Whether you want to audition for a play, see a play, head to an art gallery, catch a new film or a classic, hear a concert or learn about screenwriting, there’s plenty to see and do on and off campus this week. Here’s our curated list of the best things to do this week in Arts & Life.
Film
With few notable films opening in wide release this Friday, this week is the perfect opportunity to catch up on great films that you may have missed. We recommend “A Most Violent Year,” “Selma” or “Two Days, One Night” — all exceptional films.
Hitchcock’s masterpiece “Rear Window” will also be showing this weekend at the Stanford Theatre in a double feature with Hitchcock’s lesser-known “Saboteur.” A truly invigorating film, “Rear Window,” is a must-see thriller and is definitely worth the seven dollar entrance fee.
If you’re willing to put in the effort, the Castro Theatre in San Francisco has some truly wonderful programming this week. Monday, the theater will be hosting a quote-along screening of “The Princess Bride” with special guest — and star — Cary Elwes. On Friday, the theater will be paying tribute to Christopher Lloyd, who will make an appearance, with a showing of “Back to the Future.” On Saturday, the Castro will be hosting a tribute to HBO’s Veep, with the vast majority of the show’s cast in attendance, including star Julia Louis-Dreyfus. All ticketing information can be found here.
On campus, Stanford’s mediaX program has invited screenwriter and producer Scott Z. Burns and storyteller Jamie McIntyre to explain how to weave fact and fiction to craft a compelling story; they’ll focus on Steven Soderbergh’s film “Contagion,” which Burns penned. The event, entitled “Science Storytelling and the Contagion of Ideas,” will be held on February 4 from 4:15–7 p.m. in Bishop Auditorium. You must register for the event prior to attending and can do so here. Scott Z. Burns is also the writer of Soderbergh’s “Side Effects,” a film recommended by Desk Editor Will Ferrer and available for rent in Green Library’s Media and Microtext Collection.
Theater
This week, make sure to check out the second-year TAPS Ph.D. showcases: “Intertwining Roots” and “Parts for Women Written by Men.” Written and directed by TAPS Ph.D. student Gigi Otalvaro-Hormillosa, “Intertwining Roots” is a solo performance that explores the Perón regime in Argentina and the subsequent Dirty War through the lense of Otálvaro-Hormillosa’s grandfather, who worked as a diplomat under Perón. Immediately following, Ph.D. student Audrey Moyce presents “Parts for Women Written by Men,” which challenges realism and classical theater by utilizing an all-female ensemble in performance. Both will be held in Nitery Theater: “Intertwining Roots” from 7–8 p.m. and “Parts for Women Written by Men” from 8–9 p.m. Performances are free and open to the public.
Auditions for Stanford Theater Laboratory’s “All My Sons,” directed by Allison Gold ‘15, are being held this Saturday, February 7. Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons” tells the heartbreaking story of a father struggling to cope with status and filial obligation in a post-industrial society. If you’re looking from something more playful, try auditioning for The Freek’s “Bacchae,” an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, reinvented into an “immersive rave experience.” Auditions are this Tuesday–Thursday, February 3–5.
Music
Stanford Live will be hosting several concerts spanning classical, jazz and even a student group performance. The Emerson String Quartet, known as one of today’s greatest string quartets, will be performing two of Beethoven’s string quartets at 7:30 p.m. Thursday night in Bing Concert Hall. The day after, jazz singer and four-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves will grace the auditorium with renowned jazz guitarists Romero Lubambo and Russell Malone.
On Sunday, February 8, The Music Department will present a 2:30 p.m. recital at Campbell Recital Hall featuring soprano Christine Brandes, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and faculty pianist Laura Dahl. Brandes’ voice has been described as a “smooth, marbled tone and emotional veracity” by the Press Democrat, so don’t miss this stunning performance! Students gain free admission with their ID. Brandes will present a public masterclass with Stanford voice students the day after. In the evening, catch Talisman, the Stanford student a cappella group, at Bing at 7 p.m. Their show will bring together 25 years of alumni to help illustrate their time-old tradition of sharing stories through song. Tickets are $10 for Stanford students and youth 18 years and younger.
The Stanford Harmonics, another student a capella group on campus, is holding their winter show this Friday, February 6th. Commencing at 7:30 PM in Toyon Hall, “Harmonics in Color” will feature “seven new arrangements, video art, and a new indie rock sound,” according to The Stanford Harmonic’s Facebook event.
Visual Arts
“She Who Tells a Story,” a new Cantor exhibition that showcases the work of 12 female photographers hailing from Iran and the Arab world, opened just last week and is on view until May 4. The exhibit explores the theme of female empowerment and provides insight into a part of the world that has historically been misrepresented and misunderstood. Off campus, “Keith Haring: The Political Line” is on view at the deYoung museum in San Francisco. The exhibit features the work of maverick American artist Keith Haring, whose graphic, politically-charged works deal with issues like racial inequality and the excesses of capitalism.