Entertainment
14 The Voyager
My Selection - “False Art”
Fall 2021
A song by Ben Kessler By MAURA SOMERS ‘23 Special to The Voyager Art. A three letter word to describe the essence of life. Art is used to insinuate a thought or feeling through color, music, or even words. It is used to express feeling and emotion. Underneath a veil in art are all things true and allow for feelings of comfort and peace. Relationships that are formed in life could be viewed as either a masterpiece, or a complete mess. Either way, a relationship is a piece of art created by a bond that is strong enough to withstand obstacles in real life. In a relationship or not, art is depicted as a truth behind a type of entity, either figurative or physical, that covers up the meaning or message; whether it be a picture, book, relationship, or music. When art is covered up from a perspective of lies, it cannot hold the truth in what the art is trying to convey. When there is a lack of truth, that feeling becomes what Ben Kessler calls “false art.” A false perception of what you want people to see. The song, “False Art” by Ben Kessler, captures the meaning of what art can be seen as when one is not true with oneself or others. The first time I listened to the song, I was In the passenger seat of my sister’s run down, blue volvo. As I stared out of the window, my eyes scanned the heavy traffic on the black, icy roads. The winter brought an unsettling feeling of uncomfort and bitter cold. The only positive of my time on the snow covered roads was being on my way home from getting a hot caramel cappuc-
cino from Starbucks, my favorite place to get drinks during the cold of the winter. I was in a dark place deep in my mind, stuck in my own head full of self doubt. I felt numb, empty. I could not find a place to escape my intrusive thoughts. The people I knew and were close to saw I was happy and thought I was fine because I said I was, but it was an act. It was false. I was secretly hurting inside and no one knew it. It was not until my sister, Tara, shuffled her Spotify playlist and a certain song played throughout the vessel of the car that I awoke from my subconscious strain of thoughts that kept me distracted from reality. The soft strum of the guitar played a soft melody that stopped me dead in my tracks. The low voice of the male singer created a comfort of peace and warmth. Words poured out of the speakers in the car like a trickle of water leaving its pitcher. I immediately asked Tara what the song is simply because of the beauty that lies beneath the tune. “False Art by Ben Kessler,” she replied. I silently listened to the lyrics. “Waiting for the glass house to come down/ Waiting to hear that crashing sound/ Waiting for the right words to tell you how/ I don't wanna be false art” The metaphors used in the lyrics tries pointing to a message that is subliminal yet obvious. The singer sings about how a picture perfect relationship is actually a messy and broken one underneath the surface. The metaphor, “waiting for the glass house to come down” symbolizes the structure of their relationship. The
“False Art” by Ben Kessler paints a picture of a strained relationship. Photo supplied by Walter Bowne
infrastructure is built like a house, sturdy yet valuable, but the design is glass. The house is fragile and transparent. When one is able to see inside of a relationship, the heavy truth is revealed as well as the reveal of a mask behind the pain. The repetition of the word “waiting” used at the beginning of each line can signify the heavy burden weighed on top of the relationship. All that the singer wants is to stop pretending that he is okay when really, he knows his relationship is slowly falling apart and he wants to end this act of love that is not there anymore. Behind closed doors, the love the couple has for each other is not real; they cover it up with smiles and seemingly perfect pictures that are posted on social media as well as faking a love act in front of their friends. “Pretend we're picture perfect/ When we're breaking beneath the surface/ I don't wanna be false art/ Make love like we deserve it/ To cover up what's hurting” Underneath the melodic beauty of the
song was a pain in Kessler’s voice. He sings of a love that is not meant to be and wants to stop pretending that he is okay. I relate to the lyrics of the song, not because of a relationship but from a view of myself that I hate. Like Kessler, I no longer want to pretend I am picture perfect when I am also breaking beneath the surface. In a way, I thought everyone was hiding a broken piece of themselves behind a facade just because I was. Trying so hard to cover up the hurt people do not see can be frustrating. I wanted to believe that I was not alone in what I was dealing with. Although the song depicted a toxic relationship, I heavily resonated with what the hidden meaning was. The art that comes with a relationship creates beautiful images and happy experiences, but once that art fades into a sea of lies that is hidden behind a veil, it becomes false. False art is not something that is yearned for but it tends to end up as a factor in many people’s lives that affect their relationships with others as well as themselves. When covering up an emotion or damage, things tend to fall apart just so other people do not see what is happening behind closed doors.
“She Kills Monsters” is Eastern’s return to the theater By NICK VITALE ‘22 Staff Reporter
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rab your character sheets and swords, and get ready for this year’s fall play! Eastern Theater’s latest production will be She Kills Monsters, a 2011 comedy-drama penned by Qui Nguyen. While at surface level the show may seem like nothing more than a love-letter to D&D, it tackles the subjects of loss and teenage sexuality in a refreshingly innovative way. Set in 1995 in the town of Athens, Ohio, the story centers around high school senior Agnes Evans, whose freshman sister, Tilly, tragically passed away in a car accident. A year after her death, Agnes discovers that Tilly’s favorite hobby was playing Dungeons and Dragons. So, in an attempt to learn more about the sister she barely knew, Agnes dives full on into a D&D module which Tilly wrote. Through the help of other D&D players from her school, Agnes is able to complete a quest, while also learning more about her little sister. She Kills Monsters will be Eastern’s first live, indoor production in front of an audience since A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum way back in November of 2019. Since then, the theatre club recorded and aired a production of It’s a Wonderful Life and mounted a full scale production of Seussical on the football field at McAleer Stadium. Senior Annette Kroes, who plays Agnes, discussed the perks of being back in the Performing Arts Center. “There’s a different, immersive experi-
ence when you’re on a stage with a set in a confined space, as opposed to being on the football field with all that space around you,” she said. Being back in the theater isn’t the only new aspect that comes with She Kills Monsters, as the show also discusses teen sexuality and the LGBTQ+ community. Over the course of the story, Agnes learns that Tilly was gay and had a crush on her classmate Lilly. In one particular scene, Agnes confronts Tilly in a rather blunt and ignorant way, which was a typical response for a time like 1995, but one that feels out of place today. Dr. Molotsky, director of the production, commented on the show’s LGBTQ+ themes. “It’s common to the students at school now, it’s no big deal. But it was certainly something that wasn’t happening in the 1980s and 1990s at the time. I think it’s great that we have characters on stage that are expressing now rather than the values of 1980 or 1950,” he said. While certainly “out there,” She Kills Monsters represents a new age of theater, where a story taking place in 1995 is now a period piece and D&D nerds are portrayed as superheroes. It’s definitely not your typical play, but She Kills Monsters ignites that little part of geek in all of us. While having a laughout-loud script, it manages to create a storyline and characters that the audience can easily connect to. Overall, She Kills Monsters is unlike any show you’ve seen before. As Dr. Molotsky says, it’s expressing now, and doing so in a fun, unique way. Eastern’s production will run from November 18th to November 20th; hope to see you there!
Telling a story about the LGBTQ+ community through the frame of Dungeons and Dragons, “She Kills Monsters” is a unique production. Photo supplied by Eastern Theater
