Orientation is a daunting week for freshmen. It is a time for hooking up printers, awkward first encounters with roommates, language placement exams and jet lag — not to mention this infernal humidity. In the middle of all this stress, what could be better than a night or two of music and comedy, conveniently located downhill at the Balch Arena Theater?
Over the course of the week, Tufts' performing arts umbrella organization, Pens, Paint, and Pretzels (known to anyone with respect for lung capacity as 3Ps), will present a bevy of performances ranging anywhere from witty British farce to mime.
These performances may be seen as a time to kick back and relax, but viewers will find themselves energized and involved in this showcase of Tufts talent. Participation is even sometimes mandatory, as audience members assume an important role in the musical theater organization Torn Ticket II's "The 25th Annual Balch Arena Spelling Bee."
The three major Orientation Week performances display the range and depth of student talent at Tufts. At the Comedy Show on Aug. 28, the full force of sketch comedy, improv, children's theater, student-written work and mime combine to make for a riveting night.
Major:Undecided, Tufts' sketch comedy troupe, will perform four student-written sketches, with three of the four featuring a college theme. "These are just something fun to start off with — a chance to show the kind of new, crazy things we like to do," said senior Rachel Chervin, the director of M:U.
Also from the student-written sector is the group Bare Bodkin, which will showcase a 10-minute play by sophomore Aaron Zucker titled "In Distress." Originally written for a playwriting class, the play follows the trials and tribulations of a damsel with a penchant for putting herself in harm's way, and the devoted prince and evil villain who are taken for a ride.
Cheap Sox, Tufts' short- and long-form improv comedy troupe, will also make an appearance in the Comedy show. The 23-year-old troupe will be in the mix with HYPE!, Tufts' and New England's only collegiate mime troupe, and Traveling Treasure Trunk, a children's theater troupe. Performances from Traveling Treasure Trunk will be tailored to a college audience for the show, though one play for children, "Where the Wild Things Are," will be incorporated.
On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, 3Ps brings a one-two punch with the British farce "Black Comedy," followed by a spin off of a popular Broadway show, "The 25th Annual Balch Arena Spelling Bee."
For those who prefer a more traditional format, "Black Comedy" and "Spelling Bee" will (sort of) fit the description. "Black Comedy," written by Peter Schaffer, is a blend of wit and highbrow humor with a touch of slapstick.
The show takes place during an art showing in an apartment, when a sudden and devastating power outage occurs. Mistaken identities abound, along with hilarious characterizations envisioned by the director, junior Jess Bidgood, who is also a features editor for the Daily and a long-time 3Ps actor making her directorial debut.
Following intermission, Torn Ticket II presents what director Jeewon Kim, a sophomore, terms "an abbreviated version" of the Broadway hit, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," tailored to the incoming freshman class.
The show features a mock spelling bee with quirky, larger-than-life characters showing off their spelling skills against audience volunteers.
The show is lively and hilarious, and the purpose, according to Kim, is really "to give everyone a good time."
This vast 3Ps lineup for Orientation Week provides the perfect entertaining opportunity to observe and explore the exciting possibilities for involvement in the many student theater groups at Tufts.
