Arts & Entertainment Articles

The hidden half of “Where Fortunes Lie”

The world premiere of the musical “Where Fortunes Lie,” written by Dr. Todd Syswerda, an Indiana Wesleyan University professor, was performed in the Phillippe Performing Arts Center the past two weekends. But the actors on the stage only accounted for half of the talent contributing to Syswerda’s masterpiece. Just take a look a little lower….

Restaurant Review: J & L Breakfast House

Since May 1990, before IHOP came to town, J&L Breakfast House has served Marion quality food. The restaurant is owned by Judy and Lee Fenick. You can find the auburn-roofed building off West 38th Street, no more than five to eight minutes’ walking distance from any part of campus. Customers have the option to dine…

Title Track: Remembering Easter

It’s always sunny and 40 degrees on Easter morning. I know this because every year the weather reminds me of earlier Easters.
I remember when I was a little girl – three or four years old – walking with my dad into Emmanuel Lutheran Church. I held his hand as I tripped, and he pulled me…

Cannarf rating: Broken Bells’ “Broken Bells”

A reminder: Every book, movie or album is given a certain number of cannarfs depending on whether it met expectations or not. For example, if the album met prior expectations, it receives zero cannarfs. If it was better than expected, it can receive up to 10 cannarfs; if not, it can receive as low as…

Title track: On media evaluation

I watched the movie “The Ringer” for the first time last Friday. I remember my dad telling me about it last summer, somehow comparing the character Stavi to his Burmese neighbor next door. Ignoring the somewhat racist comment my dad made, I thought the movie sounded funny, but never had a chance to watch it….

Switchfoot to play at Ignition Rally

Writing songs for blockbuster movies, producing chart-topping singles and playing concerts for millions of dedicated fans are all in a day’s work for Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, Jerome Fontamillas and Drew Shirley of the band Switchfoot.
That has not stopped these guys from making little stops along the way, and Indiana Wesleyan University is…

IWU original musical premiers tonight

Indiana Wesleyan University will debut an original musical tonight, March 18. “Where Fortunes Lie” is four and a half years in the making, and is in many ways the brainchild of Dr. Todd Syswerda.
Syswerda is a professor and conductor with a degree in musical composition. He said the story for “Where Fortunes Lie” is what…

Concert to benefit Iraqi boy’s heart surgery

McConn Coffee Co. hosted a benefit concert on March 13 for Muhammed Adnan, a little boy from Iraq with a congenital heart disease. The money went directly to Preemptive Love Coalition, which funds heart surgeries for children like Muhammed.
The concert featured performances by beat-boxer Trevor Heyd and bands Desert Neighbor and Mazatlan: The Band. A…

Title track: shall steal no more

This wasn’t something I wanted to write about. In fact, as I sit here, there’s still that urge inside of me to let it go. To just let it go. …
But I can’t.
See, everyone has those certain “taboo topics” of discussion that they avoid at all possible. For most people, it’s religion, politics or abortion….

Title track – Thanks postman

I find myself in a bit of a pickle.
See, it’s the middle of the semester: the time everyone just wants to give up and quit, letting grades slip and procrastination kick in. It’s almost spring break – one more day! – and I’m burned out.
So I watch TV. I want my brain to take a…