In Brief: November 2

BGSU Firelands Theatre presents ‘The Great Gatsby’

Immersing audiences in the decadence of America’s Jazz Age, BGSU Firelands College presents “The Great Gatsby” tonight through Saturday (Nov. 2-4) in the McBride Auditorium at Firelands.

The breathtaking glamour and decadent excess of the Jazz Age come to the BGSU Firelands stage in a new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel. Recreating the sights, sounds and feel of America’s Roaring Twenties, as seen through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is a brilliant evocation of a society obsessed with wealth and status. Remaining faithful to the spirit and language of the original, this adaptation brings the much-loved novel to life to create a fresh, character-driven piece of theater that transports audiences directly into the party at Jay Gatsby’s Long Island mansion.

Performances of “The Great Gatsby” are at 7:30 p.m. each night. Tickets are $6-$12 and may be purchased by calling 419-626-1950 or online. Tickets for BGSU faculty/staff are $8 and for BGSU students are $6.

This production is rated PG.

Computer Art Club carves top prize at animation festival

Members of the BGSU Computer Art Club (CAC) attended the Ottawa International Animation Festival to learn about what's going on in the animation industry and walked away as champion pumpkin carvers.

Seventeen CAC members, along with their faculty adviser, Bonnie Mitchell, professor of digital arts, earned the top prize in the festival's pumpkin carving contest, sponsored by the Cartoon Network. This highly competitive and fun competition attracts a wide range of creative participants including international artists working at animation companies, students and faculty from around the world and independent animators.

On the trip to Ottawa, Canada, the students brainstormed ideas and sketched thumbnail images of possible pumpkin designs. The group agreed that CAC President Jack Spencer's suggestion to create a pumpkin ghost ship was the best approach. At the event, Joshua Drouillard, Erin Reen and Rachel Sykes carved the pumpkin, while others provided creative input. Working as a team they carved a base, sails, barnacles and other small details for the ship. The attention to detail and hard work paid off. 

“Though our team won cool grab bag items, including a Ben Ten mask, a copy of ‘The Answer’ signed by Rebecca Sugar, and a variety of different pins, the greatest reward was taking home the first-place title and showing the world that BGSU has super creative students,” said Megan Miazgowicz.

Other BGSU students who attended the festival included: Matthew England, Rachel Immel, Joseph Jadach, Alexander Turner, Jessica West, Marisa Kreinbihl, Jay Butcher, Carly Gardull, Amanda Glass, Meryl Becker, Cassandra Steiner and Tabitha Marquis.

An interesting side note: the second- and third-place winners were teams organized by BGSU alumnus Jeff Simonetta, an adjunct faculty member at the Cleveland Institute of Art.