Staff Editorial
When Smothers Theatre was remodeled, many complained that our tuition was being spent on making the campus more beautiful.
Students complain about the cafeteria food and Convocation. They say the library isn’t open late enough and the shuttle doesn’t arrive on time. Some complain there isn’t enough parking on campus; others complain the administration does not provide enough majors. But with all this negativity, students fail to recognize the exciting opportunities Pepperdine has to offer, especially at the Center for the Arts.
The programs at the Center for the Arts are largely overlooked, and although they have had great shows lined up in the past, many students do not take advantage of them.
Tuesday, John Cleese, comedian and a former Monty Python member, will be working the crowd for laughter at Smothers.
This performance has been sold out for weeks. Only 15 students took advantage of the event and bought tickets, but we know there’s a number of Monty Python fans out there, judging by the “Monty Python Completely Useless Group” on Facebook.
Student devotees have missed their chance and will be sulking Tuesday night while 285 general public enjoy the show that will be taking place just a walk away from the dorms.
In a show that was sold out for months with tickets costing $70, acclaimed comedian and actor Lily Tomlin graced the stages of Smothers on Jan. 27.
For those uncultured folks out there, Tomlin was Vivian Jaffe on “I Heart Huckabees,” Deborah Fiderer on “The West Wing,” the voice of Ms. Frizzle on “The Magic School Bus,” to name a few of her roles, and she’s has also won a Tony award.
How many students actually went to the sold-out performance? Most students were probably unaware of the show and most likely complained about traffic that night, wondering why there were so many cars on campus on a Friday night.
The Center for the Arts has provided a number of performances that have been selling out, but they seem to sell out to the community and not students.
Grammy and Oscar-winning composer, guitarist and vocalist Christopher Cross was on campus in January, and most students missed him. The award-winning country group SheDaisy was in concert fall semester in Smothers, and most missed that too.
The Center for the Arts is doing a great job of bringing popular performers right at our doorstep, and students need to realize it for a couple of different reasons.
Smothers Theater isn’t that big. That means no matter how far you are from the stage, there really isn’t a nose-bleed seating section. It’s not like the Great Western Forum in Inglewood or The Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Also, driving out to different venues can be a pain, especially during traffic hours.
For those who live on campus, Smothers Theatre is only a short walk away, so watching performances there saves time, gas and money for parking.
For those who live off campus, the drive is short, and parking is free. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Pepperdine is a small private university, but it has been fortunate enough to get a couple big-name performers.
Lita Albuqurque’s AOR exhibit will be at the Weisman until March 26, children from Uganda will be making a stop on their Tour of Light tour on Feb. 28, and there will be an event called Guitar Master Class with the classical guitarist Christopher Parkening.
Break out of the habit of looking at Ticketmaster.com for upcoming shows. It’s time students take advantage of the Center for the Arts. A list of coming attractions can be found on www.pepperdine.edu/arts.
02-8-2006
