NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 41, No. 16
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2013
TEDxNYU initiates Campus Takeover By SU SIE PARK
Yesterday marked the first day of TEDxNYU’s TEDActive Campus Takeover, an independently organized event hosted by students, which allowed NYU communities around the globe to come together for the TED 2013 conference. The takeover, which includes students from the Abu Dhabi campus, will run until March 1. The conference is dedicated to sharing ideas of technology, entertainment and design — also known as TED — from the world’s brightest minds. This is NYU’s third year partnering with TED, and TEDxNYU shows live streams from the TED 2013 conference in Bobst Library. NYU is one of seven schools in the country chosen by TED to participate in the TED Takeover competition. Schools were chosen by TED based on how strong and well-organized the TEDx groups have been in the past. As one of the top seven
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schools, NYU fights for the top spot this week during the campus takeover. The winning school will be awarded $10,000. Each day includes several sessions that feature a different speaker. Following the exclusive TED Talk screenings, TEDxNYU hosts activities such as creating “Then and Now” posters, “Banana Tattoos” and “Jeopardy Style” games. According to Stern junior and TEDxNYU president Griffin Dooling, the screened talks are only shown at the seven TEDx schools and won’t be available to the public for at least another 12 months. TEDxNYU partnered with several different student clubs including LiveWellNYU, HashtagNYU, Tech@NYU and the Roosevelt Institute. In total, TEDxNYU is working with 16 clubs in the New York campus as well as student organizations at NYU’s global sites. This week, TED Takeover is intro-
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‘Clive’ offers ambitious update to Brecht By DREW GREGORY
Jonathan Marc Sherman’s new play “Clive,” based on Bertolt Brecht’s “Baal,” is confident in its risks. It may seem absurd to minimize a 100-minute, 21-act play filled with sex, drugs and immorality to a single word, but the play itself is so absurd that it is really the best introduction to the work. Ethan Hawke (“Before Sunrise”) directs and stars as the predictably eccentric title character. Most of the play follows his personal self-sabotage and descent from depraved to immoral, all while pondering his existence. He is guided by Doc, played by a scene-stealing Vincent D’Onofrio (“Full Metal Jacket”), who starts off as a devilish mentor before assuming a role that more closely resembles a drinking buddy. Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks”) also stars as many of Clive’s lovers, playing each with a different level of vivacious sadness. In Brechtian fashion, the audience is constantly reminded that they are watching a play. The fourth wall is broken, the lighting calls attention to itself and the characters speak the stage direction. At times these elements are incredibly effective, but occasionally they fall flat. Overall, the audience is left pondering the seemingly opposing ideas of Brechtian distancing and a melodramatic demand for emotions. While Brecht wanted to remind the audience that they were watching a play so
they could focus on the ideas instead of sentiments, “Clive” seeks to use these techniques to heighten the emotion. Despite this seemingly problematic dichotomy, the play succeeds more than it fails. Another Brechtian trope is the use of musical interludes. Led by Clive’s guitar, the entire cast often joins in, and in these moments, the play is sublime. The power built up in the surrounding story is felt in the vocals and musicality. These scenes succeed at being the most fun and emotional moments. Throughout the entire play there is a feeling that this is Hawke’s show. Sherman acts in a few smaller roles, but Hawke’s intricate, in-your-face direction and intense performance really make the play. He portrays an unlikable character with a fascinating and immediate intensity, but by allowing himself to be vulnerable, he gains the trust and support of the audience. Not everything in this ambitious production works. It’s unapologetically elusive, and this will frustrate many. But as one of the characters says, “Any story that can be understood is a bad story. Stories should be felt.” “Clive” is hard not to feel thanks to its fearlessly bold execution. “Clive” is presented by the New Group and is playing now through March 9 at the Acorn Theater, located at 410 W. 42nd St. Drew Gregory is a staff writer. Email him at theater@nyunews.com.
BRIA WEBB FOR WSN
Speakers and demonstrators hold a moment of silence during last night’s vigil.
Vigil in Union Square remembers Trayvon Martin By VERONICA CARCHEDI Candles lit the night in Union Square as demonstrators gathered to commemorate Trayvon Martin’s death to prove one year later that his case has not been forgotten. Dubbed the Million Hoodies Candlelight Vigil, the demonstration reignited protests against racial profiling that surfaced in Feb. 26 of last year when Trayvon Martin, a black teenager walking home at night, was shot and killed in Sanford, Fla. Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, spoke at the event, and a moment of silence was held for Trayvon at 7:16 p.m., mirroring the approximate time of the shooting last year. The vigil
also featured a celebrity speaker, Jamie Foxx, and politicians such as District 45 Councilman Jumaane Williams. “In the midst of all of the swirling, and all the talking points and people standing on different sides, she stood on the side of being a mother, and he stood on the side of being a father,” said Foxx. “Stop worrying about what we believe in politically...Think about that 17 year-old child.” Although the vigil focused on Trayvon, it also raised racially charged issues specific to New York City. “Being black is not a crime. Wearing a hoodie is not a crime,” Councilman Wil-
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