The Hoya Guide: Oct. 21, 2011

the guide friday, october 21, 2011

the weekly magazine for life on the hilltop

READY & A B L E Foodies Flock to Upscale Tavern

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Behind WGTB’s Unheard Past

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Screams on the Silver Screen

this issue 3 hilltop lifestyle 4 food & drink 11 arts 12 entertainment 14 red square roundup // campus spotlight

wgtb’s hot past // catholic schoolgirl // horror film fest

blue duck tavern // ripple

leap into the void // concert listings

johnny english reborn // hulu saxa

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The student group Diversability works to challenge stereotypes about people who have physical and mental disabilities. With the original production of “Visible Impact,” Georgetown professor Susan Lynskey and participating students, along with Diversability, hope to challenge the notion that disability means invisibility. At a university renowned for emphasizing perfection and intense competition, “Visible Impact” confronts the stereotypes about being successful and happy through a series of skits and monologues. The Guide had a chance to speak with the director and several MEAGAN KELLY/THE HOYA students involved in the show.

COVER PHOTO BY MEAGAN KELLY

soundbite hulu saxa

StevenPiccione

My number is 23. No, it’s not the number of sexual partners that I’ve had; that number is a couple less. (I’m just kidding— it’s way more.) This number refers to the amount of television shows that I “like” on Facebook.

the guide Lauren Weber, Executive Editor Connor Gregoire, Managing Editor Meagan Kelly, Photo Editor Shakti Nochur, Layout Editor Suzanne Fonzi, Copy Chief Peter Brigham, Deputy Guide Editor Alex Sanchez, Deputy Guide Editor Bethany Imondi, Deputy Guide Editor Chris Bien, Deputy Photo Editor Michelle Cassidy, Deputy Photo Editor Remy Samuels, Deputy Layout Editor Nikita Buley, Deputy Copy Editor Samantha Randazzo, Deputy Copy Editor

PLAY EXPLORES ALL ABILITIES

SEE SOMETHING SKETCHY?

Eamon O’Connor, Editor-in-Chief Sarah Amos, Guide Editor Corrections & Clarifications If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editor Laura Engshuber at (202) 687-3415 or email executive@thehoya. com.

General Information The Guide is published each week during the academic year with the exception of holiday and exam periods. Address all correspondence to: The Hoya Georgetown University Box 571065 Washington, D.C. 20057-1065 The writing, articles, pictures, layout and format are the responsibility of The Hoya and do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University.

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hilltop

RED SQUARE ROUNDUP MR. GEORGETOWN PAGEANT

“THE PRINCESS AND THE PIZZA”

Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Gaston Hall

Friday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m.

McNeir Hall (New North building)

Come cheer on representatives from 13 student groups and see who will win the title of Mr. Georgetown. Groove Theory, the Phantoms and Tate Tucker will also be performing.

Tickets are $5 for all Georgetown students and faculty with a GOCard and $8 without.

Adrian Prado (COL ’14) and Kaley Beins (COL ’14) adapt a story about a “down-onher -luck” former princess trying to reclaim a crown for the Children’s Theater.

Prado and Beins are also the respective producer and director of the show, which will be performed this Friday.

Monday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.

MSFS Conference Room (Seventh floor of ICC)

Monday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

McShain Lounge Join the Lecture Fund and Kent Alterman, the head of original programming and development for Comedy Central, who will speak about his experiences in the entertainment industry. While at Comedy Central, Alterman helped identify some of the best comedy stars of our time, including Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler and Amy Sedaris.

LECTURE FUND PRESENTS: KENT ALTERMAN

The Georgetown University College Democrats will be hosting a discussion with Tim Bishop, the Democratic Representative for New York’s First Congressional District. Bishop won the closest Congressional race in 2010 and has served in Congress for eight years, so come join the great discussion in ICC Monday night.

A CONVERSATION WITH REP. TIM BISHOP

campusspotlight // THiNK

T

ruth and Human Rights in North Korea is a student organization dedicated to raising awareness about violations of human rights in North Korea. The small totalitarian state is often synonymous with terms such as “nuclear proliferation” and “old-school Communism,” but we seek to separate ourselves from the politics by working toward drawing the same kind of attention to an even uglier side of North Korea: the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Since its inception in 2006, THiNK has rapidly expanded its presence on campus through events such as film/documentary screenings, speaker events, hunger banquets and flash mobs. Additionally, we hold fundraisers every semester to raise money for NGOs that provides aid to the DPRK. Last year, we raised nearly $500 for the Eugene Bell Foundation, a D.C.-based NGO that supplies medical humanitarian assistance to North Korea. Although THiNK is unable to provide direct assistance to North Korean refugees, our mission is founded on the belief that knowledge is power and through awareness, we can alert others to the significance of our cause and the urgency of becoming involved.

In addition to the traditional positions of president, secretary and treasurer, our board is comprised of four active subcommittees: programming, political awareness, marketing and NGO outreach/awareness. Each

committee is led by two co-chairs who hold bi-weekly meetings to carry out their respective responsibilities. If you are interested in getting more involved, we highly recommend joining one or more committee(s).

We would also like to highlight that not all our general body members are of Korean backgrounds. THiNK is not a Korean students’ association, nor do we believe that our purpose is a fundamentally “Korean” one.

We strongly believe that this issue is a human rights matter that demands unanimous attention from the international community, regardless of ethnicity.

Hence, we welcome all members to join us.

THiNK had the opportunity to host our annual documentary screening called “The Hiding” with Liberty in North Korea (LiNK) on Oct. 15. We will be holding our traditional apple cider sales during the last week of October in order to raise money for LiNK’s “Reliance” campaign which supports missions that help North Korean refugees who escape to China find freedom in other countries. There are many more exciting events coming up, so if you are interested in receiving email updates or just want to learn more, find us at www.facebook.com/georgetownthink or email at think.georgetown@gmail.com.

Hannah Kang (SFS ’12), Co-President

THINK TANK THiNK decicates itself to raising awareness about violations of human rights in North Korea.

10.21.11 // the guide // 3

lifestyle

PETER BRIGHAM Hoya Staff Writer

Broadcasting Controversy WGTB ALUMS REFLECT ON THE 70s

T

he year is 1975.

In January, three men, including former attorney John Mitchell, are convicted for perjury stemming from the infamous Watergate break-in. Five months before, President Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the scandal.

In April, the Vietnam War effectively ends with the fall of Saigon and the surrender of the South Vietnamese forces. Eight months later, neighboring Laos is taken over by communist forces.

With fears of global communism at a high and post-Watergate, anti-government, anti-establishment hysteria surging in the United States, a Georgetown student media outlet found itself engulfed in the antagonism that characterized 1975 and the years closely preceding and following it.

Speaking to the New York Times magazine, disgraced former Vice President Spiro Agnew, who had resigned against allegations of corruption two years earlier, said, “there is little will to oppose Communism in America anymore [and] the voice of third-world communism is pervasive in academia. WGTB … broadcasts what seems to be propaganda for the third world.”

Today, WGTB, Georgetown’s radio station, is an online-only station airing programs with various genres of music as well as some sports and other programming. Its programming is entirely student-produced and aimed at a student audience. But in the 1970s, it was an FM radio station, actively courting the listening ears of the general public in the Washington area with a unique music lineup and cutting-edge news content.

Pushing the limits during a turbulent period of American history, WGTB eventually ran afoul with the authorities during the 1970s. The events of that decade significant-

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ly shaped what the radio station is today and defined the college experiences of students who were actively involved with the production of its content. This weekend, alumni from the era are being invited back to campus for the station’s “AlumLive: the Radical History of WGTB Revealed” event.

During “AlumLive,” the station will broadcast as normal from its studio, while alumni will gather in Bulldog Alley next to WGTB’s current recording booth to socialize and share their stories. A microphone will be set up on the stage in Bulldog Alley for alumni to speak about their experiences, and they will also be able to see the recording studio if they have not before, said Caroline Klibanoff (COL ’12), general manager of WGTB. The idea for the event was largely the re-

sult of happenstance, Klibanoff said. “Last spring, we were talking about how we should have a better relationship with our alumni because we really had none prior to this,” she said. “I was cleaning up our office and came across all these things, especially from the 1978 controversy about shutting down the station. They looked like some pretty secretive memos. I had known about the history of the station, but didn’t know all the details. I saw that this was a story that really needed to be told.”

Among the alumni that she reached out to, largely by making Facebook contacts, was Thomas O’Brien (COL ’74), who will attend the event this Saturday. He first became involved with WGTB in 1971 and worked his way up the station’s ranks, eventually be-

LEFT HANGING WGTB Radio endured several brief shutdowns before the station was sold to the University of the District of Columbia for $1 in 1979.

coming program director.

During his tenure, the station began to go in the alternative direction that would eventually secure its place in the history books. “When I was there, it was moving in the direction of the alternative radio station.

When I was there, we moved from ribbonread news — reading of the teletype — to a news collective, which was pretty controversial,” O’Brien said. “I thought it was important to be reflective of the community because that was the way things were going at the time.”

The programming that drew so much controversy would seem innocuous today. It included ride-sharing advertisements read over the air intended to facilitate the travels of change-minded youth wishing to travel the country protesting perceived injustice, as well as programming aimed at the gay community, which O’Brien said was, “pretty out there for a Jesuit college at the time.”

Initially, the university did not push back on the students and community members who ran WGTB. In fact, the biggest issue the university had with the station was WGTB’s refusal to air Georgetown basketball games.

“They weren’t the national power that they are [today]. That was where we got the most pushback. I honestly do not recall getting any serious interference or negative suggestions or any kind of pressure from the administration at all,” O’Brien said.

With no resistance from the administration, WGTB stayed the course. “We took that

lifestyle [the lack of university interference] as assent rather than disinterest, so we kept pushing the boundaries. It was more the news group that was really pushing the boundaries during the time that I was involved, because they were indeed quite anti-establishment. You have to remember, this was during the Vietnam War and during the Nixon administration. There was a lot of activism and we were part of that,” O’Brien said.

He said that as that activism progressed, there began to be signs of outside interference. “There were several attempts to rein in the station or shut it down,” he said. “I don’t know who was behind them. We had complaints. We had to react to the FCC [Federal Communications Commission]. There were definitely people who were agitating to shut us up. That was going on for a number of years before the university powers just decided to give the problem away.”

Their way of giving the problem away: selling it to the University of the District of Columbia in 1979 for $1.

But the sale came after several years of cutting the station’s operating budget, making it difficult for WGTB to broadcast as normal. In a 1978 letter to general manager John Uttenweiler, staffers Matthew Moore and Reggie Terrell wrote that, “the equipment is in such a f***ed up and sorry state that we have come to the point we never thought we would.”

Caroline Klibanoff thinks that the uni-

Q & A

versity ultimately decided to spin off the station because it was airing ads for contraception, broadcasting anti-Vietnam War content and was largely run by community members rather than Georgetown students. Community members involved included station manager Ken Sleeman, who ran Georgetown Radio from 1971-1975 as a paid employee, despite having no previous affiliation with Georgetown. (He completed his undergraduate education at the University of Maryland at College Park.) Sleeman could not be reached for comment.

The biggest blow came in 1997. “UDC sold it [WGTB] to C-SPAN for $25 million.

So that’s why we don’t have an FM station,” Klibanoff said. In the 1980s and 1990s, WGTB broadcast in AM format, rarely with a signal that reached beyond the front gates and never with the official call letters WGTB. In 1996, the station went to its current online-only format.

In spite of all the changes that WGTB went through after Thomas O’Brien and his colleagues graduated, they still treasure their time working together and look forward to returning this weekend.

“The people that worked at WGTB during that period through ’79 kind of all stayed in touch, and they even had some informal reunions before Facebook. Certainly, the [WGTB alumni] Facebook page has helped sweep people up. My exposure to radio during those years was very valuable,” he said.

THE MUSIC MAN Now WGTB streams online instead of on the radio.

What’s your favorite part of Homecoming?

“The Mr. Georgetown Pageant.”

“The fact that the football team miraculously won and is doing well this year.”

Lauren Cournoyer COL ’13 and Maura Timoney NHS ’13

Avery Alatis COL ’14

“I’m really excited to go kayaking with Outdoor Ed.” Nick Albanese SFS ’14

“Definitely the tailgate.

I’ve heard that it’s a lot of fun.”

Julie Crowley COL ’15

10.21.11 // the guide // 5

lifestyle

CENTER STAGE GU Children’s Theater President Brings Shows and Smiles Marisa Morin (COL ’13) serves as the president of GU Children’s Theater, a group of student actors who produce and perform shows for kids in D.C. This fall, they are working on a production called “The Princess and the Pizza,” and will be previewing the show for the Georgetown community on Friday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. in McNeir Auditorium. Morin, a psychology major and education minor, has been involved with Children’s Theater since her freshman year and was elected president of the organization this spring. The Guide sat down with Morin for an interview in which she discussed how she combines her interest in theater and her enthusiasm for helping children in the community through GU Children’s Theater.

How did you first become involved in Children’s Theater?

I went to O-Show my freshman year, which is the orientation for all the theater groups. My brother is really into theater, and he’s trying to be a professional actor right now, so I’ve always been interested in theater, but I [was never] really the actress. But I love working with kids, and Children’s Theater is a low time commitment [that is] easy to get into, so I thought, “I can go into the community, spend time with kids and do a little bit of the arts,” [so] I auditioned then.

TAISA GOODNATURE Special to The Hoya

What are the goals of the organization?

Our main goal is to bring the arts to children who wouldn’t normally be exposed to them. We perform at parks, schools and children’s hospitals in the city, and they’re usually in low-income communities. We also have a preview show on campus, which is mostly for the Georgetown community, but we invite some kids to that show, too.

Could you tell us a little bit about the show you’re working on now?

It’s called “The Princess and the Pizza,” and it’s directed by Kaley Beins (COL ’14) and Adrian Prado (COL ’14).

The cool thing about their production is that Kaley and Adrian adapted it from a children’s book, so the script is completely original. They made it very interactive, and the children get to talk with the actors during the production. It’s very good, I think.

What is the story about?

It’s about a princess, Paulina, whose father denounced the throne because he wanted to become a furniture builder, but she wants to become a princess again. There’s a competition to find a wife for Prince Drupert, so she enters this competition. It’s sort of like “The Princess and the Pea.” There are different parts of the competition, and the last one is to cook a

COURTESY MARISA MORIN

CURTAIN CALL Members of GU Children’s Theater take a break from performing to take a picture with the community they serve.

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meal for the prince.

So does she cook him a pizza?

Yes — spoiler alert — she cooks him a pizza, but by accident.

Is “The Princess and the Pizza” a typical show that you would do?

We’ve done a lot of student-written productions in the past couple of years. Last spring, we did “The Reluctant Dragon,” and this spring, we’re doing “The Wolves in the Walls,” which is another adaptation of a children’s book.

How is performing for children different from performing for adults?

It’s the interaction. We really love when the kids are participating actively in our productions. That’s something you can’t do in a more structured play environment, because the audience shouldn’t really be speaking. But we love when the kids say, “Oh, I want to be a princess!” or they just start screaming in the middle of the play, and you stop and laugh.

How could someone become involved in Children’s Theater?

We’ll have another production in the spring, so look for our audition dates then. You don’t need any prior experience at all, just enthusiasm and a desire to go into the city and spend time with kids. It’s so rewarding, especially if you want to get into a profession involved in working with kids. This is a great way to supplement any teaching experience that you may have.

What sets Children’s Theater apart from the other groups on campus that serve kids in low-income D.C. communities?

Our biggest mission is to bring them the arts. Other groups on campus are great for helping with academics, like DC Reads — they’re going in and they’re tutoring the kids, which is so important, and they’re giving them that mentoring aspect that they need so much. We’re giving them an outlet for frustration or passion. … That’s why we’re trying to give them art: It can be a supplement to their education.

COURTESY MARISA MORIN

Five things you didn’t know about Marisa Morin: Her favorite pizza topping is black olives.

She’s from New Hampshire, and she’s surprised how many people at Georgetown don’t know where it is.

Her favorite movie is Forrest Gump, and she’s never been stumped by a trivia question at a Bubba Gump restaurant.

She works at the Early Learning project on campus.

Her favorite part of D.C. is Columbia Heights, because it has the best pupusas (a Salvadoran dish).

lifestyle

Frightening Flicks: DC Film Festival Puts The Horror Back in Halloween VICTORIA EDEL Hoya Staff Writer

M

ost people associate Halloween with tiny candy bars, cheap costumes and orange strings of lights. But Curtis Prather prefers to celebrate the holiday in a more ghoulish way. Six years ago, he founded the Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival, the only one of its kind in the D.C. area.

“There was an audience that was not being catered to,” he said. He believes that the genre is especially conducive to creating quality independent films. “Someone with not a lot of money can make a really good horror movie and find a receptive audience,” he said.

Each year the festival shows about 40 films, including shorts, before the night’s main features and a movie trailer contest. Independent films are the focus of the event, with flicks coming in from across the country and around the world. This year, the films were screened between Oct. 13 and 16, though the festival officially concludes Halloween weekend with the screening of two classic horror films, House on Haunted Hill and Night of the Living Dead.

This year’s selection ranged from the Japanese zombie movie Helldriver to the heavy metal musical Mr. Bricks. One stand out is The Oregonian, which debuted at

the Sundance Film Festival and stars Lindsey Pulsipher of “True Blood.” It tells the story of a woman who wakes up from a car accident to find herself in a stranger world than she remembers.

“It’s very disturbing, unsettling and weird,” Prather said. “Is she dead, is she alive, why is there suddenly a giant Muppet following her?” Prather enjoys showing films like The Oregonian because they divide audiences and leave an impact.

The films often unintentionally follow trends.

“The first two years, it was zombies.

One year, there were a lot of psychotic killer women. I was wondering if people were afraid at the prospect of Hillary Clinton being president,” Prather said.

“The hillbillies in the woods are a popular theme right now.”

But Prather is not content with showing films that tell the same tired stories.

“This audience is a little jaded. They’ve seen everything,” he said. When choosing films, he tries to make unique selections. “[We have] movies like The Dead,[which] takes a zombie movie and puts it in Africa, which is something we’ve never seen before.”

The festival enjoyed a new venue this year at Artisphere in Arlington, Va.

SPOOKYFESTS.COM

FRIGHT NIGHT This spooky film festival showcases nearly 40 horror movies a year.

“The films this year are definitely the most successful we’ve run,” Prather said.

“I’m already thinking about next year and what we’ll be doing then to make it better.”

The festival operates around the notion that there is a unique experience in watching horror films in a movie theater

with others who respond to what they’re seeing. “We’re trying to replicate something you can’t get at home watching TV or Netflix,” Prather said. “There is something perfect about the shared experience of these kinds of films, especially at this time of year.”

Party State University: Do Hoyas Have More Fun? catholic schoolgirl SarahAmos

L

ast year around this time, I wrote about how Georgetown is not a real party school with real tailgates, or for that matter, a real homecoming. Basically, Hoyas get blasted before the annual tailgate to help them forget that they’re actually in the parking lot of McDonough Gymnasium wearing “Hoya Saxa Laxa” pinnies and cheering for a game against a Division III school to whom we will most likely lose.

But for this year’s homecoming, I will be completely sober. This is not entirely voluntary, thanks to being on antibiotics (drinking would be bad for my liver) and that I signed up to babysit

later that afternoon (drinking would be bad for my baby).

“Wait, Catholic Schoolgirl, you mean to say you drink? But you’re not 21!”

Yes, I have been known to imbibe on many an occasion, and guess what? It’s not a crime. * I’m in college, for heaven’s sake. So, future employers reading this: I’m not a wine-o. I’m just a regular college kid who likes to sneak a little somethin’-somethin’ into her Fresca from time to time.

But drinking can be a divisive issue in college. I have some friends who don’t drink. I have some friends who drink so much they should probably get a Dr. Phil intervention. Most lie somewhere in the middle.

When I first arrived on the Hilltop, I had drank a few times before, but looking back now, it probably doesn’t count.

It consisted of sneaking into the woods (read: sliver of woods in the neighborhood. I lived in the suburbs. There was

a mini-running trail in these “woods.”) with Gatorades and half-empty bottles of tequila stolen from our parents’ liquor cabinets. Or there would be that friend who had “cool” parents who let us drink but pretended not to know.

Ah, the good old days.

Back then and even into freshman year, I lied to my parents about drinking. It’s strange, because my parents didn’t care. I’m just an awkward person.

In fact, my parents probably drank more when they were in college than I do now. My dad told me so after spending a few minutes at a Burleith party the weekend he moved me in. Back in his day at the University of Georgia, he lived in the “Death House” with his ROTC buddies, and apparently they threw down harder than we do. There was none of this “beer ping-pong” nonsense. Real men don’t need games to drink.

He never fails to remind me that

Georgetown doesn’t compare to UGA, and I don’t doubt it. Georgia is consitently ranked one of the nation’s top “party schools” by Princeton Review (or Playboy, if you prefer a more reputable ranking site). But still, in spite of our party inferiority, I would rather have a “bulldog” as my mascot than a “bulldawg.”

Sure, we may be nerdier than our parents, but we can have fun, too.

At how many colleges can you find a bunch of American kids standing around the keg speaking in Mandarin Chinese? *Actually, it is illegal. The fine people at The Hoya do not condone underage drinking.

Sarah Amos is a junior in the School of Foreign Service and editor of the guide.

She can be reached at amos@thehoya. com. CATHOLIC SCHOOLGIRL appears every other Friday in the guide.

10.21.11 // the guide // 7

exploringthediversityofability L

ily Kaiser (COL ’12) was used to hiding her cerebral palsy. After all, it only affected her right hand, so it was easily concealed, even forgotten at times. For Gallaudet University freshman Kyleigh Herrera, her only form of communication is American Sign Language. She said that much of society disregards her skills — the ‘deaf’ label is a difficult one to ignore.

Thirty-two percent of Americans 18 and older have at least one basic action difficulty or complex activity limitation. Yet physical and mental disabilities are oftentimes swept under the rug.

“It’s hard to bring out a part of yourself in a world where everyone’s so focused on strength,” Kaiser explained.

“Visible Impact,” a project of the Theater and Performance Studies Program, is Kaiser’s story. It is Herrera’s story. It is the story of the 34.5 million Americans who have hearing difficulties. And the 71.4 million who have “disabilities.”

MAKING AN IMPACT Opening this weekend at the Davis Center for the Performing Arts, “Visible Impact” is

a poignant collection of vignettes tackling various forms of disability, such as deafness, cerebral palsy and autism. It mirrors society — how disabilities affect those who have to live with them and those who surround them.

It is the tale of a deaf woman trying to take a citizenship test and being yelled at to sing the national anthem while she can’t hear the demand. It is the story of a dyslexic singer. It is the story of a group of physically impaired greeters at Walmart, discussing how a customer should say hello to them. Ignore them? Express Pity? (“No one’s gonna complain about the disabled woman in the wheel chair.”) Be overly sympathetic — a “thanker”?

“I was much more of a thanker,” cast member Sarah Quehrn (SFS ’12) explains.

She doesn’t have a disability but auditioned because she had worked with director Susan Lynskey before. “I didn’t really know how to approach people. I’ve learned that all you need to do is be personable. People will teach you. As the play says in its final line, ‘All you need to do is listen.’”

That listening was crucial in crafting the play itself. Most of the students who walked into auditions at the end of the summer either had a disability or some connection with the community. But for one-third of the cast, issues of disability were unfamiliar — perhaps

present in their daily lives only when they mindlessly pushed the button for an automatic door or ambled up a wheelchair-accessible ramp.

Over the course of six weeks, the cast, comprised of 14 Hoyas and three students from Gallaudet, a university in Northeast D.C. that specializes in education for the deaf, shared their stories. Those stories were woven together to create the fabric of “Visible Impact.”

“Developing the ‘Visible Impact’ production with the cast and creative team has been truly transformative,” Lynskey said. “Together the Georgetown students, Gallaudet students and guest artists are not only creating a piece of theater — they are forging a community.”

Kaiser and fellow actor Evan Monad (COL

MAKING AN IMPACT The play was a collaborative effort from all involved from the beginning. Most actors involved experience some sort of disability, although about one-third of them were unfamiliar with the different challenges.

’14) described the writing process as extremely collaborative. The cast spent most of the six weeks leading up to the show writing the vignettes that comprise it, such as Kaiser’s monologue about her right hand “Crippy.”

But as much as the process was about putting ideas to paper, it was about grappling with the ideas themselves. In a room filled with students and interpreters, the actors learned the meaning of the word “disability.” Or rather, they learned what it doesn’t mean.

“The Gallaudet students explained that they don’t see deafness as a disability,” Kaiser explained. Deafness, for them, does not impede their daily life. What, then, qualifies as a disability? “We talked about what words are OK to use, yet still none of us really know,” Quehrn said.

That lack of clarity was one of the driving forces behind her conception of the play, according to Lynskey. “We are challenging ableism and audism and trying to take the lines drawn to categorize, marginalize and stigmatize people and reform those dividing lines into a circle,” she said.

FOSTERING A NEW DIALOGUE Challenges were present on the set from day one. Quehrn recalls that it was initially awkward to attempt to communicate with the Gallaudet students. Now the entire cast

can sign at a basic level. Developing this sense of community was crucial to the learning process, Lynskey said.

In the rehearsal room and the creation of the performance piece, access is not an afterthought, but an ethos. “We are engaging and embracing a practice of total communication wherein everything signed is voiced and everything voiced is signed,” Lynskey said. “In this we all are discovering the importance of interpretation and the limits of translation.

It’s literally bringing worlds together with our ‘bare hands.’ And in so doing we are unearthing a greater communication that exists between people.”

As the students learned to challenge notions of disability, they began to understand the full spirit behind the play. According to Assistant Director Andy Stoffel (SFS ’12), “Visible Impact” is about starting a conversation. “The main point is trying to start talking about deafness and disability in society today. Many people are unaware of the struggle for disability rights.”

While many marginalized communities shared their voices through literature and art, Monod added, this is not true for the disabled community. “With other communities, you know what the arc of such art is going to be.

With this, it’s very open,” he said. Part of that openness is using art to create a more positive view, Kaiser noted.

THE SIGNS OF THEIR STORIES “Often you think about disability in a way like ‘how can I conquer this?’ You need to turn it into something positive,” Kaiser said. Part of that conquering was in telling her story, which details her own experience with cerebral palsy. In the vignette, Kaiser stands alone on stage. She recalls her previous relationships, and how she asked her boyfriends to hold her left hand because her right was wont

to twitch and be clammy. Many of them told her that they forgot about it. And for a long time, that was what she wanted.

“Before this, I thought it could be minimized,” she said. Then, her current boyfriend took her right hand, kissed it and said that he loved her for it. “It really took that to make me realize that it wasn’t a weakness.”

Likewise, Monod has learned to embrace his cerebral palsy. An avid reader of Shakespeare, he presents a monologue from Richard III. “I get what Richard, who is disabled, is saying. He’s asking ‘Can I get married? Can I have a kid? Can I have a normal life?’ I asked myself many of those same questions,” Monod said.

“But my friends always joke that I am like Richard, without the villainous streak. That’s why my Richard III monologue melds into a romantic scene — I think it really captures my attitude.”

For Herrera, accepting and celebrating her deafness came through an even greater personal victory.

“I was picked to be my graduation speaker.

It made a lot of the attendees realize how amazing it was how deaf people can sign. It’s an art form. A lot of hearing people don’t realize what skills deaf people have. It inspired a lot of hearing people and showed them that not hearing doesn’t really affect us,” she signed through an interpreter.

Laura Engshuber Hoya Staff Writer

can’t handle,” Kaiser said, “I’m less comfortable displaying vulnerability than other people [are].”

Yet that is what “Visible Impact” is about.

The disabled are vulnerable. They are everywhere, yet often they are ignored or reviled by others. One vignette traces the history of the treatment of disabled people, most infamously during the Holocaust. “We were the first to be killed,” the actress in the ensemble intones.

Today, their problems are not widely understood by the public, because it is unclear how much disability affects them.

For some, as seen in the play, disability is secondary. These characters are mothers and friends of the disabled. For some it is neurological. Some are affected by common disorders such as dyslexia or obsessive-compulsive disorder, and some have the much less prevalent dwarfism.

But as Stoffel says, these issues can no longer be ignored. The “disabled” are every-

where. “Theater and arts are most valuable for society when they deal with issues that people are not comfortable talking about normally,” he said.

“Visible Impact” creates a sense of community for both the performers and the audience. Every scene is translated into sign language, and the audience is asked to participate in signing in the very first scene. The play melds the familiar — Shakespeare, The Invisible Man, Beethoven — with a concept not usually associated with these masterpieces. Yet as the play emphasizes, Beethoven was deaf. Richard III was a hunchback.

People with disabilities make up a third of the U.S. population. That, according to Lynskey, is key.

“In creating a ‘Visible Impact,’ a theatrical expression that probes the complex intersections of biology, culture and identity — the students in demanding an understanding and acceptance of ‘me’ — have found they’ve expanded the definition of ‘we.’”

DIFFERENT ABILITIES But challenging existing conceptions and embracing one’s lot isn’t easy. Monod jokes that he doesn’t really need to use the crutches he carries around, but they are a way of standing out.

“I always feel I need to overcompensate. I need to be better at realizing what I can and

ALL PHOTOS HANSKY SANTOS / THE HOYA

TURNING INVISIBLE TO VISIBLE Students from Gallaudet University, a university located in Northeast D.C. that specializes in education for the deaf, worked alongside 14 Hoyas sharing their experiences to create the script.

food&drink Upscale Eatery Pleases Stomach, Pinches Wallet NICOLE JARVIS Special to The Hoya

 BLUE DUCK TAVERN

A

1201 24th St. NW cuisine: American price: $$$$

lthough its name may suggest otherwise, the Blue Duck Tavern is a truly upscale eatery. Located in Foggy Bottom, this budget-buster is worth the splurge for a special occasion.

The wait staff reflects the highend nature of the restaurant; the waiters were very helpful and eager to elaborate on the dishes available on the menu as well as provide their own personal recommendations. Be forewarned, however, that they tended to suggest the pricier menu items.

In addition to its woodsy yet modern decor, another aspect of the interior that distinguishes this upscale eatery from the plethora of others along M Street has to be its open kitchen. Patrons are encouraged to walk through as their food is being prepared and to strike up a conversation with the chefs about their food. This fosters interaction with food creation on a level most other restaurants fail

to provide.

The Blue Duck Tavern, however, is not for the culinarily unadventurous. With dinner selections including oven-roasted bone marrow, crispy veal sweetbreads and braised rabbit, those unaccustomed to such gamey fare may be caught off-guard.

Yet don’t be scared away, as there are other options for the simpler palates.

On a recent trip with my family over Parents’ Weekend, the three of us split, at the recommendation of our waitress, the squash soup with eggnog reduction and caramelized walnuts, the roasted Maine scallops, the huckleberry pork chops and the creamy rice side. Each dish was delicious in its own way, but the clear highlight of our dinner was, without a doubt, the braised beef rib.

As described by our waitress, these carefully selected cuts of meat are braised for two to three days

Hoya Happy Hour

in their own dishes before being finished off in the oven for 18 hours and then served to hungry customers. This process may seem exceedingly complicated for a piece of meat, but I can say it was one of the juiciest and most tender pieces of meat I have ever tasted; clearly, something about the process works.

We decided to stay for dessert and concluded our stellar meal with standard coffee and tea and one of their delicious apple pies topped with house-made honey vanilla ice cream, which made for one incredibly delicious and filling meal.

While the prices and slightly snooty atmosphere are not by any means college-student friendly, the Blue Duck Tavern is one restaurant that deserves some attention.

It is definitely a restaurant to bring the parents to and have them pick up the tab.

HANNA H HILL /THE H OYA

Dishes you have to try: Main Course Braised Beef Rib // $24 with house made steak sauce Oven-Roasted Bone Marrow // $13 with ramp butter Carolina Heirloom Gold Rice // $10 with English peas, green onions, roasted peppers, preserved lemons Dessert Apple pie // $9

A weekly round up of some of the best shots, mixes and punches.

ELECTRIC LEMONADE Show off your school colors and get in the homecoming spirit with an electric recipe that’s sure to galvanize this besotted weekend. The perfect combination of tangy and sweet, this cocktail will be a hit at those mid-morning pregames and may give you that extra boost you will need to pretend you care about Georgetown football.

10 // the guide // 10.21.11

+ 1 1/2 oz. citron vodka

+

1/2 oz. blue curacao

+

2 oz. sour mix

12 oz. sprite

food&drink

Ripples of Water Needed to Wash Down Unsatisfying Meal SARAH BOLONGAITA

L

ocated across from the historic Uptown Theater in Cleveland Park, Ripple aims to please trendy, green-minded foodies. The eatery, run by Executive Chef Logan Cox, is divided in two, with one side dedicated to snacking on a large selection of cheeses and meats and the other reserved for dining on dishes of unusual combinations made with interesting ingredients. Ripple maintains its mission to provide customers with organic, seasonal food that is produced at nine local sites in the D.C. area.

While this all sounds lovely and is undoubtedly highly commendable, do not be fooled. The menu, which changes every day, is modernly designed into three categories: one dot, two dots and three dots. Confusing, right? The one-

VICTORIA NGARE/THE HOYA

Special to The Hoya

 RIPPLE 3417 Conneticut Ave NW cuisine: American price: $$$$ dot dishes, which are served cold, and the two-dot dishes, which are served hot, are considered to be appetizers, and three-dot dishes represent the entrees.

However, as my waitress eloquently described, the dining at Ripple is “European-infused,” meaning that the dots denote the courses of the meal.

For most of us college kids, we’d like to skip the nonsense, head straight to the entree and chow down, but alas, the portions are “European-infused.” In other words, they are small. Diners will need to choose dishes from at least two of the three categories to satisfy one’s growling stomach.

In addition, the stylish menu is also bursting with words that will boggle your mind, such as cardamom, idiazabal, quinoa and fazzoletti. Confused, I relied on my waitress’ descriptions of the selections to guide me along, and together we determined a suitable set of courses from the menu.

The dishes were works of art with

VICTORIA NGARE/THE HOYA

POOR TASTE This organic eatery lacks quality food to back up its sky-high prices. wonderful colors and creative plating designs. However, even with our two heads put together, at the end of the night I was disappointed in the taste department, which is ultimately the most important.

There were just too many unfamiliar flavors in odd combinations that

A biweekly guide on transforming cafeteria grub into true cuisine

it made it difficult for me to finish my plate. And because the one- and two-dot dishes range from $8-$17 and the threedot dishes hit upward of $20, I will only recommend Ripple to the experimental food connoisseurs who are focused on watching their waists and not their wallets.

Leo’s Gourmet ALLISON DOUGHTY

While standing in line at the pasta station, you may have noticed that one of the toppings looks like meat but neglected to try it. It’s a vegan protein called seitan, and don’t knock it before you try it. It’s good, especially when coated with the pesto sauce in this recipe. Try

brown rice instead of the usual pasta to mix things up.

Ingredients:

1 handful of broccoli 1 handful of spinach 1 handful of seitan 2 scoops of pesto sauce 2 scoops of brown rice olive oil garlic (optional)

Special to The Hoya

Directions:

Wait in the pasta line. When asked which toppings you would like, request the broccoli, spinach and seitan. Once those have been cooked with oil and garlic, ask for the pesto sauce. After being handed your bowl, add the brown rice yourself.

MATT JOSELOFF/THE HOYA

10.21.11 // the guide // 11

arts&style Concert Listings 10 - 21 // ZOLA JESUS //

BLACK CAT// $13 (advance); $15 (at door)

10 - 22 // TAKING BACK SUNDAY // 9:30 CLUB // $25

10 - 25 // PORTUGAL THE MAN // 9:30 CLUB // $20

10 - 26 // RA RA RIOT // 9:30 CLUB // $25

10 - 26 // MOBY // THE FILLMORE SILVER SPRING // $30

11 - 1 // ST. VINCENT // 9:30 CLUB // $20

11 - 3 // JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST // VERIZON CENTER // $59.50

11 - 6 // THE DRUMS // BLACK CAT // $12 (advance); $14 (at door)

11 - 8 // COLD WAR KIDS // 9:30 CLUB // $25

11 - 11 // FOO FIGHTERS // VERIZON CENTER // $57.50

11 - 11 // KIMYA DAWSON // BLACK CAT // $15

11 - 18 // AVICII // D.C. ARMORY // $40

11 - 19 // LOS CAMPESINOS! // BLACK CAT // $18

11 - 20 // THE KOOKS // 9:30 CLUB // SOLD OUT 12 // the guide // 10.21.11

Editing Memories in the Wake of Tragedy artist creates a commentary on the notion of the media’s ability to “program” our emotions and shape the way we remember such events as a community. Something many people — myself included — aren’t aware of is ClareDonnelly that Kennedy’s approval ratings were at their lowest in the months leading up to the assashile blasting my “Shower Swag” sination. With network news broadcasted to playlist in the bathroom the oth- living rooms around the country each night, er morning (sorry, housemates), the American public could see irrefutable Amy Winehouse’s upbeat version of “Valerie” evidence of how poorly the president was came up on shuffle. As the sound of running handling the mounting racial tension and water and the singer’s sultry contralto began violence that the country was experiencto drown out my crackly morning voice, my ing. However, the news of his death — the shampoo-covered head began to flood itself full-page headlines, the repeated airings of with questions. Why won’t Valerie just come the assassination, the images of a mournon over already? Why can’t my shower voice ing, widowed Jackie — played a vital role in sound more like that? And why did this in- shaping the way Kennedy was remembered in the eyes of the public. In an instant, the credible talent have to die so young?

As I began to contemplate the recent, un- nation’s discontent turned to grief.

This memory editing is understandable timely death of this beehived, tattoo-covered wild child, I was taken back to that hot day in in the wake of a great tragedy or loss, but July when the numerous Facebook statuses perhaps it’s less about how we’d like to rerevealing her death started cropping up. member the person and more about how Some were mournful, some surprised and we’d like to see ourselves. Chuck Klosterman raises a great point some indifferent, while othin his book Eaters were simply mocking. My Where is the line between ing the Dinosaur eyes still roll when I recall all when discussing the posts that played on the remebering someone at their his own memories lyrics of “Rehab.” Despite the best and altering the way of Kurt Cobain’s tragic nature of the event — a we always saw them once death. The noted fellow human being had lost pop-culture esher life — many Facebookers, they’re gone? sayist remembers Tweeters and bloggers saw it how people who as an opportunity to make a had been ruthlessly criticizing Nirpathetic joke. vana’s then-new album In Utero seemed to However, while these statuses infuriated me at the time, I have to admit that they have a sudden change of heart after news were at least honest reactions. Regardless of the front man’s death went public; in of your feelings towards the troubled song- the minds of America’s youth, Cobain went stress, you can’t deny that it was difficult to from “self-absorbed complainer” to the man have a genuine reaction to her death and the who “made culture.” In retroactively mourncontroversy surrounding it. Especially given ing his death along with everyone else, one the role that social networks and the media could gain credibility, depth and a sensitive play in our everyday lives, it’s virtually impos- side that may not have been there before. For sible to say that your response to her death them, Cobain was “that popular-yet-unpopular kid who died for the sins of your personalwas not, in some way, swayed by another’s.

Call me Moaning Myrtle, but death seems ity.”

With Halloween just around the corner, to be on my mind a lot lately. A recent visit to the National Gallery’s Warhol: Headlines it’s as good a time as any to get in touch with exhibit — a fascinating look at the prolific our inner emo kids and consider the way we artist’s works surrounding tabloid news — choose to handle death. Where is the line got me thinking a great deal about the me- between remembering someone at their dia’s role in creating a collective memory best and altering the way we always saw after the death of a public figure. One piece them once they’re gone? How much do we in particular concerning the media coverage allow the reactions we’re given by our peers surrounding JFK’s assassination and funeral and the media shape the way we choose to stuck with me. In the piece, Warhol uses remember someone? And how much do our newspaper clippings, images from the mo- own selfish interests influence the memoryments before and after the president’s death editing process?

Chew on that as you search for this year’s and typical American imagery to create this slutty [insert noun here] costume. giant, multi-colored graphic collage.

At first, his colorful, almost playful treatment of such a tragic subject seems akin to Clare Donnelly is a senior in the College. the “Rehab” statuses in terms of sensitivity She can be reached at donnelly@thelevel; however, the event of the death itself hoya.com. LEAP INTO THE VOID appears is not the subject of this piece. Instead, the every other Friday in the guide.

leap into the void

W

entertainment What My Number Says About Me hulu saxa

shows like “Six Feet Under,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “Dexter.” It’s almost as though I live vicariously through Jack Bauer (“24”) when I’m feeling a bit patriotic and manly, Liz Lemon (“30 StevenPiccione Rock”) when I’m feeling dysfunctional or Jimmy McNulty (“The Wire”) when y number is 23. No, it’s I’m especially pessimistic or cynical. not the number of sexual Since television shows are intrinsically partners that I’ve had; that contrived and structured, it’s comfortnumber is a couple less. (I’m just kid- ing to escape into a television series ding— it’s way more.) This number re- whose world has continuity and order. fers to the amount of television shows All events happen for a reason and evthat I “like” on Facebook (and when erything is meant to be. To quote Abed things are on Facebook, they’re official, Nadir from NBC’s “Community,” “I can right?). What’s odd is not the fact that tell life from TV, Jeff. TV makes sense: it I like 23 television shows but that I am has structure, logic, rules and likable completely invested in each and every leading men. In life we have this. ... We one that I’ve listed. Seriously, look me have you.” In an odd way, a quality teleup on Facebook vision series is a harand see the monious, almost rovariety there manticized, version There is just something for yourself. I of real life no matter about a well-written televiam into shows what happens. sion show that whisks you that range In good television, from “30 Rock” characters always away ... and “Modern maintain their speFamily” to “Six cific sets of traits, Feet Under” and “The because they are written into the show Wire.” One would for the purpose of serving specific roles. think that as a serious television buff, If you want to see what bad television I would have to be concentrated on is, it’s “Glee.” I’d never witnessed such a one specific genre, but fortunately, violation of character continuity before I found a loophole: You can know I watched the first season and a half of almost everything about two dozen this “show.” Utter trash. shows if you don’t have a fully funcThese characters that people, intioning social life. I broke the system! cluding myself, connect with become Hold the applause and let me explain constants in our ever-changing lives. a little more. I have friends — I promise Whenever you tune into your favorite — but I’ve never been known as the guy show, you know that it will take place who regularly goes out to social outings in exactly the same world that existed on the weekends, unless they’re a spe- in the previous episode, regardless of cial occasions(birthdays, certain news- “character development.” There is just paper festivities, etc.). On the contrary, I something about a solid, well-written tend to spend my weekends focused on television show that whisks you schoolwork, using television and Yates away to a world where you can esas means to take a break from work cape whatever negative things may without having that classic “Catholic pop up in your life. Watching televiguilt” attack my brain. sion, like reading a book (Harry PotMy point to all of this is that by using ter, anyone?), can give you a sense of television as a means to decompress, reassurance and completion. While I’ve become emotionally attached to a watching one’s world seems to lose multitude of programs. This emotional most fear and anxieties. attachment also explains why I am slightly obsessed with such a range of Steven Piccione is a junior in the genres, since humans tend to experi- College. He can be reached at ence an array of different emotional piccione@thehoya.com. HULU states. I tend to gravitate toward comedy, SAXA appears every other Friday but I do love me a fair number of dark in the guide.

M

14 // the guide // 10.21.11

Comedy Thriller Reborn To Empty Theaters MARIA MIRACLE Special to The Hoya

O

h, how the mighty have fallen. What tex is after a chemical compound with mindcould have been a family-friendly, controlling properties and is planning to use action-packed adventure with a sur- this compound to force an innocent person prisingly star-studded cast falls short in Johnny to murder the Premier. The only person who English Reborn, yet another lackluster comedy can help English is a psychologist working for to add to Rowan Atkinson’s growing list of sim- MI7 — the “Bond girl” of the movie — played by Rosamund Pike, who, ironically, starred alongilarly unimpressive feature films.

Credits roll in a Bondian fashion, although side Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day. Recogthey’re actually more similar to a low-budget nizable from roles in such movies as An EduSpeed Racer film. The story follows Johnny cation, one wonders what she is doing here English, a shamed ex-MI7 agent, who has been as the romantic interest of the oafish Johnny banished to the mountains of Tibet to train English. and develop his weak mind. However, a plot to Sadly, the film’s surprise plot twist comes as assassinate the Chinese no surprise at all. The Premier calls for English painfully obvious to rejoin MI7 for his one turn of events only last shot at redemption. makes the storyline Five years apart from all the more complicivilization, English recated. In the film’s cliJOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN turns to find that “guns, max, English chases fast cars and chauvinism the leader of Vortex starring: Rowan Atkinson, Rosaare on their way out,” to his lair at the top mund Pike as relayed to him by Paof a snowy moundid you know?: Rowan Atkinson’s mela, head of MI7 and tain in Switzerland daughter, Lily, makes a cameo. played by Gillian Anderaccompanied by a son. One can’t help but junior agent, whose recognize her from “The charming character X-Files” and also wonder why on earth she hap- (portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya) is perhaps the pens to have a major role in this film. English’s only redeeming quality of the film. discoveries of new high-tech gadgets, such as Atkinson faces death more than once, slipvoice-changing candies that bring out his femi- ping in lines like “Dear God, I’m going to die at nine “ladies over tea” accent, obviously cater to the hands of the Swiss,” which obviously won’t a young audience. be understood by the children that make up As English travels around the world trying the film’s target demographic and won’t reto pin down the three people that make up ally be laughed at by the parents taking said Vortex, the group of assassins scheming to kiddies to the movies. In trying to gather more kill the Premier, he discovers that an elderly evidence, English takes the time to play golf Chinese woman disguised as a cleaning lady is with a potential suspect and, in doing so, refactually the head assassin tailing him. erences Adam Sandler’s booty shake on the The plot thickens — or, in this case, takes a green from Happy Gilmore. While watching confusing turn — when it turns out that Vor- this scene, all I could think is that both Sandler and Atkinson need to retire from making the same, increasingly unwatchable films.

As a lover of British films, I am sad about the outcome of this one in particular. With a surprise performance by Atkinson’s “Blackadder” co-star Tim McInnerny and Dominic West, I realize the film had potential. But in the theater,s I was constantly confused as to whether I should be surrounded by elementary school kids or middle-aged Brits who enjoyed Atkinson’s past roles that were fresher and less cliche. Despite having had a once-promising career in the states, Atkinson’s performance is less than imALL PHOTOS ROTTENTOMATOES.COM pressive, which is no doubt a disappointment MEET THE PRESS Rowan Atkinson stars not only for young audiences but also for those of as a MI7 agent responsible for assinat- us who enjoyed Mr. Bean in our childhoods.



ing the Chinese Premier.

entertainment

Indie Singer’s Diamond Darkened by Troubles WIL CURIEL Special to The Hoya

M

y Brightest Diamond, the project of musician Shara Worden, has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments that would make any indie singer-songwriter green with envy. Her newly released third album All Things Will Unwind is a collaboration with six-piece chamber group Music and proves to be a

ASTHMATIC KITTY RECORDS

successful experiment in orchestral pop style is interesting, but alone it is not cutting edge. It’s the way she backdrops them with and folk.

The album opens with the deceptively patterned string and horn sections that discartoonish “We Added It Up.” In it, Worden tinguishes her from other female indie singsings about a doomed relationship as a flute ers like Feist or Regina Spektor. complements her grand range; Worden’s All Things Will Unwind benefits from operatic training is Worden’s excellent obvious, though not use of layering. “Be over the top or bomBrave,” for example, bastic. opens with a simple, “Reaching hypnotic drumbeat.

ALL THINGS WILL UNWIND Through the Other A single woodwind Side” takes a darker, note is added, hoverartist: My Brightest Diamond more reverb-laden ing over the percusturn. Instead of a dissong to download: “There’s a Rat” sion like a fog. Next tinct melody, there comes Worden’s is a sort of showcase voice, smoky and of the instrumentation to come. Punchy low. Over the course of the song, deep horns, drums open the song, and a string and bells and plucked strings are added, bringwoodwind sections serve as further comple- ing it to a strong climax by the end. ments to Worden’s voice. Free-verse lyrics Both the instrumentation and Worden’s make it obvious why My Brightest Diamond singing are excitingly theatrical. Often, the is frequently referred to as “avant-garde.” orchestral accompaniment conjures images Her almost stream of consciousness lyrical of a performance of “Peter and the Wolf,”



New Releases

KATRINA YEH Hoya Staff Writer

“We Can Make the World Stop” The Glitch Mob We Can Make the World Stop EP

“Princess of China” Coldplay feat. Rihanna Mylo Xyloto

each instrument representing a memory, an idea or an emotion. In addition, Worden’s voice often becomes an instrument itself, like on “Ding Dang,” where the use of onomatopoeia gives the song an extra dimension by playing off the flute and guitar.

The album’s highlight is “There’s a Rat,” a 1960s-style protest song that draws heavily on America’s folk history. Worden uses vocal hiccups that spike her voice into its highest range to personify the rats in her home, a metaphor for the “bankers, lawyers and thieves.”

All Things Will Unwind comes to a close with “I Have Never Loved Someone,” a lullaby tribute to Worden’s newborn son. It presents Worden’s strong, operatic voice and her lyrical style, simple while conveying strong emotions present in the song. As it fades out, she repeats, “You’re OK,” comforting her son, herself and her listeners.

And although she has addressed conflict, longing and pain in previous songs, it’s hard not to be convinced.

“The Drummer” Niki and The Dove The Drummer EP

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The third single from Coldplay’s latest album, Mylo Xyloto, “Princess of China” pushes the boundaries for both Coldplay and Rihanna’s usual styles. The song is loaded with an abundance of sounds focusing heavily on synth and electronica and providing a sense of momentum to its listeners.

The Glitch Mob combines a wide variety of unpredictable instruments, ranging from the violin to the guitar in this heavily electronica-infused song. Though there are no lyrics, the instrumental itself is a feast for the ears.

Swedish band Niki and The Dove presents an unexpectedly upbeat single fresh from its newest EP. Staying true to its title, “The Drummer” features strong percussion that stands out in the song, though there is certainly no shortage of other interesting elements present.

CAPITOL RECORDS

GLASS AIR RECORDS

SUB POP RECORDS

10.21.11 // the guide // 15

best bets

freshly baked — michelle cassidy

friday Take a trip down memory lane with the newest installment of Disney On Ice, called “Dare to Dream.” It features Tangled and Princess and the Frog, two of Disney’s more recent films, as well as the familiar favorite Cinderella. Songs and scenes from all three movies will be in the show as well, so prepare to hum along to some of Disney’s greatest tunes.

WHERE: George Mason University Patriot Center, 4500 Patriot Circle WHEN: Friday, 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

INFO: (202) 397-7328 PRICE: $15-$70 METRO: Vienna Station (Orange line)

KATRINA YEH Special to The Hoya

saturday Thousands of books will be sold at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library during its fall book sale to raise funds for the library’s benefit. The books will be used but in good quality. Enjoy yourself browsing through the shelves this weekend and satisfying your inner bookworm with some new reads.

WHERE: Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Ave. N.W. WHEN: Saturday, Noon INFO: (202) 669-6235 PRICE: Free METRO: Cleveland Park (Red line)

sunday Join in on one of the oldest jam sessions in the United States, led by pianist Peter Edelman and his trio at Columbia Station. The four-hour event features jazz music performed by musicians of all sorts — horn players, guitarists, vocalists and more to come.

WHERE: Columbia Station, 2325 18th St. NW. WHEN: Sunday, 4 p.m.

INFO: (202) 462-6040 PRICE: Free METRO: None