Arts

Arts

Beyond the scenes: An exploration of the Film and Media Studies community

By Ava Dettling and Odessa Gaines | April 28

The film industry is a notoriously tough industry to break into, leading many to not even try. That line of thinking tends to extend across smaller film communities, including those on college campuses. The Film and Media Studies Program is relatively new to Tufts’ academic offerings, having only been established in 2015 — but it has already drawn a large crowd of film-lovers.

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Arts

Jo Willman blends ballet, time in senior thesis ‘In Space and Time’

By Matthew Winkler | April 28

Light splashes the vinyl floor of a ballet studio. Silhouettes of tree branches flicker in striated patterns as bodies pirouette, sway and plié atop the light and shadow in abstraction. The dancers’ faces are obscured as the movements of their legs and feet fill up the frame. A new composition forms as a vertical foot ‘en pointe’ freezes. The foot stands in graceful defiance of human anatomy, proudly facing the audience as if a painting to be admired. Such a considered vignette opens Josephine Willman’s senior thesis film, “In Space and Time,” a short documentary that examines the transition from pre-professional ballet training to ballet in a college environment.

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Columns

Video Essayists You Should Watch: The finale

By Basil Hand | April 28

To all my wonderful reader(s?), I’d like to thank you for coming with me on this YouTuber journey! I wish I had started this series earlier, so I could talk more about some of my favorite video essayists but alas, how time flies. In order to make up for seven semesters without content, I’m ...

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Columns

Confessions of a College Shopaholic: Farewell

By Ryan Fairfield | April 28

Well, we have reached the end of my column. We are here at the final iteration. I spent much time contemplating what I would discuss in today’s “Confessions,” and for the first time, my mind went blank. As a farewell message to you, my dear readers, here are some lessons and tips I hope you’ll take from me — little souvenirs from our time together, pulled from my previous confessions.

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Arts

Bryan Miller talks the end of the world in his senior thesis

By Ava Dettling | April 25

The average person would not know what to do with 50 pounds of sand at their disposal — but Tufts senior Bryan Miller is not the average person.

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Arts

Tinashe isn’t ‘back,’ she never left

By Ife Adebanjo | April 25

Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, known mononymously as Tinashe, is a genre-blurring artist whose career has defied simple categorization. As a triple-threat singer, dancer and songwriter, Tinashe is no stranger to the ups and downs of the entertainment industry.

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Arts

DJ Chaia’s ‘Yiddish Electronic’ finds home in the underground

By Eden Weissman | April 25

A new genre of music originating from Boston’s indie scene and conservatory institutions is taking root throughout nightclubs in the United States and abroad. These sounds are spearheaded by DJ Chaia, a student in the Harvard University & New England Conservatory of Music Dual Degree Program and the creator of kleztronica, a style that blends traditional klezmer and Yiddish music with techno and house music.

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Columns

Center Stage: BlackOut

By Nate Hall | April 25

When junior James Hartley attended the O-Show as a first-year in fall 2023, one group in particular caught his attention:BlackOut, Tufts’ all-male step team. Even though he had no dance experience, Hartley was inspired by their performance.Following a club fair event hosted by the Africana Center, he met a member of the team, who encouraged him to audition. Hartley is now the team’s captain.

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Columns

Trunks Full of Treasures: Thrift wrapped

By Fiona Hinrichsen | April 25

I have been thrifting since early high school, digging through my small town’s local thrift spots and coming back from every trip with bags full of vintage clothes. Now that I live in Boston, I knew I had to discover what the local thrift scene here had to offer. With the semester ending, here’s a recap of my finds from the 2024–25 school year!

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Arts

David Rivas Discua’s senior thesis tackles silence in film

By Ryan Fairfield | April 22

As a film and media studies and political science double major, graduating senior David Rivas Discua is the only FMS senior to do a written thesis. When watching films, viewers may be drawn to the visuals or the sound; however, Rivas’ thesis focuses on the importance and meaning of silence in films.

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Arts

Sasha Vogel’s ‘Well and Good’ explores climate justice

By Charlotte Hohneker | April 22

Sasha Vogel is the only student to present a feature-length screenplay for her senior honors film thesis this year. Titled “Well and Good,” the script is a coming-of-age eco-drama that blends climate justice with human relationships. “It basically centers around a group of college students in a climate justice oriented club, who are trying and failing to form a protest, and trying and failing in their interpersonal relationships at the same time,” Vogel explained.

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Arts

Lucy Dacus brings art, emotion and variety to Boston

By Julia Carpi | April 22

Watching Lucy Dacus perform at the MGM Music Hall at Fenwayfelt like a walk through a museum on a rainy day. Both meditative and energetic, the performance brought to life the dynamism ofDacus’ newest album, “Forever Is a Feeling.”

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Columns

Adventures of an A-Lister: A love letter to cinema

By Odessa Gaines | April 22

Well folks, this is it. After over a dozen pieces, two semesters and countless tickets lying forgotten in my calendar, “Adventures of an A-Lister” is officially coming to an end. However, before I say goodbye, I have to highlight my journey. From being chased down by rats in Boston Common to sitting in shock at ticket prices to silently sobbing in an empty theater, this column has been an adventure through and through.

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Arts

Dreams and directing chaos: Lyla Hersh’s surreal film

By Max Nielsen | April 22

When Lyla Hersh began writing the script for her senior thesis film,“On the Nature of Dreams,” the only thing she knew for sure was that it would take place in the late 1990s. Hersh didn’t write her final scene until two days before the shooting date.

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Arts

Khary Jones searches for truth in fragments

By Noah Goldstein | April 18

Though the journey of making a film may be challenging and circuitous, Khary Jones is more than up for the challenge. He’s a man who knows the three-act structure like the back of his hand: At Tufts, he teaches multiple sections of “Screenwriting” — among other electives and directed studies — each semester.

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Arts

Lauren Presley faces the unknown with debut EP ‘Hanging In The Balance’

By Annika Pillai | April 18

In songwriting, emotional transparency is often expected –– but it is not always earned. However, Lauren Presley stands out for how freely she reveals her inner world. The Texas-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter makes a bold entrance with her debut EP “Hanging In The Balance,” which is out today — a project that reads more like a diary cracked open than an introduction into the alternative and dark pop scene.

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Columns

Coffee with Creatives: Enter the magical world of Holly Simon

By Ava Dettling | April 18

The time has come: The final installment of Coffee with Creatives is here. Wipe your tears and pull up your breeches, for we must carry on. I’m choosing to end this magnificent run of creatives on a rather mythical note with the one and only Holly Simon.

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Arts

Where music meets fantasy: ‘The Locked Groove’

By Dominic Matos | April 17

Earlier this semester, I was presented with the opportunity to work on Abby Sommers’ senior thesis film project, “The Locked Groove.” After seeing her outstanding film, “The King of Clarke County Middle School,” at the 2024 Film and Media Studies Program film screening, I knew I did not want to miss out on this. Now, nearly three months since the shoot, I decided to sit down and talk to them about the process.

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Arts

Senior Spotlight: Jack Cline’s path to theatre, aspirations beyond Tufts

By Fiona Hinrichsen | April 17

Tufts senior Jack Cline studies environmental studies and race, colonialism and diaspora with a minor in music. Initially, he didn’t believe a career in the arts was sustainable. However, their experiences over the past four years have dramatically reshaped their perspective, leading them to pursue a career as a pianist.

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Arts

Weekender: ‘Sinners’ is an exploration of our blues

By Odessa Gaines | April 17

Ryan Coogler has struck gold with his new Southern gothic horror period piece“Sinners” (2025). Set in1932, the moviefollows aset of twins, Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), as they return to theirhometown in Mississippi after a seven-year venture into the casino scene of Chicago. The two businessmen plan to open a juke joint for their home community to enjoy food, drinks and — most importantly — the blues. Smoke and Stack travel around their small town,recruiting old friends to help put together a new space for the largely nonwhite community — a necessity, especially in the era ofJim Crow.

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