Orientation is about one thing and one thing only.
It's surely not about adjusting to a new setting and making friends; it's about seeking out every possible venue providing free food. There's an international student ice cream social, a whole cavalcade of foods from dining halls and local eateries on Fletcher Field, and a 3Ps barbecue down at the Aidekman Sculpture Court, just to name a few.
But what about the merely national freshman not interested in local eateries and clueless as to what a 3P is? The Daily can't change your nation of origin, but to prepare you for said barbecue-crashing, we can provide information on 3Ps, one of Tufts' largest student-run organizations.
Pen, Paint, & Pretzels, the formal name for 3Ps, is among Tufts' oldest organizations, having produced its first play in 1910. With roughly 70 voting members and 120 students involved, 3Ps is the umbrella organization for many different on-campus theater groups.
In addition to being a stunning example of alliteration, the name Pen, Paint, & Pretzels explains three aspects of theater that 3Ps is concerned with. Obviously enough, "Pen" is representative of the writing that goes into making a production.
In fact, one of 3Ps' groups, Bare Bodkin, was designed specifically to put on productions written by students. This group, founded in 2002, does not perform in the Balch Arena Theater, the site of most 3Ps productions, but in more unusual spots like Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall or Hotung Caf?©. Senior Caitlin Johnson, the vice-president of publicity for 3Ps, describes it as a "politically active and conscious" theater group.
Students also get a chance to flex their writing muscles in the sketch comedy group, Major: Undecided. According to the group's constitution, members are provided "a forum for writers of sketch comedy to workshop their material in a group." While a fairly young organization, Major: Undecided has quickly become one of Tufts' most popular groups, usually selling out their semi-annual shows.
Another 3Ps group, Traveling Treasure Trunk, is unique in that it is co-sponsored by Tufts' umbrella community service organization, the Leonard Carmichael Society. Trunk members write or adapt short skits to be performed in schools, hospitals, or anywhere else with small children in need of entertainment.
Writing is not typically wordless, but Hype!, Tufts' one and only mime troupe, produces at least two on-campus shows a year, each featuring original, and, of course, speechless skits set to music.
So the first "P" is all taken care of, but what about the second? "Paint" best explains the production element involved in the making of a play. 3Ps provides students with opportunities to get involved in every aspect of production.
Students are encouraged to act and produce, as well as design sets and costumes in all 3Ps productions. While 3Ps is currently refining their requirements, students wishing to direct a major production must first take the Directing I course through the Drama Department.
Continually active, 3Ps produces an orientation show, a freshman show, one major production per semester, several minor productions, and some independent projects that students are welcome to audition for or otherwise participate in. 3Ps also has a musical theater faction called Torn Ticket II that specializes in musical theater producing two major shows each year.
This year's freshman show will be the comedic thriller, "Arsenic and Old Lace" written by Joseph Kesselring and directed by senior Luke Yu. This show, almost entirely produced by new students, is an opportunity for freshman to acclimate themselves to the Tufts theater program.
Now, only the most quizzical "P" remains. Apparently, way back in 1910, pretzels were often the snack of choice by theater patrons instead of the more modern "P": popcorn. As such, the third and final "P" is representative of the performance and audience.
A creative, vocal audience is an integral part of a good improv show, as any member of Cheap Sox, Tufts' resident improvisational comedy group, will tell you. The troupe takes suggestions from audience members to come up with spur-of-the-moment skits.
Tufts Dance Collective is yet another 3Ps group that, yes, performs dances at its semi-annual shows. TDC shows are equally fun to watch and participate in. Dancing in general is entertaining and, more sadistically, anyone with any level of dance expertise can join TDC, making performances that much more amusing.
For the more serious dancing set, Sarabande is a dance organization under 3Ps that auditions its members. Participants are expected to have some experience in ballet, modern, jazz and tap dance disciplines.
Now you can impress all your fellow thespians with an expansive knowledge of Tufts theater organizations. And if not about the acquisition of free food, impressing others is surely what freshman orientation is all about.
