Arcoarena

I had to use that line at some point didn’t I?

Well, here we are. This version on the website should become much more interesting than the last. I’m just messing about really. I guess all this is just an excuse to avoid any real work.

While I think about it, yes Sam I was interested in what your website was powered by. So much so I nicked your idea and this one is powered by Drupal too. It’s quite neat, and there’ll be loads more modules to add soon.

Talking about things to add to the website - There’s a book about play production, I hope to get this written at some point as it may be useful to people in Dramsoc. If people would like to help they can ask me to add permissions to their accound and they can help me, although I guess as a worked example you’d be hrd pushed to tell me what I did better than I can but anyone who wants to proof-read or offer suggestions or even correct my badly written work would be appreciated.

I haven’t got a clue what this website will turn out like.

1. It may just end up proving what Laurence has know all along - that I’m just quite a bitter, angry person.
2. The database that stores the information for the entire site might end up being dropped as I realise that everything I’ve written is pretentious (badly spelt) rubbish that should come with a medical warning stating the damage to your mental health reading the contents of this website might inflict.
3. It could turn out to be the most influential and philosophically important work since Descartes’ Meditations.

I suspect that the 3rd option is very unlikely. Leaving either 1 or 2 to be the true outcome……they aren’t mutually exclusive though.

Anyway - bye bye, see you again soon

Steve

“What on earth is ‘arcoarena’?” I hear you say - or at least I might if you cared.

Here’s why…….

There is an American band called Cake. They do various good things and most people who have heard them tend to say this -

‘Have you heard the cover of ‘I Will Survive’ that they did - it’s really cool isn’t it’

That is generally all people know. This isn’t however me complaing that nobody appreciates my taste in music (that would make it a blog entry).

Cake’s 4th, and most recent, album (as of Jan 04) is called Comfort Eagle. On Comfort Eagle there’s a track called Arcoarena. The track on the album is actually an instrumental, however if one buys the ‘Short Skirt/Long Jacket’ single (which was the first single released for that album and much to my surprise it was played at least twice on Radio 1) there is a vocal version of the track. Hence the tag line - Why walk in circles, it’s one of the lyrics on the track. I was going to use Welcome to the kings palce but I thought that would be a bit egotistical for me, I may use it at some point but not quite yet.

Comic is the magazine for the Comus Club (who are a sort of Dramsoc Alumi society).

Here’s what I wrote as the President of The Other Society

One could say that this past year has been a very busy one for The Other Society, although I guess that hasn’t changed. I should have been suspicious when the previous president decided to leave for France…

In the spring term last year The Other Society presented ‘Sexual Perversity In Chicago’ or SPIC as it became known. SPIC saw an interesting use of the concert hall with an in-the-round performance and a series of dubious acts on a double bed.

After the inevitable lull the summer term and vacations create, many in The Other Society may not have know what hit them as the last autumn term has been very busy. Miss Nia Stevens managed to organise a very successful series of acting workshops. A handful of professionals were convinced to come and give a workshop for very little money, much kudos should go to Nia for this, and dare I say it, a few pints too.

The crew kept themselves busy during Freshers’ week. It was hard work for all involved but we found it very rewarding…… when else does one get to play with so many toys.

Along with the acting workshops The Other Society has produced two plays this term. The first being an adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s ‘Maskerade’ by Stephen Briggs. Mr Tiereny produced some very fine set including flying walls (complete with doors) and a chandelier (which so impressed the Ents manager at the union it made a special guest appearance at the end of term carnival). Besides the set Maskerade seemed to use every trick in the book: pyrotechnics, much flying of scenery and even a puppet of Death of Rats. Not only was the technical side of the play bigger than most plays in recent history there appear to be approximately 50 million cast members, from whom Mike Wyer managed to produce fine performance from everyone.

The second play to be performed last December was ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ by Tennessee Williams. Streetcar was performed in, the newly refurbished, Room 308 of the Huxley building. As the room was in use during the day for these curious things that they call lectures, the lights, set and everything else needed removing and replacing each evening in an hour, much like ‘Tender’ in 2002. As the play was so ‘portable’ it was decided that it would be nice to take such a “meaty�? text to a school and perform for free.

The Other Society is looking forward to another successful term this spring as yet another two plays are in the pipeline. In the concert hall we will be performing ‘A Little Hotel on the Side’ by Georges Feydeau and ‘Absent Friends’ by Alan Aykborne.