“tas a - ra GE THERA © Health Professional Career Are you looking for a career that offers flexibility, independence and an opportunity to help people on a daily basis? We offer a full-time Massage Therapy program that can lead to a BHSC degree. Transfer credits will be considered. Come learn in the beautiful Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. See www.ovcmt.com OR contact 1 800 701 8863 Why not get creative this month? By Jay Schreiber fter four long months of studies, classrooms, teachers, deadlines, early mornings and late nights, people at Douglas College are still hard at work even after classes end. With school dismissed after April 9" and a brief examination period to follow, some of Douglas’ students are still cracking the whip and working hard. As if preparing for the end of the school year isn’t bad enough, some students are involved in extra - curricular projects without even gaining credit. The theatre department has four annual performances (with the exception of this year’s three due to preparation required for Imperfect) and they are split between the studio stage and the Muir Theatre. This year, after classes have ended, several theatre students will be doing a four- night stand working on a play by the name of Creative. Written by Douglas College grad Nicholas Pisapio, the play is a 18 reflection of life, the experience of death, and the afterworld to come. After gaining approval from Allan Lysell, the theatre coordinator at Douglas College, the play began rehearsals with three other Douglas College students involved Helping Nicholas perform his play is Tracy Schut and Gabi Barradas, both first-year theatre students, as well as grad David Quast who made a name for himself in last year’s production of Dracula. Along with the play, musical accompaniment is being provided by a small ensemble of guitars and a cello (one of which is a music grad). Like previously stated, none of the performers are gaining credit for their work, but are receiving permission to use the school’s space to perform in. The play runs from April 14°- 18" in the Studio theatre on the fourth floor on the north side of campus. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and doors are a half an hour earlier. Be sure to catch this touching play about love, imagination, and the power of creativity. Posers and Scenesters and Fangirls, oh my! By Jay Schreiber there are three main categories that the human population can be sub- divided into. The first of these is the Star of the Show, be it a movie star, rock star, porn star, it doesn’t matter; these people did something that nobody else did and thus have gained credit for it. The next category, which I have dubbed The Media, contains everyone from the publicist to the guy working at the record label, and even includes the people who host interviews and work the cameras during filming. Those people don’t really care much for the fame and stardom of blockbuster names, they’ re just making a living off of them. This brings us to the final and largest sub-division: The Fans. Without fans, celebrities couldn’t make their millions, or sell out arenas. Fans are the yard stick of fame and fortune, and are the most critical part of the entire process. Frequently, big names forget about their fans, and instead of focusing on them, they look at the cameras that are adoring them. Sad story. So, with that being said, there are further sub-divisions of a fan base and much like religion, being a fan comes with a set of beliefs that each fan of that category will agree with. For example, an emo has a lot of black, safety pins, nerdy glasses, and hair cut at a 45° angle. A metalhead might have long hair, band t-shirts, tattoos, girls’ jeans and a constant hangover. What ticks me off about fans are three sub-divisions that seem to be growing in numbers daily. I’m talking about Posers, Scenesters and Fangirls, the dark side of being a fan. Specifically, these three categories have their differences, but in general, they’re all just fake! A Poser is someone who looks like a fan, but isn’t. Posers hang around events that happen, and are uninterested in the event, but rather care that they’re part of the culture. In other words “I’m here with my friends, and that’s all that counts. I don’t care what I’m doing, I just want to be a part of it.” This is I: today’s world of pop culture, the same group of people that you see walking around the mall who shop at trendy overpriced stores to buy pre- ripped jeans for $150. Scenesters are very similar but different in several ways. Like Posers, a Scenester will go to concerts or other events to be a part of the culture. The main difference is that Scenesters like the music they listen to and enjoy the bands as much as their friends that are there with them. It’s kind of like a halfway point, an “almost” fan, if you will. Posers come and go, but a Scenester is just that; someone who’s always on the scene. So when you’re not a Scenester, and you’re worse than a Poser, you must be a Fangirl. Fangirls (who got their name mainly from the high female population) are the people who scream whenever celebrities are near. Fangirls don’t care what you’ve done, who you’ve done, or how you did it, you’re famous, therefore, I love you. The one thing that would make a fan girl “just die” is having that famous person’s name on a piece of paper. Fangirls are a sneaky, secretive bunch who keep to themselves most of the time and blend in with the general population. Once a famous person is within visual distance (around 30 metres) they transform into a group of swarming “fans” that glom onto popularity in hopes of gaining some themselves. Pathetic, I know. So what, you may ask, really bothers me about these types of fans? Being a fan means to appreciate someone’s music, acting talent, artistic vision, etc., and if you only like someone because they’re famous then it kind of takes the zing out of things, don’t you think? Instead of knowing what someone does and stands for, there’s only empty adoration by thousands of people. Honestly, I believe that to be a fan you don’t need to wear anything special, you don’t need to act in a specific way, and you don’t need someone’s name on a piece of paper. This classification stuff is bullshit, but it’s there in full force. To be a fan, all you need to do is enjoy.