Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Slush Fest is returning to downtown Ithaca after an absence of more than a decade, and the return of all things muddy features an afternoon of activities for all ages and fundraising for the Ithaca Festival and the United Way of Tompkins County.

Slush Fest will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the Ithaca Commons.  It’s free and open to the public. Slush Fest was a springtime tradition for many years in Ithaca, but eventually went the way of the Pet Rock, Cabbage Patch Kids and electric typewriters.

Gather some twigs, save those biodegradable cornstarch packing peanuts, round up the family and start designing – it’s Egg Drop time! The Sciencenter invites the community to participate in the 24th Annual Sciencenter Egg Drop contest on Sunday, April 5, at Center Ithaca on The Commons.

Itai Cohen, Assistant Professor of Physics at Cornell University, is the emcee for the 11 a.m. contest, and Jim Bell, Professor of Astronomy at Cornell University, will host the 3 p.m. drop.

Aurora, New York – The Wells College Theatre Department presents Escurial and The Maids, two plays from the Absurdist movement. Performances will take place on Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4, at 7:30 pm, with a Sunday matinee on April 5 at 2:00 pm in Phipps Auditorium, Macmillan Hall. The show is free and the public is warmly invited to attend.

Beginning Monday, March 30 and leading up to the weekend performances, Wells will host “Absurd Week,” a series of events related to the Theatre of the Absurd. Each afternoon at 2:30, there will be a featured presentation in the Art Exhibit Room, Macmillan Hall. Faculty from various disciplines will lead round-table discussions, lecture, or give visual presentations based on the Absurdist movement and the specific plays being performed.

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You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle from your hard disk. In Windows XP you may be able to enable the applet by clicking on the yellow bar at the top of the window and selecting "Allow blocked content".

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SMART TALK
by Dr. Clara Dix

BEST-LOVED FAVORITES:  If the TV is on in the Fowler Lounge, which it is most evenings, Institute for the Linguistically Impaired therapists love to hoot at commercials for Best-Loved Favorites collections.

"No, I want the Most-Hated Favorites collection!" a doctor in his cups may shout at the screen.  "They were playing mediocre favorites today in the BuyMore, another might reply, just to keep the ball in the air, as it were.

The staff refrains from doing business with companies that display linguistic impairment in their advertising, including the offer of free gifts.  We urge patients to do the same.  This is America.  Those who speak English as a first language shouldn't sound as if it were their second or third.

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On Friday, March 27th, nine Ithaca-based bands will perform at Castaways in a special Clash tribute concert benefiting the Cayuga Waterfront Trail.  Thousands of One, Hee Haw Nightmare and Hubcap are just a few of the acts who will appear, each playing an assortment of their favorite Clash songs in their own distinctive styles—with no repeats!

This event also serves as the official kick-off party for The Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF), a one-week multimedia inter-arts extravaganza taking place March 30th through April 5th.   Film screenings will take place at Ithaca College, Cinemapolis, and Fall Creek Pictures throughout that week.

The Sciencenter celebrates NanoDay on Saturday, March 28, with free admission, and more than 20 special hands-on activities and family-friendly presentations about nanoscience and nanotechnology.  Co-sponsored by the Sciencenter and Cornell University, NanoDay in Ithaca is part of a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering. The Sciencenter in Ithaca developed ten of the NanoDays activities that will be used across the country at more than 200 science museums and research centers.

Every summer for eleven seasons the Hangar Theatre has selected four playwrights to receive a Lab Company Playwriting Residency.  The winning playwrights from around the country are brought to Ithaca to develop their play with actors, designers, and a director from the Hangar’s Lab Company.  Together, this team transforms the original one-act into a fully executed production in the Wedge, the Hangar’s black-box performance space.

Over fifty plays were submitted for this years’ contest, which ended March 15.  The winning plays and playwrights will be announced at the end of May.  Choosing the four plays is an exciting process for the Hangar artistic staff.  “We're interested in each writer's experience, their journey as a playwright, the theme and story they've chosen, and the future they have in American theatre,” said Wendy Dann, associate artistic director for the Hangar.

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You need Java enabled to view the crossword applet. If you do not have Java installed you can obtain it from java.com. If do have Java you may need to check your security settings to make sure that applets are enabled, especially if you are viewing the puzzle from your hard disk. In Windows XP you may be able to enable the applet by clicking on the yellow bar at the top of the window and selecting "Allow blocked content".

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SMART TALK
by Dr. Tilde Cedilla

BACK TOGETHER AGAIN:  This time of year, some are starting to think about reunions.  Dr. Verbos Metikulos and I will leave the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired for two weeks in August and look forward to returning to Europe for our twentieth high school reunions, his in Greece and mine in Spain.  However, we plan to get back together or get together again with our classmates.


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