For the uninitiated, maneuvering through the seemingly impenetrable maze of tables at the student activities fair can be quite the challenge, especially for drama queens and kings. Tufts, after all, is home to well over a dozen different performance art organizations.
For an introduction to the scene, the creatively inclined but currently clueless would be well advised to check out the enigmatically named Pen, Paint, and Pretzels, better known on campus as 3Ps.
3Ps is an umbrella organization for student-run performance groups at Tufts, including five theater companies (Bare Bodkin, the Black Theater Company, Torn Ticket II, Rat-a-Tat, and Traveling Treasure Trunk), two comedy troupes (Cheap Sox and Major: Undecided), two dance ensembles (Sarabande and the Tufts Dance Collective), a mime group (HYPE!), and Tufts' own television station, TUTV.
The weekly meetings of 3Ps allow groups a way to promote their productions, announce auditions, ask for assistance and stay connected in the campus performing arts scene. Members of the aforementioned groups, as well as all students who participate in shows produced by 3Ps or the Department of Drama and Dance, are eligible to become a voting member of Pen, Paint, and Pretzels.
"This year I would particularly like to see a stronger connection between all of the groups under the 3Ps umbrella" said 3Ps President, senior Maureen Donohue.
In addition to serving as a liaison between the 11 diverse groups, 3Ps also sponsors performances of its own, producing one large-scale major and two minor plays each semester, plus its orientation and first-year shows.
The featured major production in 3Ps' fall season is Edward Albee's Pulitzer-winning play, "A Delicate Balance," an examination of the perils of modern life that abounds with dark comic wit. The three-act drama centers on a middle-aged married couple whose complacency is shattered by the arrival of four unexpected houseguests. The November show will be directed by graduate student Natka Bianchini; auditions will be held during the second week of classes.
For an immediate taste of Tufts' vibrant theater scene, head down to the Balch Arena Theater to take in 3Ps' orientation show, "The Compete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," at 7 p.m. on Sunday and 10 p.m. on Monday. Have no fear: this Shakespeare send-up is neither stodgy nor soporific. The director, junior Caitlin Johnson, has eagerly taken on the challenge of cramming the bard's entire 37-play career into a hilarious 97 minutes.
Torn Ticket II, a 3Ps affiliate, will also be on hand to perform songs from Tony Award-winning "Avenue Q," a decidedly adult take on "Sesame Street."
If these performances whet your appetite, 3Ps' first-year show provides an excellent opportunity for interested freshmen. Would-be thespians should note that there is no competition from seasoned drama majors here, and experienced designers, technical directors, producers, and stage managers will mentor those students interested in getting involved in the behind-the-scenes action.
Be ready to don your antennae for this year's production, "The Insect Play" by the Capek Brothers. It will be performed in November and directed by junior Brendan Shea. Written in Czechoslovakia shortly after the end of World War I, this clever work of social commentary uses anthropomorphized insect characters to comment on human greed and the futility of war.
3Ps welcomes all freshmen to their first meeting on Monday, September 12 at noon in the Balch Arena Theater.
