David Wills
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Ah, spring quarter is here. Full of promise and hope. We can forget about all of the struggles of the winter quarter and focus on the future. Included in that future are a plethora of events that UCSB students can take advantage of, and while there may be too many to go to all of them, there’s probably going to be at least one event that you’ll be interested in attending this quarter.
Here are some of the highlights for spring quarter.
IMPROVability
This student improv group puts on hilarious comedy shows every Friday night at Embarcadero Hall at 8 p.m., and this quarter’s first IMPROVability event lands on Fri., April 1: April Fool’s Day. For just $3, you can enjoy a night of great improvisational humor as performed by your fellow students.
The Warm Up: Spring Concert
Grouplove will be playing at the Thunderdome on Sat., Apr. 4 as part of a general initiative to tone down this year’s Deltopia craze. The indie-rock group’s concert starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are on sale right now at the A.S. Ticket Office.
Magic Lantern
Every quarter, students work together to bring the biggest Hollywood movies to I.V. Theater on Fridays and Mondays. This quarter, some of the films being screened include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Hateful Eight and Zootopia, as well as a Game of Thrones Season 5 marathon on April 22 and an annual Lord of the Rings marathon on May 6. The cost of admission is only $4, and they offer 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. time slots for each normal film screening.
An Afternoon with Conan O’Brien
Yes, that Conan O’Brien is coming to the Arlington Theatre on Sat., Apr. 16. The late-night talk show host will be talking at the theatre followed by an audience Q&A, promising to both entertain and inform audiences with his quick wit and charm.
UCSB Reads
This year’s UCSB Reads selection was Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, and the school has been holding events surrounding the book throughout the year. Bryan Stevenson, the author of Just Mercy, will be coming to Campbell Hall on Mon., Apr. 18 to discuss the writing of the book and how it drew from his personal experiences. The Bottom Line writer Lacy Wright reviewed the book last quarter and said, “Just Mercy is engrossing, written less like a historical account and more like an old friend recounting a story to you in the car during a long road trip, allowing you to feel his passion for his work and for social justice.”
Reel Loud
UCSB’s yearly silent film festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on May 27 at Campbell Hall. You’ll be able to watch student-made silent films performed with a live musical accompaniment and decide which one you like best.
Extravaganza
With every spring quarter comes UCSB’s biggest concert event of the year: Extravaganza. This yearly music festival has been a staple of UCSB events for a while. Although this year’s artist list hasn’t been announced yet, previous headliners have included Diplo, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg.
This is far from a comprehensive list of all of the events going on around campus throughout the quarter. This community is up to so much that you don’t have to look far to find a cool event to go to and meet people at. You just have to look.