Some problems are just "Beyond Therapy"

Last weekend Student Theatre at Bellarmine (ST@B) presented “Beyond Therapy,” a play by Christopher Durang.

The Wyatt Blackbox Theatre was transformed, always making for a unique experience. The stage and the seats were arranged very intimately, with only the capacity for about 30 to 40 people and the theatre was almost full Saturday night.

I love the Blackbox Theatre and the way it is arranged differently each time I see a production there. It adds character to the shows that ST@B puts on there.

Set in New York City in 1982, “Beyond Therapy” focuses around the lives of Prudence, a young professional searching for the perfect man, and Bruce, who is somewhat confused about who he is looking for, but someone to love, nevertheless. The two meet by answering personal ads in the newspaper.

Played by Vanessa Ferguson and Jacob Banser, the play follows Prudence and Bruce as they are counseled by their respective therapists, Dr. Stuart Framingham and Charlotte Wallace.

These two characters have their own problems. Dr. Framingham, played by Bellarmine professor of Spanish Nelson López, constantly tries to show off his “macho” side with Prudence, with whom we find he has had a brief affair. Lopez’s enthusiastic portrayal of the obnoxious Dr. Framingham won a few laughs from the audience.

But Charlotte Wallace, the zany, scatterbrained therapist to Bruce steals the show. Emily Ruppel captures the character so well, that by the end of the show I found myself almost trying to make sense of her of-the-wall ramblings that end up right back where they began.

Throw in Bruce’s live-in boyfriend Bob (Ted Lesley) and this group runs into some real problems, all making for an amusing series of events.

Bob, though one of the minor characters, was one of my favorites. With his threats of suicide and his constant neediness, he reminded me a little of Steve Carell's character in "Little Miss Sunshine." Lesley's portrayal of this hilarious but at the same time tragic character, added that extra something to the mix.

“Beyond Therapy” will be showing again, Thursday, March 29 through Sunday, April 1.

This quirky and hilarious show is a great way to escape for two hours. You just might find your own love life is not quite as confusing as it could be.

Woodward is the "New Bob"

Honestly, no idea how I came up with that title, but it sounded catchy. I just wanted to take a few minutes to share with others about my experience when Bob Woodward came and spoke at Bellarmine.

I have to be honest about him though. When I first heard he was coming, I had no idea who he was. I did quite a bit of research and purchased his book, "Plan of Attack". I did more reading online about his accomplishments and a little of his history rather than the book. The book was very informative, but I do not really care to know much about our government. It may be a horrible way to be, but frankly, I do not like to keep up with all of the politics and issues that come about. I am trying to enjoy life without the President and the rest of the government making me angry about their poor decision making. While this may not always be the case, from what I hear from peers, it is.

His speech at Bellarmine filled Knights Hall. It was not the least bit shocking because after I did research, I knew who he was and what he was known for. There was no surprise why there were few seats. He had a great sense of humor, which really enhanced his presentation. He started off asking us questions; I have never been to hear a speaker that started off a talk that way. He immediately gained my respect after that. I talked to a few people who had the opportunity to meet him and have dinner with him about their experience. It turns out, he asked questions most of the time. He was more interested in what everyone else was thinking rather than talking about himself, which surprised me a little. With that kind of a reputation, I would be willing to think that he has a lot of stories to tell and lots of wisdom to share.

Although I do not keep up with politics so much, I do know that I do not care for our President. Woodward came off as not caring for him too much either, which pleased my parents. It was quite humorous to hear my dad go off in a tyrade about Bush on the way home.

Overall, Woodward made some great points in a great speech. I was impressed with the quality of his presentation and am pleased with the program that brings such knowledgable people to speak at BU. I feel that it helps our campus out with increasing knowledge to those people like me who do not keep up with politics.

Boundaries

I have had Dr. Olga Maria Cruz-Smock for 3 different classes since I have been at Bellarmine. Last semester was my best experience with her in an IDC 200 class called Women's Ways of Knowing. It was a class with only women discussing many different aspects of the ways of the world and today's society. It proved to help me grow as a person and even to better communicate with my peers. Even though Dr. Cruz is a teacher at BU, I see her as a friend as well. It is nice to have that kind of a relationship with a teacher because it is someone that I can definetely trust not to repeat anything I say, unlike friends I have. Although I have friends to trust, I still feel there is that chance of repeating something I have disclosed with them.

Dr. Cruz took it upon herself during the semester during our IDC class to have all of us over to her house for dinner. It was a very nice evening with all of us continuing discussions from class, getting to know each other's lives outside of school. It proved to help us bond better in class and was a great evening of laughter and fun. I do not know very many teachers who invite their entire class over for dinner (especially when they are the ones cooking!)

After the IDC class was over, my class was disappointed. None of us wanted the semester to end. Dr. Cruz came up with the idea to have a bookclub. A book by John Townsend and Henry Cloud called Boundaries, discussing when to say no and when to say yes in life's little obstacles. I have had a great experience so far in this book club. There are only about five or six of us which helps the honesty to come about with a little more ease. In class, I still felt like a few people were holding back, just because there was so many of us.

Once every month, our small group gets together and discusses the concepts told in Boundaries and my experience has been very enlightening. I have similar issues that some of the other women have and it helps to know that I am not the only one, even though that may sound kind of silly. It is always nice to know that you are not alone, at least for me anyway. I have learned to look at myself in a better light and accept my weaknesses and try to change them. This was hard for me in the past because I do not like to look at my weaknesses, but now I have learned it is a good thing.

While some college students may feel that a book club is a waste of time, I beg to differ. It is a nice break from the everyday reading that we must do for regular classes at school. It gives my brain a nice break, not to mention some nice insights on my life and the changes I need to make. I have discovered that book clubs are not nerdy or for those who do not have anything better to do, but for those people who just want something more out of the college experience.

The Ultimate Spring Break

Breaks always seem to go by faster than actual school, isn't it great how that works? Sarcasm. I am very proud of myself for making my first 8 hour road trip by myself, safe and sound without getting lost. I drove to see some friends in Lenoir, North Carolina, about an hour from Asheville. I met them three years ago on a school trip to Europe the summer before my senior year in high school. It was great to keep in touch for so long and see them again. We rode along the Blue Ridge Parkway, visited the college town of Boone, just on the other side of the mountains from Lenoir, played disc golf (also known as Frisbee golf), and went to the Biltmore Estate. The Vanderbilts were pretty wealthy as far as I am concerned, now to have seen that estate. With acres and acres of land, including part of the Pisgah National Forest, I would say they had some money. The estimated cost of the house today was $875 million. Everyone get out their check books...

While the Biltmore was astounding, simply spending time out of the city was incredible, especially with the great people I was surrounded by. The drive home was not as pleasant as the drive there. I cried a good portion of it because I did not want to leave and I was extremely sad to have to do so. Regardless, I made it back and was cheery again because the day after, I left for Florida.

The beginning of my Florida trip with my family wasn't the greatest because to kick off our road trip, UofK lost in overtime, which was very disappointing. It got a little better as the night rolled on because then UofL lost, and so did Indiana. We were just a bunch of losers I would guess. The road trip down was nice to have some discussions with my parents, which does not happen very often.

When we made it to my brother's apartment, my niece was very surprised that I had shown up, it was a great plan. The thanks goes to my mom. A great few more days of eating out, laying by the pool, and having a magical day in Disney's Magic Kingdom. I love feeling like a little kid whenever I go there. My brother got a great job working there, telling us secrets about the park along the way, but nothing too extreme in order to not destroy the magic.

It was great to be able to spend some time with my family, since we will probably not have too many holidays all together anymore, unless we head to Florida and that becomes costly during the seasonal rush. Family time is always too short.

The only downer is I have disabled by prize possession momentarily: my camera. It is my life and I am upset to see that it is not working. Dropping it on the ground did not help, but it normally holds up fairly well. It shall be fixed soon I hope.

Spring Break was absolutely amazing and I did not want to come back home. I cannot wait until summer break, it will be equally amazing.