And we're back.
It's been a long slump, but I will be back in reviewing mode tonight with a new piece on Live Five's Girls Girls Girls. Then it will be time for me to revisit my draft of A History of Breathing which I never quite finished. I never really got the hang of this blogging thing, but I shall keep pressing onward for the time being.
I had the pleasure of being part of We the Artists last night, our second annual U of S Fine Arts cooperative gala. Last year I went in an observational capacity to do an article for The Sheaf. This year I got the position of contributor (a bit of a stealth move on my part, given that I am no longer a student) by co-writing a sketch with my good friend "Emperor" Torien Cafferata.
There was a tremendous amount of talent on display from the students of our fine arts departments: drama, music, visual arts. I did not have a lot of time to peruse the artworks on display, but I did see some striking imagination. The dramatic and musical performances which ran the whole night were wonderful, though unfortunately they had to compete against the continuous murmur of the crowd. It's a bit disconcerting for someone to perform in an atmosphere such as this when you are used to a darkened theatre with an audience in rapt attention. The free-flow between the seating in front of the stage and the laid-back gala atmosphere of the gallery created a lot of friction that left some acts sadly under-appreciated. Plus, the generally terrible acoustics left even devoted spectators with an uphill struggle to take in the magic.
Difficulties notwithstanding, it was a good night. And the immense turnout of guests made me think that fine arts at U of S, besot with difficulties as they are, still have the power to move people. None of our university's senior administrators made an appearance, of course, but no matter. We will press on. I extend my thanks to those who made the night happen, including my former drama compatriots Toryn Adams and Chris Donlevy, and fellow Sheafie Samantha Braun.
The whole night made me think about what I'm doing here, in this blog. It seems to come back to the same principle. The arts are all around us. Even if I can't do anything else for them right now, I can at least talk about them, because they are, after all, worth talking about.
