When listing the interests of a typical Babson student, one may assume that any type of art would appear towards the end.

However, this is purely a generalization, and there are actually many students interested in the arts.

Babson has outlets for such activities as acting, dancing, performing music and poetry, learning to draw, making sculptures, and turning pottery on the wheel through clubs like the Babson Literary Magazine, the Babson Players, and places such as the Sorenson Family Center for Visual Arts. Large turnouts at some of the popular shows, such as Babson Dance Ensemble and AMAN, on campus demonstrate that Babson has an active artistic student population.

Yet even with so many organizations featuring huge talents, up until now the arts have been a quiet voice around the campus. When asked how they found out about events on the arts calendar, most people answer that it was through word of mouth or Facebook event pages.

Obviously these methods have a limited reach, and because art thrives on support, the Sorenson Center for the Arts designed the Arts Delegate position to spread viral marketing about the long list of performances, exhibits, and workshops that occur at Babson every week.

The Arts Delegate is a volunteer position comprising of 1-2 hours per week commitment, which involve acting as a liaison between the arts and small campus communities while also delving into social networking for additional influence.
Students may utilize this opportunity to gain value marketing skills. The goal behind creating an Arts Delegate team is to facilitate awareness and discussion about art by reaching out to organizations on campus. If successful, this addition to the arts department will make literary, performing, and visual arts more available and known to a wider array of students.

Though the position will be tailored specifically to Babson, the inspiration came from a similar Arts Rep team design used at other colleges. The arts program benefits from this type of position, as dedicated advocates are especially helpful in a field where artists themselves are often busy practicing or constructing their work.

Applications for this position will be considered over the coming weeks, and Student Activities and Leadership will welcome the new Arts Delegates into leadership training along with the many other newly chosen student leaders.

Written By: Hannah Esberg, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Anibha Singh, Staff Photographer

The graduation of many key entrepreneurs, combined with the arrival of new members, created a division throughout the tower that has put the future of the student living community in jeopardy.

Babson’s E-Tower is a unique environment where entrepreneurial-driven students can eat and breathe business 24/7, allowing them to work together on specific ventures while still attending classes.

Last year, the tower abruptly lost many of its successful entrepreneurs. “Martin Shen, William King and John Xie all graduated. Peter Elias too. The most important members of our community were beginning to leave,” explains Alex Shearer, a sophomore E-Tower member who has started multiple ventures including “Cloud Jolt” a hosting and business development resource for entrepreneurs.

The departure of these individuals left a hole that would prove difficult to fill. “There was concern among a few people that we could not maintain the name of E-Tower,” admits Shearer. “E-Tower’s like a sports team,” adds junior member Jonathan Jacques. Jacques is one of the creators of the immensely popular “FIFA 12 Strategy Guide.com,” and is also a professional magician.

At the time, it was former E-Tower President Colin Winter’s job to set the tone for new members and build a strong foundation to carry E-Tower into the future. Winter is a junior at Babson College, and is building the online music video platform “Wikiclip.TV.”

He, as well as many other members, believed that the E-Tower needed to stay true to its principle values.

“The whole point of E-Tower is for entrepreneurs to push each other’s limits in terms of achieving greatness,” he explains. “My mission was to evolve E-Tower from a living community of entrepreneurs into a functional and respectable startup incubator. I didn’t want the significant value generated by recent E-Tower members to be completely lost in the turnover of members graduating.”

Winter’s plans to strengthen the entrepreneurial aspect of the tower included an online presence, the recruitment of business mentors, the implementation of a Board of Directors, and the restructuring of E-Tower’s accountability meetings.

“These meetings would be the core of E-Tower. They would facilitate communication between members of the tower, and ensure 100% transparency in terms of each student’s potential venture.”

Jacques was in favor of the meetings. “They were like goal sessions. It gave the members the opportunity to hear about what everyone was working on.”

However, newer members, specifically one freshman student, did not seem to grasp the importance placed on these accountability meetings. He repeatedly dismissed them, which began to aggravate many of the veteran members.

“Some students are naïve and think that the E-Tower will grant them sort of status,” explains Winter.

Upperclassmen members believed this to be the case with the one freshman, who clearly did not fit into the community. “He was extremely disrespectful, and he was not seriously working on a business. As a member of E-Tower, you should be putting as much effort as possible into your work. Not partying at every possible chance.”

After the freshman created conflict in the tower by causing a scene during an alumni reunion and even threatening a peer, Winter spoke with the E-Tower Board of Directors (all members who had lived in the E-Tower for at least one semester).

The majority of the board eventually agreed to dismiss the freshman from the tower. “I made the call to expedite the process due to safety concerns. This student was unpredictable, and after the majority of the board agreed that this student was an immediate problem, I notified administration,” stated Winter.

The administration’s role in the ensuing investigation of E-Tower grew even more difficult.
The freshman made allegations against Winter.

The freshman’s accusations led the administration to believe that the E-Tower may have constituted a hazing environment.

“Any allegation of hazing is of great concern to the administration, so they began holding personal meetings with many of the members,” explains Shearer.

Shearer, although he would not delve into the details of the investigation, stated “Colin didn’t quite know how to best manage the situation. He’s a good person, but he got in over his head and he made mistakes.” “Being the manager of E-Tower is a lot of work for one person,” he sympathized. “There was a ton of pressure on his shoulders, and that’s a difficult situation for anyone to handle.”

Jacques, acted as a liaison between the administration and the E-Tower, understood Student Life’s point of view. “They had to do something about it,” he agreed. “The school’s main priority is to make sure that everyone feels safe in their living environment, and in E-Tower that was not the case.”

According to E-tower members, hazing did not end up being proven in this case.

An anonymous member of E-Tower mentioned that the intense living situation that made it difficult to live had actually improved recently.

“The pressure had definitely gotten better,” he explains. He affirms that Winter’s behavior was beginning to reignite that pressure environment, and that this is why the other members decided to no longer support his accusations.

“Colin was not a very good leader. He was threatening to kick members out who weren’t starting businesses. He felt as if he could give the open spots to people who were more deserving.”

Winter, however, thought the members of the E-Tower had agreed to a clear voting process before the semester started. He even viewed himself as someone on the chopping block, as after making E-Tower his priority; he admits that he “did not make much progress on [his] own start-up.”

It is clear that the E-Tower incidents were instigated by a clash between the mentality of the veteran members, who believed a self-run venture and hard work was necessary to warrant a spot in the tower, and the younger members, who were more interested in building a less stressful living and learning community.

Although all the members agree that E-Tower is an environment in which you are meant to work hard and push yourself, Winter believes that the disagreement was over the question: what exactly is E-Tower’s definition of hard work?

“I started off the semester very optimistic, and I believed that our strategy provided the E-Tower the opportunity to obtain the support that we had been desperately seeking for the past ten years. When I saw that several of our members did not have serious expectations, and weren’t willing to put in the work to help develop E-Tower into the great community it could be, I chose to step down. I realized that I could not accomplish my vision” says Winter.

With Colin Winter, the accused freshman, and two other senior members no longer part of E-Tower, Shearer and Jacques have stepped into leadership roles, and have been essential to keeping the students unified through this difficult time.

“I joined E-Tower because of the ability to come together with students who are passionate about entrepreneurship,” explains Shearer. “I’ve met some of the best people ever at E-Tower. It is a group of people that become lifelong friends.”

Jacque’s view of the tower is parallel to Shearer’s. “The group we have now is awesome, and I’m really looking forward to the things we’re going to be doing.”

In regards to the intense environment, Shearer believes that peer pressure should not be necessary. “Any form of pressure should be self-imposed. When you live in E-Tower, you should be motivated due to your peers’ successful ventures.”

Presently, however, the future of the E-Tower is still in doubt. The Babson administration has revoked its title as a student interest community and refers to it simply as a student organization. “We’re definitely on very thin ice,” explains the anonymous member. “We plan to re-apply for community status in the fall.”

Shearer confidently insists that, “the future of E-Tower is very bright. We’re restructuring this semester, and we want to help more and more with overall entrepreneurship at Babson. The people who caused the problems no longer reside here, and the remaining fifteen members have decided to come together and reorganize to prevent future problems.”

Jacques adds that he is even excited about E-Tower’s potential. “We’ve changed the E-Tower structure so that all members have a role in decisions. We will also be expanding with more than 21 members, and anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship will be able to join our community.”

Student Life has placed a Resident Assistant to live in Van Winkle in order to oversee the tower.

As for Winter, he has moved on from the E-Tower and holds few regrets. “I put an incredible amount of time and effort into improving E-Tower,” he asserts. “There is a chance that they become a successful organization again, but E-Tower will only be what all the individual members make it. If they continue to lower their standards in all regards, they will not obtain the resources and brand recognition they desire.”

Written By: Ben Cardarelli, Staff Writer
Photo Courtesy of Deniz Uyan Staff Photographer

Two years later, she became the director of the Student Activities and Leadership.
At the University of Texas at Austin, Zamora is serving as the Director of Student Programs from the University Unions. In her role there, she works with the Student Events Center, a programming board made up of 500 students on different committees.

Additionally, she will be working with a student facility with bowling, billiards, and gaming.
While the position at University of Texas, a larger public research institution, was attractive, Zamora says being “an hour away from my family [and closest friends] was something I couldn’t pass up.”

Zamora states that not only the memories and friendships from Babson will be going with her to Texas; but “some of the entrepreneurial spirit I’ve learned from all of you.”

Zamora will clearly be missed by both students and administration.

Shannon Finning, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, writes, “For many of us, it’s the work Jennifer did in her ‘other duties as assigned’ capacity that will be missed most – loading buses for countless events, staffing registration tables at all hours for major weekends, rallying and corralling volunteers for orientation programs, etc. Simply put, Jennifer will be greatly missed by our students, faculty and staff alike!”

“While Jennifer will be missed, the Student Activities and Leadership staff [is] ready and prepared for an exciting semester,” according to Finning.

The responsibilities and duties of Zamora have been split between the remaining members of the Student Life team.
Caitlin Capozzi, the Assistant Director of Student Activities and Leadership, will be the temporary leader of the Student Activities and Leadership team while a new director of Student Activities and Leadership is found. Additionally, Capozzi will oversee the Fraternities, the Interfraternity Council, and leadership selection.

Mark Hewitt, coordinator of Student Activities and Leadership, will be responsible for the Reynolds Campus Center.
Finning will assume SGA responsibilities. And Rita Hansen will manage the Zip Car system.

The responsibilities and tasks that once belonged to Zamora have been filled, but there is still a void in Student Life.

Written By: Daniel Girdusky, Editor-in-Chief

Right from the tip of the ball, Babson looked like the more energetic and desperate team. Braithwaite had mentioned that the Beavers were disappointed with their starts lately, and they were definitely prepared for this game. “We’ve got to be focused and ready to play. That’s been one of the issues this season. If we come out strong in regulation, there’s no stopping us.” Both teams were playing tight defense to start, and it showed on the scoreboard as the Pride held a mere 9-5 advantage at the 11:55 mark of the first half. Marcus McDermott was impressive on defense for the Beavers, posting a block and two steals in the opening five minutes of the game, leading to transition baskets. “Our set offense is not the best in the league. Getting out in transition, fast break points, is how we score most of our points. Our defense creates our offense,” explains Braithwaite.

Although the Beavers have played man-to-man defense for most of the season, it was their zone defense which gave Springfield trouble in the first half. The Pride’s captain and top scorer, Alex Berthiaume, missed his two first attempts, allowing Babson to keep the score close, down only 16-10 at the 8:23 mark. Braithwaite credits the Beavers’ coaches for creating the defensive game plan. “Our coaching staff did a great job of scouting them out before the game. We know what they’re all about, and as long as we play physical[ly] the game will be up for grabs.”

When Springfield entered the penalty, the Beavers made their run. Freshmen John Wickey and David Mack knocked down both of their free throws, and sophomore Matt Palazini hit a deep 3-pointer, pulling the Beavers within a single point. Palazini was coming off a historic game against Bowdoin in which he tied the Babson school record with eight 3-pointers, scoring a career-high 34 points. The record was first set by Phil Riffe on Jan. 10, 204. “Matt’s got the green light to shoot whenever he wants,” says Braithwaite. “When he’s on a roll and he’s feeling it, we know to keep giving him the ball.”

Eventually, Berthiaume found his range. He knocked down consecutive three pointers at the 8:22 and 7:33 mark, propelling the Pride lead back up to seven. Alex Rudolph was keeping the Beavers in the game scoring wise, hitting back-to-back baskets of his own to trim the lead to three. The Pride’s Jordan Rote knocked down a deep three pointer at the buzzer to give Springfield a 31-25 edge at the end of the half.

In the second half, Rudolph continued to have the hot hand. His jumper at the 13:48 mark tied the game up at 34-34, and it seemed as if the Beavers would use this momentum to build a lead. Again, though, Berthiaume came through in the clutch moments for the Pride, hitting a jumper at the elbow and a three pointer. When Palazini and Wickey drained three-pointers, the score was knotted at 52-52 with 5:00 remaining. These final minutes are crucial in any game, and they happen to be the scenarios in which Babson has struggled this season. “We have to play right through to the end of the four quarters. We can’t show weakness near the end of games. We’ve had a lack of a killer instinct at times this season. That was the difference in our loss against Tufts earlier this year; we failed to close out.”

Fortunately, the Beavers would come through in the final minutes of the game. After an uncharacteristic turnover by Springfield senior Ryan Coburn, Braithwaite scored a layup to trim the lead down to two. When the Pride could only convert one of their free throws, Rudolph ran the ball up the court with a mere 4.0 seconds remaining and shot a deep three pointer at the buzzer, tying the game at 57-57 at the end of regulation.

Rudolph and Braithwaite are both juniors, the class that Coach Brennan has put the most pressure on this season. “With only two seniors on the team, coach has been hard on the juniors this year. He expects us to step up, and we know we have to bring the energy and the guidance,” says Braithwaite. They definitely came through for the Beavers on this night.

In the overtime period, Babson’s captain Matt Florio hit two free throws to tie the game at 59-59, before Rudolph came through on the defensive end by forcing a jump ball. With the possession arrow in Babson’s favor, the Beavers took the lead and would never relinquish it. Wickey converted a layup with just over 1:00 remaining, and McDermott, another junior, hit three of four free throws to put the game out of reach.

Babson will look to continue their winning ways in a division matchup against WPI next Wednesday at 5:30, while Springfield will lick its wounds before preparing to host Coast Guard.

By: Ben Cardarelli
Photo Courtesy of Babson Athletics

BOA existed as a club many years before this semester and was originally started by Jeff Hollaback, a former Babson student and avid skier who focused on ski trips for the club. Hollaback was the sole proprietor for all of the club’s activities. At the time the club did not have an e-board or a team of advisors.

During the fall of 2010, Josh Street and Joshua Bennett, first-years at the time, happened to meet at the BOA table during Summer Family Day at Babson. They enthusiastically volunteered to help continue the club and expand it to incorporate more of the Babson Community.

Over the course of that summer, the team members met to draft a plan for “re-branding” the Babson Outdoor Association. They knew that they did not want a club that only took ski trips, but wanted to reach all potential members of the Babson community through different activities outside, where the group believes it is easier to build relationships and bring undergraduate students, faculty and graduate students together. BOA is now looking to bridge the gap between the Babson and Olin campuses and encourages members of Olin College to participate in BOA’s trips.

In addition to actually organizing trips and encouraging members of the community to sign up for them, BOA also serves as a resource for different clubs and organizations on campus who want to set up an event in which their members could take a nature trip and build bonds and connections that will facilitate a better and more efficient environment.

Past trips that the club has gone on this semester include Whitewater Rafting on the Deerfield River and along the Mohawk Trail, a day trip to Plymouth Beach, and a hiking trip to Mount Monadnock. As the season shifts towards winter, BOA plans on holding ski trips throughout the season.

Many college students worry about the cost of such trips, but through subsidization and support from Babson’s Student Government Association, BOA minimizes costs for the trips, attempting to make them affordable for everyone. Although trips based around events with lots of action such as Rafting and Skiing can cost around $50-$65, the day trips, such as hiking in the mountains, have cost $15.

With BOA’s no commitment model they provide students the flexibility to allow them to sign up for trips they are interested in taking. BOA’s goal is to make the experience of a student or faculty member on campus more enjoyable and less stressful. They e-mail a newsletter every two weeks to all people signed up on their mailing list. The newsletter features information and pictures from past events and news about upcoming events. They plan to have feature columns written by students from other related organizations on campus in the near future.

As BOA continues to grow, the leaders of the club hope to continue to expand and engage different members of the community in the trips and to further promote the message of togetherness and positive relationships within the Babson community.

Article Written By: Deniz Uyan

As the whistle blew to signal the start of the affair, Babson gathered momentum early. They passed the ball well through the midfield and had the Raptors on their heels. Their first scoring chance came at the 37:14 mark, as fancy footwork by Ayo Iwuagwu won the Beavers a corner. Jimmy Stento delivered the cross, but Raptors goalkeeper Tim VanLiew was able to punch the ball away from his crease. The Raptors answered with an opportunity of their own, as sloppy defense by the Beavers led to a powerful shot by Mitch Grotti. Crowley showed great reactions to make the save and keep the game scoreless.

Scoring opportunities were fairly hard to come by in the early stages of the game, as both teams were playing defensively. The Beavers dictated the tempo, however, and at the 27:12 mark Max Walker had an opportunity to put Babson ahead. He found an opening in the Raptors defense, but his shot ballooned high and wide of the net. At the 22:43 mark the Beavers threatened again, as Mike Fisher sent a cross into the box that found the waiting head of Eric Anderson. Anderson was unable to provide the finishing touch, as his redirection flew just outside of the right post. The Beavers’ best opportunity came a few minutes later, as Fisher had time to step into his shot and release a laser that was destined for the top left corner. VanLiew again had the answer, however, as his diving, full-extension save preserved the goalless affair.

This save seemed to invigorate the Raptors, who suddenly came to life and began pressuring the Beavers defense. They would find the back of the net first at the 15:54 mark, as accurate passing led to a shot by freshman Corey Beltran. Crowley made the initial save, but Grotti jumped on the rebound and fired it into the open cage, posting his 18th goal of the season. With the momentum squarely behind them, the Raptors dominated the remainder of the first half and sent the Beavers into the dressing room searching for answers.

In the second half, both teams had their share of spotty play as neither could string together successive passes. Just over ten minutes in, the Beavers made four substitutions that seemed to energize their squad, bringing Brendan Matthews, Shawn Citro, Billy Nickerson, and Solomon Guindi into the game. First, Citro blew by his defender down the right flank and sent in a dangerous cross that just missed the head of Iwuagwu. A few moments later, Guindi sent a powerful strike towards the bottom right corner that forced VanLiew to extend himself to make the diving save.

Just as Babson seemed to be gaining momentum, their defensive four began to fall apart. Sam Percival turned the ball over to Grotti, who narrowly missed scoring his second goal of the game. Then Clint Mason lost the ball to Beltran right outside of the box, forcing Crowley to make a spectacular diving save in order to maintain the one goal deficit.

With less than twenty minutes to go and Babson’s season in danger of coming to a close, the Beavers played with a hunger that was lacking in the earlier stages of the contest. They were consistently first to the ball, playing with only two defenders as they were desperately looking for the equalizer. At the 13:11 mark, Stento set up the Beavers scoring chance by whipping a dangerous cross towards the back post of the Raptors’ net. Iwuagwu was able to get his foot on it and keep the ball alive, lining it up perfectly for Mason. Mason sent a powerful strike towards the net that sailed over the bar. Guindi continued to be a spark plug for the Beavers, as he sent in a cross that found the head of Fisher, who narrowly missed deflecting it into the back of the net. At the 2:17 mark, the Beavers mustered one last opportunity to tie the game. A corner-kick by Guindi was sent into the box, where it was met by the head of Iwuagwu. His powerful deflection sailed just wide of the net, preserving the victory for the Raptors.

Although it was a magnificent season for the Babson Beavers, the loss will leave a bitter taste in their mouths. With a final record of 16-3-5, their hopes of winning the NCAA Tournament have been put on hold for another year. Rutgers-Camden will advance to the Elite Eight, where they will face the Oneonta State Red Dragons (17-2-2) on Sunday.

Article Written By: Ben Cardarelli

Our Babson College chapter of Sigma Kappa gathered about sixty of their sisters to walk the three miles in unity for this meaningful cause. Although they were one of the smallest chapters to participate as a team, they were able to raise $5,700. This amount was the fifth largest donation size by any Sigma Kappa chapter at the walk.

Chelsea Owyeung described the day as “a great bonding experience” because it was a chance for the younger (pre-initiation) members to spend time with the existing members of the Babson chapter. At the walk, they were able to meet up with the Boston University chapter to form even more connections. They demonstrate that the power of teamwork can make a big difference in solving the world’s problems.

In continuation with this theme, the chapter could be seen around Babson’s campus starting on November 6th promoting the “Week of Giving”. Activities ranged from the Semi Annual Sigma Kappa Blood Drive for Brigham and Women’s Hospital to a midnight study-break making sand art vases for a local retirement home. With an overarching philanthropy mission to support the elderly community, Sigma Kappa is passionate about getting involved with these types of events to make a difference while making memories with their sisters.

Article Written By: Hannah Esberg

When you are pondering this question, it is important to consider what kind of message it sends. After all, it is not unusual for a college boyfriend or girlfriend to become a future husband or wife. If your not serious about Joe Schmo and you are simply enjoying the bi-weekly romp, it probably isn’t a good idea to confuse him or your parents by bringing him home. That being said, if you’ve really gotten a liking to Romeo, bringing him home could help you two to move to an even deeper level and give you a different perspective outside the Babson bubble.

Will it be weird bringing home ___________? Whether you believe tension could arise from your parents, your friends, your significant other, or yourself, if this is a serious concern, it may not the time to bring home that special someone. Or maybe you’re worried about differences in culture, race, or religion and you don’t find any of these differences to be an issue at all; the holiday could be a perfect opportunity to see if your family feels the same way.

Lastly, you should consider how you want to spend your break. Do you want to step away from all things Babson? Do you want to share a part of your life with your new sweetheart? However you feel, it is best to act accordingly. Nobody wants to be invited to a new and unknown place only to feel like they are holding back their significant other from things they’d rather be doing.
Whatever decision you make, enjoy your holiday.

Remember that you have much to be thankful for. As for me, I’m thankful that I’ll be sharing the holiday with my Juliet, and I wouldn’t choose to spend it in any other way.

Sincerely,
Friend of the Beaver

If you’re close to your girlfriend it shouldn’t matter to communicate with her about being uncomfortable in your beds. Maybe you can come up with a solution together such as finding another twin bed someone isn`t using and putting them together. I wouldn’t really suggest purchasing a bigger bed unless you just really want to. But explore your options together because if you’re uncomfortable then she probably is too.
Play Safely,
Miss B. Haven

There are two ways I see to help you get a better night sleep. One, you could be open to your girlfriend about your sleeping troubles. Some bags under your eyes might help you to be more convincing. If you can give her some additional evidence—declining GPA, moodiness, drowsiness—she will be less likely to assume other reasons for your request to sleep alone some nights. Second, if you have some Olin style creativity and drive you could combine both beds to make a king size mattress.
Friend of the Beaver

Does the g-spot exist? If it`s not a myth where would you find it?

Of course the g-spot exists, anything that gets talked about that much you need to make sure you go check it out. The most common g-spot is located at the upper part of a vagina. The best way to hit the g-spot is to enter from the back while she is lying down. That would be a win-win for both of you since she will be tighter around you and you will be hitting the spot that will bring her closer to an orgasm.
Play Safely,
Miss B. Haven

It sure does. Chances are if you’ve ever fingered a girl or had intercourse you’ve already been stimulating it. However, knowing what you’re looking makes it more fun for everyone. The “spot” itself is a bean-shaped area inside the vagina typically located between one to three inches deep on the top wall (assuming she’s lying on her back). One of the best ways to find it is to slide one finger inside and then slowly make a come hither motion. Keep in mind washing your hands and trimming your nails would be the considerate thing to do beforehand.
Friend of the Beaver

The script focused on a group of unique kids who were competing in a spelling bee. The comments, complaints, actions, and songs that these memorable kids burst out into gave us a peek into their lives and challenges.

A treat was the audience involvement: members of the audience had a chance to go onstage and play spellers themselves. The character lineup catered to all tastes with a lineup ranging from the hilarious, underdog outsider Leaf Coneybear, to the uptight and proper Marcy Park. Leaf Coneybear, played by Tony Lopez ‘13, was a clear crowd-pleaser with his rib tickling acts and his optimism. His victory over people’s heart was evident when an “aw” went up as he spelled a word wrong and was forced to leave. Also, characters such as Charlito “Chip” Tolentina, played by David Hines ’15, Olive Ostrovsky, played by Christy Laubach ’13, and Marcy Park, played by Haya Alzaid ’12 , very convincingly portrayed the ordeals of coming to terms with one’s sexual orientation, finding love and forgiveness, and discovering freedom.

As these characters forged their identities, the audience could relate and connect to the characters. The lack of seating at the actual performance was an issue as the high demand for tickets could not be satisfied. Many who hoped to see the play were unable to get tickets at the door and had to go back disappointed. Moving such a play to the larger Sorenson Theater may be a wise decision. However, even though space was at a minimum in the Sorensen Blackbox, the Players did a great job of creating a set which exuded the atmosphere of a dramatic spelling bee. The set allowed the actors to engage with the audience easily and allowed the audience to feel like they too were a part of the drama that unfolded.

The costumes were also very well thought out and appropriate. The use of the main door as a stage-entrance was also a clever manipulation of the space which added unity to the performance. The impeccable delivery of the jokes and moments of epiphany amounted to an engaging night full of laughter, hope, and nostalgic reminiscence. The humor gently glazed the serious issues that were presented in the script.

This feel-good musical hit another soft-spot as there was no concrete villain: as the audience got to know each character, they also discovered the good in everyone. By the end of the musical, the audience was rooting for each character. Overall, the play encompassed a flush of positivity that was inspiring and entertaining.

Written By: Anibha Singh, Staff Writer