UCLA alumna inspires screenwriters to connect with their own stories in workshop

UCLA alumna Katie Torpey sits bent forward with her eyes closed, elbows resting on her knees, when she listens to people talk about their thoughts. Torpey is not a therapist, but a mentor for her students in a screenwriting class. A 1998 alumna of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Telvision, Torpey began conducting […]

Second Take: ‘Fresh Off the Boat’s’ representational significance merits its renewal

“Fresh Off the Boat” is sending out an SOS – “save our show.” With potential cancellation on the horizon, the fate of the ABC sitcom hangs in the balance in this year’s television renewal season, when networks decide whether to continue or cut their shows. ”Fresh Off the Boat” is a vital piece of representation […]

Grad student looks into epidemic of outbreak narratives in media

Dahlia Schweitzer received an email from UCLA in 2014 announcing the school’s intent to handle any possible cases of Ebola on campus. That year, many Americans refused to ride the subway and avoided other public spaces for fear of coming in contact with the disease, Schweitzer said. After witnessing these reactions, Schweitzer wanted to examine […]

Concert review: Perfume Genius at The Mayan

Perfume Genius should have sprayed some of his namesake in the cigarette-scented Mayan theater on Thursday night. The smell of tobacco and vape products permeated the air of the Downtown Los Angeles nightclub as Mike Hadreas, under his stage name Perfume Genius, serenaded the audience with a set of dulcet and fairytale-esque tunes. Though the […]

Global Melodies: Students explore new sounds, find home in Music of Bali Ensemble

A sequence of repeating numbers written on a whiteboard guides percussionists through a swelling, fast-paced musical performance. The song “Siwanata,” complete with hefty drumbeats overlain with reverberating chimes, was just one of the few numbers that the members of the Music of Bali Ensemble rehearsed during their weekly Tuesday class. The group’s participants tapped their […]