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The Puppy Episode Highlights

ARTS & CULTURE

March 4, 2022 Established 1874 Volume 151, Number 13

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The Puppy Episode Highlights ’90s Queer Experiences

In Matthew Recio and Royce Vavrek’s original opera The Puppy Episode, people of all ages and in all stages of life grapple with their sexualities in the wake of the 1997 coming-out episode of Ellen.

Courtesy of Yevhen Gulenko

Katie Kunka

Production Manager

On Feb. 16, this year’s Winter Term opera The Puppy Episode made its production debut in Warner Concert Hall. The show was composed by Matthew Recio with libretto by Royce Vavrek. The Puppy Episode remembers the titular episode from Ellen DeGeneres’ sitcom Ellen as a queer cultural milestone and recontextualizes queerness and coming out in the ’90s through the fictional stories of a variety of LGBTQ+ characters.

Commissioned by Chicago Opera Theater, Recio initially set out to write a chamber opera with queer characters, but it wasn’t until he teamed up with librettist Vavrek that the idea to write it about DeGeneres came about.

“I wasn’t necessarily interested in writing an opera about her, but then when Royce described what it was, I was like, ‘Actually I think that’s very compelling,’” Recio said. “I think a lot of people forget about that time that she came out and what that meant for media and what that meant for the queer community.”

DeGeneres’ character on the show, Ellen Morgan, came out as a lesbian almost 25 years ago on April 30, 1997, in a two-part Ellen episode strategically called “The Puppy Episode” to keep its intentions a secret. The episode sent shockwaves across the U.S., receiving acclaim and backlash for its queer representation. Sixteen days earlier, Ellen DeGeneres herself came out to the world with her iconic Time magazine cover, announcing, “Yep, I’m Gay.”

Although the opera involves these true events — and even features an Ellen-esque character, Comedian, played by Conservatory second-year Elizabeth Hanje — The Puppy Episode’s complex storyline focuses more on the experiences of four gay characters living in a pre-“Puppy Episode” world. Friends Gil and Clay, played by Conservatory first-year Chris Leimgruber and Conservatory third-year Jon Motes respectively, struggle to confess their love for each other as two teenage boys growing up in a hypermasculine, homophobic society. Phyllis, played by Conservatory fourth-year Jaclyn Hopping, is an elderly woman with dementia living in an assisted living facility; she confuses her nurse for her past love interest, Dot, played by Conservatory thirdyear Callie Iliff. Iliff also plays Louise, a closeted lesbian who comes out to her husband of 15 years, Joe, played by Conservatory fourth-year Anthony D.Anderson who also plays Gil’s Father and Man in Houndstooth.

According to Assistant Professor of Opera Theater and Director Christopher Mirto, one of the many strengths of The Puppy Episode is its ability to showcase a diverse cast of queer characters.

“The hope was always to find space in the Winter Term opera for underrepresented voices or for diverse voices.” Mirto said. “I was the most struck to put gay characters on stage. As a gay man it felt really exciting to be able to be part of a show that was of a moment that I lived through. … It was really great to give this show to a generation of people who both lived through it and a generation of people who — thankfully — don’t actually have to live through that right now.”

Motes echoed that, for younger generations, The Puppy Episode serves as a reminder of the reality of queer individuals born before the 21st century.

“We watched the episode, we watched these inter-

See The Puppy Episode, page 12

Underclassman Bands Make Campus Comeback

Sierra Colbert

Senior Staff Writer

Over the decades, Oberlin has made a name for itself by fostering young musicians and, along with it, the formation of countless student bands through open mic nights, house shows, and jam sessions. A shared passion for music drew many students to Oberlin in the first place; however, when students returned to campus in fall 2021 after the COVID-19 lockdown, they were met with a music scene in need of restoration.

Many second-year musicians’ first experiences with music at Oberlin took place on a somewhat desolate campus during the COVID-19 induced three-semester academic year. Sarah Krohn, a College second-year and founding member of the band Almost Tuesday, recalled feeling stuck as the pandemic struck down her original hopes for getting involved in the music scene at Oberlin.

“I definitely had a lot of expectations coming to Oberlin with music, since it’s kind of the most important part of my life,” Krohn said. “I knew I wanted to be in a band at some point, … but it was a little bit difficult in the first year because … there was no place to even rehearse with anyone.”

Krohn was not the only younger Obie who struggled to find a foothold in the music scene due to the pandemic. College second-year Helene Prince, who recently performed in a concert at the Bike Co-op, noted that isolation and limited programming

Asleep in My Palm Shot in Oberlin Over Winter Term

Conservatory fifth-year Henry Nelson (left) and his father, actor Tim Blake Nelson (right) collaborated on a film shot in Oberlin in January.

Photo courtesy of Deadline

Kathleen Kelleher Arts & Culture Editor

Filming for Conservatory fifth-year Henry Nelson’s feature film, Asleep in My Palm, wrapped up in Oberlin over Winter Term. The drama, which stars Henry’s father, critically acclaimed actor Tim Blake Nelson, revolves around the story of a man raising his daughter in a storage unit in rural Ohio. Her coming of age is set against the backdrop of a liberal arts college town, and explores the struggles of the college’s relationship with its surrounding rural areas.

“I thought it was a story well worth telling,” Tim said. “It came out of the mind of my son Henry; every scene and every character is his. I think he was struck from when he arrived at Oberlin by the dichotomy between the more depressed surroundings of Northeastern Ohio and the rarified setting of a liberal arts college within that. The movie is really an effort to address, in a sensitive, sometimes funny, and ultimately tragic way, the contrast that he tended to perceive.”

The film, which Tim also produced, was crewed in part by Oberlin students, some for Winter Term credit and some for pay. Henry said the choice to fill minor production roles with students not only brought more hands on deck, but also brought a new sense of eagerness to the crew.

“The College was incredibly supportive, and additionally, we were able to bring in a lot of students to work on the movie, which brought great spirit and ability, but also made a low-budget production all the more supported in terms of camera assistance, wardrobe assistance, PAs, boom operators,” he said. “A lot of the students were able to support the movie — many of them for Winter [Term] credit. That brought incredible value to the crew in terms of manpower.”

Double-degree fifth-year Will Curry worked in the camera department and also collaborated with Henry, his best friend since day one of orientation, on the score. Curry says he learned a lot on the job.

“We all just worked together; it was a small enough crew that I got to do a lot of stuff, and they taught me a lot, so it was great,” Curry said. “Everyone was really welcoming of me, and I felt like the only thing I could do was have a really positive attitude, show up on time, and just work all day. … They described it to me as being military, and it kind of was; it was very regimented. Everything had to be readily available for quick transitions.”

The majority of the students employed on the film were friends of Henry’s, which he said felt like an exciting clashing of his different worlds.

“I brought on as many of my friends as I could,” he said. “It was incredible. I had folks come from New York who I had known since middle school, and some folks I’d known from high school, all meeting people I’d met here, also meeting people I’d met when I crewed on other movies. … It was really stressful, but also really really fulfilling and amazing, and I loved working with a lot of these folks, I love working with my dad.”

The father-son team both expressed enthusiasm about working together, a lifelong dream that was finally fulfilled for both.

“It was amazing and hilarious,” Henry said. “I grew up following him to set, so to work with him was pretty wild. I love sets and I’d go every time I could, and to be there with him, both of us working, was a trip. It was also hilarious because we’d fight in front of the crew sometimes.”

The film is in post-production, with both Nelsons chipping away at it from editing rooms in Oberlin and New York in the hope that the film will be complete by this summer.

“We’re cutting it together, and it’s inching closer and closer to where I want it to be,” Henry said.

Both father and son are thrilled about the experience of working together on their first collaborative feature film. As a father, Tim said he could not be more happy with working with his son.

“Henry just continues to impress me — he just delivered a scene that he put together today that was just breathtakingly conceived,” he said. “It’s so gratifying for me, both as a collaborator and a parent, to see what he’s up to — to experience what he’s up to. … We’ve been wanting to do this since he was 11. Even when he was 11 and we would fantasize about it, I always believed it would happen because he’s got a great visual sense; he’s a wonderful writer.”

Book Nook: A Tale for the Time Being

Ruth Ozeki’s book, A Tale For the Time Being, centers the experiences of young women of color going through mental health issues.

Cover by Viking Press

Angel Aduwo Opinions Editor

Editor’s Note: This article mentions suicide.

“Hi! My name is Nao and I am a time being.”

After spending my third summer in a row severely depressed, I found myself at the local library, browsing the shelves in a way I hadn’t since I was kid. In fact, this was probably my first time in the adult fiction section of that library. I used to go to the library all the time, but my indecisive nature meant that picking out a book could sometimes take me hours and would occasionally send me into a fit of panic over the overwhelming number of choices. So I developed a method: picking a random row of shelves and taking out the first book that caught my eye. Then, I’d read the synopsis on the back of the book; if it seemed interesting, I’d take it home, and if not, I’d try again. It’s through this method that I found myself on my knees, picking through the bottom of the R–S shelf that I discovered A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

A Tale for the Time Being is a sincere love letter to young women of color who struggle with mental health issues and suicidal tendencies.

The book focuses on the perspective of a 16-year-old Japanese girl named Nao who details her day-to-day life in her diary while simultaneously trying to narrate the life story of her great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun. The novel switches between Nao’s diary and the perspective of 40-yearold Japanese-American novelist Ruth, who emigrated to Canada and happened upon Nao’s diary washed up on shore while strolling along the beach. Through the diary, we get a firsthand glimpse into Nao’s life as she seems to almost break the fourth wall and talk directly to us as the readers, which, among other things, appears to be one of her abilities as a self-proclaimed “time being.” The character of Ruth seems to serve as a stand-in for readers as she becomes engrossed in Nao’s diary and gets a glimpse of the highs and lows of the young girl’s life, eventually feeling an intense sense of urgency to figure out who Nao is as the young girl’s life begins to spiral out of control.

A Tale for the Time Being is an earnest depiction of the realities of being a young person struggling with mental illness. Ozeki depicts Nao’s life without condescension or patronization. She has no falsely optimistic moral to force on her readers, nor does she simply depict a grim existence without nuance or emotion. Ozeki is witty, impactful, and most importantly, honest. Using the format of a diary, she is able to give us a unique perspective of Nao’s life and make it seem as if Nao is reaching through the page.

Nao is not like the typical white, middle-class protagonists overrepresented in narratives that deal with mental health and suicide. A Tale for the Time Being is a great novel for young people of color who feel alone and feel as if no one understands what they’re going through. The novel deals with topics of identity, immigration, bullying, sexual assault, and family dynamics in a way that is tender and sincere. Reading about Nao’s quirky charm and unbridled honesty is what made A Tale for the Time Being a bright point in an otherwise dim summer.

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