WSN021113

Page 1

NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 7

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

nyunews.com

Bond Street Theatre brings innovative art to NYU By ARIANA DIVALENTINO

When the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan in 1979, the militant group banned all forms of art, including theater, music and dance. More than 30 years later, Gallatin alumna Joanna Sherman is working to bring theater back to Afghanistan and other areas in conflict. Sherman is a founding member and the artistic director of the Bond Street Theatre Coalition, a group that uses theater arts as a tool for positive change amid political turmoil. Tonight, Bond Street will present “The Power of Performance: Theater in War Zones” at the Jerry H. Labowitz Theatre for the Performing Arts. Sherman will share a video at the event that discusses the organization’s work. Bond Street Theatre works with local organizations in the regions they visit, which range from pre-existing performing arts groups to women’s shelters. The group trains people in these areas to create and use theater as a tool for social change. In many of the places Bond Street works, other forms of entertainment are

not accessible or do not exist. “After 30 years, we’re trying to invent theater again, [for] people who don’t even know what it is,” Sherman said. Since its inception in 1976, Bond Street has done everything from a non-verbal version of “Romeo and Juliet” in the conflicted Balkan region to a show about fracking and environmentalism in the United States, in which film footage of the nuclear disaster in Bhopal, India was used. While shows vary based on language, subject matter and resources available, conflict resolution is a common theme as it holds importance in both art and politics. “The Power of Performance” will be presented by the Alumni Arts & Society Program of the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Gallatin professor Laurin Raiken, a founding member of the Gallatin faculty, created the Arts & Society Program as a way to display work by, and keep in contact with, successful and influential alumni like Sherman, who graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1996. Raiken was personally impressed by Sherman’s work with Bond Street. “In the mid ’90s, I had a

COURTESY OF NYU

Bond Street Theatre performs in areas of political unrest. BOND continued on PG. 4

FILE PHOTO BY CASEY KWON/WSN

The university’s most recent portal campus addition is preparing to open in fall 2013 in Shanghai.

NYU Shanghai to pick inaugural class By FAY LIN

NYU Shanghai, the third degreegranting portal campus to open for the global network university after NYU New York and NYU Abu Dhabi, announced last week that 500 candidates are left to fight for seats in its Fall 2013 inaugural class. According to Global Times, the selected students will be interviewed in a series of activities ranging from demo classes, group discussions and teamwork assignments to evaluate leadership, teamwork, com-

munication and writing skills. From there, the university will admit 300 of the applicants. John Beckman, NYU’s spokesman, said the admissions process for NYU Shanghai is distinct from those in New York and Abu Dhabi because at least half the class will be recruited from China. “For those students, they apply to NYU Shanghai through our regular admissions process, but their acceptance to NYU happens only after they take the Gao Kao national college admissions exam and score within the high-

est rank,” Beckman said. “Regardless of the process, we are confident that we will have an excellent first class, which we expect to number between 150 and 200, when we open next fall.” According to an NYU press release, NYU Shanghai’s undergraduate curriculum has a liberal arts focus in which all students will develop a foundation in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences before pursuing their specified disciplines.

SHANGHAI continued on PG. 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: STUDENTS MEET AND GREET OVER COFFEE A new app called Brew! introduces students to each other during 15-minute pre-paid coffee breaks to foster community and friendship at NYU. BREW on PG. 5

BOLSHOI THEATER DIRECTOR BRUTALLY ATTACKED Underwhelming police and media reaction to a brutal attack on the Bolshoi Theater director are signs of corruption that will quickly become deadly if not remedied as soon as possible.

MEN’S BASKETBALL TRAVELS LONG, WINDING ROAD Despite several losses on the road, strong showings by players like senior Kyle Stockmal may lead the team to another NCAA Division III Championship bid. BASKETBALL on PG. 8

COURTESY OF NYU ATHLETICS

GOLSHAN on PG. 7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.