F E AT U R E S
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
Theater alumna stars in Netflix show Stefanée Martin acts in the Netflix original series, “The Get Down.” By KELLEY HEY For The Temple News For Stefanée Martin, a 2012 theater alumna, a normal commute on the train could become an enthusiastic encounter with a stranger. Martin plays Yolanda Kipling on “The Get Down,” which debuted on Netflix on Aug. 12. “The Get Down,” created by Baz Luhrmann, is set in the 1970s as a fictional portrayal of the rise of hip-hop, punk and disco in New York. Martin said people who have approached her in person usually have a connection to the show in some way. She said many people talk to her about growing up in the 70s. Some have even discussed their love of hip-hop culture with her. Martin’s desire to be an actress grew out of an unwillingness to go to her neighborhood high school. Martin, a Maryland native, attended a performing arts high school and began studying acting. “Acting, for me, combines a lot of the things I already like. Things that otherwise would be hobbies of mine like reading, writing and connecting with others,” Martin said. She decided to study theater at Temple after falling in love with Philadelphia and the diversity of Temple’s campus, she said. “I met some really amazing artists and really connected to Temple and the
city of Philadelphia,” Martin said. At Temple, Martin learned different approaches to acting to which she was previously unexposed, like the Lecoq technique, which uses mask work, and the Michael Chekhov technique, which focuses on the actor’s imagination. During her time at Temple, she starred as Marianne in the 17th-century French play “Tartuffe.” She also played Wendla in excerpts of the play “Spring Awakening.” Paury Flowers, the recruitment coordinator for the Theater Film and Media Arts Recruitment Office, said Martin’s breakout role is like a “flag on the moon” for students currently studying theater. “It shows somebody was here, somebody did this. Now you go out and be great,” Flowers added. “If this is the pathway you’re thinking about, not only is it possible, but you have all of the resources at Temple to be able to create these opportunities.” Martin said performing live is “electrifying.” “It’s a mix of doing what you feel like you were born to do and also being completely pushed out of your comfort zone,” Martin said. After graduating from Temple, Martin continued to study acting at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco where she received a master’s in acting in 2015. It was at her senior showcase for the school that she was noticed by Dawn Steinberg, vice president of casting for Sony. Steinberg reached out to her about auditioning for “The Get Down.” While still in school, she filmed and sent in an audition tape. Luhrmann loved it and cast Martin in the show.
Martin said casting was a “crazy process” at the beginning and at first, she didn’t have many details about the project or her role. “I thought it was a pilot. I thought I was maybe going to be needed for a couple of days and it would be over,” she said. Martin’s character is the best friend of Mylene Cruz, one of the main characters on the show. “Yolanda is a real young woman of her community and of her neighborhood,” Martin said. “She knows everyone in the area she lives in.” Martin also described her character as a “bright energy” and “the life of the party.” To prepare for the role, Martin studied the time period in which the show is set. She watched a lot of documentaries and news clips, read books about “Soul Train,” the musical variety show and studied the music and art of the 70s. “I really wanted to learn not the Wikipedia facts, but what was prevalent to my characters life, lifestyle, community and neighborhood,” she said. Martin said her character pushes her friends to follow their dreams, a trait she feels she shares. “I think I can relate to that kind of drive especially with close friends if I know that they are dreaming about something,” Martin said. “Just go out there and do it. The world is yours.” kelley.hey@temple.edu Grace Shallow contributed reporting.
Two fashion weeks, a shift in perspective A student reflects on the fashion scenes in Philadelphia and Paris.
The Fashion Incubator helps up-and-coming designers network, build business models and perfect their design skills. Philly fashion brands and designers like Milano di Rouge and Conrad Booker, a 1986 architecture alumnus, participated in the Incubator program. Programs like the Incubator exist in Philadelphia, a city with a rich history and several art and design schools, in order to help emerging artists and designers get their start in the fashion world and encourage the close-knit and supportive community. But when I took what I thought was my dream internship in Paris, I learned that not every city’s fashion scene has the same environment. Working at a fashion magazine in Paris wasn’t like “The Devil Wears Prada.” I didn’t have any traumatic moments, no one made comments about what I ate for lunch and it didn’t matter if I wore H&M. But Paris wasn’t Philly. Going from what is regarded as the poorest “big city” in the United States to one of the wealthiest cities in Europe was disorienting, and it was only emphasized by the elite industry in which I was working. I sat front row at couture fashion shows, feet from gowns that took up to 800 hours to produce and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and couldn’t help but think back to an interview I did with Regina McWhite-Brown, a Philadelphia-based small business owner and designer. She brought her teenage son to the interview to film us as camera practice; he wanted to go to film school after he graduated high school. I watched model after model walk by and they all looked the same — haute couture simply doesn’t have the diversity that PFW does. I spent my time at work tweeting about fashion houses started by old — or dead — white men and thought of Ashli Reese, a Fashion Incubator alumnae, owner and designer of Melvetier and a single mom fighting lupus. I didn’t feel good standing among Chanel-clad influencers and street-style photographers and I found myself missing the connections I made with emerging designers in Philly. Finally, it dawned on me that I’m never going to care about what Miss France wore to Tony Ward’s couture show, but I do care about Philadelphia. My summer in Paris helped me realize that fashion isn’t for me, but you’ll still see me at Philly Fashion Week. There’s still a place for me in the front row supporting Philadelphia businesses and artists.
I often felt out of place in Paris. When I arrived for my summer abroad, Duolingo, an app used to learn new languages, told me I was 3 percent fluent in French. I struggled to order “macarons” from the “patisserie” around the corner from my apartment. I didn’t understand why no one ordered coffee to-go and I definitely didn’t know the difference between “camembert” and “brie.” I flew to Paris knowing I was going to feel out of place. I knew I would get dirty looks for saying “bonjour” with a South Jersey accent and I knew my bright yellow raincoat immediately labeled me a tourist. I was ready to be an outsider because the opportunity to work at a fashion magazine in Paris was worth it to me. ERIN MORAN As a journalism major, DEPUTY FEATURES I spent a lot of my time EDITOR writing about fashion. I wrote for various publications about trends and whatever that week’s “big thing” was, but somewhere along the way I realized that I no longer cared about trendy dresses or the “Five Accessories You NEED from Fashion Week.” I realized that what I really loved writing about were local Philadelphia designers who had stories to tell about their designs, their businesses and being involved in the Philly fashion scene. During my semester as a fashion beat writer for The Temple News, I got to talk to several local designers and business owners who all told me the same general thing about fashion in Philly: they were proud that the scene was growing, but they loved the close-knit, supportive feel. Philly Fashion Week, which is this week, culminates with The Runway I and II, each featuring 10 local and national designers. The Runway I and II are the largest fashion shows of PFW. PFW also includes the Macy’s Fall Fashion Show, a runway show that features Designers-in-Residence from the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator at Macy’s Center City, a one-year education program for emerging Philly SASHA LASAKOW | THE TEMPLE NEWS fashion designers.
erin.moran@temple.edu
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EVENTS
Homecoming festivities taking place this week Until Sunday, there will be a series of events on Main Campus in honor of Homecoming Week. To start, Nick Cannon and the cast of MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out” will be performing in the Temple Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. tonight. Students must present an OWLcard to gain access to the event. On Friday at 2:30 p.m., there will be a golf cart parade at the Bell Tower featuring different student organizations, departments, schools and colleges. At 3:30 p.m., the Diamond Marching Band and spirit squad will perform as part of the Cherry On Pep Rally. There will also be free food and t-shirts available while supplies last. At the Lincoln Financial Field, Temple Football will face the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday at noon. A free tailgate for the game, including food and prizes, will begin at 9 a.m. in Lot K of the Lincoln Financial Field. The first 5,000 fans to enter the game will receive a free rally towel courtesy of the Temple University Alumni Association. Admission to the game is free for students. -Grace Shallow
Sept. 22 Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance social From 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, the Temple chapter of Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance will hold its first annual member social in Room 217 of the Student Center. The event will allow participants to meet current members and, according to OwlConnect, engage in a “laid back night of fun, feminism and friendship.” Snacks will be available, but interested parties are also encouraged to bring snacks to share. For those interested in joining the club, the FMLA’s general body meetings are held every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in Room 307 of the Tuttleman Learning Center. -Grace Shallow
‘Convergence’ dance performance in Conwell Hall on Sept. 23 At Conwell Dance Theater, DanceSpora, a Trentonbased dance company, will perform “Convergence” on Friday at 6 and 9 p.m. David Austin, one of DanceSpora’s directors, is a 1992 alumnus. The performance will be DanceSpora’s Fringe Festival debut. Each performance of “Convergence” will include two compositions. “Near Dark” is choreographed by Pennsylvania Ballet alumna Heidi Cruz-Austin. On its website, DanceSpora describes the piece as an exploration of “the internal dichotomy between Awareness and Ego.” The other piece, “Scrapbox,” is choreographed by Felicia Cruz. Tickets are $10 for students with an OWLcard. -Ian Walker
Annual Mosaic Concert returns to TPAC on Friday On Friday at 7:30 p.m., the annual Mosaic Concert will be taking place in the Temple Performing Arts Center. This event features performances from multiple Boyer student soloists and on-campus ensembles, like the Temple Wind Symphony and Temple Jazz Band. The concert will feature musical works composed by Shoshtakovich, Weill, Hogan, Albéniz, Vaughan Williams, Reich, Gillespie and Hindemith, among many others. The event is open to the public and requires no tickets. -Grace Shallow
Lotus to perform at Mann Center on Sept. 24 On Saturday, Lotus will be performing an all-ages show on the Skyline Stage at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts which is located in Fairmount Park. Lotus is performing in support of their new album “Eat the Light.” The instrumental electronic jam band will be accompanied by Tycho, an ambient music project, as the opener. Doors for the event will open at 5 p.m., and tickets are being sold through Ticketmaster. -Jenny Stein features@temple-news.com