Kelly Trom
kellytrom.md@gmail.com
New year, new quarter, new events to mark on the calendar. Cal Poly’s campus has a lot to offer this quarter, whether it’s a performance in the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC), an Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) program, or making something creative in the craft center. There will be many outlets for students to experience the arts and even make some of their own.
PAC Performances
This winter the PAC has a variety of performers walking through its halls, including two actors, a clown and the cast of a broadway musical.
Larry Miller, an actor with roles in more than 50 movies including “Pretty Woman,” “Princess Diaries” and “Waiting for Guffman,” will be taking the stage with his comedy show entitled “Cocktails with Larry Miller” on Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. This show is presented by and will benefit the Rotary Club of SLO de Tolosa charities.
William Shatner is the other actor to come to Cal Poly this quarter, most famously known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek. He will discuss his life experiences and funny anecdotes in his one-man show, “Shatner’s World: We Just Live in it” on Jan. 19 at 8 p.m.
Also in the PAC, Avner the Eccentric, a vaudeville clown, mime and magician will perform on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m.
“He’s not a paint-your-face-white kind of clown,” Cal Poly Arts Director Steve Lerian said. “He is more related to the Cirque de Soleil type of clown.”
In March, the production of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” will bring some childhood memories to the PAC stage. The broadway musical will be playing for two nights, March 19 and 20.
All tickets for these shows and many others can be purchased online via the PAC website.
Cal Poly Theatre and Dance Department
Playing next door in Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre, will be the theatre and dance department’s winter musical, “A Year with Frog and Toad.”
“I think we all loved the books when we were kids and we have so much love for musical theatre on this campus,” director of the performance and assistant theatre professor Virginia Anderson said. “It’s just a great opportunity to explore children’s theatre.”
The musical is based on the book series by Arnold Lobel that follows the two main characters on adventures throughout the seasons.
“Anyone who is familiar with the Frog and Toad books from childhood will enjoy reminiscing and seeing how the stories have been brought to the stage,” Anderson said.
The play will be performed on weekends from Feb. 28 through March 9.
ASI Programs
The Concerts in the Plaza series is coming back with a new twist, featuring student bands and KCPR DJs. There will be six performances spread out over the course of the quarter. The performances will be at 11 a.m. during UU hour in the plaza.
“It will be something new and different for us and hopefully students will like that different kind of a feel,” ASI programs coordinator Missi Bullock said. “It also gives some other performers a chance to get up there too.”
The big screen is coming to Chumash along with two current movies. They will be free events where students can catch up on movies they might not have had the chance to see in theaters.
“We try to do a variety of genres of movies,” Bullock said. “It’s something that we find students enjoy in winter because they can just come in and bring blankets, wear slippers and cozy up as much as you can in Chumash.”
The two movies playing this quarter will be “Here Comes the Boom” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Last quarter, Robert E. Kennedy Library brought author of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” Stephen Chbosky to campus to discuss the book and movie.
“We are hopefully trying to do something collaborative with the library when we screen ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ to enhance the event by partnering with a different entity on campus,” Bullock said.
Craft Center
More opportunities to be crafty are being offered at the Cal Poly Craft Center in the form of three new classes this quarter.
The three new classes span a variety of interests. The first class is the creation of your own baseball bat and case. The next one is centered around making stained glass and the fusion of glass. The last class is learning bike maintenance. Students can learn how to change a flat tire and chain.
“No experience is necessary for any of the classes,” Craft Center student manager and nutritional science senior Dominic Picetti said. “We teach you all the basics you need to know.”
Online registration for these classes, and others, began Dec. 10 and ends Jan. 18, the first day of class.