For their spring 2025 musical, the Barnstormers are putting on a production of Heathers: the cult classic musical based on the 1989 film with the same name. I attended the Saturday night performance, and the theater was packed to the brim with excited audience members, although I was able to claim a coveted front row seat.
This past weekend, the Hopkins Theatre Company performed Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a three-act whirlwind of a play about two academic couples from opposing generations, each catching and delivering snide, passive aggressive comments across a countless number of liquor-filled glasses.
On Friday, April 4, a faculty panel titled “Arts and the Hopkins Student Experience” discussed what the arts mean at Hopkins. As audiences both in-person and online began to settle in, they prepared to hear about vital questions such as: What makes the arts valuable? Why should we pursue them, and how? Is Hopkins committed to the arts?
As the end of the school year approaches, I’m betting that we’re all in some purgatory state where we dangle tenuously between midterms, more midterms and finals. While caught in this limbo, I hope you look to the Arts & Entertainment’s weekly section: “To watch and watch for,” in search of rescue.
In a world plagued with political turmoil and at a time when dystopian fiction feels less like an escape and more like a reflection of reality, Suzanne Collins returns to Panem with Sunrise on the Reaping. Released on March 18, this 400-page novel follows beloved character Haymitch Abernathy through the deadly ordeals of the 50th Hunger Games.
This edition of “To watch and watch for” has it all: whether you’re looking for an animated adaptation of Charles Dickens, a book about the dark history of Johnson & Johnson, a compelling folk album or a glassblowing workshop you can attend yourself, the Arts & Entertainment section has something for you. So scroll through, take a look and see what excites you!
Spring is a time of confession. As the winds grow warmer and the sun shines brighter, the changing tides of life seem to nudge our heart to the surface of our palms.
Microsoft’s “Artifacts” project — a collaboration with TBA Agency — seeks to challenge this narrative about AI and art. Its mission statement is to show that “cutting-edge innovation can amplify deeply personal artistic expression while remaining fundamentally guided by human imagination.” This March, Artifacts worked with various artists to release three innovative projects that utilize open-source AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot.
Hello one and all, and welcome to the Arts & Entertainment section’s weekly To watch and watch for, where we give you a comprehensive list of new releases in the art world.
When it comes to albums, I unfortunately almost always judge them by their covers. And when it came to Japanese-Canadian star Saya Gray’s debut album SAYA, my judgment did not steer me away. I strongly believe a good album cover should reflect the nature of a record while being visually appealing, and SAYA checks both these boxes.
Across literary circles, Oprah Winfrey’s most recent book club selection Dream State by Hopkins Professor Eric Puchner is abducting fans from the real world, making them miss their subway stops. For me, returning to my dorm from Hodson Hall past midnight, I missed the man in a sandy suit with blonde hair and round glasses waving me down for a lighter. This was perhaps an odd occurrence for the backside of Gilman past midnight, but these things don’t matter when Dream State is on the mind.
The early 2000s — an era of low-rise jeans, chunky highlights and the unmistakable sounds of pop-punk anthems — are making a vibrant comeback in today's pop culture. From fashion runways to music charts, the Y2K aesthetic is experiencing a renaissance, captivating a new generation while evoking nostalgia for those who lived through it. This revival isn't just about recycled trends; it's a fusion of past and present, with artists like Addison Rae, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo and even the iconic Lady Gaga leading the charge.
It is tough to say how this year’s Academy Awards will be remembered. It may very well be seen as a return to prominence for Brody, who experienced a 22-year gap between his Best Actor Oscars. It may also be seen as a massive day for Baker, who has always gained critical acclaim but never won it at the Oscars.
An die Musik Live and the Peabody Institute Jazz Department partnered to present a series of “Hittin' With the Youngins” on Thursday, Feb. 27, at An die Musik in Mount Vernon. This series offers the chance for one Peabody student to present their compositions alongside other Peabody musicians and one Peabody Jazz faculty member. Senior Noah Ford — along with faculty member Charenée Wade — presented this night.
Welcome to another list of upcoming media recommendations! This week’s picks include a movie about a man who can’t feel pain, a historical fiction about an apartment building, a pop album by Stela Cole and a performance of Mozart at the Peabody Institute.
If you are at all familiar with 2000s indie rock or early internet music culture, you’ve likely come across — or at least felt the influence of — Baltimore experimental pop band Animal Collective. Terms like “surreal,” “trippy” and “kaleidoscopic” now feel kind of overused and cliche when describing their music, but albums like Merriweather Post Pavilion or Strawberry Jam undeniably contain a delirious, effortless glee that make them an unmatched benchmark of the modern psychedelic genre.
If your midterms only let you loose for a limited amount of time, then where better to start than with these personal arts and entertainment recommendations, curated for Hopkins students like you?
Every so often, a story comes along reminding us that while Hollywood thrives on romance and fantasy, it’s also a deeply flawed industry filled with power struggles, questionable decisions and enough scandal to fuel the tabloids for years. Enter Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and a film adaptation that was supposed to be about breaking cycles of abuse — but might have just exposed another one in the process.
On February 7th, the second floor of the LaB was set up with rows of chairs, ready for students to take their seats in preparation for the Open Mic that was about to commence. The MC for the night? Kiera “Ashlee Haze” Nelson, a poet and spoken word artist from Atlanta by way of Chicago.
To borrow from Companion, let me be premature in this review: Companion is a brilliant movie challenging what the horror genre is while still providing a self-contained, enjoyable viewing experience.
