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| PLAY ENLIGHTENS PUBLIC ABOUT IRAW WAR, USING ILLUSTRATIONS AND MONOLOGUES BY
MICHAEL MORGAN
The voices of American soldiers in Iraq, often drowned out by the media, were finally heard July 27 in the play “Aftermath of War: In Their Own Words,” written and directed by City College professor John Wilk. The play’s series of monologues are sourced from American soldiers’ letters home, poetry, blogs and interviews about their experiences in the war zone. The play uses projected photographs and images to highlight the soldiers’ stories as they are acted out on stage. Wilk aimed to balance the portrayal of soldiers’ accounts of the events in Iraq and to have a “pro-human stance,” he said. "As soon as you value life, how can you value war?" Wilk said. In hearing soldiers’ views, one can hear the differences among them: some want to return to Iraq after completing their tours because they feel it is their duty, even supporting the war after witnessing its atrocities, while others are opposed. The public can become numb to the daily numbers of dead in Iraq, and the play sought to give the human side to the numbers by giving intimate, firsthand accounts of the war’s death and destruction.
The play, completed in a four-month period, is the fruit of John Wilk's writing and the collaboration of theatre department students in last spring’s Performance Art: New Media Workshop class, which uses multimedia as a basis for production. Music department professor Brian Fergus wrote the original score. City College's diverse student population was well represented by the thirty-member cast. Their backgrounds span the spectrum. The actors range in age from 19 to 71. "City College is an incredible community and cultural resource," Wilk said. In an attempt to raise awareness about American soldiers in Iraq and the importance of their voices, Wilk plans to polish the script and publicize the play as much as possible. He is currently trying to copyright the play so it can be published. Future plans include a possible performance at UC San Francisco. e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com STATE YOUR FASHION CITY COLLEGE BY
MICHAEL MORGAN
City College students are back to school along with their fashionable looks. Angelo Valero is leading the pack with his self-described “Pretty fly, extraordinary, outrageous” style. The Guardsman staff caught up with Angelo in the Visual Arts plaza to check out his 2 Pac shirt and Bay Area area code hoodie. “I get most of my cloths on Market between sixth and ninth streets…I spend about sixty dollars for a pair of shirts.” His look was completed with a pair of stunna shades and a black and white, SF 59/50 hat. Look for Angelo’s “hella’ Bay” look to be leading the pack on campus!
The Guardsman spotted film student Lauren Douthit showing off her end of summer style while walking through campus. With her over-sized sunglasses and chic headband, Lauren knew how to flaunt her hip look. Her outfit was topped off with a faux diamond necklace. When asked where she shops for cloths she answered with: Urban Outfitters. "It's like my life!" she joked. In the morning she, "grabs whatever is clean or not on the floor." It takes her about fifteen minutes to get ready for school. Lauren's look is a throw back to the sixties with her headband and vest while keeping it fresh with subdued colors and simple lines. The look is popular during the Indian summer months and will surely dominate this semester's scene.
SIZE DOES MATTER by Michael Morgan
REVIEWS Movie:
This movie is perfect for those who enjoy a romantic spaghetti dinner followed by a nice relaxing ride on the Tilt A Whirl. That is the visceral effect of “Severance.” A “teambuilding weekend” goes horribly awry when a group of junior execs from a weapons firm finds the wrong lodge in a big, scary forest filled with their own mines and flamethrowers in the hands of faceless thugs. Driving from torture porn to hilarity in 0.5 seconds seems to be the most used device in the movie. Fortunately for the viewer, the funny parts are semi-masterful bytes of irony that sometimes causes the audience to bark in spontaneous laughter. The film is sloppily edited, with obvious mistakes such as shots of rain and no rain in the same scene and other logistical implausibilities, but since it is ridiculous to begin with … who cares? - Elizabeth Skow
This unexpected gift of a read is a skilled mix of private day-school drama and whodunit delivered with a refreshing zest of literary dorkiness. It is the story of a daughter, Blue Van Meer, and her wandering professor father Gareth, and the small South Carolina town where they spend a year — supposedly so the brainy Blue can go to a good school and then on to Harvard. Blue is the narrator. She begins her story by telling the reader about a murder and then takes them in a circle from end to beginning, weaving in enough bookish banter to keep serious readers on their toes. The book is arranged in chapters fashioned after famous literary works and contains illustrations drawn by the author. Pessl’s writing is witty and original, especially the physical descriptions of her characters. A surprise ending in this book is not a cherry on a cupcake, but rather the coin baked into one piece that one bites down on and almost loses a filling. An entertaining and intelligent portrayal of teenage angst, this book is funny and honest where it could be smug. - Elizabeth Skow
e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com
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Maria Leigh, Megan Miller and James Galileo all acted in "Aftermath of War: In Their Own Words," written and directed by John Wilk, who is a professor here at City College. 
Angelo Valero, 26, rocks a hoodie and 59/50 hat. 
In the morning she grabs what's not on the floor. 
Severance
Calamity