The juicy details

DANI NOVAZSKI Reporter @dnovazski

A cup of juice may help a Pierce student on their path to success in the business world.

The BESA club received $20,000 from ASO to fund a juice club project that will serve as a directed study apparent when Haddad and Korio shared a less-than-passionate kiss in the final scenes.

Michelle Johnson as Penny Pingleton was the most underrated character throughout the performance. She alone subtly captured the overall essence of the play which was, in one word: endearing.

The choreography wasn’t as dynamic as one would expect for a production like ”Hairspray.” It seemed simplified to allow the vocals to command the stage, and yet, they didn’t. Credit is due to Brian Moe for attempting to play to the performers’ strengths. The best singing came from Leah Foster as Motormouth Maybelle. No one should expect any less from a veteran like Foster.

Maurice Alpharicio as Seaweed Stubbs had excellent rhythm and provided the fanciest footwork of the production.

Tyler Stouffer as Edna Turnblad completely cleansed the character from all the sins of John Travolta. His timing, tone and ability to enter a scene with maximum enthusiasm was phenomenal.

Timothy Kranz as Corny Collins played the quintessential host and was easily the secondbest singer on stage. Collins had course. the best display of showmanship, and emanated nothing but calm, cool, collected vibes.

Kaycea Campbell, BESA faculty advisor, said the intention of the juice club was to provide students with an opportunity to get a hands-on feel for what it’s like to operate a business.

“The basic idea behind the juice club was to create a lab for economic and business students to practice what they learned in class by actually running a business,” Campbell said.

BESA executives and faculty advisor Campbell helped develop the idea. ASO President Amir Haghi said the proposal brought to the table by BESA demonstrated value that was worth the investment.

The stage design was ambitious and seemed to please the audience. Having the sets on a swivel allowed for relatively fast scene

“BESA presented a business plan for the juice club that showed potential,” Haghi said. “This is something unique and very valuable in college, because it is a student-run business. So, ASO decided to fund the project.”

Ahmad Jiha, vice president of BESA, said the juice club seemed like a prudent approach to launching a business lab.

“We obtained funding for what we like to call our ‘student entrepreneurship funding’,” Jiha said.

“We decided to start off with a juice club because it seemed like an easy way to get a foot in the door. A juice shifts and invoked a real sense of a fast-paced city-like Baltimore. The Pierce College Orchestra, led by Wendy Mazon, played an excellent score for the entire performance. The melodic mood of the ‘60s floated from cart is simple because it does not require any licenses. It’s something we can start fast and does not take much initial investment.”

Jiha pointed out that juice is an item that would be an easy sell.

“It is very hot in Southern California,” Jiha said. “When people come out of class, we can offer a refreshing beverage that is freshsqueezed, healthy and easy.”

ASO provided $20,000 for the BESA club project from their reserves. Haghi explained the money will be used to assist the club with getting established.

“The money will be used to buy the the orchestral pit for the entire audience to enjoy.

Overall, this play was entertaining and one would be hard pressed to find a more earnest production.

“Hairspray” has three carts, start-up products, everything that is essential for the start of the business,” Haghi said. “We wanted to make sure to provide enough funding to enable the club to be successful.”

BESA club is open to all students, regardless of major. The juice club will be considered a directed study course, and it is expected to launch in the fall semester.

Jiha said the juice club operation will help students gain the sort of knowledge they would from a job.

“A lot of times, students exit college with a degree, which is essentially a piece of paper,” Jiha said.

“This presents a good opportunity remaining performances, May 12-14 in the Performing Arts Mainstage. Tickets are available through Brownpapertickets.com vrodriguez.roundupnews@gmail.com to receive experience in different aspects of business and substitutes job experience.”

Campbell said the value of this training will be useful when students begin their careers.

”We’ve wanted to do this for a very long time,” Campbell said. “I can teach theory all day, but practicing in the real world has so much value. This lab will allow students to enter the business world with experience, putting them ahead of the game.” dnovazski.roundupnews@gmail.com