The Hartt School Theatere Division is set to end their seasonal run of plays and musicals with William Shakespeare’s situational comedy, “The Taming of the Shrew,” which has been used as an inspirational device for many stage adaptations and films alike.

Also a special part of the production is that President Walter Harrison will be playing the part of Christopher Sly in the full run of the show.

The play surrounds the proceeding engagement between Petruchio, a man of Verona, and Katherina, the shrew as suggested by the title.

Headstrong and adamant, Katherina initially resists the union, however, Petruchio cunningly forces her to undergo a series of torments, meant to transform her into the perfect wife and a believer in love. Meanwhile, an additional plot entails a competition between a group of suitors to win the affections of Bianca, Katherina’s coveted younger sister.

Directed by Hartt theater professor Bob Davis, the cast is composed of junior and senior acting and musical theater majors, as well as some sophomores.
It stars junior acting major Matt Reddick, who valiantly took on the role of Eddie in Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge” back in October.

This time around, Reddick portrays Petruchio, the equivalent to Heath Ledger’s Patrick Verona from the 1999 film “10 Things I Hate About You,” for the Shakespeare-impaired.

Reddick will have his hands full attempting to tame fellow junior Tara Reuter, who assumes the role of Hartt’s very own shrew, Katherina. At the same time, junior Caitlin Blauvelt plays Bianca, whose conflictions present her with three men yearning for her love and attention.

Among them are Lucentio, junior Andrew McMath, Gremio, senior Scott Caron, and Hortensio, junior Will Macke. Katherina and Bianca’s father, Baptista Minola, is helmed by senior Joel Dommel and was hilariously played by comedian Larry Miller in “10 Things.”

Having intensely studied Shakespeare while abroad in London earlier this semester, the junior acting students are ready to employ the skills they have learned for their last performance of the academic school year.

“I’m glad we’re ending with a comedy,” Reddick says. “It’s a fun show and we have a great cast. It makes me pumped for senior year.”

“The Taming of the Shrew” will take place in Roberts Theatre at the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on May 3-5 with a 3:00 p.m. matinee on May 6.

This final issue of The Informer of the academic year also means this is the last “Below the Fold” written by yours truly.

It feels like just yesterday I was sitting in a hotel ballroom in Los Angeles listening to a journalism advisor from University of Tampa talk about the rise in popularity of college sex columns. Since then, it has been a year full of sarcastic sexual commentary and awkward situations.

How I will miss the drunk biddies approach me in the Village telling me how much they love reading about exercise induced orgasms, or the Konover employees and facilities staff divulging that they find my articles “interesting.”

You (the reader) and I have had our highs and lows. The highs being the many positive and encouraging emails I’ve received. One low being the time I suggested that geeks have sex and nerds don’t, an article that sparked controversy among the readership.

The process of writing about sex is a long and hard (pun intended). Over the year we’ve observed everything from doing the dirty in public, to sex during final exams, to how celery can make you a babe magnet.

For weeks I’ve been thinking about how I would approach my last column. Perhaps an all out blowout, maybe examining proper fellatio technique or the Hamlet dilemma of “to swallow or not to swallow.” But this hasn’t just been a forum about sex, BTF has also evolved to include health and relationship issues.

I decided that I’ll share with you what I think is the most important thing about relationships I’ve learned during my four years here.

You don’t need anyone to be the best you. I often find that teens and twenty-somethings become obsessed with finding a mate, whether they realize it or not. It’s an issue that has been cropping up for many of my friends lately. Whether it be dealing with the end of a relationship or expressing frustration with their lack there of. Seriously though, you would think these people were stage four cancer patients the way they talked about being miserable. Although it’s always important to be the friend that can console or lighten the mood, sometimes I just wanted to shake them and wake them up. Of course, if that were the case, a good chunk of my friends would be dead from some strange adult form of shaken baby syndrome.

Even here in the Informer’s newsroom, there has been enough relationship drama to inspire a bestselling book (stay tuned for that). You might think us journalists are just geeky Communication School students, but over the past year I’ve observed a slew of situations that had me looking around for an MTV camera crew. I’ll omit the details to prevent retaliation among my fellow staffers.

To keep it simple, I painfully suggest you just follow the recent wise phrase “yolo.” You only live once, so why not be happy all the time? As for sex, have it, don’t have it, do whatever you want. Whatever you do, just be you.

This is merely the beginning. My time at The Informer may be coming to an end but I believe every second of the experience here has contributed ever so slightly to my abilities as a writer, an observer, an informer, an aware student and probably a little bit as a journalist, kind of.

This is not a factually based piece and sadly “I Don’t Want to Miss You” by Aerosmith does not automatically start playing as you read this (but imagine how cool that would be if it did, where are you now online journalism?).

I am leaving the paper not because I am graduating but because I am destined for bigger and better things. Working with this special group of individuals who share the common goal of exposing the great parts and the unfortunate parts of our University has been an honor.

I believe it is a newspaper’s responsibility to answer questions, to keep administration in check and most importantly to report the truth because sometimes people make an extra effort to blur the facts.

Over the years I have challenged the status quo as a writer. I dared to look at things differently. My unsound methods caused a spark that would ignite controversy on more than one occasion.

To continually keep the mind growing and active you have to dare to think differently, you have to change the angle at which you view things.

To those graduating I offer the sentiment to view things differently. It will be hard outside the comfortable restraints of a familiar University setting but that allows for room to expand.

A friend of mine once said that feeling nervous is a good thing, a really good thing because it is your entire body checking in. He said to not rush through nervousness and fear and to simply embrace it because of how unique an emotion it is.

Fear can grow and spread within the constraints on your mind and you have to let go of the loop of negativity and focus in on how to achieve what you really want, no matter how many times it may take to get there.

Fear is a funny thing and the second you begin to recognize its existence and just breath and calm down you are one step closer to success.

The Informer has been my home since I was a freshman back in the fall of 2009 when I became a staff writer for both sports and entertainment. I believe staying static for too long in once place can sometimes be detrimental to an individual and hinder expansion and growth.

It is so easy to get side tracked in life. If you truly want something you cannot stop fighting for it.

To the graduate uncertain about the future, embrace it; get creative because it will take effort to secure a position you can be proud of. Don’t stop fighting and don’t stop looking for reasons not to succeed. Take the risk and learn from the experience.

To anyone who has been affected by my writing in someway I say thank you. I write for the person who can learn from what I have to say, what I have to report.

Thank you for reading and continue to challenge yourself into following a dream because believe it or not they do come true. It was Norman Vincent Peale that said “Change your thoughts and change the world.”

Finals are finally here. The last push of the semester before summertime can be tough to get through.

Many of these tips to help with studying and staying sane will seem obvious, but they are most definitely important for students who want to survive the last week of Spring Semester 2012.

Don’t take prescription pills that aren’t specifically prescribed for you. It may seem like an easy out to take Adderall, but the damages it can cause are frightening.

Besides the possibility to cause anxiety attacks, agitation, rapid heartbeat and insomnia, Adderall can become addictive and can also lead to amphetamine abuse.

It’s important to understand the risks before popping those pills. Adderall should absolutely not be taken if you have heart conditions or are prone to anxiety or panic attacks already.

It is also important to get a good night’s sleep, as tempting as it may be to pull an all-nighter to try to soak up as much information as possible. Sleep is vital for having a good final; the fatigue can cause you to not retain information as well.

Many students spend time making the perfect studying playlist and reorganizing their workspace for optimal studying. This is just fancy talk for procrastinating. Just put on Pandora or pick something on Spotify if you need music.

Unless you actually believe in Feng Shui, rearranging your desk area will just eat up time that you could actually be spending with those textbooks open on your lap or propped up on your Keurig.

Some students will practically lock themselves in their room and only come out for the basics, but it is essential to find a balance between free time and studying.

Take breaks throughout studying sessions to give your mind a rest and you’ll retain more than if you pounded through four hours straight of index card making.

Studying in groups can also be helpful for certain classes.

Being able to shoot ideas around and to clarify meanings or equations will benefit you more than Google-ing the answer.

That pizza and those potato chips may sound like a good snack food for studying, but it is possible to stay healthy while cramming for finals. Fresh fruit or easy to steam frozen veggies can keep your tummy satisfied while also giving you important vitamins and nutrients that most all junk food can’t.

If the professor supplies you with a study guide, use it.

A lot of professors will make the study guide from the test, so use your time wisely by studying things you are absolutely sure will be on the test.
Also, it never hurts to ask a professor for extra credit questions on the final.

Please make sure you double, triple check the time and day of your final. You can’t pass it if you’re not there.

Also, it can’t hurt to sleep with your textbook under you pillow so your brain sops up the information like a sponge. (Warning: this statement is not backd by science, only by the need to break the tension many students will be feeling next week.)

Three grilled cheeses and two baked potatoes later, you’re ready to vomit into your bowl of banana cream pie.

Sure, you want to eat better, but that means heading for the salad bar each and every time you go to Commons, right? Hell no.

Just making these simple swaps can prevent you from slipping into another Commons Coma:

Water it up

Yeah, you’ve heard it a million times, but this time it includes kicking those diet sodas and iced teas to the curb, too.

A study out of Yale shows that artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks may actually contribute to weight gain and cause you to crave unhealthy foods.

Water, on the other hand, promotes faster metabolism and regular digestion, and we all know those factors are key when it comes to Commons.

Peace, grill line.

In case you haven’t noticed, Commons kicked the grilled chicken off the grill and into the sandwich and salad bar.

That means the only chicken you can get from the grill comes deep fried and covered in bread.

How about this: ditch the grill line, and get yourself a grilled chicken wrap stuffed with all the healthy essentials. Your stomach will be happy, and you
won’t be burping up that extra grease in your next class.

Besides, I think it’s fair that we all boycott the grill line for taking away our beloved quesadillas.

Cheerios for dessert.

Good move, Commons, placing the dessert buffet so we’re forced to walk by it at least three times.

Those cookies can be pretty tempting, but are they really worth all that extra sugar?

Turn right around and head for the cereal bar, but be sure to avoid those sneaky sugar-packed cereals. Even Raisin Bran has an unnecessary amount of sugar.
Cheerios have only 100 calories per serving and have less than a gram of sugar.

Best of all, they have whole grains and protein that keep you healthy and feeling full.

If you’ve listened to the radio in the most recent months you’ve definitely heard or have had it stuck in your head all day, the upbeat catchy pop tune “What Makes You Beautiful” by the newest British boy band sensation, One Direction.

The British boy band has stolen the hearts of young teenage girls from across U.K. to the United States.

After members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson formed they placed third in 2010 on The X Factor (UK Series, Season 7).
Their emergence was really cultivated within the United Kingdom being originally signed to Simon Cowell’s Syco Records, then signing a record deal with Columbia Records in the United States.

One Direction built up their rapport and fan base in England before anyone had even heard of them in the United States.

Their first single, “What Makes You Beautiful” debuted in late 2011, and their full album release titled, “Up All Night,” followed after.

According to iTunes All Music Guide on One Direction, “In 2012, One Direction became the first British band to debut on top of the Billboard 200 list when “Up All Night” sold over 176,000 copies during its first week of release in America.”

Their album debut in the United States was an instant success.Their music was instantly receptive to American fans after their album release in the United States. One Direction’s popularity can be defined as The British Invasion or the boy band image.

Boy bands seem to come and go in the music industry and their marketability really appeals to young teenage girls because of their charm.

The band is composed of young boys who primarily sing love songs to girls making it the perfect recipe for attracting “teeny bopper” fans.

It is hard to tell whether One Direction is here to stay, or if they will fall into the category of other one hit wonder bands that had a burst of sensation, and then fade away.

The “Up All Night” tour kicks off in North America in May. This is the first North American tour for the British pop band. One Direction will be making a stop right in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville on Tuesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m.

The Beach Boys to play 2 nights: Celebrate 50 years of becoming an American staple

The Beach Boys will be making a stop on their “50th Anniversary Tour” at The Mohegan Sun Casino – Uncasville, Conn., for two nights on May 12 and 13.

Originally the band was only set to play for one night only in the 10,000 seat Mohegan Sun Arena, however the tickets sold out the same day that they went on sale.

With the overwhelming demand for tickets a second show was added for May 13 and as of today, the tickets are not yet sold out. It has been almost two decades since the current members of the Beach Boys toured together.

Their 50-year milestone of being a band, says a lot about their music and dedicated fan base. The beauty of their music is that they’ve attracted fans both young and old with their catchy songs that have been incorporated into summer soundtracks all around the world.

According to Mohegan Sun’s website: “The Beach Boys continue to hold Billboard / Nielsen SoundScan’s record as the ‘Top-selling American band’ for albums and singles, and they are also the American group with the most Billboard Top 40 chart hits with 36.

“‘Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys’ is fast approaching triple-Platinum sales status, and the ‘SMiLE Sessions,’ released to worldwide critical acclaim in November, has been heralded as 2011’s ‘#1 Reissue of the Year’ by Rolling Stone magazine.”

It is remarkable that their music and popularity has not faded over the past 50 years, and fans will still swarm to their concerts as well as purchasing their ‘The Very Best of The Beach Boys’ album.

The founding members, Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine, along with Bruce Johnston and David Marks, will be taking the stage to perform some of their greatest hits. “California Girls,” “Good Vibrations,” “Barbara Ann” and “Surfin’ USA” are just a few of their greatest hits and most widely known songs.

Their music captures the essence of summer, the beach and California, making them all catchy and overall just fun songs that have not lost their spark.
Fans will be swarming to the Mohegan Sun Casino for two nights in a row and are sure to not be disappointed by the band.

There are not many times where you can say you’ve attended a “50th Anniversary Tour” by a band. This huge milestone tour for the Beach Boys is hard to pass up.

The tour has been highly anticipated by fans since the release of the album.

With summer time rapidly approaching it is time to start thinking about what beaches to go to.

For students in the Hartford area beaching it up requires some time and navigation – but when it comes to soaking up the first rays of summer, the trip is worth it.

Some of the best beaches include Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, Ocean Beach Park in New London, Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison and Rocky Neck near Niantic.

Lighthouse Point on Long Island Sound offers 82 acres of year-round events and exhibits on science and natural history, swimming areas, hiking trails and more.

There are many charming bed and breakfasts in the area as well if visitors plan to stay and enjoy the salty New England air for a few extra days.

New London’s Ocean Beach Park includes a large boardwalk and Olympic-sized swimming pool with triple waterslide, not to mention the Atlantic Ocean in addition. There are many things to do in the area all year round like carnival rides and a playground for children – there is even a health club for adults and young adults.

Furthermore, visitors can go on a nature walk and an observation deck allows you to be one with the surrounding beauty.

There are even restaurants, a food court and ice cream stands at the park. Finally, there are live bands, magic shows and kid movie nights going on every week at the park to enjoy. You definitely won’t be bored around here.

Hammonasset is the largest beach in Connecticut with a whopping 919 acres and some of the best activities. Swimming, beach volleyball, strolling and bicycling on the paved trails: there is something here for everyone to enjoy.

There is also a food court with hot dogs, burgers and refreshing popsicles and soft drinks. It even offers camping grounds on the outskirts of the park, where families and groups of friends set up tents, barbecue and spend some time in the great outdoors for a while with the convenience of the tranquil beach only moments away.

Last but not least, Long Island Sound beach Rocky Neck has white sand that’s easy on the feet, and shallow water to enjoy floating and relaxing.
There are hiking trails and bird watching available as well.

Better yet, this beach typically isn’t as crowded as many other Connecticut beaches in the blistering summertime. These beaches offer a variety of invigorating activities, sights, and opportunities to sit back and relax.

For any college student the opportunity to relax is particularly elusive, especially during finals week. With those dreaded end-of-the-year exams just around the corner, a beach trip may be the perfect idea to close the books for a while and reflect.

It’s also a great idea if you have a free day and don’t feel like studying for the five other projects you have sitting on your desk.

Jason Mraz’s “Love Is a Four Letter Word” released on April 17, marks the fourth album for the singer-songwriter to date.

Success followed immediately after Mraz’s “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things,” released in 2008 that contained his breakthrough hit “I’m Yours.”
Mraz’s lyrics about love and mellow melodies were some of the attractive qualities that pulled his fans in. The same style his fans were used to carried over to “Love Is a Four Letter Word,” showing his consistency and excellence in the pop-alternative rock genre.

Mraz did not step beyond the barriers of his comfort zone of his established style, and most critics are saying he played it “safe” with this album. In this case “safe” for Mraz does not seem like a disappointment for fans. Mraz stayed consistent and true with his style, which works excellent for him.

The theme of love embodies the entire album. Whether it is the love in a relationship, friendship and world around us, everyone can connect to this album. Mraz’s lyrics are rich with emotion from track to track.

When listening to Mraz’s album, his vocals do most of the justice and the music perfectly compliments his vocals. Each track of the album offers its own message, but it perfectly blends when listening to it in its entirety.

Earlier this year “I Won’t Give Up” was the first single released off of the new album. Since the release of the single, the song has been in radio’s playlist and is by far the most popular track among fans off of the album. “I Won’t Give Up” is a great display of Mraz’s beautiful vocal range and the power of the instrumentals, which makes fans adorn this track.

“The Freedom Song” is a fun and upbeat track off of the album. This is Mraz’s first cover that he put on an album.

The song was originally done by the band Luc and the Lovingtons that was written after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Mraz put his own style on the song truly making it his own.

“Frank D Fixer” is another upbeat track on the album that is in homage to Mraz’s grandfather, Frank Mraz. In an interview with Billboard.com Mraz comments on the track: “Frank D. Fixer is my grandfather, Frank Mraz, he called himself Frank D. Fixer and he had a sign over his workshop that said ‘Frank D. Fixer.’

“It was used as kind of a geographical location or a historical landmark in our hometown.”

It is evident when listening to this track, there is much personal emotion and history conveyed in this song.

“Love Is a Four Letter Word” will certainly be included in many spring and summer playlists. Mraz is currently on tour over seas, but will be returning in July for his United States tour along with singer-songwriter Christina Perri.

Last year I took an AUC class titled “Adult Journey,” and I distinctly remember a big topic we covered being mindfulness, or simply changing one’s thoughts and attitudes by focusing in on goals one wants to achieve.

Although I am far from any expert on psychology, I do read books about the brain for fun and am fascinated by the human brain’s capabilities.

An article published this week on CNN.com, “Rewiring our brains for healthy love,” furthered my curiosity into exactly how elastic our minds are and what we can do to better ourselves.

According to Psychcentral.com, 66 percent of college students have reportedly been depressed at some time during their college career. Although statistics vary by school, I think it is safe to say that the majority of students at our University have been there or will be.

The site also states that 19 percent of young people contemplate suicide each year. For college students ages 20–24 suicide is the second leading cause of death.

So for whatever reason an individual may have for feeling depressed, there are solutions.

Again, I am far from qualified to offer professional advice however I do have my own experiences to speak from.

Ian Kerner, the author of the CNN article, cites Dr. John Ratley’s book “A User’s Guide to the Brain”: “The brain is not a computer that simply executes genetically predetermined programs. Nor is it a passive gray cabbage, victim to the environmental influences that bear upon it.

“Genes and environment interact to continually change the brain, from the time we are conceived until the moment we die. And we, the owners – to the extent that our genes allow it – can actively shape the way our brains develop throughout the course of our lives.”

To me, reading this sparks the idea that people, especially students stuck in depression or battling with it, ultimately have the control over their lives.

Nothing is set in stone and we have the power to shape our minds. The article’s focus was on how dating habits or bad experiences in one’s love life can be remedied.

The solution comes in stepping back and reassessing whatever situation an individual finds himself or herself in.

It is the rechanneling of energy in constructive behaviors that help a person excel in quite literally rewiring their brain.

For a lot of people this constructive behavior comes in exercise and channeling energy into physical activity.

According to a Time Magazine piece “Is Exercise The Best Drug For Depression?” a Duke University study found that exercise was just as effective as most anti depressants.

While a lot of students may feel medication is the only possible source of relief, I would say to start exercising a little bit at a time. The University gym facilities are more than equipped with free equipment for all students to use.

It is the conscious effort to realize a problem exists and addressing it head on that is the first step to battling inner struggles.

Students have the capacity to rewire how they act and think breaking down the boundaries of a genetic excuse.

We are ultimately in control of who we can become. It is up to the individual to change their situation starting with a first step.

The 2011 film “Dolphin Tale” starring Morgan Freeman and Harry Connick Jr. will be screened on campus for free accompanying a lecture by Kevin Carroll, one of the creators of the film’s prosthetic tail.

On Wednesday, May 7 students can catch the film at 7 p.m. in the Konover Great Room.

On Friday, May 4 at 1 p.m. students can attend a lecture with Carroll, the CP, FAAOP vice president of Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, a company that makes prosthetics for animals.

During his keynote speech, Carroll will discuss his experience working with the real star of the film, Winter the dolphin, and his other clinical expertise in a technical advisory capacity while working on the set of the film.

The presentation, titled “Enabling Technologies: From Human Achievements to a ‘Dolphin’s Tale,’”

The film follows a lonely boy who finds an injured dolphin tangled in a crab trap and the relationship he builds with him over time. The boy develops a strong relationship with the dolphin, especially when his tail is amputated during life saving surgery.

Due to their strong bond, the boy fights for the dolphin to get a prosthetic tail to rehabilitate the dolphin’s normal swimming patterns.

Learning to swim by adapting a fish like motion of side to side swimming, Winter put her spine in jeopardy by changing her methods of swimming, putting pressure on her spine, potentially causing more harm.

The film, directed by Charles Martin Smith, is based on a book that documented the real life struggle of Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who was rescued off the Florida coast in 2005.

To learn about his roll as the boy who originally finds Winter, Nathan Gamble had to read up on exactly what the film’s topic consisted of.
In an interview with Collider.com Gamble described the process.

“Well, I was given a book, actually – it’s called Winter’s Tale, and it just explains everything, all the prosthetic stuff and Kenneth McCarthy and all the different prosthetic moulds and stuff. It’s a crazy story, if you think about it.

“If you were to pitch something like, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re going to put a prosthetic tail on a tailless dolphin,’ I’d say you were crazy. But it really is a crazy story. And it’s true!”

Bringing together an all-star cast to bring life to the amazing story of a dolphin’s struggle to survive, the opportunity to actually meet one of the people responsible for creating the prosthetic is an experience students can enjoy.

The free lecture on Friday is located at the Mandell Jewish Community Center at 335 Bloomfield Ave., a short distance from the University.
The film will be screened Wednesday and available for all University students to attend in Konover.