Performance Name: Permanent Collection

Location: Bush Theatre – Central Michigan University

Date/time: Friday, October 16, 2009 – 7:30 p.m.

Performance Type: Dramatic Play

Websites: CM Life Article

Thoughts: Race. Discrimination. Being a racist. Changing for the times. Preserving history.  Speaking out. Being silent. A lot of issues were presented which made me think of both sides of the story.  Does ones actions make one a racist?  Or does being a racist guides ones actions?  Does standing firm for your beliefs when those beliefs involve race make you a racist even if your main belief isn’t about race but something else (art being the something else in the play)?  By staying silent about an issue, is that better or worse than speaking out for the issue?  Fighting hard again discrimination in the past – can that lead to discrimination now?  What makes discrimination discrimination?  If you perceive it as being discriminatory does it make it so?  Does it matter what background you come from?

Should we always preserve the past as it was asked to be done?  Should we change to match the changing times even if it goes against the wishes of someone? Does respecting the wishes of someone who you believe isn’t a racist, even if those wishes make you appear to be a racist, make you a racist?  Should we change to preserve part of someone’s wishes even if it means going against some of their other beliefs?

As you can probably see – this play gave me a lot of questions without many answers.  It does go to show that even in this day and age when most people think the issue of race is almost said and done, plays like this, and news stories about a mixed race couple not being able to get a marriage license, makes us realize the we still have a long way to go.  Next time you need to make a decision – take a moment to think about both sides of the coin and see if that helps clears it up or makes it even more confusing.

Pet Peeve of the Evening: Late starting shows.  They have a set time for the show to start, everyone knows it, so then why do shows always start late?

Repeat Rating: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being fingernails on a chalkboard and 10 being a Krispy Kreme doughnut, the chance I’d see this performance again is a 6.

Performance Name: Ahn Trio

Location: Wharton Center Pasant Theatre

Date/time: Thursday, October 15, 2009 – 7:30 p.m.

Performance Type: Classical Music Trio

Websites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahn_Trio, http://www.ahntrio.com/v2/

Thoughts: This is a great trio of 3 sisters who help show that classical music doesn’t have to be “classical”.  Their main focus is new classical music in many different styles.  I attended the Preview lecture prior to this performance and between that lecture and the concert itself it helped me realize that classical music covers a wide range of styles and is not always the type of music one might typically think of when thinking of classical music.

This trio of sisters are very classy (pun somewhat intended).  They show that they are true musicians and not just performers.  They talked about each piece before playing it and about themselves in a very conversational tone, which helped the audience know that they were sharing their talents and music with us, not just performing a concert.  They also talked about how they had a chance to listen to some of the MSU’s School of Music students earlier in the day and what great talent they have.

Pet Peeve of the Evening: People talking during the concert.  My “rule” is that when the lights dim you close your mouth and keep it closed until the lights come back up.  Right to the right of me I had a guy who kept telling the person with him what the program said, sometimes after the music started.  The best part was when audience applauded  between two selections (would be considered movements in the traditional sense of classical music, but this wasn’t traditional classical music.) I heard he say something about the applause between the movements.  Which is worse between two movements (or selections as the case may be) applause showing appreciation for the music or talking?  Also, the speaker at the Preview lecture mentioned that when classical music was new applause was common between movements, it is a modern practice to not applaud.

Then in the row in front of me I had the couple where one was hard of hearing so he kept asking the person with him what was said and then she’d repeat it.  Maybe it’s time for a hearing aid!

Repeat Rating: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being I’d hire a dog to eat up a free ticket given to me and 10 being I’d rent an ostrich if that was the only way to get a ticket, the chance I’d see this performance again is a 7.