before his death. However, this movement occurred in a time before social media and online petitions. Many have now demanded a boycott of SeaWorld, some even calling for the release of all whales currently held in captivity. I doubt that this is the end of the battle to save the killer whales, but “Blackfish” certainly gave them a good start.
Courtesy Wikimedia Commons