Category: Arts & Culture

  • Drama Gives A Punch

    During the week of October 1, the beginner drama class of Linda Bon participated in a stage combat workshop by Doctor Stephen Grey. At his workshop, beginner students learned stage combat moves such as punches to the face, kicks to the stomach, and things you would usually see in Jackie Chan movies like Rush Hour or The Karate Kid.

    Stage combat also includes fight scenes in a live environment incorporating tools, weapons, or objects around the actors to make the scene even more realistic.

    One move Ms. Bon showed students personally was a punch across the cheek and a clap with her left hand to emulate the sound of the punch connecting to the face.

    To add on, Doctor Stephen Grey is qualified to teach these techniques as he has earned a Ph.D  from the Ohio State University and a Masters degree in at San Diego State, and a bachelor’s Degree from Cal State Long Beach. Not only that, but Dr. Stephen Grey taught stage combat workshops at La Jolla Playhouse, American Conservatory Theatre, and his home college Ohio State University.

    Bon hopes to use the workshop to potentially produce more action type plays for the people who are attracted to fight scenes in spring.

  • Check Please

    Poly’s theater department will put on a performance of Check Please Acts 1 and 2, a comedy, on November 7th, 8th, 9th, and 14th.

    The show’s main characters are Guy and Girl, both separately seeking a romantic partner and going on a series of blind dates that all go horribly wrong. They meet a myriad of exotic, annoying, or just straight up freaky people: a man believing himself to be a pirate, a kleptomaniac, a narcissist, a woman with 9 personalities, and all sorts of lively, exuberant characters. Both acts of the show are essentially the same, both of them following the dating endeavours of Guy and Girl.

    This show will be a big shift in tone from last year’s fall play, Letters to Sala, which was about a holocaust survivor recounting to her grandchildren the horrors she faced during her time in different work camps. So if anyone is looking for a humorous, more light-hearted show, they should come see Check Please at the Poly Playhouse, in room 801, on November 7th at 6:30 PM, 8th at 6:30 PM, 9th at 3:00 PM, or on the 14th at 6:30 PM.

  • Darklight, A New Relatable Play

    Coming December 10, Linda Bon and her students are putting together Darklight a play about teenagers going through anxiety and depression.

    Throughout the play some of the main characters include Moe, played by sophomore, Paris Holifield, and Van, played by sophomore Valeria Mendoza, are introduced to anxiety and depression that are also played in groups by some of the cast. The role of Depression will be played by sophomore Sidnee Justice. Anxiety will be played by Audrey Moor.

    The subject matter is important for students that feel that they are going through these emotions and can relate to the story.

    Before Bon and her class began to work on Darklight they had a brief discussion about the play with its creator, discovering where she got inspired to write it. Lindsay Price, the author of Darklight skyped with Bon and her students and answered questions about the play to get a better understanding. Price said she went on a trip to a local high school to gain some insight about teenagers and how they go through depression and anxiety.

    Darklight will be performed on December 10 at the Poly Playhouse. For more information about how to get tickets to watch the play go to the Poly Playhouse, also known as room 851.

  • Film Features Former Poly Student

    A new movie, Brian Banks, features a true story about a former Poly student.

    In 2002, Brian Banks was an All-American football player for Poly who was already commited to USC when a girl falsely accused Banks of raping and kidnapping her. He tried maintaining his innocence but the judicial system failed him and sentenced him to a decade of prison/parole. Banks was also forced to register as a sex offender. Even though he was seen as guilty, Banks was determined and fought to clear his name. With the help of the California Innocence Project, Banks was proven innocent and he was exonerated, meaning his record was cleared. So in 2012, Banks was finally able to pursue his dream to be a part of the NFL.

  • G.O.T is GOAT

    HBO offers a lot of great shows, but the best on air now is Game of Thrones. If you like action, drama, and intrigue, then this is the show for you! The story is based on a series of novels and follows a collection of prominent families in the fantasy world of Westeros. The most notable families are the Starks, Lannisters, Targaryens, and Baratheons. They all struggle to play a cut-throat political game that ends with one ruler on the Iron Throne, the game of thrones. Each has to survive using their tricks and tactics to get the throne, and those that don’t, DIE! Dun dunDUN! The show is very enjoyable. It has great acting, complex characters, great writing, cinematography, and stunning sets. You’ll be immersed in the show each episode you watch, and you’ll beg for more. The show is working on its 8th season and its said to release in the middle of 2019, so those of you that are interested still have time to catch up on this amazing show.

  • Must Reads of The Year

    The arrival of fall brings with it the need fir a good read. To help the indesisive bookworm, I have two book  suggestions that you can choose from that you might want to check out.

    First up in recommendations is Rupi Kaur’s The Sun and Her Flowers, a book filled with short poems dealing with the after effects of a breakup, the reflecting of being in one, and the redemption of one’s self. Rupi Kaur is well known for her first debut book Milk and Honey which was released in November 4th, 2014. If you loved her first book then you’ll surely enjoy her second. It’s an easy read of about 242 pages and filled with a variation of short and long poems along with some drawings spreaded here and there in the book. The book is split into 5 sections entitled; the wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming, which helps Kaur tie her experiences with metaphors of flowers. About almost anyone can relate with her universal messages.

    If self reflection isn’t your cup of tea, try Amber Smith’s New York Times Bestseller The Way I Used To Be. In recent news there’s been one topic that has been talked about the most and that seems to be an ongoing issue even into today, sexual assault. This realistic fiction novel tells the story of a young girl dealing with a traumatic experience that happened just before her first year of high school. While the book is 384 pages long and split into 4 sections, each being her freshman, sophomore, junior and senior year, it documents the changes of how she copes with this experience she’s kept to herself. If you’re someone who’s into the dark realities of society,  this might be the one for you.

  • Netflix Nails Coming of Age Story

    By now everyone has at least heard something about “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”, a Netflix Original teen romantic comedy.  Almost every girl is gushing over this movie, some even saying it’sbetter than “The Kissing Booth”, another Netflix Original. Its release date was August 17 and I encountered the trailer a few days before it was released and saved it to My List on Netflix to watch.

    I’ll admit the first few minutes in were abit boring, but as I continued to watch more of it, it grew interesting. The main character Lara Jean is the middle child of 3 siblings and attending high school. She fantasizes about love in the books she reads, but doesn’t indulge in taking the risk of being in an actual relationship. She keeps love letters addressed to the 5 boys she has known in her lifetime, but doesn’t plan on them ever reading the letters. The recipients are crushes she had growing. She is weel aware they’ll only just be crushes and nothing else. When the letters are suddenly released she has to deal with the consequences.

    One of the recipients confronts Lara about the letter and later uses the situation to convince her of being in a fake relationship with him in result of them trying to get back with his ex-girlfriend.

    The movie it had its moments where it pulled my heartstrings or made me feel overwhelmed with emotions. The way the movie ended things it left me satisfied, while also hinted at there being a sequel which hopefully will be released in the near future. I consider this movie to be a 7/10 and a great coming of age story, if you’re someone looking for a cheesy but sweet popcorn romance.

  • Run From The Nun

    The Nun finally hit theatres on Friday, September 7, 2018. Many people have been waiting for this movie since the nun herself first appeared in the Conjuring 2, leaving everyone who watched it with questions about who she was, why she was in the movie, and how was she connected to the rest of the Conjuring franchise. The film started off by telling the viewers what they were about to see is based off of true events that actually took place in Romania in the 1950s. Throughout the movie bits and pieces of how the nun came to be were shared along with the history of the land of the real-life church. The movie does a good job of showing her timeline, however, it leaves you with questions. In the last scene two demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, from both Conjuring movies appear on the screen and you finally get to connect this movie with all the others, but will leave you with even more questions. Overall, the movie is not up to par with  most superior horror films, relying soley on tension building and a few jump scares here and there, but nothing an average horror fan can’t handle.

  • Stop What You Are Doing and WATCH Castle Rock

    Castle Rock is a show that takes place within the Stephen King multiverse. It was promoted frequently on both tv commercials and youtube ads. So. many. Youtube ads. And yet somehow almost nobody I know has seen or heard of it. The show is based off the universe of King novels, but contains original characters. This makes it great for both the super Stephen King fans and the casual viewer. The main universes that occupy this first season is Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and The Shining. Based on the later episodes I’m guessing season 2 will be more The Dark Tower.

    All the characters are created for the show and each one has something supernatural going on with them. Our main character is Henry Deaver, a boy who goes missing for 11 days, experiences a traumatic event, and forgets about it right away. When he returns and is mute, his father suddenly dies. The city of Castle Rock puts all the blame on Henry and label him as  a murderer. Almost 30 years later,  Henry returns as a Lawyer to help a client who has been held captive in Shawshank against his will and without having committed any crime. ‘The Kid’ (Bill Skarsgård) is thought to have some kind of telepathic power. Molly Strand, Henry’s childhood best friend, who definitely has the shinning, is another main charater. Henry’s mother (Sissy Spacek) is suffering from Dementia and has the purest heart in Castle Rock. The only character you might recognize from King’s novels is Jackie Torrence, niece of Jack Torrance. Jackie is minor character, but a relatable one. She is obsessed with the town’s history of gruesome murders and often spectates rather than advance the plot. The show contains amazing performances and easy-to-love characters.

    What happened to all those Stephen King superfans that swore they were lived off of horror? I guess they only showed up because Pennywise became suddenly attractive and left when the hype did. (no wait, that was me, that was my fanfiction) Why is nobody watching this show? It is so good, I can not even put it into words. It has everything, thriller, mystery, murder, flashbacks, 90’s, hot people, old people! Each episode leaves you with so many questions. All episodes are now streaming. I haveyet to watch the last episode and wow I have no idea what is going on. American Horror Story is running out of ideas and Evan Peters is engaged and is therefore no longer it, we need to move on. This is the horror anthology series we all deserve, and people should definitely start tuning in.

  • The Signs as Flowers

    Aries: Ivy

    Taurus: Orchid

    Gemini: Roses

    Cancer: Hibiscus

    Leo: Sunflower

    Virgo: Violets

    Libra: Marigold

    Scorpio: Poppies

    Sagittarius: Dandelion

    Capricorn: Lotus flower

    Aquarius: Water Lilies

    Pisces: Hydrangea

  • A Storm is Blowing into Poly’s Playhouse

    Thursday, May 3 at 6:30pm and Friday, May 4 at 3:00 pm and 6:30pm Poly theatre will presenting their version of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy The Tempest.

        Students from all grades practiced for months to perfect this timeless classic. The story follows Ferdinand and a group of men lost at sea who end up washed up on an island. The island is already inhabited by Miranda and her father Prospero, who once was Duke of Milan is now the magical ruler of the island.

        The performances will cost $3 for ASB members and PARTS students $5 for students and $10 for adults.

  • Play It Again, Poly

      Poly High’s Piano Recital took place during April 24, 25, and the 26. Students played pieces recognizable to all audiences like Dreaming of You. They also played classic romantic pieces such as Valse Romantique, performed by Megan Heng. The song was originally written in 1890 as a solo piece by French composer, Claude Debussy. Melissa Martinez played Renesmee’s Lullaby, which was originally written by Carter Burwell for the score of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part II.

     

        Junior Anahi Vega played Mia and Sebastian’s Theme from “La La Land”. After playing the piano for nearly 3 years, Vega is able to pick up and memorize music quickly, “It took me about a month to memorize this piece. I still messed up, but it was okay.”

     

        Although memorizing sheet music is a skill Vega posses, but after all her performances, Vega still at times, lets her nerves get the better of her. “I actually hit the note I was messing up on, but I need to work on my stage fright. I look at the audience sometimes and just stop.”

    This program in a way told a story, “It started kind of sad, then went to a weird place, but it ended on a happy note.”

     

        Junior, Maya Cheav, began playing piano 9 years ago when her mother brought home a old piano from work one day. She considers music as a pastime and not her career path. She doesn’t think much about the memorization of music, although she agrees it is key when learning the piano,  “ With sheet music, it depends on the song, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.” Cheav recently started playing Jazz and now can tell the similarities between the two styles and embrace their differences. “I’m in Jazz as well so I know how to work with the whole team instead of just solo. Classical music is about sheet music, Jazz is more about expressing yourself, both are nice in different ways.”