Get Off the Couch

Sure, watching a movie at the Laemmle Theater is a great way to pass the weekend and so is sharing a burger and a couple of beers at the Back Abbey with friends. But between paychecks, especially during these challenging economic times, going out off-campus can be tricky, and I, for one, find myself supremely bored on the weekends by mid-month. So much so, I end up doing ridiculous things like do my course reading ahead of schedule or watching reruns of Melrose Place. Luckily for procrastinators and couch potatoes like myself, it turns out that there is FREE entertainment in Claremont, right here in the Claremont Colleges. Some of you might already be familiar with this, but Pomona College offers many musical performances for free. In fact, Pomona College is receiving local attention for their concerts and non-consortium members are taking advantage of the program’s diverse offerings. These concerts, held on Pomona and Scripps College at Bridges, Balch, and Lyman Hall, are entirely free and no tickets are required. Approximately two concerts, themes ranging from Afro-Cuban music to classical string quartets, are offered each week. You can check out the full schedule of free events here. Why pay $180 for front orchestra tickets at the LA philharmonic when you can enjoy great music right here for free?

If you’re willing to shell out $5, you can even watch plays and dance shows by the Pomona Theater and

Dance Department. This year, you can watch Richard II by William Shakespeare and The Notebook of Trigorin by Tennessee Williams amongst other plays. The productions are directed and performed by Pomona faculty and students. Also, look forward to the senior thesis dance and theater performances—you might get to witness the works of a future Coppola or Spacey. Check out their calendar for more information.

So, not everyone’s interested in viewing student performances. In the past, I, myself, have avoided attending a couple of shows on campus fearing a mediocre performance. However, the few times I did attend one (either because it was a class requirement or my friends were in the performance) I had a far better experience than sitting at the very back row of the Pantages. In a smaller audience, I felt connected with the performers. In tough economic times as these, what’s better than a free performance? Not much, I’d say.