What do Steven Pinker, Matthew Kaiser, and David Malan have in common? Well, they are all Harvard professors, you have probably heard of all of them, and they are all speaking this Thursday in Sanders Theatre at the same event.

CEB, HUTV and the UC are coming together to present Harvard Thinks Big, an event which will highlight ten of Harvard’s most well known professors speaking for ten minutes about their favorite subjects. What does this mean for you? A night of watching some of the most charismatic professors Harvard has to offer and no essay, midterm or final to follow.

Other professors joining the team are Diana Eck, Allen Counter, Daniel Gilbert, Maria Tatar, Richard Wrangham, Timothy Patrick McCarthy, and Andrew Berry. Topics will surely range from issues in psychology and computer science to literature and even folklore and mythology.

Admission is free and only open to Harvard undergrads and the lectures are planned to start this Thursday at 8pm in Sanders Theatre.

Recently there has been much hubbub on the sightings of major stars filming in the Square. These soon to be films will be joining in a long line of films set at our famous institution. In case your ego doesn’t feel bloated enough, here is a list of some of the most well known movies that use Harvard as a plot subject and some fun facts about them!

Legally Blonde (2001) – Everyone’s favorite Harvard-centered movie (or just mine). We are all well versed in the story of Elle Woods and her unlikely acceptance to Harvard Law School through which she plans to win back her ex, Waner Huntington III.

Fun Fact 1: Reese Witherspoon spent two weeks spending time with and studying actual sorority girls for the project. She also attended law school for a day. Now that’s what I call dedication to a role.

Fun Fact 2: The final graduation scene was shot in the Great Hall of Dulwich College in London because it was not included in the original script. When it was added to the movie, Witherspoon was already filming “The Importance of Being Earnest” in England.

Fun Fact 3: Witherspoon got to keep every piece of clothing from the movie, as per her contract. That’s a whole lot of pink.

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Last night I tried to explain the production of Sleep No More to someone at Harvard who had yet to hear anything about it. “Well you see, it’s an adaptation of Macbeth… but there are no words….and there isn’t a stage… and it’s actually in this big old school building… and you wear this weird mask… and you have to follow characters around to figure out what is going on…but you never actually know what is going on.” I realized about halfway through my explanation that not only was I not doing the production the justice it deserved, but also I myself was not entirely sure how to explain the experience that was Sleep No More.  The production, created by a London based group called Punchdrunk Theatricals known for their installation immersive theater in Europe, was brought to Boston this year by the A.R.T.. in an attempt to bring this new experience of theater to America. It certainly was an experience, and by far the most interesting one I have had in a while.

On Saturday night, I ventured out of Harvard Square with three friends to a place Harvard students would not journey to if it weren’t for the prospect of free theater required by one of our classes. Two subway lines and one hour later we arrived in what felt like the middle of nowhere, Massachusetts, otherwise known as Brookline. I’m sure in the light of day Brookline is just another respectable and well-to-do suburb of Boston. However, on a cold night when you are holding a small slip of directions that more or less ends with, “Follow the small hard-to-find path up to the looming school building on your right. ” you are more than willing to huddle closer to those with whom you came. Once you finally find the Old Lincoln School Building (which is the name of the venue on your ticket), Cambridge already feels very far away. But incase you are not entirely out of your comfort zone yet, you are ushered through a black corridor and are forced to navigate your way to the Manderlay Bar, a night club signaling the other influence of the production, Alfred Hitchcocks 1940 film Rebecca. There are servants to greet you, music, and other patrons waiting with drinks in hand for their turn to enter the “show” portion of the night. About twenty minutes later my group was called and we finally entered into the world we had come to see. Read the rest of this entry »

The prospect of a long weekend at Harvard can mean many things. For many, it is a chance to catch up on those readings that have been pushed to the bottom of the to-do list for weeks or to study for that looming midterm. For others it is a chance to visit friends or go home for the first time of the semester and for others still it’s a chance to party a little harder on those Friday and Saturday nights knowing that there will be an extra day to recuperate.

Now that we are coming to the end of the weekend and the feathers and glitter of Oktoberfest are behind us, there may be students looking for a productive way to spend their Columbus Day that doesn’t involve sleeping in all day or sitting in Lamont for hours on end. Instead, maybe use the day to explore the Cambridge and Boston area and do a few things you have never done before. Noice is here to give you a few ideas for what to do on your Columbus Day.

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Brain Break. Every Harvard student is familiar with this almost-nightly event, which claims to provide us with a brief and tasty breather from our sometimes overwhelming workload. For some, it is social time to connect with friends to talk about the day or to just relax. For others, it is a chance to get a bite to eat before the long night of reading and writing ahead of them.

But, what is designed as a respite for the weary, a regular oasis in the desert of academia, actually turns out to be very little. What, in fact, does Brain Break offer to those seeking reprieve from the mountains of work bearing down on them and sustenance to keep going on the climb?

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Friday marked the opening of this year’s first HRDC production, Putting it Together, a Stephen Sondheim revue. The show, directed by Stewart Kramer ’12 and music directed by Ben Nelson ‘11, features songs from popular Sondheim shows like Merrily We Roll Along, Company and even Sweeney Todd.

The cast comprised entirely of seniors, Christine Bendorf, Jordan Reddout, Matthew Bohrer, Adam Lathram, and Walter Klyce, sang through the intricate melodies with ease and even portrayed characters in a story made through the collection of songs. The show is great for musical theater lovers and even for newcomers who have never heard a word of Sondheim in their lives.

Putting it Together will be playing in the Loeb Experimental Theater Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week and tickets can be reserved by e-mailing puttingittogether@gmail.com. Tickets are free!

Oh man. It's a night to remember for THIS lady.

Students in Diane Paulus and Marjorie Garber’s popular class titled Theater, Dream, Shakespeare got to have a little taste of the discotheque this past week. The class, which focuses on exactly what its title suggests, allows all students a free season pass to the A.R.T.’s Shakespeare Exploded festival. Sweet deal, right?

The first performance of the season students were able to attend was titled The Donkey Show. (And yes. It’s every bit of what you think it is. Well…okay, not really, but sort of.) The show is a disco adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by Paulus (of Hair fame) herself, and is performed in Club Oberon — a disco-club-meets-theater-stage on 2 Arrow Street. In the spirit of audience-actor interaction, all students received “dancefloor tickets,” in which everyone got to boogie down with the actors of the show. After the show, the party continues into the night so everyone can break it down on the dancefloor (or on stage)!

Read on as Voice reporter Katie McNicol ’12 puts on her boogie shoes, gets down with glittery half-naked men, and loses herself in this dream-disco world which Paulus has created. Warning: Some semi-scandalous photos ahead — but you know you like it.

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