A new Mr. UMD prepares to reign

Third time’s a charm for newly-crowned Mr. UMD, Todd Migliacci

By Megan Gauthier

Former Mr. UMD, Ayo Murphy (righ), steps down from his throne as newly crowned Todd Migliacci enjoys his victory at the April 10 event “Mr. UMD.”

CAB’s annual event Mr. UMD took place on Thursday, April 10 in the Main Auditorium. Mr. UMD, the brother event to the fall semester’s Miss UMD, crowns a contestant based on their stage presence, talent, formal wear and responses to UMD related questions. This year’s event was hosted by the former Mr. UMD, Ayo Murphy, and the current Miss UMD, Shelagh Frossard.

The event kicked off with the standard “Intro Dance,” in which all of the seven contestants danced to a medley of popular songs in their bathing suits. The upbeat performance left all of the ladies in the crowd cheering and geared up for “Meet the Men,” in which the contestants have a chance to personally appeal to the audience and judges by talking about themselves and their involvement on campus.

Following the introductions, the highlight of the evening — the talent portion — began with freshman Mechanical Engineering major Bryan Riddick crooning the sweet ballad “Since You Been Gone.” Next up, sophomore Mechanical Engineering major Alex Sinkus took a creative approach to the talent portion, dressing up as a “Blue Man” from Blue Man group with two of his fellow Theta Delta Chi fraternity members, and drumming on a set of pipes. His accomplices maneuvered the pipes back and forth, in and out, which created a very interesting musical medley. The finale of the performance came when Sinkus poured a bottle of water onto his drum set and proceeded to bang away at it, which caused the water to shimmy and jump into the air, amidst the fluorescent lights.

Corey Gaudreau, a sophomore Business major, drastically altered the mood with his musical performance of “Here We Stand” by Amber Pacific, which involved both his vocal and guitar talents. Corey Donovan took to the stage next with perhaps the most entertaining performance of the evening. His talent was to act out his “Interpretive Evolution of Dance,” which involved dancing along to such classic songs as “Hound-dog,” “The Twist,” “Kung Fu Fighting,” “Grease Lighting,” “Billy Jean,” “Ice, Ice Baby,” “Can’t Touch This,” “I Like Big Butts,” and capping it off with N’Sync’s “Bye, Bye, Bye.” His infectious energy pumped the crowd up just in time for fourth year Sculpture/3D Studies major, Todd Migliacci’s, interactive magic show.

Migliacci opened his act by pouring a can of Sprite into a cup and then removing his hand from the cup, which was suspended in mid-air, much to the amazement of the audience. From there, he launched into two card tricks. He pointed to a deck of cards that was tucked inside a plastic bag, which had been taped to the staircase on the stage earlier that evening. He then tossed an artificial apple into the crowd and asked the person who caught it to imagine they were holding a deck of cards in their hands. He asked them to shuffle and pick a random card. The person announced that they had selected an 8 of hearts. The current Ms. UMD joined him onstage and took the cards out of the bag and handed the deck to Migliacci, who magically pulled the 8 of hearts out of his deck.

His next trick was a little more involved. He placed a deck of cards in a bucket and extended the bucket into the audience, asking four random audience members to pick cards. Once they had their cards, he asserted that he was able to guess which cards they had picked. On his first try, he nailed two of the answers. On his second try, he was able to guess the remaining two cards.

Colton Simmons, a freshman Computer Science major, followed with his beat-boxing act, in which he performed the theme to Nintendo’s “Mario” and “Inspector Gadget,” overlapping the beats with the actual tone of the music, which was quite an interesting effect. Finally, junior Political Science major, John Granger, captured the hearts of the audience with his enthusiastic performance of Justin Timberlake’s “It Doesn’t Matter,” dance interpretation.

A short intermission allowed the audience to unwind after the excitement of the talents, just in time for the Formal Wear section, in which all contestants, complete with lovely ladies on their arms, strutted their stuff in suits, ties and shiny shoes. Concluding the competition, a Question and Answer session was initiated by the current Mr. and Ms. UMD. Questions such as “Why did you come to UMass Dartmouth?,” “Who is your campus role-model?” and “If you could change anything about UMass Dartmouth, what would it be?” were directed towards the contestants, who answered both thoughtfully and honestly.

While votes were being tallied by judges Francine Alfonse, Mary Beckwith, Miss Massachusetts: Valerie Amaral and Monique Sadarangani, UMass Dartmouth’s dance team performed for the audience in a flash of red and black costumes and complicated choreography.

Before announcing the winner, Ayo Murphy sang his last song as Mr. UMD, performing a smooth rendition of “Beyond the Sea.”

Finally, the votes were in! John Granger won “Crowd Favorite,” Colton Simmons received the honor of being “Second Runner Up,” and Todd Migliacci, UMD’s “Upcoming Magician” was crowned “Mr. UMD 2008.”

All in all, the two hour event was enjoyable. The contestants put their all into making the evening entertaining and also proving how they contribute to UMass Dartmouth’s community. Congratulations to all participants, and especially to the new Mr. UMD, Todd Migliacci!

Catching up with the upcoming magician

This year’s Mr. UMD is one of the most humble people you will ever come across. He is involved in a plethora of activities, including Box Office Manager, E-board member, set designer and builder for UMD’s Theatre Company, CAB’s Spring Fest promotions designer, Secretary of the Sculpture club Eboard, full-time Sculpture/3-D Studies student, professional magician and all around good guy. Of his numerous commitments, Todd Migliacci, crowned Mr. UMD on April 10, said “Time management has certainly found its place in my life!”

Indeed, Migliacci is an inspiration to all students with the amount of time and effort that he devotes to all of his projects. He is currently working on creating “Teaser Marquees” for CAB’s Spring Fest, finishing a sculpture for the CVPA’s outdoor sculpture exhibit (which kicks off on Thursday, April 24 at 3 p.m. behind Group VI), working on the set for the Theatre Company’s spring production of “The Laramie Project” (which takes to the stage on Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m.) and recovering from his involvement in both the “Rock a Wish” benefit concert and Mr. UMD rehearsals.

Migliacci takes all of his work very seriously, noting “Any work I try to do (publicity art) has to be different and interesting and not done on campus yet. I want to push the envelope.” And for those of you who have seen Migliacci’s work, including the 15 foot guitar marquee for “Rock and Wish,” the television construction currently above the main doors to the Campus Center for “The Laramie Project” or any of his magic performances, you will agree that he does just that.

This year marks Migliacci’s third time running for Mr. UMD. He explains that he originally became involved because he needed a venue to perform his magic. He used each of his performances as a building block, testing the audience to see what kind of magic, humor and entertainment would best suit such a tough crowd of college students. He notes that after his first attempt at Mr. UMD, he revamped his set. “I needed to do more magic and get them really interested,” he said of the audience. His second year in the competition, he started off his act by appearing on stage out of nowhere and performing a memorable combination of pulling a lighted bulb out of a piece of a paper and restoring a shredded copy of “The Torch” newspaper. However, Migliacci humbly asserts, “Those two years weren’t my years…I didn’t think I deserved to win. Those two years were training. I was grateful to have the opportunity to perform for college audiences and really learn how to perform for them.”

Migliacci, who has also been featured in 20 Cent Fiction’s “Variety Show” and who placed third in “UMD’s Got Talent,” has finally mastered the art of performing for a college audience. He puts great emphasis on the need to connect with an audience and keep them engaged, which includes interactive magic, such as the set he performed during Mr. UMD. “My goal is to amaze people. But it’s not about a trick,” Migliacci notes, visually growing excited over discussing his passion for magic and the different aspects that comprise his involvement with it. “I don’t do it [magic] just for myself, because I love it, but I do it for the audience and the connection with the audience.”

When asked how he first became involved in magic, Migliacci reflects on how he first received a magic kit “from Santa” over ten years ago. Before receiving that kit, he had never been impressed by magic or how it was presented. “It was a puzzle…not entertainment,” he criticizes. “The audience needs strong magic…visual magic. Entertainment.” With his own magic, Migliacci seeks to break down the barrier between performer and observer by allowing them to communicate with him verbally and mentally and to physically participate in his tricks.

Recently, he has become very interested in mind reading (mentalism). He is also currently training to walk on glass, free himself from an asylum-issued straight jacket and eat fire. However, he cautions about the danger of such tricks, recalling a time when he attempted to thread a series of five double-edged blades together on his tongue, which resulted in a few stitches on his finger before he was even able to attempt the stunt!

Of this year’s Mr. UMD, Migliacci asserts that it was his strongest set to date. He would like to thank his girlfriend and escort, Jessica Gove, for helping him prepare both his magic and jokes. He would also like to acknowledge the high level of talent, enthusiasm and dedication displayed by all of his opponents, who he believes he can honestly consider friends. He concludes that he had more fun this year than any of his previous years trying out for Mr. UMD, and modestly sums up his experience as having “Helped me grow not only as a performer, but as an individual.”

You can expect to see more work from UMD’s up and coming magician, Todd Migliacci, in future performances and public art pieces. If you would like to contact Todd, see what he’s all about, or even hire him for a performance, check out his website www.upcomingmagician.com.

CVPA Student Spotlight

Shaun Harris leads an ‘illustrious’ life

By Shara Sarnelli

CVPA’s Department of Visual Design is home to many talented, aspiring artists like sophomore Shaun Harris. Harris is an illustration major from Pittsfield, Massachusetts who has always been intrigued by art. Art runs in Harris’s family, as his father is a graphic designer who went to UMass Lowell as a fine arts major.

But it wasn’t until high school that Harris’s world became more enveloped in art. He discovered much about his passion, describing it is a “medium for expressing myself and challenging myself.”

So why did such an optimistic artist choose UMass Dartmouth rather than a school devoted solely to art? Harris said that UMD is a great university with a great visual design department that is often overlooked. He also wanted to be involved in a school that “provides a variety of students to interact with,” and he is definitely experiencing that interaction!

Outside of his illustration major, Harris is a Resident Assistant in Maple Ridge Hall, making him a very busy student. Some of his interests include playing soccer barefoot, eating food, the outdoors and Jones Cream Soda. But, of course, art is a top interest of his.

Harris’s favorite artists are Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol, both inspiring him in many ways. As for his favorite style of art, he does not have one. Harris feels it is best to not settle on one style and to remain open to a variety; this is the best way to accommodate all types of clients as an artist. Nevertheless, guache, which is a type of paint, is the medium he likes to use best.

Describing his art is not as simple as determining a favorite medium. Because of his busy schedule as a student and a Resident Assistant, time to create independent projects does not seem to exist. Variety, which Harris had said is important, certainly exists in his art.

To come up with ideas to maintain such versatility, Harris does a lot of research, studies other artists to get inspired and looks for photo references. The classes Harris is enrolled in call for much research. They challenge him, but give him ways to express himself.

Harris has learned the most about art through his media techniques class, which is filled with intense projects. Illustration class is a major help, as well, as it focuses more on what he wants to do in the future.

After laughing, Harris says he hopes “to not starve and get a job” after college. He simply hopes to make it through. Becoming a character designer for Disney is his dream career; however, he does not have a specific job in mind to pursue once he leaves UMD.

This aspiring illustration major has grown a lot since being a part of CVPA’s Department of Visual Design. And he’s only going to grow more.

Theatre Company to perform ‘The Laramie Project’

By Shara Sarnelli

The Theatre Company’s next big production, “The Laramie Project,” is being directed by Jarrad Nunes. Danny Dobbins, a sophomore Art Education major, has taken on the role of Assistant Director.

Jarrad Nunes said that having a student assistant has been a great learning experience. Dobbins is taking his role seriously; Nunes even “gave him a shot at staging some of the show’s scenes.”

The top cast consists of seven undergraduate students (Katie Gregory, Sarah Hills, Matt Huberman, Laura McHugh, Martin Pasquill, Brendan Valencia and Nate Valente) along with one recent alumna (Rosemary Larkin of ‘07).

Nunes said that “This is, without a doubt, one of the most focused and talented casts I’ve had the pleasure of working with. That focus is an absolute necessity with a show like this,” as each actor portrays nearly ten different roles. The task has been “daunting,” but the cast has worked extremely hard at their roles.

If this specific production has been rather overwhelming, why was it chosen? Director Nunes said, “Simply put, the production was chosen because even after ten years, the issues tackled by ‘The Laramie Project’ are still incredibly relevant.” It is also a great script because it deals with larger issues than just homophobia and hate crimes. Nunes continues, “It really delves into more universal issues of human nature _^what makes us hate? Why do we forgive?”

This production, like last year’s “The Diary of Anne Frank,” uses the stage to portray real issues that stand as controversial and important. “The Laramie Project” has brought some controversy, but why? It has some adult language and the beating to death is very true and real.

The show’s main controversies are due to Reverend Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church. This group of people “picket anything supportive of the gay lifestyle, including Matthew Shepard’s funeral, with messages of hate,” said Nunes. The group often carries signs with phrases like, “God Hates Fags” and “AIDS Cures Fags” written on them.

Nunes believes a main reason the group has targeted “The Laramie Project” so viciously is because Reverend Fred Phelps is a main character in the play. The play recounts “his fiery, hate-filled speech” at Shepard’s funeral.

A little controversy has not stopped this cast; they stay strong, focusing on remaining true to their characters. The cast rehearses up to four times a week, while being expected to practice on their own time. Such practice helps the cast not only learn lines, but develop the personas of their characters to the fullest.

Be sure to see “The Laramie Project” as it is a production that will definitely stand apart from the rest. Nunes said, “The show is staged in a very multi-sensory sort of way, incorporating video, projection, and lots of theatrical lighting. For me, the drive to create theatre comes from a desire to tell a story well and do it in a way that an audience does not necessarily expect.”

But prepare to follow the Theatre Company along a dark road that is not typically taken. Prepare to see what is usually left unseen, unspoken and unheard of. “The Laramie Project” will be performed in the Main Auditorium of UMD April 24 to 26 at 8 p.m. The Friday night show is a SAIL-sponsored free performance for students with a valid ID. Tickets are $14 for general admission, $10 for students, faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $4 for UMD students.