Arts – The Oberlin Review

A Look Behind the Scenes: Choreographing Physical Intimacy

September 13, 2019

As a younger actor, I remember times when I sat across from the actor playing my romantic interest, each of us stumped by the next line in the script: “The two share a passionate kiss.” “Let’s skip that part,” I’d suggest, timidly. While it’s possible to side-step around this stage direction for the first few weeks of rehearsal, the moment inevitably comes when the intimate scene must get staged. In my experience, what follows has ranged from giggling teenage awkwardness t...

“E. Pluribus” Recontextualizes 9/11 in Analysis of Conflict

September 13, 2019

Walking into the Firelands Association for Visual Arts gallery for a panel focusing on the 18th anniversary of 9/11, I expected tense silence. Instead, I was met with excited conversation and laughter between an intimate audience and the panelists. The mood didn’t match the somber nature of the day, but I sensed that this would inspire the crowd to continue the conversation after the event. The panel concluded the FAVA’s “E. Pluribus” exhibition, a collection of artworks depicting war fro...

“The Innocents” Shines Light on Falsely Incarcerated, Wrongful Imprisonment

September 13, 2019

Objects like rocks, pots, pans, and trash cans may not sound like typical musical instruments, but they are artfully used to produce The Innocents, a percussionist exhibit that will be performed this Sunday, Sept. 15. Percussionist John Lane and Allen Otte, OC ’72, created The Innocents to address issues of wrongful imprisonment, the American criminal justice system, and exoneration. This is one of many projects, including several at Oberlin, that advocate for prison reform through artistic means.�...

Grown-up Losers Club Confronts Evil Clown in “IT: Chapter Two”

Kushagra Kar, Production Editor

September 13, 2019

Clowns can be fun. They prance around in their absurdly large shoes, make balloon animals, and usually have no qualms about cracking the occasional slapstick joke. However, popular culture has not been kind to this wholesome community, often depicting clowns as the kind of monster that will hide under our beds. If IT Chapter Two can teach us anything, it’s that clowns have feelings too, and all they really want to is to make friends. It (2017) and its recent sequel follow the story of seven teenagers (known as “The Losers Club”) as they face down Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Played by Bill Skarsgård, Pennywise is a monster shrouded in mystery, inevitably leading to endless exposition that slowly unveils his o...

Maxwell Addae and Barnaby Woods, Obertones

September 13, 2019

Double-degree fourth-year Maxwell Addae and College third-year Barnaby Woods are the respective music director and president of the Obertones, Oberlin’s premier a cappella group for people who identify with the experience of manhood. This summer, the group released their first single, “Dream On,” which Addae arranged during his first year at Oberlin. They discussed the single, last year’s iteration of their annual spring tour, their legacy as a group on campus, and their goals within the Ob...

Comic

September 13, 2019

An Astrological Crossword

September 13, 2019

ACROSS 1 Celestial body. 8 One of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals; proud, hardworking. 9 The Cancer symbol. 10 A well-accessorized constellation. 11 The most organized sign. 14 A December sign, abbreviated. 16 All eyes on them. 18 This sign determines your basic, core identity. 20 Birth _____. 21 The society where astrology originated. 24 A popular astrology app. 26 Two-faced. 27 The planet of the mind. DOWN 1 Something’s a lit...

Upcoming Festival Features Concerts and Panels on Mortality

September 6, 2019

This weekend will be an exciting one, featuring music, discussions, poetry, and art — all centered, surprisingly, around mortality. On Saturday, Sept. 7 and Sunday, Sept. 8, the Conservatory will host the “End of Life, End of Time” festival. The festival was created by Professor of Violin Sibbi Bernhardsson, OC ’95, who became fascinated by pieces written late in composers’ careers. “The subject of art created at the end of the artists’ life is a compelling one,” Bernhardsson ...

Introducing New Students to Quirky Orientation Week Traditions

Kate Fishman, Arts & Culture Editor

September 6, 2019

When I plopped down into a pew in Finney Chapel last Sunday, halfway through Robert Post’s one-man variety show, I was soaked from the rain outside, exhausted, and confused by what was happening in front of me. Post is a physical comedian, and one whose dubbed-over acts felt at times reminiscent of something like CLUE or The Rocky Horror Picture Show — dated, achingly meme-able, and only partially self-aware. My generation chases ironic humor — I think our of everything in Post’s show, a de-contextualized video segment where he vlogged his travels through Cowboy Town, IN— an excerpt from his “POST from the Road” series — drew the most laughs. This was Post’s fourth show on campus, and a was an effort...

Slavery’s Modern-Day Impact Felt in “Afterlives of the Black Atlantic”

Jaimie Yue, Production Editor

September 6, 2019

“Afterlives of the Black Atlantic,” the Allen Memorial Art Museum’s latest exhibit, seeks to redefine the written history of slavery. The show commemorates the 400th anniversary of when African slaves on the English warship White Lion landed at Point Comfort in the Colony of Virginia on August 20, 1619. This date marks the 400 years since the beginning of institutional slavery. Curated by Assistant Professor of Art History Matthew Rarey and the Allen’s Ellen Johnson ’33 Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Dr. Andrea Gyorody, the exhibition will be on display at the museum until May 2020. The exhibit argues that slavery is neither geographically exclusive nor exclusive to the ...

On the Record with Dizzy Fae, R&B Artist

September 6, 2019

Dizzy Fae is a rising R&B artist from Minneapolis. At just 21 years old, she has shared the stage with an impressive list of musicians. Shortly after graduating from her performing arts high school in 2017, she went on tour with pop icon Lizzo. Since then, she has also performed alongside artists like Kehlani, Toro Y Moi, and Jorja Smith, and at 2019 World Pride in NY. Last Friday, students packed the Cat in the Cream to watch her perform as part of the New Student Orientation Week series. Th...

Now Introducing: Book Nook

September 6, 2019

Join Book Nook, our new Review book club! Every month, the Arts & Culture Section will feature one book written by Obies or about the town of Oberlin. You have the chance to read along with us and submit your own review. The Review is asking its readers to write a short response that encapsulates their thoughts about the book. All you have to do is write a few paragraphs — about 300 words – with your opinions and send it to [email protected], and you may be published alongside some of...