Lasley Cash

In Furman University’s Class of 2016, there are seven sets of twins. While many twins want to be seen as individuals and to engage in different activities in their college years, there is often an underlying sense of comfort to know that the other is close by. At the end of the day, many twins feel as if they are able to “come back home” to a comfort zone with the other.

These Shining Lives, directed by Theatre Professor Maegan Azar, will premier at the Furman Playhouse this week. The play is set in the 1920s, beginning in the midst of World War I and ending with the devastation of the Great Depression, and the plot revolves around four women who work for a radium company in New York City.

At Furman, quidditch is no longer a game confined to J.K. Rowling’s uber-popular book series and Warner Bros.’ blockbuster film adaptations now that a group of students have brought the fictional broom-based game to life as a competitive club sport.

Last week, Furman University had the honor of performing the world premiere of the play “Pomp and Circumstance,” written by Furman alum and playwright Randall David Cook. The play has been advertised not only around campus and among the Greenville community but also on a broader level to notable playwrights and theatre professionals nationwide.

In recent years, Furman Theater Arts professor Maegan Azar has directed a number of popular plays staged at the university’s Playhouse, from “Lysistrata” to the “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” to “The Winter’s Tale.” Now she’s sharing her talents with an even wider audience as a part of The Warehouse Theatre’s Educational Touring Series, directing a production of Shakespeare’s political tragedy “Julius Caesar” aimed at showcasing the power of the widely-assigned play to local high school students.

When the Department of Theater Arts stages a play, it’s often a work written by dramatic titans like Aristophanes, William Shakespeare, and Tennessee Williams, giving student actors a chance to perform great theater from the Western canon. But next month, Furman’s theater majors will have a unique opportunity to perform a play that stands out not because it’s a timeless classic but because it’s brand new.

Originally distinguished by its performers’ long, purple robes, and spiritual performances, the Furman University Gospel Ensemble, or FUGE, is one of our oldest and most culturally rich campus organizations, holding strong to its basic principles and maintaining a reputation for holding powerful and moving performances.

It may have an unfamiliar name, but the Numismatic Club is a new and innovative organization that aims to help students explore art, history, and culture — all through American coinage. Junior Jack Schley formed this special interest club devoted to numismatics, or the study or collection of currency, last year with the help of faculty advisor and history professor Jason Hansen, and the club now boasts about 30 dedicated members interested in studying coins as tangible connections to the past.

Last Wednesday, Noah Guthrie, a bluesy-pop singer-songwriter and YouTube star, performed in the Trone Center courtyard. While Guthrie may be an unknown name to some, the 18-year-old is well on his way to becoming a household name with popular YouTube hits like his cover of LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It.”

Students passionate about astronomy and sharing their love of scientific exploration would find a great community of like-minded peers in the astronomy club. Physics professor David Moffett leads the group and provides members with the valuable resources and knowledge they need to study the stars above.