By Avery Walts

The two short, cherished months of summer for high school students are usually spent at the pool or on the couch. However, the theater students at FC spend their summer preparing for upcoming shows, competing at Internationals in Nebraska, and this year competing in Scotland. Yes, Scotland.

The International Fringe Festival held in Edinburg, Scotland is the largest arts festival in the world. To say FC being invited for the fourth year is an honor would be a grand understatement.

“I received an invitation saying that a college had submitted our name as a high school with an exemplary theatre arts program and they hoped we would apply to be considered for the Fringe Festival,” said theater teacher Chris Bundy.

Only one school from each state is selected after the evaluation process to represent the United States.

“The process for being invited is not based on a single show, but rather they look at a three-year period of work by the school, theater offerings within the school, community support of the arts, etc,” said Bundy.

The real work for the festival began earlier this school year. Despite a few sightseeing excursions along the way, the main focus of the trip will be the group’s production of “E.A. Poe…Into the Mind of Madness.”

“We have just started work on ‘E.A. Poe’ so most roles have not been cast as of yet. The roles that are cast include junior Zach Hebert as Poe, senior Tyson Woolf as his adoptive father Allan, and Ryan Bickett as the young Poe,” said Bundy.

From past experiences at the Fringe Festival, Bundy noticed original plays fare better with the critics.

“I settled upon an American icon, Edgar Allan Poe, who is certainly well known throughout the world. We wanted to approach the show not only using some of his stories as a basis, but to really ‘get into the mind’ of Poe and what might have influenced his macabre nature,” said Bundy.

Along with the Scotland trip is FC’s 13th trip to the International Thespian Festival in Nebraska. The students will be performing the smash hit “The Drowsy Chaperone.”

“It will be performed before 2,800 theatre kids from all over the country and they are the best audiences a school could hope for,” said Bundy.

Each year, hundreds of schools enter their shows to be considered for an invitation, and only five shows are given the evening slots to perform. FC is one of those shows.

Internationals also includes hundreds of workshops conducted by professionals from around the world as well as college scholarship auditions.

None of these prestigious festivals would be possible without summer rehearsals.

“The main issues with rehearsing during the summer is balancing everyone’s schedules. It is always hard to get everyone on the same page,” said Bundy.

With all the hurdles of summer schedules and stressful roles to perfect, Bundy finds any extra practice beneficial.

“Any opportunities to hone one’s craft outside of school hours is both useful and important in being the best one can be,” said Bundy.

by Avery Walts

The second album from folk band Fleet Foxes is laced with 70s-tinged riffs, distinct vocals from Robin Pecknold, and harmonies that will take you away. Helplessness Blues is a smooth, 12 track album that includes songs to soon become a staple of indie/folk lovers.

“Montezuma” opens the album with a steady guitar line and background crescendos that mask the troubled lyrics. “I wonder if I’ll see/Any faces above me/Or just cracks in the ceiling.” Pecknold seems to be questioning his views of mortality, but the ease of the mix of all the elements in the song grab your attention first.

“The Plains/Bitter Dancer” starts with an ominesce acoustic guitar, slowly building with haunting “oohhs” and “ahhs.” Just when the harmony reaches its peak, it stops for a solo session of guitar- the perfect juxtapose. The lyrics are then introduced with a hint of early 70s rock, circa Cat Stevens mixed with Band of Horses.

“Lorelai” sets the upbeat tone for the rest of the album. A short drum solo leads into the safety net of Fleet Foxes: “oohhs” and “ahhs.” Then the chorus, “I was old news to you then. Old news old news to you then,” is presented in such a melodic way the brevity of its greatness seems longer.

“The Shrine/An Argument”  is a storyline trilogy of sorts. The first part has a fast paced guitar accompanied by the angsty lyrics “I’m not one to ever pray for mercy/ or to wish on pennies in the fountain or the shrine/but that day you know I left my money/and I thought of you only.” The second part of the series brings a sudden key change, with a flashback of memories: “When you talk you hardly even look in my eyes/ in the morning, in the morning/In the doorway holding every letter that I wrote.” The final segment ends the song with a sense of closure in the lyrics “I will lay down in the sand and let the ocean lead/carry me to Innisfree like pollen on the breeze.” However, a rampant trumpet bellows over the content drums to produce a cacophany of sounds that led me to quickly turn the song off.

“Grown Ocean” is the closing track and my favorite off the album. It is almost always certain if a song opens with a drumstick clash, it is bound to be great. At first I though I was listening to an Andrew Bird song because of the rushed guitar and eclectic sense of style. The chorus, “In that dream I could hardly contain it/All my life I will wait to attain it/There, there, there,” outlines the  optimistic view of the whole song, along with a bird-like flute fluttering in the background.

The ease of transition from song-to-song is normally a good thing, but this time I found it to be a bit monotonous. I would have liked to hear a more prominent theme other than acoustic guitar with soft-spoken words. I guess what I am trying to say is I am not a huge folk fan, so the more upbeat songs caught my attention more from my own personal preference. For now, “White Winter Hymnal” from their 2008 debut album still holds my heart, but “Grown Ocean” is a close contender.

by Cody Repine

Last Thursday, March 10, the stage was set for the FC Orchestra Department’s 18th Annual Winter Pops Concert. Well, actually it was set for “Willy Wonka,” but the musicians crammed themselves onstage amidst the remnants of the set and the open orchestra pit. As cramped as they were, the musicians still managed to make enough room for orchestra director Doug Elmore’s sternly uproarious conducting. The orchestra performed pieces by Elmer Bernstein, Hans Zimmer, and John Williams, and finished with a practice run of its ISSMA Contest pieces.

The evening kicked off with the theme from “The Magnificent Seven,” a classic piece of American cinematic music, complete with brassy fanfares and an added dash of lively Latin rhythm. After the first few notes, nods and smiles from sheer nostalgia began to spread through the auditorium. A sense of excitement, of something building, prevailed throughout the night, and continued to build until the last crushing blows at the bass drum in Allegro non troppo from Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Even guest conductor Gabrielle Boguslaw from U of L seemed caught up in it when she directed Slavonic Dance no. 8 entirely too fast.

After “Slavonic Dance,” Elmore turned out the lights and brought the excitement down a notch, making a point regarding budget cuts and the arts. The momentary silence and darkness starkly illustrated the reality of the loss of the arts in schools.

Two softer pieces, “Aria” and “Schindler’s List,” allowed the musicians to showcase their lyrical prowess. The Stokowski arrangement of Bach’s “Aria” stripped most of the original melody from the violins and placed it upon the cellos. It takes a talented musician to play that high on a cello. The performance was as light as air, as the Italian word “aria” would suggest. In both pieces, the musicians allowed themselves to be moved by the music, not enslaved to the notes on the page. I’m not a highly emotional person, but “Schindler’s List” made my eyes misty and my throat tense, and I haven’t even seen the movie. The piece was originally composed for a small ensemble and violin soloist Itzhak Perlman. The symphony orchestra kept true to Williams’ vision with its unified voice, leaving me feeling as if I could have been listening to a chamber group.

Also from Williams, the ever-popular selections from “The Empire Strikes Back” generated much excitement. The FC symphony orchestra is no London Symphony, but its sound was just as impressive as the original score. The strings provided the solid base for the brass and woodwinds with their pin pointed intonation and dynamics.

By far, the highlight of the concert was “Shostakovich 5,” the most ambitious contest piece the orchestra has attempted in over 20 years. The performance was a little rough around the edges, but the strings were remarkably together in their bowing. The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich quoted one moved listener from years ago as saying of the piece, “It is high voltage, nervous electricity.” The orchestra still has a little ways to go before contest next month, but the musicians definitely nailed that level of energy and intensity.

The symphony orchestra’s precision bowing, spot on dynamics, and overall cohesiveness made this the year’s best concert to date, an A+ performance. At $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and free admission for students, such concerts can be an inexpensive way to entertain your family. The ambitious spirit of this orchestra and drive of the individual musicians create a a unique musical experience that keeps me in eager anticipation of each concert.

Don’t miss the upcoming Spring Concert on April 17.