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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Folks, this is it. The last iteration of this epic, earth-shattering column that was initially cooked up in a dusty old basement under Curtis Hall in the wee hours of the morning. It’s been such a delightful journey for me, from browsing the shelves at Waterstones in Chelsea to digging through stacks at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, as I try to find the next best read.
While shooting his senior thesis project, first-time filmmaker Mitchell Brown encountered a problem no screenwriting class could have prepared him for.Brown’s story — a psychological thriller about a father trying to reconnect with his family while coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder — relied heavily on windows. More specifically, the character’s compulsions to fiddle with and adjust the windows. However, when the team arrived to shoot at an Airbnb in Malden, the windows had been sealed shut by the owner.
Admittedly, I am the first to roll my eyes and scoff at literature of the ‘don’t worry, be happy’ genre. There is nothing more vexing than being told to calm down during moments of intense anxiety. For that reason, I typically steer clear of any media that encourages us to ‘cheer up.’ That being said, Victoria Hutchins’ “Make Believe: Poems for Hoping Again” represents a clear exception to this rule. It is the honesty and brutality with which Hutchins writes that transforms this poetry collection from one of toxic positivity to one of unwavering hope.
For more than 60 years, the Jackson Jills have been arranging, singing and performing at Tufts. The Jills were named after Cornelia Maria Jackson, who was the namesake of Jackson College, Tufts’ counterpart for female students at the time of its founding. The name stuck after the schools merged in 1980. Today, the Jills continue to honor their history while looking for new ways to innovate their sound.
For Anevay Ybáñez, storytelling is not just an art; it is a commitment. Her senior thesis project is a powerful documentary that delves into the lived realities of the United States Mexico border, the place she calls home.
The colors on the screen rise and fall, nearly bursting from the borders of the geometric shapes.Walter Ruttmann’s 1921 short film “Lichtspiel Opus I”is oil paint on glass, but tonight in The Rockwell,the film is also sound and touch on sight. There is the seesaw of violin and song. Voices slip in and out of harmony. Triangles stab downward, and the voices become gasps and whistles. The dancer moves in front of the screen. Her arms roll over her body, which is enveloped in lime green. Aural crescendos match the swelling of shape and color.
This past weekend, the Tufts Dance Collective put on an incredible performance led by an exceptional team: Kylie McNulty, Luke Morris, Mia Parangalan, Ali Wawner and Molly Sullivan. The show, titled“H.A.G.S,” featured a variety of creative dance compilations, including “The Lana Del Reaping,” “Does Bruno Mars is Gay?” and “Good Will Cunting.”
When I walked into the theaters this past weekend for nighttime showing of “The Amateur” (2025), I was not expecting for my eyes to be glued to the screen for every single minute.
At the“Hands Off!” protest in Boston on April 5, Chantal Zakari, SMFA professor of the practice,was among the crowd.In 2020, Zakari taught a course called “Subversive Graphics: Socially Engaged Art,” which discussed recent artistic protest movements and art methods, including street graphics, books and short-lived print. Using this expertise,she gave her insight on the posters for the “Hands Off!” protest.
Since the summer of 2024, Tufts senior, writer and director Kelly Kimbis has been working on her narrative short film, “The Hitman’s Laundromat.” While the film is influenced by Kimbis’ love for crime films and the crime genre, the real inspiration for her film came from an unlikely place.
Justin Vernon has long been a reluctant prophet of pain. Ever since his now-mythologized retreat to a Wisconsin cabin to record “For Emma, Forever Ago” in 2007, the Bon Iver frontman has stood at the center of a tension between raw emotional expression and the performance of that expression — between self-exploration and the expectation of sadness. But “SABLE, fABLE,” Bon Iver’s long-awaited fifth studio album, dares to ask a question few saw coming: What if Bon Iver, but happy?
