The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Thursday, April 13, 2017 — 5
SMTD’s ‘Mermaid’ lends
voice and scales to Power
Courtesy of SMTD’s Musical Theatre Department
SMTD to put on “The Little Mermaid” this weekend at the Power Center
The musical theatre department to put on acclaimed musical
The optimistic mermaid, the
singing crab, the goofy flounder
and the ominous octopus: the
story and music of Disney’s
classic “The Little Mermaid” has
made a home for itself on VHS
shelves everywhere. The timeless
tale, filled with energy, vibrancy
and thrill, will take its aquatic
adventure from the screen to the
stage with a production by SMTD’s
Musical Theatre Department this
weekend.
The Hans Christian Anderson
tale made its way to Broadway in
2008, where the musical firmly
followed the same plot as the 1989
Disney version.
As a story solely experienced
through words and film before
2008, a keen eye was needed in
order to create the adaptation
and bring it to life. Director and
Choreographer of the show, and
SMTD Associate Professor of
Musical Theatre Linda Goodrich,
described her experience working
with children’s animation and
how she applied those experiences
to the University’s production.
“I
worked
on
several
Nickelodeon
shows
including
Blue’s Clues and Dora the Explorer
and employed similar processes
in finding human characteristics
for animals, use of puppetry and
and vocabulary to create different
environments,” Goodrich wrote
in an email interview. “I feel very
at home and delight in this kind of
creation.”
Although
“Mermaid”
is
a
children’s story being performed
at a university, it raises the
concepts of maturity and coming
of age. Goodrich found that one
of the most difficult parts of
directing the show was “finding
the humanity and conflict in all
of the characters while keeping
the fun and humor of the animal
world.”
Other than the well-know,
catchy songs “Under the Sea”
and “Kiss the Girl,” Goodrich
additionally touched on the other
major aspects of the musical,
presenting more than just an
elaborate and innocent children’s
adventure.
“There are many very relevant
themes in the show that I brought
out as the director, but need to
deliver them with whimsy and
magic. For example, the conflict
of a young girl/mermaid, whose
mother was killed, whose father
is trying to hold on to her, who has
found love that is forbidden in her
world, wanting to
leave home –– while
creating the physical
world of a swimming
mermaid,”
she
wrote.
Substantiating the
idea of connecting
adult
themes
to
a
children’s
show,
SMTD
junior Sarah Lynn
Marion
described
her
perspective
on
playing
the
antagonist
Ursula,
who is one of the
older characters in
the play.
“She
has
a
different backstory
in the stage version,”
Marion said. “She has an additional
song that gives a little more detail
about her family life, explaining
a bit more about why she is the
way she is … she’s not just some
big scary octopus ... she’s broken,
troubled, and misunderstood.”
Applying what she previously
knew about the villain and
what she learned throughout
the process of playing the role,
Marion discovered that Ursula
not only taught her about how she
personally perceives herself, but
also the connection between the
actress and a character with such
a dynamic and dramatic persona.
“I
really
struggled
with
allowing myself to be as confident,
body-positive, and powerful as she
is, but the explorative and creative
rehearsal process really allowed
Ursula to dwell in me. Diving more
and more into the many layers
of her, I feel like she’s given me
more confidence, body-positivity,
and power on and off the stage,”
Marion added.
By dissecting the characters’
personalities
and
backstories,
designing over-the-top costumes
and sets and overall interweaving
creativity from the stage to the
audience,
the
aspects of “The
Little Mermaid”
come
together
to
create
one
overarching
lesson: find your
voice.
“The
wonderful thing
about
Disney
shows is that there
are such a range
of
characters
and
points
of
view that every
audience member
of any age has
someone that they
can relate to … In
this show almost
every
character
is searching for their place in life
and how to express themselves,”
Goodrich explained. “There is a
very literal message in this show
of finding and asserting yourself in
life: finding your voice and owning
who you are.”
SMTD’s
closing
season
performance
of
“The
Little
Mermaid” creates a space in which
audience members can return
to their childhood, the high-sea
adventure of love, song and magic
or even experience the journey in a
new, mature light.
ERIKA SHEVCHEK
Daily Community Culture Editor
“The Little
Mermaid”
Power Center
April 13th @ 7:30
P.M.
April 14th & 15th @
8 P.M.
April 15th & 16th @
2 P.M.
$26-32
$12 students w/ ID
Courtesy of M-agination
Student films were put on last Wednesday by M-agination
The M-agination Fest a
diverse celebration of film
Student films presented at the Michigan vary in creativity
The movies of the M-agination
Student
Film
Festival
were
hilarious,
touching,
beautiful,
simple, filled with dumb jokes,
kind
of
embarrassing,
and
delightful — all at the same time.
The festival brought 16 films to
a packed audience in the main
screening room of the Michigan
Theater, each of them made with
clear enthusiasm and love for the
craft.
The festival kicked off with
“Cheater,” directed by LSA Junior
Mike Boctor, which depicted with
weird and wonderful accuracy
the weird lengths people will
go to to cheat on a test. Action
movie music was used, people got
stabbed in the eyes with pencils,
the audience was shaking with
laughter. Then there was the
deeply strange “Jam,” directed by
LSA Sophomore Gabriel Wolfe,
about a serial killer who drank
blood only the blood was jam.
I think any more explanation
would undercut the absurdist
hilarity of the film, so we’ll leave
it at that.
The highlight of the festival,
though, was “Anna Garcia Does
a One Woman Play,” directed
by SMTD Senior Anna Garcia.
It tells the story of the highly
intense,
overbearing
and
imaginative Anna Garcia as she
browbeats her friends to come
see her one-woman show. Filmed
with a careful eye for well-framed
shots, colorful and soft lighting,
and edited with a precise sense of
comic timing, “Anna Garcia” was
just a genuinely good story. Not
just good for a student film, but
honestly engaging and well-told.
The audience seemed to agree
and greeted the film with wild
applause.
There were some more somber
outings as well — the beautifully
filmed,
voice-over
heavy
meditation on loneliness and
youth as it relates to college that
was LSA Junior Dylan Hancook’s
“Millennia”; the tense exploration
of a miserable relationship in
LSA Senior Nikita Mungarwadi’s
“Cracked”; and LSA Senior Clare
Higgins’ experimental “Origins.”
Some
dabbled
in
classic
genre constructions, like the
meandering but well-intentioned
sci-fi epidemic movie “CRISPR/
Cas-4,” directed by Engineering
Junior Michael Mitchell Jr. Some
films landed better than others,
as expected, but since the festival
was the result of a diverse and
creative group of filmmakers,
there was truly something for
everyone.
As
a
celebration
of
the
creativity and drive of a talented
group of people, the M-agination
Film Festival was undeniably a
success. The room was filled with
an enthusiastic and receptive
audience who gave every movie
its
deserved
attention.
They
laughed,
they
cheered,
they
sighed — and a good time was had
by all.
ASIF BECHER
Daily Arts Writer
Unexpected gratitude and
its importance in our lives
Columnist Bailey Kadian discusses the intracacies and
expectations of being grateful for both the simple and big
The
importance
of
expressing gratitude is perhaps
more effectively shown than
it is discussed, though I hope
in bringing up the relevance
of
gratitude,
we
will
feel
encouraged to instigate change.
The
practice
of
constantly
expressing our thankfulness
for the circumstances of our
lives and the people in our lives
is lacking, and I believe this is
because we all think there isn’t
an apparent need to do so. To
go out of our way to express
how
someone’s
contributions
to
our
lives
have
benefitted
us
seems
—
sentimental; in a
way that we are
not
willing
to
offer very often,
if at all.
We choose to
thank
someone
if we are able to
directly
benefit
or advance some
other
objective.
It rarely happens
solely for the sake
of
expressing
deserved thanks
to
another
person.
I’m sure many
of you are aware that expressing
gratitude actually carries a
multitude of health benefits
like
increased
optimism,
stronger
relationships
and
increased
positivity
toward
upcoming
short-term
and
long-term trials. I don’t think I
should reduce the importance
of gratitude to simply a benefit
to your health.
I
wish
to
discuss
its
importance so that hopefully
it transforms from something
that you maybe just think about
to
something
that
actually
becomes instinctual.
Instead of just expecting, it
should be a habit to thank. I see
this most beautifully practiced
in younger children. I volunteer
at an elementary school in
Detroit
every
Friday, and for
the entire year
I have worked
with the same
group of about
five
students.
Last
week
was
my
last
week
working
with
them,
and they were
overwhelmingly
grateful for the
time I had spent
with
them.
A
few
students
saved up some
money to buy
me
chocolate,
they wrote me
poems,
notes,
cards — all of
this as an outpour of thanks for
coming in to assist in reading
and writing.
Why is it that kids know to
do this, but many of us who are
older fail to express our praise?
Children act as though they
are naturally prone to express
thanks, maybe because they
are more dependent on the
guidance and help from others.
While evaluating gratitude on
a larger scale, I have come to
realize that some of the most
privileged and most successful
are also the most unwilling
to give thanks. Instead, they
credit themselves. They think:
“I’m the reason I have made it
to this place and I’m the one to
thank.”
It moves me to see that
children are humble enough to
greet me with grace and praise
simply because they
want to. For them, it is
instinctual.
When
I
was
a
senior in high school,
I applied to be the
commencement
speaker
for
my
graduation
and
wrote
a
speech
that expressed this
sentiment.
Among
the
competition
of
all of the students who wanted
to leave our senior class with
some
inspirational
send-off,
I was not selected to give my
gratitude talk a go.
My
speech
was
derived
from this statement: “Before
we graduate and move on
to the next chapter of our
lives, we have look back with
appreciation and thanks to
those who got us here.”
Maybe some of you have just
begun your college journey.
Others of you are on your way
out. Maybe you’re reading this
far removed from your life in
college. Look at where you
are right now, at this point
in your life, and think about
every single person who made
it possible to be here. Some of
the obvious figures
that come to mind are
parents,
educators
and mentors. But in
further consideration,
I think of many more
people.
I have to consider
those who maintain
the
facilities
that
make it possible for me
to enjoy everything
this University has
to offer. The people
who were willing to write me
recommendation letters, which
gave me the opportunity to apply
to some amazing programs.
People I see everyday, like my
peers, who have given me advice
and support, as well as friends in
graduate school who constantly
offer me insight to what their
experiences are like, helping me
to make decisions toward my
own future.
While considering all who
have made it possible for you to
be where you are — I ask that
before your gaze becomes too
fixed on what is ahead, look
back and consider how their
contributions have allowed for
your advancement.
This
isn’t
a
ridiculous
request — there
are
moments
when
we
see
this
practice
in our culture.
When you watch
an award show,
every
single
person
who
wins something
walks up to the
microphone
and
profusely
thanks everyone
who
helped
him or her on
the
journey
to
success.
If
any
of
those
individuals
walked up to the
microphone and said: “Thank
you, I want to thank myself
and my talent for winning this
award,” the audience would
likely be outraged. They would
think: “How dare this person
take
such
credit
for
their
accomplishment?”
Maybe your success isn’t as
publicized, but the expectation
to express gratitude still exists.
If you walk around thinking
that you don’t owe anyone
thanks,
or
that
it isn’t necessary
to express it, you
are
the
person
grabbing
your
trophy
and
thanking yourself.
Many of you are
exceptional people
on your way to
abundant success.
Don’t fool yourself
into
thinking
you’ve reached a
certain point that
no longer requires
you
to
humbly
thank those who
have
contributed
to such a life.
What I wasn’t
able to say to the
senior class of 2014, I will send
you off with now: As you look
ahead, make sure to also look
back, for the people behind you
are very much responsible for
getting you to where you now
stand.
BAILEY
KADIAN
DAILY COMMUNITY CULTURE COLUMN
It moves me to
see that children
are humble
enough to greet
me with grace
and praise
simply because
they want to
Hopefully it
transforms from
something that
you maybe just
think about to
something that
actually becomes
instinctual
STUDENT FILM REVIEW
COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW