Since the beginning of the pandemic, people have been constantly searching for ways to pass the time and distract themselves from reality. For me, and by extension most young people struggling with their mental health, COVID-19 has consisted of compulsive symptom-checks online, unstable sleep schedules, and horrific news updates. Depressive episodes and anxiety attacks that stemmed from the crushing isolation of life lived through Zoom became commonplace.

With the end of the semester coming up quickly, the Theatre Arts and Dance department is debuting this year’s filmed senior projects as a weekend event the department is calling the “Senior Project Festival,” and will feature projects from seven theater and dance majors.

Amid the pandemic, virtual concerts and performances have become the norm, and this year’s filmed Spring Dance Concert, “T-E-C-H-N-O-B-O-D-Y”, is no exception. Accessible to anyone with a computer, the dance will be available to stream live on April 29 through May 1 at 7 p.m., and on May 2 at 2 p.m.

The Oscars. Whether you love it, hate it, or have absolutely no opinion, it’s easily one of the most coveted social institutions for the film and movie industry. Fancy gowns, daring fashion, and an iconic red carpet, this year’s Academy Awards will be held next Sunday on ABC.

The Sonoma State film program is planning an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” in 2022. The event, which is still in its early planning stages, will potentially include a screening of the movie and possibly its sequels, interviews and discussions with the people responsible for the film, and a film scholar or critic to discuss the film.

The Theater Arts and Dance Department set up a webinar with playwright and screenwriter José Rivera, whose play ‘Sonnets For an Old Century’ is being produced this semester by the department. According to director of the play, Paul Draper, Rivera agreed to the webinar to provide students a chance to speak with him and ask questions after being approached via Facebook by faculty member Marie Ramirez Downing for permission to produce his play at the school.

The Sonoma State Art Department put together a virtual gallery featuring work from art department faculty members from 19 of the 23 universities in the CSU system. While the virtual gallery displays work from multiple different schools, the virtual exhibition is unique to SSU. Interim Gallery Director, Jen Bethke, curated the work for ART@CSU, and Exhibitions Coordinator and Collections Manager, Carla Stone put everything online.

To highlight projects students are working on that empower and focus on women for Women’s History Month, the paper spoke with students from the music and dance departments to talk about their projects.

Fourth year dance student Estefania Gutierrez started teaching a heels dance class recently to empower women and the LGBTQ community in their bodies and identities.