Got a relationship question you want to ask, or a situation you want thoughts and advice on? Email me at somedude.harvardfml@gmail.com, and watch this space for my answer! T.B. asks,

I’m a straight senior guy. In your post-college dating post a couple weeks ago, you suggested post-college activities such as dance classes, community theater, etc. Now, nothing of that sort really grabs me and I totally can’t stomach the thought of doing them just to gain more exposure to girls. I will be too career-focused to actively pursue new girls after I graduate. There is a super hot girl I’m interested in in one of my classes. Any strategies for generating fast results before this semester ends?

Worrying about “fast results” is a trap that will probably undercut you – don’t rush. If you’re worried about timing, just avoid spinning your wheels. I wrote a post a while back about first dates; I think all of my suggestions in that would apply to you well and keep you from unnecessarily stalling. And here are some other relevant posts: dating a senior and everyone has time. If what you want is a relationship that will last beyond graduation, work on building a strong emotional bond: if she feels very strongly about you, she’ll want to either follow you after graduation or encourage you to follow her. With a bit of luck, it’s quite possible to build a relationship to that point in only a matter of months.

While luck plays a role in creating a strong relationship in the first place, keeping it going will always take effort, and no amount of luck will make up for it. If you’re going to be exclusively laser-focused on your career, or won’t compromise your preferred activities (e.g., going to an art gallery if your girlfriend wants you to take her), no amount of good planning at the onset is going to help you in the long term, particularly to hold the attention of the caliber of woman you’re looking for. It requires effort – not just the effort of gestures but the effort of changing yourself for someone else. Read the rest of this entry »

Got a relationship question you want to ask, or a situation you want thoughts and advice on? Email me at somedude.harvardfml@gmail.com, and watch this space for my answer! T.B. asks,

I’m a male graduating senior, girlfriendless, and freaking out that after Harvard, the dating pool is gonna shrink faster than a water balloon thrown at a bed of nails. Now, the clever bit: I am only really interested in Harvard girls — and maybe actresses but that’s another story — picky and vain, but it’s who I am. I’m running out of time and all the hot girls have boyfriends! Can you give me hope?

I can indeed, T.B.

First, you needn’t worry too much: there is indeed an after-college dating world, and it is awesome. It seems scary because there won’t be so many single women your age all living within the same square mile you do, but it’s really not any harder to meet them.

Another thing playing in your favor: as men continue to mature emotionally through their 20s and beyond, they tend to become more desirable – this is because personality tends to affect women’s attraction to men more than vice versa. Since you’re so particular about your tastes in women, that will help you as you get older.

You’re right in your observation that the most desirable girls tend to have boyfriends, but clearly not all of them do, although those that are single tend not to stay single long. But as Randy Munroe helpfully articulated, you have more time — a lot more time — than you think. Read the rest of this entry »

We’re pleased to announce the winners of the third biannual Harvard Theater Awards!

The Harvard Theater Awards, founded in 2010, recognize excellence in Harvard Theater. Awards are chosen at the end of each semester by a panel of volunteer judges from a variety of theatrical backgrounds. To learn more, see the Harvard Theater Awards’ website. Check ‘em out below!

Acting Awards

Best Lead Actor in a Play

Best Lead Actress in a Play

Best Lead Actor in a Musical

We’re pleased to announce the winners of the first biannual Harvard Theater Awards!

The Harvard Theater Awards, founded last summer by Meryl Federman, recognize excellence in Harvard Theater. Awards are chosen at the end of each semester by a panel of volunteer judges from a variety of theatrical backgrounds. To learn more, see the Harvard Theater Awards’ website. Check ‘em out below!

Best Lead Actor in a Drama

Winner: Phil Gillen as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet
Runner Up: Josh Wilson as Hieronimo in The Spanish Tragedy
Other Nominees:
Andy Boyd as Rene Gallimard in M. Butterfly
Dan Giles as Mr. Marmalade in Mr. Marmalade
Tony Oblen as Willie Nelson in Paradise NV

Best Lead Actress in a Drama

Winner: Ilinca Radulian as Irma in The Balcony
Runner Up: Sara Lytle as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra
Other Nominees:
Renée Donlon as Stepdaughter in Six Characters in Search of an Author
Becca Feinberg as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet
Vanessa Koo as Lucy in Mr. Marmalade
Kelly Perron as Becca in Trust

Best Lead Actor in a Musical or Opera

Winner: Jonathan Stevens as Ruthven Murgatroyd / Robin Oakapple in Ruddigore
Runner Up: Jackson Kernion as the Leading Man in Disney Revue
Other Nominee: Alex Nemiroski as Billy Flynn in Chicago

Best Lead Actress in a Musical or Opera

Winner: Liv Redpath as Rose Maybud in Ruddigore
Runner Up: Morgan Henry as the Leading Lady in Disney Revue
Other Nominees:
Julia Cavallaro as Sagesse/Discorde in Les Plaisirs de la Paix
Madison Greer as Roxie Hart in Chicago
Megan O’Keefe as Velma Kelly in Chicago Read the rest of this entry »

You know what we hate about panels? Sometimes “Open to the Public” gives a smelly, crazy vagrant the chance to pop a squat indoors. More mundanely though, speakers will deflect any and all questions, dropping a tangential bit of knowledge as a diversion, leaving the audience a little dissatisfied and confused. But you know what we love about panels? When rock stars get invited to talk. All of these things were present tonight at the Oberon for a panel discussion of the American Repertory Theater’s production of Cabaret with some strange bedfellows:

Shazam!

• Homi Bhabha (a rock star, if the Humanities Center at Harvard had one… the man has written so many books)
• Charles Maier (Harvard, Professor of History)
• Carol Oja (Harvard, Professor of Music)
• Martin Puchner (Harvard, Professor of English and Comparative Literature)
• Amanda [Fucking] Palmer (Emcee in the ART’s Cabaret, and actual rockstar: The Dresden Dolls, Evelyn Evelyn)

Read the rest of this entry »

by Lexi Ross ’13

Want to see an innovative, non-convential theater piece created by a recent grad? Then check out The Untitled Project, conceived by Calla Videt ’09 and playing at various locations around Harvard square.

Calla Videt was born in New York City but spent most of her formative years in Singapore and Europe, where she gained a fascination for non-conventional ways of creating theater.

Calla, who graduated last spring with a special concentration in theater and physics, was heavily involved in both performing and directing during her time at Harvard. Her senior thesis consisted of a show which she wrote and directed on the Loeb Mainstage, entitled The Space Between. Unlike that work, which made heavy use of various forms of multimedia, Calla told us that Untitled Project is more of a simple, text-based piece, which she feels is the most meaningful to her as an audience member. Without giving away too much about this unique theater experience, Calla emphasized fluidity and spontaneity as some of the most prominent aspects of the show. In fact, while Calla conceived the original idea for Untitled Project, her cast of actors wrote much of the actual script during the rehearsal process. Calla also mentioned that audience feedback would be crucial in the creation process, and that the story might change entirely by the time the show continues its run in New York.

Read the rest of this entry »

Noice presents another installment of a Guide to the Weekend. Not too many ragefests this weekend but HOLY CRAP so many other things to do! Noice’s picks of the weekend? AAA’s “Absolut AAA” party (an ice bar and ice luge? awesome.) and the Battle of the Bands at the Queen’s Head Pub. Cheers!

FRIDAY

Bollywood Karaoke Night
Where: Straus Common Room
When: 8pm-10pm

MARAT/SADE
Where: Loeb Experimental Theater, 64 Brattle Street
When: 7:30pm

Brattle Fall Concert
Where: Paine Hall, Music Building
When: 8pm-9pm

Where the Wild Things Jam
Harvard Glee Club Lite featuring Radcliffe Choral Society ‘Cliffe Notes & HRCM Underground
Where: Lowell Lecture Hall
When: 8pm-10pm

MOMENTUM
When: 8pm
Where: Loeb Mainstage (American Repertory Theater)

ABSOLUT AAA
Where: Currier Treehouse
When: 10pm-2am

Read on for more events…