by Jack Downey '23 on May 30, 2023
A&E Co-Editor

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Arts & Entertainment

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On April 22, Providence College’s radio station, WDOM, held its annual music festival: Stuartstock. Each year, the club invites student performers of all genres to play for their peers. Over the past few years, the event has quickly grown in size, partially as a response to the pandemic shutting down events, including those featuring live music. This year, the club outdid itself.

The roster for this year’s Stuartstock boasted an impressive 12 acts. There were singer-songwriters, bands, rappers, and even some friars. The event truly had something for everyone. The lineup started with singer-songwriters: Alex Sateriale ’23, Caleigh Lynch ’23, Matty Reynolds, and Ben Guisto ’24 and friends (Reid Keiper ’24, Nick Grilli ’24, and Lily Amadio ’24). DJ Kraus House (Kieran Kraus ’23) changed up the vibes before the bands took the stage: Timeless, The Grapes, The Hopeless Romantics, St. Joe and the Dorms, and Freshman Year. The final acts of the day were KPTN KLEO (Kari Robles ’23) and The Hillbilly Thomists, featuring Father Justin Bolger, O.P. and Father Simon Teller, O.P.

Another aspect of the festival that was different from past Stuartstocks was the location. Typically, the concert takes place on Slavin Lawn with a small stage in front of  the Atrium. However, this time around, things were moved to Smith Lawn. Performers played on the brick patio in front of Smith Center for the Arts while audience members sat on the lawn or danced on the road in between. Public Safety actually shut down the traffic loop to prevent any problems, allowing people to stand on the bricks and asphalt without fear of oncoming traffic.

The two biggest obstacles facing the event were the weather, with ominous reports of rain appearing on the horizon as the day grew closer, and a country-themed darty that was taking place down the road. However, the rain held off for the most part, and the concert’s strategic location meant that those who wanted to go to the darty had to walk by the performances. This led to many curious students stopping, at least momentarily, to see what was going on, boosting WDOM’s numbers and leading to more engagement overall. It also meant the two food trucks present, Presto Strange O and Haven Brothers, had no trouble with sales.

Overall, the event was a huge success. Every single act brought their A game, with the gray skies being colored in by soaring harmonies, sweet guitar melodies, pounding drums, and rumbling bass. It was an event where people tried new things, with some inviting up guests who had not performed in front of people before. Most notably, The Hillbilly Thomists went electric for their set, with Fr. Justin Bolger, O.P. picking up an electric guitar and an ensemble of students backing them up. It was an exciting closer for an exciting event, and it only shows how much live music is continuing to grow at Providence College.

Back in 2017, there were three acts total at Stuartstock. In six years, that number has quadrupled. Who knows, maybe we’ll have 48 acts by 2029!

by John Downey '23 on December 4, 2022
A&E Co-Editor

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Arts & Entertainment

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With the semester hurtling towards its conclusion, many groups on campus are hosting their final big events. Two such groups fall into the musical category: the PC Jazz Band and the PC Symphonic Winds.

PC Jazz Band’s Fall Concert took place on Nov. 18 under the vast ceiling of ’64 Hall, which was certainly a change in atmosphere following the band’s performance at McPhail’s a month prior. Leading the jazz band was Dr. Eric Melley, whose enthusiasm for the genre was apparent in every word he spoke. While the band was smaller than previous years, consisting of five horn players, a drummer, a bassist, and a keyboardist, they were incredibly tight and tore through an exciting list of songs. This list was composed of jazz standards such as Duke Ellington’s “Cottontail,” Charlie Parker’s “My Little Suede Shoes,” and Miles Davis’ and Victor Feldman’s “Seven Steps to Heaven.”

However, the most exciting moment of the concert was the final song, which was a take on Snarky Puppy’s intimidating “Lingus.” The song began in 5/4 time, but the band was undeterred, recreating the epic grandiosity of the original. While the first half of the song captivated the audience, they were truly hypnotized by the second half. At this point, the time signature switched to a more accessible 4/4. With only a bassline and minimal drumming, the keyboardist, Jordan McBride ’23, created a psychedelic soundscape, playing an improvisation that was large yet versatile. After a brief drum call, the rest of the band came in and began to groove. Members of the audience were seen nodding their heads in time with the music, their eyes fixated on the stage. When the concert ended, the praise was unanimous.

The next day brought the Symphonic Winds concert, which was also led by Dr. Melley. This time, the show was held in the Ryan Concert Hall, located in the Smith Center for the Arts. Featuring a much larger band than the jazz concert, the music was also vastly different. The theme for the night was “Moving Pictures.” Unfortunately, this was in no way connected with the band Rush. However, what was on display was quite impressive: most of the pieces performed were accompanied by images projected onto a screen above the performers. For “Urban Scenes” by Andrew Boysen, pictures of various cities melded with the music played to create a very captivating experience. “Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo” by Malcolm Arnold featured a more stream of consciousness approach, with each of the images on the screen selected by the band members. The presentations weren’t just still images, however: the piece “Sheltering Sky” by John Mackey was accompanied by an animated video, further enhancing the overall experience.

One of the most heartwarming aspects of both these concerts was the size of the crowd in attendance. Both events drew a lot of spectators and audiophiles, which was great to see. There are still a number of performances left to go this semester, including some by the three a cappella groups on campus, so hopefully, people continue to take time to see and hear the great musical performances that PC has to offer.

by John Downey '23 on April 22, 2022
A&E Co-Editor

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Arts & Entertainment

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Gotta Scoot, You Gotta Scurry Down to Smith

9 to 5: The Musical Sees Success During Opening Weekend

Nicole Patano ’22

Editor-in-chief 

 

If you saw Providence College’s production of 9 to 5: The Musical, you probably spent the past two weeks wishing the show’s musical numbers would “Get Out and Stay Out” of your head. It is rare that every song in a musical is a hit, but when they are all written by the “Queen of Country,” Dolly Parton, such is only to be expected. And with the vocals of a star-studded cast including Halle Pratt ’22, Kate Salvato ’23, Emma Lindsay ’25, Alex Cannon ’22, Analisa Pisano ’23, and Nick Bullock ’22, this musical was destined for greatness. 

 

The cast, crew, and production team thought of everything, from a pre-show film created by John Chatfield ’19 to paper flying out of a malfunctioning printer to a portrait of CEO Franklin Hart Jr. (Cannon) hung up in his office. Even the speakers were “disguised” as ’70s-themed decor. 

 

9 to 5 is the first live musical the theater, dance, and film department has been able to put on in two years. After much anticipation, many hours of rehearsal, and a few hiccups along the way, the cast and crew got to celebrate the fruits of their labor on opening night, April 8. 

 

It was clear right away how much work and passion went into creating the production. A tale of adversity in the office set in the 1970s, 9 to 5 is still just as necessary in light of the #MeToo movement and the anniversary of 50 years of women at Providence College. What better way to celebrate feminism and women than by putting on a musical starring three take-charge women who overcome sexism and mysoginy in the workplace? Unfortunately, while the comedy musical has a happy ending, audiences must endure the boy’s club, “locker room” talk, and Hart being a “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” throughout the entire first act. Even the solution does not come through changing the hearts and minds of the men, rather through deception, scheming, and just a handful of illegal acts. 

 

Politics and morality aside, the cast and crew put on an undeniably good show. More impressive than the complex and involved set changes between nearly every scene was the ability of each actor to fully embody their character’s personality. Pratt brought out Violet’s awkwardness and assertiveness, portraying the inner battle between her insecurities as a single mother and her confidence as “One of the Boys.” Lindsay nails the role of the shy and clumsy Judy, but when it comes to her singing, she always takes care of business. Salvato fills Parton’s stilettos well, proving that she is no “Backwoods Barbie.” Finally, Cannon goes above and beyond to run Consolidated Industries, even shaving his facial hair for the part. It is no question that the cast all “Shine Like the Sun” on stage, even while dealing with dark topics such as sexual harassment, sexism, and blackmail.

Fortunately, if you could not attend 9 to 5: The Musical during opening weekend, you are in luck: Violet, Doralee, Judy, and company will be back on the grind at Consolidated come April 22. You can see them hustle and bustle at 7:30 p.m. on April 22 and 23 and 2 p.m. on April 24. Tickets are available for purchase on the TDF website.

by The Cowl Editor on December 11, 2021

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Arts & Entertainment

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Recap: Six Gents’ Thanksgiving Show

Student Performers Make Audience Thankful for Laughter

Grace Whitman ’22

On Tuesday, Nov. 16, Providence College students made the trek down to the Smith Center for the Arts for Six Gents’ second show of the semester, “A Six Gents Thanksgiving.”

Since auditions for the comedy group were held last month, the show started with personal introductions for the new members of the club. Instead of simply introducing them, however, the group performed a skit written in the style of an interrogation. President Sydney Cahill ’22 and Vice President Jack Grosso ’22 led the questioning, trying to figure out if Emma Harrington ’22, Christina Charie ’25 and Andy Belotte ’25 were ready to join the group and determine if they could get Six Gents more funding for their budget. Cahill, Grosso, and audience members discovered that, as a member of Student Congress, Belotte was perfectly positioned to obtain some additional funding from Congress. 

One of the most memorable skits was a play on the Lifetime show Dance Moms. On the show, dance teacher Abby Lee Miller regularly ranks her dancers, pyramid-style, based on their performances from the previous weekend. Harrington, who played Abby Lee Miller, ranked Maddie Ziegler (Aidan Benjamin ’23) on the top of the pyramid, per usual, and choreographed an interpretive dance for Maddie and JoJo Siwa (Katie Vennard ’22) to perform inspired by the wreck of the Titanic. When JoJo and Maddie’s moms didn’t approve of the number, Jill Vertes, played by Belotte, thought it could be a perfect opportunity for “her little Kendall.”

Growing up, most students probably watched Bill Nye the Science Guy’s videos on rolling TV carts in elementary school and smart boards as they grew older to learn about science topics ranging from the phases of matter to static electricity. The next skit played on the idea that as students grow up, Bill Nye, played by Benjamin, has some mature topics to teach them about in the new and improved Bill Nye the Science Guy program. 

Six Gents was originally created to serve as a Saturday Night Live-style sketch group so, for the Thanksgiving show, Cahill and Analisa Pisano ’23 paid homage to the show by doing a Weekend Update skit pretending to be Michael Che and Colin Jost. In the fictional news program, the hosts cracked some jokes about Dean Sears’ emails and “new Ray.” They also brought in special guest Grosso to play a game of Taylor Swift Trivia. With Red (Taylor’s Version) recently released, Pisano and Cahill asked Grosso to finish the lyrics of her songs. He was able to nail “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “You Belong with Me,” but the crowd let out an enthusiastic “boo” when he didn’t know the lyrics to “All Too Well.”

In between each of the skits, Six Gents members asked the audience for words to substitute for blanks in a story before reading aloud in a game of Mad Libs. When asked for a store, “PC Mart” was thrown out, and some funny nouns included “Jake Gyllenhal” and “bowling ball.” To wrap up the show, the gents read the hilariously random mad lib that the audience created together. 

Students looking for more laughs were able to enjoy Six Gents Holiday show last night, and the group is  sure to have more amazing performances next semester.