This past fall was the first semester I started commuting from home instead of living on campus. While it does offer its own benefits, commuting has the potential to make you feel less connected to campus. So in addition to staying on campus after classes for my job; to attend club meetings; and to study in Trabant, Perkins, or the library, I made a promise to myself that I would make an effort to go to more campus events. Here are five things I did around campus this fall that you can do, too!
1. See a REP play
What is the REP, you ask? REP stands for Resident Ensemble Players and is the University of Delaware’s own professional theater company with its own group of resident actors! I first saw a REP play when it was required for my freshman-year theater class, and I have been going back to see their plays ever since. The productions are always amazing, with incredible acting, set design, costumes, and direction, and each season the company puts on a variety of plays, so there is something for everyone. Also, you get to see a professional play for a reasonable price. This fall, I went to see the drama August: Osage County and the mystery Murder on the Orient Express, which had the most impressive set and production I’ve seen there yet, complete with a moving train and a movie-like screen in the background. For anyone who hasn’t gone to see a REP play yet, I would highly recommend it!
REP website: http://www.rep.udel.edu/Pages/default.aspx
2. See a student performance
While the REP is a professional company, there are also plenty of performances put on by student groups, too. This fall, I saw a grand total of three great productions put on by E52, a student theater group: the play Arsenic and Old Lace, the musical Assassins, and their SAST production, which stands for Short Attention Span Theatre and contains six short, completely student-created shows. I also attended a show by the Rubber Chickens, a student comedy improv group, and had a lot of fun watching the group play various entertaining improv games. I also went to see the musical Mamma Mia, presented by HTAC (Harrington Theater Arts Company), which was super impressive from the singing to the acting to the costumes! Finally, as someone who sang in choirs all throughout my school years, I went to a concert put on by UD’s Chorale, which is one of the top college choirs on the East Coast! Watching their performance, I can see why — each song was beautifully performed, and I can’t wait to see another one of their concerts!
E52 website: https://www.e52theatre.com/
HTAC website: https://www.udhtac.org/
The Rubber Chickens Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rubchicks/
UD music events: https://www.music.udel.edu/events/calendar
3. See a movie in Trabant
Each Friday and Saturday, Trabant puts on a free film in the Trabant Theater, rotating the films each week. It’s a great opportunity to grab some friends and go see a film you didn’t get around to watching in theaters. If you’re curious about what films are coming up, there is a lit-up poster next to the theater entrance displaying the names of the films for that month. (If you don’t know where the theater is, walk past PNC bank and go through the double doors as if you’re about to exit the building towards Main Street, and it’s on your right.) This semester, I got to see Booksmart and Toy Story 4, which were both super good!
4. Go to a sporting event
If you’re less into musicals, plays, and films but more into sports, there are plenty of sporting events you can go to! Since I played field hockey when I was in school, I chose to attend two field hockey games at UD’s Rullo Stadium, which was a lot of fun. Check out the UD Athletics website below to see the current season’s sports and events and to support your fellow Blue Hens!
UD athletics website: https://bluehens.com/
5. Go to an event put on by UD
I’m sure you get lots of emails on a day-to-day basis, but I think it really is worth it to take some time to pay attention to e-mails about events that UD is putting on, since there are many useful, enriching, and entertaining events throughout the year. For example, in the fall, I responded to an e-mail from the Biden Institute and attended a student town hall with Governor John Carney. It was a great opportunity to interact with the governor in person and hear about his policies and initiatives. Also, since one of my majors is English Education, I took advantage of a Career Center event that gave advice to education students about how to network and apply for jobs in the future, which was super helpful! While it is impossible to attend all campus events, of course, I think it is worthwhile to take advantage of some of the events that interest you!
Biden Institute website: https://www.bidenschool.udel.edu/bideninstitute
UD Career Center website: https://www.udel.edu/students/career-center/
While there are many more things to do around UD, these are just five ways to take advantage of all of the things to do around campus! So, next time you have some free time on a weekend or are looking for something to do with friends, think about one of these five options!
