Pussy Riot’s founding members speak to students, community about their art, activism and the nature of freedom.

“What is a border? Is it meant to keep in or keep out?” This question and many more are explored in the not-to-be-missed new production of “Borders: Crossing the Line,” opening tonight April 30 at 7 p.m. at Warehouse 21 and running through May 2.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change opens at the Greer Garson Theater this Friday at 7 p.m. and runs April 25 and May 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. and April 26 and May 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.

Meow Wolf’s newest project, The House of Eternal Return, includes numerous internship opportunities for SFUAD students.

Jobs. Internships. Resumés. Career Services has it all. Jackalope talks to Director Joanie Spain about resources for students and grads.

SFUAD Performing Arts Department senior Curtis Williams discusses grad school auditions and his acceptance to Yale University’s prestigious program.

Tikia Fame Hudson is in the process of directing “For Colored Girls,” set to perform in the blackbox theater at Warehouse 21 on Feb. 27 and 28.

Getting ready to graduate college and tackle the real world is a hefty challenge, but Jordyn Aquino is prepared for the big leap with a good head on her shoulders. Aquino, a senior BFA Musical Theater Major in the SFUAD Performing Arts Department, has spent her college career working on multiple productions, including starring as Ti Moune in the Spring 2013 production of Once on This Island, and appearing in Middletown, Little Shop of Horrors,  and Spring Awakening. Aquino sat down with Jackalope Magazine to reflect on her time at SFUAD, her relationships with her teachers, and what the future holds after graduation. Jackalope Magazine: Tell us a bit about your background as an actress and singer. Jordyn Aquino: Well, I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and as one would imagine, there isn’t a ton of wonderful theater going on there. So I did kids performing troupes and stuff like that. I never really did much high school theater. I was more into community theater and the different camps that they had going on at local colleges. Also, I grew up singing a lot, so music was always a big part of my life and theater just kind of went hand in hand with the music stuff. My singing led to competitions, and then that branched into acting competitions. There were agents and managers at these competitions and that led to me moving to LA. I did pilot season, for ABC pilots and Disney things. I was getting far along in auditions, but then I ran out of money, went back home, and decided ‘maybe I’ll go to college.’ So I did. JM: Why did you decide to attend SFUAD? JA: Well, I went to a prospective student dinner and I met [former PAD Chair] John Weckesser and [alumni] Lisa Hamilton, who did a ‘how to prepare for an audition’ video for the department, and I really appreciated what she had to say about the school. It seemed like a place where, not only could I grow as a performer and learn about my craft, but I could also be a better-developed human being. So John Weck gave me his card if I promised to call him, so the next day I did, I sent in a video audition, and he said ‘ok, you can come here,’ and that’s how SFUAD happened! God, this is awkward! Doing your first interview is like losing your virginity! JM: Haha, how so? JA: Well, you know, it’s awkward, a little bit painful…haha! JM: I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say that about an interview! Wow! JA: Sorry! JM: What has been your experience in the Performing Arts Department (PAD) at SFUAD and how have you grown? JA: It’s hard to wrap it up. The experience has definitely helped me prepare for working in the industry. I’ve had wonderful training and been able to work with teachers who helped me identify my strengths and I’ve been able to nurture those. I’ve also been able to work on my weaknesses and get better. As far as how much I’ve grown, I’ve learned to calm down, learned to be more patient and not take myself so seriously. JM: Do you have a teacher that you feel particularly influenced you in a positive way? JA: Oh yeah! All my teachers have been great influences, I love them all so much! Well, Victor Talmadge and Gail Springer, definitely! Gail has really influenced me and it’s been really wonderful to work with her, especially when it comes to vocal training and Estill training. She’s also cast me and helped me expand and given me parts that challenge me and help me grow. For Victor, I really appreciated the kind of discipline he had for acting. You always had to have a reason for what you were doing. You had to justify everything! I appreciated that because acting...

At the end of the semester, few people want to be starting on new projects. But this is when the members of Underwear Society, SFUAD’s student-run sketch comedy group, come together to write and put on their show. For 13 years, Underwear Society has amused College of Santa Fe and now SFUAD students with its antics, putting on one show per semester during finals. Shows usually are held in the Weckesser Studio Theatre in the Greer Garson Theater, but this semester, due to changes within the theater department, the show will go on in Alumni Hall. The show consists of sketches written individually by members or collectively as a group, using pop culture, campus life, awkward situations, and over-the-top characters for inspiration. Between scenes, each member has a scene to showcase their “Indulgence.” “It’s three to five minutes of a solo performer performing solo!” laughs Jacey Ellis when asked to define what an “Indulgence” is. In essence, it’s a moment for a performer to perform whatever they want so the audience can “familiarize themselves with the performer.” Gathering in the acting lab in the Greer Garson Theatre on Dec. 8, members swap scripts and pitch ideas for scenes. Although the group routinely dissolves into giggles, everyone quickly refocuses their attention on the huge task of compiling and rehearsing a show in only a week. “It feels amazing to be a part of something you’ve wanted to do for so long,” enthuses new member Elizabeth Anderson, a performing arts senior who has been auditioning for acceptance into the group since her sophomore year. In addition to Anderson, senior members Jacey Ellis, Joey Beth Gilbert, and Michael Pepp welcomed new members Marjorie Solo, Hamilton Turner, RJ Henkel and Darrell Luther to the team this semester. When asked what attracted them to sketch comedy, each member had unique answers that spoke to the versatility of the art form. “It’s the fleeting nature of the form,” says Marjorie Solo, a creative writing and literature major. “A sketch, like a poem, is only with you for a short period of time. The temporary nature is very appealing.” Michael Pepp, a theater major who has been with the group for four years, agrees. “It’s about being able to have the freedom of movement, of worlds, and the togetherness of laughter.” All agreed that virtues such as respect and open-mindedness were essential qualities for members of a comedy group to have in order to work well together, with RJ Henkel commenting that such qualities gives the group “more freedom to be completely outrageous.” Another interesting discussion point was the difference of opinion over how important being a good writer was to being a good comedian. “I don’t think you can be a good comedian without being a good writer,” says Henkel, who joined the group in the hopes of improving his writing skills, whereas Solo contends that “the writing comes second to the comedic brain and comedic timing; being able to see the world and take comedic material from it.” Hamilton Turner, who has assisted with previous Underwear shows but is enjoying his first show as an official member, preferred to walk the line by agreeing that “it’s definitely important,” but also pointing out that many professional comedians now have writers working for them to help better craft their material. In the end, though, everyone is dedicated to working together to put on the best show possible. Free performances take place this Friday Dec. 12 at midnight and Saturday Dec. 13 at 11 p.m. in Alumni...

It’s a chilly Tuesday afternoon as the staff members of SFUAD’s newest student-run online literary magazine Coffee Spoons converge on an upstairs room in Benildus Hall, shedding coats and cracking open laptops to discuss the game plan for the upcoming week. Only one submission has been made to the website so far and the staff kicks into high gear, brainstorming ways to further promote the website. “We’re hoping to accomplish a wider exposure for all writers on campus,” says Melinda Freudenberger, one of the editors, speaking of the purpose of Coffee Spoons. “We wanted something more accessible than Glyph, because Glyph is once a year and this is every month, so students have the opportunity to turn in newer work. But just as high quality work!” Amaya Hoke agrees. “We want to inspire the student body to start submitting. The idea of submitting is kind of scary, so if they can start by submitting to a student-run online magazine, it might be easier for them to submit elsewhere.” The online magazine will accept any genre of writing, as long as it is “original and coherent” according to the Coffee Spoons FAQ page, and is open to all SFUAD students, not just the Creative Writing and Literature department. “Our only chance to put work out is Glyph whereas other departments have lots of opportunities to put their work out there such as plays and film festivals, and workshops can only take you so far,” says Josiah Farris, the mastermind behind the project. “I really got committed to the idea of trying to find a way for us to find ways to get our work out there more frequently.” Although creative writing students are encouraged to submit their work elsewhere, the primary means of student publication within the department are Glyph, a yearly lit-mag written, edited, and promoted by students, and Jackalope Magazine, the weekly online magazine where students can explore journalism. The Coffee Spoons staff hopes students will be encouraged to submit due to the fast turn-around rate, the fact that submitting work for consideration is free, and that any published works may be resubmitted to “any other magazine that will accept it.” At present, the staff of Coffee Spoons includes Brandon Brown as coordinator, with Josiah Farris, Zoe Baillargeon, Marina Woollven, Serafima Fedorova, Freudenberger, and Hoke as editors. The meeting flip-flops between business and dissolving into giggly side conversations, the staff clearly having a great time working together. Farris jokes around, telling a story of how a teacher literally burning a bad essay in front of his class inspired him to become a writer. The tale sparks laughs from around the room and Brown attempts to get the meeting back on track. Once attention is redirected, everyone is engaged in presenting ideas and opinions for how to further promote the website. The name “Coffee Spoons”comes from a stanza of the T.S. Eliot poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” the exact quote being “I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.” Hoke got the idea from reading the poem in Dana Levin’s 20th Century American Poetry class, replacing Farris’s original title of “A Sudden Jabberwocky.” Each member of the staff has their own reasons for wanting to be involved in the process of editing and promoting student work. “I am always really excited and really looking forward to reading what the department and students come up with,” says Marina Woollven. Freudenberger agrees, saying that she “loves the process of editing, I’m really passionate about it, and giving a wider voice to the community.” Interested students may submit work the first week of every month. If their work is accepted, students can expect a response within two weeks of publication. The overall issue will be released at the end of each month. Currently, the deadline for the November 2014 issue ends on Friday, Nov. 14, allowing students plenty...

Twilight Sparkle and the gang have come to SFUAD! In addition to its myriad other clubs and activities, SFUAD is now playing host to its first ever Brony Club. A bizarre cultural phenomenon that has spawned its own documentary, a Brony is the given name to an adult/young adult male fan of the popular children’s show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” According to posters around campus, the SFUAD Brony Club’s aim is to “give students a chance to express themselves in a non-judging environment,” as well as enjoy activities such as “creating art, showing off fan works and of course watching new episodes of the show.” The SFUAD Brony Club is the brainchild of Jack Getschman, an 18-year-old freshman film major. “I wanted to start the club because I’m a big fan myself, and I felt it was kind of hard to express myself because I do make some fan works and I can’t really express them to people. So I thought, well, other people probably have this problem too, and it’s hard to express your creative works with people who aren’t fans. So I thought, make the club, get to meet Bronies and I get to make some friends and I can really allow them to express themselves in a non-judging environment.” Getschman says he first saw the show back in 2012, but didn’t consider himself a Brony until a friend recently showed him the documentary “Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony.” “I was nervous the first time (I saw MLP) because if someone sees a boy or a grown man watching the show, they’re gonna judge or think the worst.” So far, three people have signed up for the club and the on-campus reaction has been relatively positive, although Getschman says he has heard some people “talk about Bronies in not a good light” and that several of his posters have been torn down. One of the new members, Owen Peterson, a 29-year-old SFCC film student who lives in the SFUAD dorms, was excited by the club’s potential to enhance SFUAD’s “inclusive environment” status. “I like the Brony fandom because they are very progressive in moving society forward by eliminating stereotypes for grown men who like children’s entertainment. I myself like Pokemon, Power Rangers and Batman, among other kids shows. We live in an ever-changing world and Bronies are bringing the world closer to being a better place.” Both Getschman and Peterson acknowledge that their status as Bronies may be negatively perceived, but neither feels judged or ridiculed on campus. “I don’t mind (people judging,) but I’d prefer not to go all out and like, shout out on campus ‘Hey, I’m a Brony!’ or anything. I guess I would prefer not to, but I can take it,” says Getschman. Peterson agrees that he doesn’t feel judged “by anyone here on campus. I’m a little nervous about one or two people, but as long as I’ve got my friends here at SFUAD who like MLP, I shouldn’t be afraid of anything anyone says or does.” Administration approval for the club went through Director of Campus and Residential Life John Rodriguez. “I was kind of surprised, but I had seen an episode of “Bob’s Burgers,” which had a Brony Club and I thought it was hilarious. However, I think Jack’s reasons for starting the club were legitimate enough to approve the creation and it also brings much needed diversity to the SFUAD clubs and organizations.” Rodriguez also expressed the hope that “this club will resonate with our SFUAD student body. Again, it’s something fresh and new and is something that our students grew up with, watching “My Little Pony”, so it’s kind of fun to relive those childhood memories as a young adult as a creative outlet.” As with many fandoms, Getschman and Peterson both had characters from the show with whom they most...