Carnival-style fun of 'Avenue of the Arts' sure to make parents feel like kids again
Naomi Bryant
Issue date: 10/11/07 Section: Weekender
As Parents Weekend approaches, two burning questions arise, namely "Where do I hide all of the empty liquor bottles I've painstakingly saved since the beginning of the semester?" and "What do old people like my parents do for fun?"
While Tufts offers no solution to the first quandary, this year's "Avenue of the Arts," the highlight of the 2007 Parents Weekend Program, is sure to provide some cross-generational entertainment. From 2:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, nonstop performances by student organizations and the Departments of Drama, Dance and Music will create a street-festival atmosphere along Talbot Avenue.
Thinking Outside the Music Building
The road to Talbot Avenue's newest member wasn't effortlessly conceived. The administration chose "The Arts" as the theme for this year's Parents Weekend largely due to the completion of the new Granoff Music Center.
"We were thinking about things we could showcase, and 'The Arts' seemed natural because of the new music building and because of the increase in applicants who have indicated that they are interested in music," said Linda Levin-Scherz, Acting Director of the Parents Program.
Administrative departments had "multiple brainstorming sessions" about how Tufts could best showcase the arts on campus, according to Levin-Scherz.
Parents Weekend has traditionally featured a Showcase Concert in Cohen Auditorium, which has a bigger stage than the newly built Distler Performance Hall and can accommodate larger performance groups like the Gospel Choir. The smaller stage in Granoff Music Center was a challenge for event coordinators who wanted to showcase the building while still including a large number of artists.
"We were asking ourselves if there was a way to show off the building without shortchanging anybody," Granoff's Events Producer and Publicist Ryan Saunders said.
It was ultimately decided that the festival would be held outside on Talbot Avenue in the "Arts Square" formed by The Granoff Music Center, Sophia Gordon Hall, Stratton Hall, Jackson Gym, and Aidekman Arts Center. In theory, every group will perform on equal footing.
While Tufts offers no solution to the first quandary, this year's "Avenue of the Arts," the highlight of the 2007 Parents Weekend Program, is sure to provide some cross-generational entertainment. From 2:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, nonstop performances by student organizations and the Departments of Drama, Dance and Music will create a street-festival atmosphere along Talbot Avenue.
Thinking Outside the Music Building
The road to Talbot Avenue's newest member wasn't effortlessly conceived. The administration chose "The Arts" as the theme for this year's Parents Weekend largely due to the completion of the new Granoff Music Center.
"We were thinking about things we could showcase, and 'The Arts' seemed natural because of the new music building and because of the increase in applicants who have indicated that they are interested in music," said Linda Levin-Scherz, Acting Director of the Parents Program.
Administrative departments had "multiple brainstorming sessions" about how Tufts could best showcase the arts on campus, according to Levin-Scherz.
Parents Weekend has traditionally featured a Showcase Concert in Cohen Auditorium, which has a bigger stage than the newly built Distler Performance Hall and can accommodate larger performance groups like the Gospel Choir. The smaller stage in Granoff Music Center was a challenge for event coordinators who wanted to showcase the building while still including a large number of artists.
"We were asking ourselves if there was a way to show off the building without shortchanging anybody," Granoff's Events Producer and Publicist Ryan Saunders said.
It was ultimately decided that the festival would be held outside on Talbot Avenue in the "Arts Square" formed by The Granoff Music Center, Sophia Gordon Hall, Stratton Hall, Jackson Gym, and Aidekman Arts Center. In theory, every group will perform on equal footing.
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