The School of Theatre and Dance is preparing for the annual Houston Shakespeare Festival in August at Miller Outdoor Theatre. The production will present “As You Like It” as well as “Antony and Cleopatra” with Crystal Dickinson (left) as Cleopatra and Seth Gilliam (right) as Antony. | Courtesy of Mike Emery

To show dedication to a former director, the School of Theatre and Dance is hosting and presenting two classic performances at the annual Houston Shakespeare Festival at Miller Outdoor Theatre throughout August.

The festival will celebrate 38 years in memory of one of its founders and former School of Theatre and Dance Director Sidney Berger. The festival will feature “Antony and Cleopatra” directed by Leah C. Gardiner and “As You Like It,” directed by Marc Masterson.

In “Antony and Cleopatra,” recent theatre graduate Colin David plays Eros, Antony’s loyal attendant.

“It’s a great honor to be performing some Shakespeare for the public, and the shows are all completely free too,” David said.

“I’m absolutely amazed by all the cast and crew. This is my first year participating in the festival, but I can tell its really has grown over the past few years.”

In 1969, Berger came to UH to transform the theatre program. He served as a professor, a director and a mentor to many students. He has also taught famous actors such as Dennis and Randy Quaid.

Berger also started the annual Houston Shakespeare Festival as a tradition in 1975. The first show he directed was “Taming of the Shrew”. He directed his last show in 2010.

With the recent passing of beloved professor and director, the actors have a large plate to fill at this year’s festival.

“Even though I never had him as a professor, I heard him speak and he was brilliant. Hearing him speak about Shakespeare was simply amazing,” David said.

“I was very moved. I saw the last show he directed, ’Much Ado About Nothing’, and I loved it. It was simply brilliant.”

Berger has received many awards for his works. In the 1991 academic year, he received the Esther Farfel Award, he highest honor for UH faculty members. He also received the Theatre Under the Stars Ruth Denney Award in 2007 and was recognized by Congressman Gene Green in regards to the Shakespeare Festival.

In 2010, Aug. 6 was named “Sidney Berger Day” by Mayor Annise Parker.

The Houston Shakespeare Festival commences on Aug. 2 and will conclude on Aug. 11. All performances start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available for reservation.

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Research from the University at Buffalo in New York showed that college students are apt to underestimate levels of intoxication especially for females. | Wikimedia Commons

A recent gender study found differences in the perception and social acceptability of drinking among college students, who have a tendency to minimize female intoxication levels.

The Research Institute on Addictions at the University at Buffalo, the State University of New York found that students misinterpret levels of intoxication because of gender differentiations and social norms.

The study had 145 college students read a scenario and estimate the intoxication levels of the main characters. The researchers changed the characters’ gender, number of drinks consumed within three hours and a description of their behavior.

The participants rated the characters on a scale of one to five using moderate drinking terms including “buzzed” and “tipsy.” They also chose from 11 heavy drinking terms including “obliterated” and “tanked.”

When asked to reflect on characters who had reached higher levels of intoxication, participants described females with less scrutiny than males.

Male characters whose behavior indicated obvious drunkenness were labeled as “hammered” or “plastered”. Female characters who displayed the same drunken behavior and consumed the same number of drinks, however, continued to be described as “tipsy” or “lightheaded.”

Ash Levitt, University at Buffalo researcher, suggests that women typically underestimate and downplay their level of intoxication to fit societal expectations.

Sociology professor Russell Curtis teaches alcoholism and addiction. He also studies social movements and behavior.

“Females have been ascribed the role of ‘carriers of morality’ or, in parental terms, models of ‘good.’ There is, in my view, a double standard for drinking,” Curtis said.

“Drunkenness is a male expectation. To get loaded and raise hell for males is ‘boys will be boys.’ Society’s role expectations of women is to maintain more sobriety.”

Business management sophomore Andrew Rodriguez agreed with the study’s findings.

“I do think that the amount of alcohol women drink is downplayed by both genders in order to display a more courteous or proper appearance,” Rodriguez said.

Hotel and restaurant management junior Austin Windom described why intoxication may be skewed to describe people of different genders.

“It is more socially acceptable for a man to drink casually,” said Windom. “As a society, we hold women to higher social standards.”

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism noted that about half of college students who drink also consume alcohol through binge drinking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that binge drinking is twice as common among males.

“Drinking for guys is better accepted in society because it is considered ‘masculine’,” said nutrition sophomore Marianne Beristain. “On the contrary, a girl of similar intoxication could easily lose her cool and classy reputation.”

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Often defined as “the art of spoken words,” slam poetry has become popular for poets to share experiences or worldwide conflicts. Broadcast journalism sophomore and slam poet Mahnoor Samana has been featured on Amy Poehler’s YouTube channel to highlight discrimination. | Courtesy of Leonal Nerio

The emotions of a poet’s thoughts and experiences are often captured during their performance to convey real-world issues and personal conflicts.

Broadcast journalism sophomore and The Daily Cougar Web Editor Mahnoor Samana is one such poet and has used performance art to change lives. Poetry has been a passion all her life.

“Slam poetry is a mix between prose, written poetry and acting,” Samana said. “I want to shed light on the things we keep hidden in the dark and talk about the forgotten.”

For years, Samana said she kept her poetry to herself, concealing them inside notebooks that were filled cover to cover. After she entered her first performance art competition, she realized that her words and thoughts matter.

“I found myself on that stage with one microphone, a blinding light and a room full of people staring at me,” Samana said. “You know, there are some experiences in life where you actually realize in the moment how happy you are, and that was the moment for me.”

She has performed at many venues around the Houston area, but finds true happiness performing at local coffee shops and being able to connect with a group of strangers.

“When you perform, you give up a little piece of yourself to your audience, and you create a personal bond with them,” Samana said. “The thing with strangers is that they don’t know you or your past; it’s only about what you have to say, and to me, that is beautiful.”

During one of her performances, a representative from Amy Poehler’s Youtube channel “Smart Girls at the Party” was in attendance and asked Samana to perform one of her slam poems for Poehler’s online channel.

Mahnoor Samana,right, stands with her mentor Outspoken Bean, middle, and partner Michael Stephens, left, after her performance on Fox 26. | Courtesy of Mahnoor Samana

She has also performed on Fox 26 News to preview an event as part of the group Meta-Four Houston. The event was called “Pink at the Brown” and was a tribute to people who are fighting breast cancer.

“It was live TV, so it was very nerve-wracking,” Samana said. “But all in all, I had an amazing time. I walked out of the TV station in shock because I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that I was on TV.”

Inspired by faith, emotion, experiences and a supportive family, Samana encourages all who are interested in poetry to find inspirations, write it down and never stop.

“Take a pen and start writing,” Samana said. “It might not look like poetry to you at first sight, but trust me, it will matter to someone.”

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The annual Summer Arts Workshop for children ended on Friday at the Blaffer Art Museum. “It has been a whirlwind of fun, and the kids are so adorable, innocent and sweet,” said Lindsey Slavin, sculpture alumna and teacher. “If I ever came into work in a bad mood, they fixed it.” | Monica Tso/The Daily Cougar

Grade school students between the ages of six to 12 were inspired to create masterpieces during a two-week art workshop that ended on Friday at the Blaffer Art Museum.

About 25 children explored artsy projects at the annual Summer Arts Workshop. The projects throughout the workshop were inspired by superheroes and alter-egos, and students created “wearables,” including masks, gloves and headbands.

On the last day, students toured Andy Coolquitt’s exhibition at Blaffer and created sculptures out of recycled items and trash, inspired by the gallery.

Curator of education Katherine Veneman has hosted the camp for nine years.

“The students can relate their own ideas to our contemporary galleries, and they all see different ideas, which generates many new perspectives,” Veneman said. “The best part is seeing the kids work together because each person brings different dynamics.”

Sculpture alumna Lindsey Slavin worked at the Young Artist Apprenticeship Program — hosted at Blaffer for high school students — and decided to teach children for the first time at the art workshop this year.

“The most challenging part of this program is that the students work at different speeds, so I have to prepare multiple projects to keep them all busy,” Slavin said. “It was also challenging to come up with a curriculum for this age group and having back up plans of back up plans. I had to be prepared and plan ahead.”

Slavin hopes the students found confidence in their artwork and encourages them to stay creative.

“The very best thing is knowing that you have influenced the students creatively and in a positive way, and I want them to know that art is a safe place. It’s something we can turn to,” Slavin said. “If the students leave with overflowing ideas of art and self-confidence, then I have done my job.”

The students toured the Andy Coolquitt’s exhibition and were inspired to create art out of trash. | Monica Tso/The Daily Cougar

Art history senior and president of Blaffer Student Association Marcada Claybon was a teacher’s assistant and has worked with the workshop for two years.

“I really look forward to this art workshop every summer, and it’s interesting and different every time,” Claybon said. “The workshop allows kids to be more creative and provides an outlet. The teachers are great, and we have lots of returning students.”

Art history post-baccalaureate student Araceli Casas was also an assistant and has been an intern at Blaffer for two semesters.

“I love teaching kids about art, and I want them to feel confident about their own creativity,” Casas said. “We cover a lot of mediums, so the kids can really be hands-on. I want to help fuel their creativity, especially if they may not have the chance to be.”

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The new 640-acre theme park, the Grand Texas Theme Park, in northeast Houston is under development as students’ excitement increases. The park will include a water park, hotel resorts, petting zoos and more. | Courtesy of Grand Texas Theme Park Facebook page

Houstonians are anxious for the area’s newest amusement park, the Grand Texas Theme Park. The park will be sprawled across 640 acres of land in New Caney, which is northeast of Houston, and is estimated to complete in 2015.

One of the project’s investors, Chuck Hendrix, the CEO of Innovative Leisure Partners and a former general manager of AstroWorld, has been working with other investors for two years. The park will be in New Caney, off Highway 59 and FM 242, and will include restaurants, an RV resort and a water park. Other options are being discussed.

“It’s good for the city of Houston,” said accounting alumnus Hasheem Qureshi. “Any improvement in H-Town is a win for UH. If it brings value to the city while providing entertainment for hard working Houstonians, then why not go through with it? I hope they continue to develop more projects like this; we can always use more fun.”

Houston’s last theme park, AstroWorld, closed down in 2005 due to expense and parking issues, yet many students continue to hold fond memories.

“AstroWorld was amazing with so many roller coasters and rides nearby,” said communications junior Monir Yari. “As I get older, I realize how I took it for granted. I would love for something like that to be around now. I’m not sure if this new theme park will be anything like AstroWorld, but I’m sure it’ll be worth checking out. A lot of us still wish AstroWorld was around, and I think students here will welcome an idea like this.”

Although the new theme park development has been met with an overall positive reaction, several students fear the construction will add to the already hectic Houston traffic, especially for weary commuter students.

Chemistry senior Kyle Miller refutes these claims and is enthused for the project.

“There will be more construction; there will always be more construction,” said Miller. “It’s good for the economy; it gets people working, spending and contributing to our country’s growth. I think it’s a great idea not only business-wise but also for us entertainment-hungry youth. We love working hard and playing hard.”

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After being on the job for eight years Perkins still finds fulfillment. | Monica Tso/The Daily Cougar

The University Center Satellite Chick-fil-A may attract a long line of hungry Cougars throughout the school year, but cook supervisor Don Perkins ensures a friendly environment with quality food for every customer.

Perkins worked at Chili’s Too Grill & Bar on campus before its manager moved the restaurants best workers to Chick-fil-a. He has served students and supervised a team of hard-working cooks for eight years.

“The managers are wonderful, the other employees are wonderful and the students are wonderful,” Perkins said. “I love working here.”

The company swaps managers every two or three years, but Perkins has a positive, open mind when it comes to understanding changes on the job.

“I have managers who arrive on campus early to make breakfast for us,” he said. “They really try to make a fun environment, and it helps us want to come to work every day.”

One of the biggest challenges for Perkins is getting a raise, and he’s confident that his team is able to find solutions to minor trouble.

“Besides that, we always find ways to solve the problem without having to go to the big manager,” Perkins said. “We all get along very well, and we make sure everyone has fun to make time go by faster.”

When he’s not in the kitchen, Perkins is a mechanic at a car shop on the weekends, and he describes himself as a “busy-body.”

During the summer, he continues to serve students who crave the chain’s popular waffle fries and chicken sandwiches, even after the Satellite closes at 2 p.m., to assure satisfaction.

“The students are wonderful,” Perkins said. “They always crack jokes, and they want to get to know us and become friends. After all these years, I have absolutely no complaints about this job.”

Although he enjoys working at Chick-fil-a, he has other plans.

“I’ve got many dream jobs, and I want to open my own business,” Perkins said. “I’m looking into a program here at UH for craning. Even if I complete craning school, the employees and staff here are like my family, so I can’t just leave them. I would have to find a balance between the two jobs.”

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7/19

Movie: The horror movie, “The Conjuring,” about a family who encounters spirits living in their New England farmhouse, opens in theaters.

Film Workshop: A hands-on filmmaking workshop features Indie-U Film School and producer and director, Gary Chason from the University of Texas at Austin. Participants will learn skills by making four short films under the supervision of the instructor. Directors, producers and cinematographers will learn specific techniques. The event runs for two weekends: July 20 to 21 and July 27 to 28. Registration fees are $295. Find more information at indieslate.com or call (832) 593-0405.

Music: Rock group The Maine is having a concert at 6 p.m. in Fitzgerald’s. Other bands including A Rocket to the Moon, this Century and Brighten will be opening. More information can be found at fitzlivemusic.com.

7/20

Art Workshop: The Blaffer Art Museum will be hosting a Summer Edition Saleri Studio for participants to engage in arts and crafts pertaining to Andy Coolquitt’s exhibition, “Attainable Excellence.” The event is from 1 to 4 p.m. and is also free and open to participants of all ages. Tours of the gallery will begin at 1 p.m. Reservations are requested. Contact Katherine Veneman at (713) 745-9526.

7/21

Theater: Broadway at the Hobby Center presents the famous “Wicked.” The show will be at 2 p.m. in Sarofim Hall. Tickets are $44 plus applicable fees.

Art Workshop: The Museum of Fine Arts is hosting a family zone and studio to explore French paintings from 1 to 4 p.m. Museum members have free admission. Student tickets are $6 with an ID and adult tickets are $13.

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Middle school girls attended the Behavior Opportunities Uniting Nutrition Counseling and Exercise camp Monday at the Farish Hall to battle their health. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years. | Delilah Sampson/The Daily Cougar

Dozens of middle school girls met with volunteers Monday in Farish Hall for a four-week journey in enhancing their health.

Behavior Opportunities Uniting Nutrition Counseling and Exercise, a summer camp specifically for Hispanic and African-American pre-adolescent girls from the ages 9 to 14, was awarded as “one of the best nutrition and activity practices” by the Texas Public Health Association in 2006.

In 2010, BOUNCE was recognized again and received an honorable mention in the Texas Cardiovascular Health Promotion Awards from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

“We work with girls in this age group because puberty is a difficult time for them, so we like to support them before those changes occur,” said Norma Olvera, the executive director of BOUNCE.

Olvera received her doctorate from UH in developmental psychology with a concentration in child health. She is also an associate professor for the UH Department of Health and Human Performance.

“I have eighteen years of experience with healthy life programs,” Olvera said.

Since 2005, BOUNCE has taught young girls how to reach healthier lifestyles though nutrition, exercise and counseling.

“The girls meet with a dietitian to understand how to read food labels, portion sizes and reduce fat,” Olvera said. “We also give them a healthy lunch each day with some healthy snacks.”

Throughout the week, the girls have learned about fun ways to be active. Each day, they learn a new exercise to stay active such as Zumba, yoga and core training.

The girls also receive counseling to understand what a healthy weight is and how to achieve self-acceptance with their body image.

“We like to bring the parents on Friday, especially the mothers, so they can be supportive for the girls,” Olvera said. “This helps them work together as a family.”

Gabriela Berrones, a student in the BOUNCE program, attended for her second year in a row this past week.

“I love everything about BOUNCE, but my favorite part is that my family can get involved with me,” Berrones said.

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Rapper Jay-Z remains consistent with his new album joining the line of his legendary projects, “Reasonable Doubt,” “The Black Album” and “American Gangster.”

Now, the “Magna Carta … Holy Grail” is a platinum-selling album thanks to his deal with Samsung Mobile conglomerate, who bought the first 1 million copies. Samsung took those copies and showcased the album for free on a phone app to the first 1 million listeners. Though the financial condition of “MCHG” is in its highest, the artistry reaches to the next level with this project, as his preferred theme of duality and balancing life and fame satisfactorily transfers well throughout the 16-track masterpiece.

The oxymoronic, somber-celebratory “Oceans” track, which features vocals from Odd Future’s Frank Ocean, plays to the theme perfectly. Alongside its dramatic combination of horns and strings, the lyrics speak on how the ocean water has seen the transportation of African slaves in the past versus the luxurious ride on high-end cruise ships that are now taken by wealthy African-Americans. Jay-Z’s line “Swoosh, that’s the sound of the border / Swoosh, and that’s the sound of a baller” paints the contrast quite well.

“Heaven” also takes a successful shot at the “Holy Grail” aspect of the album, with clever lyrics that speaks to existentialism philosophies through religious undertones while shutting down illuminati allegations. While Timbaland definitely bodies this piece, perhaps the best produced and lyrically sound song on this album goes to “Somewhereinamerica,” with its loud, busty horns and the little piano lines that quietly makes a presence on the beat via loop. This song gives insight to how the black, hip-hop culture has easily blended within other cultures and how Jay-Z spiritually and financially profits off of it.

“MGCH” isn’t without some bad apples, though. Jay-Z does a splendid job of portraying these ideas of duality as well as presenting his introspective, paranoid thought of fatherhood in “Jay Z Blue,” which features some deep self-reflecting over a nice, free-flowing beat. However, much of these songs include only a 30 percent portion of those insights. The other 70 percent lies within “I’m rich and married to Beyoncé. Look at all the things I can buy with my money,” which largely makes the entire LP sound like Jigga is stuck in “Watch the Throne.”

“Tom Ford,” “F*ckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt” and “BBC” are all bragging tracks and should have been scrapped from the album. The guest appearance from Nas on the 13th track doesn’t even warrant it a pass— even much of the lyrics are splattered with notions of basking in private islands and indulging in a plethora of different cars.

It’s not just in these tracks that Jay-Z’s bragging flows surfaces. He nearly does it in all of them, shortly hitting away at the analogies that pertain to the theme, but then backing those away and spouting “rich guy” nonsense throughout the rest of the track.

“MCHG” is a well-executed piece of an album that no doubt will become a classic to be heard throughout the years. Jay-Z is presenting himself again through the trials and tribulations of his fame, fortune and fatherhood, which are laced seamlessly against J-Roc, Timbaland, Swizz Beats and Pharell’s work of instrumentals.

However, despite the highness of this album, Jay-Z should be done with the bragging of his richness by now. His resume of musical work has spanned for more than 16 years and compared to Kanye West, Hov shouldn’t lower to the senseless wordplay that is depicted in this album, which does the job fairly on its own.

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