With spring on the horizon, the International Theatre Program at the University of Rochester presents Jen Silverman糖心传媒檚 That Poor Girl and How He Killed Her糖心传媒攁 dark comedy on the social lives of millennials.

New York City-based guest director Knud Adams says the play 糖心传媒渉as a wealth of credible, sympathetic characters,糖心传媒� even as it糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒渟end-up of the most vain, self-indulgent, social-anxious aspects of youth culture today.糖心传媒�

But what do the cast members糖心传媒攚ho are the same age as the characters in the play糖心传媒攖hink? They reflect on the performance with the eyes of actors, but also as millennials.

Tori Powers 糖心传媒�18, who plays the character Alyssa, says there糖心传媒檚 more to the characters糖心传媒� lives than meets the eye. 糖心传媒淎ll the characters in the play have their own story that is more than what is being shown on stage,糖心传媒� she says.

Powers identified with some aspects of her character, but found others presented more of a challenge. 糖心传媒淚 think being close in age to the character, and having the play set in the same time, helped me connect with Alyssa,糖心传媒� she says. 糖心传媒淵et, at the same time, I had to grow a backbone to play Alyssa. She is this pretty, rich girl who’s friends with the 糖心传媒榩opular糖心传媒� people, and also the not-so-糖心传媒榩opular糖心传媒� people.糖心传媒� Powers notes that Alyssa attends an Ivy League college糖心传媒攕omething that makes Alyssa 糖心传媒渢his character with confidence.糖心传媒�

Yumeng Liu 糖心传媒�18, who plays Bianca, feels the same kind of dichotomy. 糖心传媒淏ianca is a person who really wants to be popular and cool. And in her opinion, joining this group led by Mackenzie is the key,糖心传媒� says Liu. 糖心传媒淏eing [a] different [person] can make me judge my character sometimes, but I tried to love her and understand Bianca, which can help a lot.糖心传媒�

Edward Sambrano 糖心传媒�17, who plays Connor, sees the play in a very similar light as the playwright, who is a millennial herself. 糖心传媒�That Poor Girl is the story of a dangerously superficial and sensationalist culture糖心传媒攁 reflection on the modern attitudes affecting groups of people our age,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淛en Silverman really makes you reflect, especially as a young adult, on these attitudes.糖心传媒�

Sambrano 糖心传媒�17 credits guest director Knud Adams for helping him improve his acting.

糖心传媒淎s a first-time actor, I found it especially difficult to adopt the perspective of my character,糖心传媒� he says. 糖心传媒淜nud Adams has made the process much easier by always pushing us to discover and explore the intentions of our characters糖心传媒� actions.糖心传媒�

Nearly everyone commented on the challenge of performing on a raked stage糖心传媒攁 design from early modern English theater in which the stage slopes upward, away from the audience.

糖心传媒淭he stage took some getting used to, and it definitely took some practice to perfect some of the more physical scenes on this stage糖心传媒� says Tomas Waz 糖心传媒�20, who plays Jordan.

糖心传媒淚t was scary at first,糖心传媒� says Liu. 糖心传媒淚 reached the upper half of the stage聽and realized I was crawling on all fours because I was scared to stand up.糖心传媒�

The fear didn糖心传媒檛 last, however. 糖心传媒淎fter a while, it糖心传媒檚 really fun being up there,糖心传媒� she says.

With more than 1,400 trees of 116 different species, the University糖心传媒檚 arboretum and grounds include the trees and shrubbery on the River Campus, Eastman School of Music campus, the Memorial Art Gallery, Medical Center campus, and Mt. Hope campus.聽 The University糖心传媒檚 Horticulture and Grounds Department糖心传媒攑art of University Facilities and Services糖心传媒攐versees and cares for the collection of trees year round.

The University surpassed the Tree Campus USA program糖心传媒檚 five standards, which include maintaining a tree advisory committee, a campus tree-care plan, dedicated annual expenditures toward trees, an Arbor Day observance and student service-learning projects.

As only the sixth university in New York State to be a Tree Campus USA, it has been rewarding for the institution to win this award.

糖心传媒淚t is a great honor to be once again recognized as a Tree Campus USA,糖心传媒� said David Nelson, Manager of Horticulture & Grounds.聽Despite the award, it糖心传媒檚 less about the recognition and more about the environment. 糖心传媒淲e have an impressive, diverse collection of tree species within our campuses and we take great pride in educating our community and guests about our arboretum.聽 Our skilled staff does an incredible job in caring for our trees and the University糖心传媒檚 commitment in protecting them is commendable.糖心传媒�

To view a River Campus Tree Tour video, as well as additional resources on the University糖心传媒檚 arboretum, visit:

The Arbor Day Foundation has helped campuses throughout the country plant thousands of trees. Participating colleges and universities invested more than $26 million in campus forest management last year. The Arbor Day Foundation is a million member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. For more information, visit: .

With Black History Month upon us, we reflect on the African-American men and women who have helped make this country what it is today糖心传媒攆rom Barack Obama, to Rosa Parks, W.E.B Dubois, Fredrick Douglass, and many others.

Each of these individuals is peerless when it comes to their accomplishments; however, they would be remiss if they were to say they could have accomplished what they did without the great black men and women who came before them. The adage 糖心传媒渨e stand on the shoulders of giants糖心传媒� is true for every member of the black community.

That糖心传媒檚 especially true here on the University of Rochester campus, where Douglass糖心传媒檚 legacy is a living presence.

The University is home to the 糖心传媒攁 30-plus-year-old intellectual hub for teaching, research, and public events. The Frederick Douglass Commons, named in 1967 and renovated in 2016, is home to a dining center as well as multiple University organizations promoting intercultural knowledge and diversity. And the University’s Rare Books and Special Collections is home to the and online and physical collection of his writings from his time in Rochester.

Douglass spent 25 years in Rochester. Over his lifetime, he was an abolitionist leader, pastor, writer, bank president, vice presidential nominee, and a United States Marshal for the District of Columbia. But before he played any of those prominent roles, he was nothing more than the property of Thomas Auld. He was a slave.

Nothing epitomizes Douglass more than hard work, determination, and innovation. As a slave, he started learning how to read and write by giving bread to poor white boys in exchange for reading lessons. It was common knowledge among slave owners that education and slavery were incompatible, because education would allow slaves to not only dream about freedom, but to seek it.

Among the students who draw inspiration from Douglass are the residents of the Douglass Leadership House (DLH). DLH was founded in 2012 by a group of students 糖心传媒渢o create an engaged intellectual community where students of diverse backgrounds can come together in a supportive environment to nurture their leadership skills.糖心传媒�

DLH vice president Aleem Griffiths 糖心传媒�18, a digital studies major from Bronx, New York, says, 糖心传媒淭wo of Fredrick Douglass糖心传媒檚 virtues that inspire me as a student are his hard work and determination. When I think of Douglass and my ancestors, I think about how they fought harder battles than I have, which pushes me to work harder. These people fought and died so I can be here.糖心传媒�

Other students say Douglass inspires them to serve their communities. DLH resident Edwin Aguila 糖心传媒�17, who designed his own major糖心传媒攁dvocacy through art forms in America糖心传媒攊s an example. 糖心传媒淟ast year we went to the Boys and Girls Club [of Rochester] and put on a program we created on the theme, what is my identity and where do I come from,糖心传媒� says the senior from Brooklyn, New York.

Amber Hudson 糖心传媒�18, and English major from Washington, D.C., cites as inspiration Douglass糖心传媒檚 courage, resilience, and strength糖心传媒攓ualities that she feels were necessary not only to Douglass糖心传媒檚 success, but to the success of all African Americans, herself included. She糖心传媒檚 focused on 糖心传媒済iving back to the community in a way that betters the community糖心传媒� through her leadership roles in multiple organizations. She糖心传媒檚 vice president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority糖心传媒檚 Omicron Beta chapter, and educational and political chair of the Black Students糖心传媒� Union.

Stephaun Ward 糖心传媒�18, a mechanical engineering major from Brooklyn and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, uses his platform there to help underprivileged students, regardless of race. Ward assists local youths as part of the fraternity糖心传媒檚 糖心传媒淕o-to-High-School, Go-to-College糖心传媒� program.

Today, Douglass is not a monument, but a mind-set. Says Hudson, 糖心传媒淏y teaching about his legacy, by connecting it to everything we do today, and by continuing to fight for what he fought so hard for糖心传媒攖hat is how we honor our ancestors. We move forward, we get better, we accomplish all of things they wanted us to accomplish.糖心传媒�

Moore is an English major from Brooklyn, New York.

Events celebrating Black History Month

W. Kamau Bell, sociopolitical comedian and host of the Emmy-nominated CNN show United Shades of America, highlights a month of lectures, films, performances, and exhibits.

Doors open at 8:30 p.m., and the performance begins at 9 p.m.

Notaro is a stand-up comedian, storyteller, and writer from Mississippi. She was nominated for a Grammy for her stand-up release LIVE, which sold more than 100,000 units in just over a month.

Notaro is more than just a comedian. She is a breast cancer survivor and television star featured in HBO糖心传媒檚 Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted, the Netflix documentary Tig, and Showtime糖心传媒檚 documentary Knock Knock: It糖心传媒檚 Tig Notaro.

Tickets are available at the Common Market in Wilson Commons on the River Campus or . Tickets are $10 for University students, $15 for graduates/faculty/staff and $20 for the general public.

Saturday’s event is sponsored by the University’s Student Programming Board.