One of my favorite things about being part of the theater scene at IC is hearing about teeny-tiny student-directed shows. Last night I went to see an underground production of Kenneth Lonergran's This is Our Youth. Directed by Ethan Itzkow and starring Yanna Lanz, Tony Vo, and Adam Turck, this tiny production packs a big punch.

The show tells the story of forty-eight hours in the lives of three teenagers on Manhattan's Upper West Side and deals with issues like drug use, sex, and murder in a suprisingly funny way. My personal favorite line was "Chivalry isn't dead - it just smells bad," but the show has a lot of hilarious moments as well some poignant ones.

Like most underground productions, this one has a limited run -- the last performance is tonight at 9:00 p.m. in Park 220. I suggest you take a break from studying for midterms and head over there for some FREE theater tonight. You'll be thoroughly entertained, and you'll go home thankful the only problem you're dealing with is which exam to study for next.

Hey, it's Thursday! Must be time for a little controversy.

The Ithaca College Theatre main stage season kicks off tonight with The Exonerated, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen’s play based on the true stories of six people wrongfully accused of capital crimes and eventually released from death row.

So, probably not one for Date Night or an evening's frolic with the young'uns. But certainly worth seeing.

http://www.ithaca.edu/hs/depts/theatre/main/

One of the subjects of the authors' research, Kerry Max Cook, will be giving a free talk this Friday (Oct. 10) at 3:30 p.m. in Textor 102. Wrongly convicted of murder and rape, Cook spent two decades on death row until a series of retrials unearthed enough evidence of police misconduct to grant him a reprieve. Subsequent DNA evidence cleared him completely, though he still has yet to be officially pardoned.

And you thought you had it tough with mid-terms.

Cook will sign copies of his book, Chasing Justice, at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, in the lobby of Dillingham Center before the 2:00 p.m. matinee of The Exonerated. The evening of October 11, Cook is also participating in a talk-back at 9:45 p.m. in the Clark Theatre at Dillingham Center, immediately following the 8:00 p.m. performance.

Capital punishment isn't one of those fence-sitter issues; most people have pretty strong opinions one way or the other. Check out the show, talk with Kerry, and let us know if it changed your mind. Or if you liked the play, for that matter.