Professor of Theater James Brandon says he’s a little too young for a lifetime award in theater, but the judges at the National Communication Association don’t seem to think so. On Nov. 17, Brandon received a Distinguished Achievement Award for Scholarship, Pedagogy, and Performance at the association’s annual conference in Dallas, Texas. The award’s three...
Elise Clines’ vibrant spirit shines through art
Scrolling through Elise Clines’ online art business is like walking through a candy store of pretty watercolor designs, printed on everything from home decor to notebooks to outerwear. Her designs tend to be chic and feminine — but her most popular item? A popsicle-patterned men’s T-shirt. “A guy named Omar from Mexico is currently...
‘Proof,’ with four-person cast, scalds the heart awake
When Michael Beyer first saw “Proof,” he was working as an usher at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre during grad school in 2002. Months before, the play had received three Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “I thought it was refreshing. As far as new theater went it was energetically written,” Beyer said. And ever...
Kendrick should win the AMAs
Rappers don’t often move thematically beyond money, reputation, and women. But Kendrick Lamar does more than rap. He even called himself a writer, rather than a rapper, during an interview on the Colbert Report because his music “is more storytelling than rhyming words together.” He paints pictures in the listener’s mind. He tells the stories...
In Opera Workshop, ‘Pirates of Penzance’ radiates with energy
More than 600 people crammed into McNamara Rehearsal Hall Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to watch Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.” Never in my four years here have I seen so many attend Opera Workshop’s annual performance. I would know — I was always performing. The show attracted audiences in mass, because it’s a classic,...




