Thursday, April 12 marked the beginning of the sixteen-day Kaleidoscope Arts Festival. The kickoff event was held at Boozel Dining Hall and featured drum performances from the World Percussion Ensemble, musical numbers from the Musical Theatre Society and dance routines from JamRock.
Noah Welter, a member of the student advisory board for the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival, was happy to talk about the festival itself and what is in store for students who will be attending.
“The one that I am really excited about is from the United Citizens Brigade (UCB), a touring improv company actually started by Amy Poehler, from the show Parks and Recreation, and she used to be on Saturday Night Live,” Welter said during Kaleidoscope’s opening ceremony.
This event will take place in the Smith Student Center ballroom at 7 p.m. on April 27 and will feature 70 minutes of improve from the UCB.
Another event happening, which will take place April 20, is FRANKENSTEIN: A Staged Musical Reading. Kiersten Hope, who will play Elizabeth Lavenza, expressed her excitement about the event.
“I am really excited, this is a wonderful opportunity, I am thrilled to be able to meet the composer and it is very fun for me,” Hope said. “What I like most about this piece is it blends so many genres of music; there is a lot of classical vocals and then there is a little more contemporary styling. It is a lot of fun, we have a lot of different talent from the theatre department and from the Musical Theatre Society.”
For an event as enormous as this, there is a lot of preparation for a 16-day festival. Savannah Merrill had a major part to play in the production of the festival.
“So we virtually have everyone involved, there are so many different departments that have taken part in the Kaleidoscope Arts Festival and us as a Student Advisory Board,” Merrill said. “The voice for the campus want things that we are interested in, and things we think the rest of the students will be interested in. With so many free to low key cost events that we are able to afford and you just show up and enjoy so many different art events that we have on campus.”
The Kaleidoscope Arts Festival is sure to have something for everyone. It is a great way for students to come together and get to socialize with amazing events that everyone should try. If you are interested in seeing them off campus, be sure to see them on Main Street from noon to five on Saturday, April 28 for a live musical performance.
