After five exhausting days of reading, writing and reading some more, Friday night finally finds her way to the University, complete with promises of some serious weekend par-taying. For the majority of students, finishing Friday classes means dropping off the books and picking up, well, a frothy beverage or two. Even so, if trekking down to Rugby lacks last weekend's flair, the University Programs Council provides several answers to your weekend queries (i.e. "What are we doing tonight?")
Offering an array of movies and concerts to keep the student body smiling, UPC sub-committees Cinematheque and PK German hope to occupy your weekend social vacancies.
Cinematheque, as the name implies, is in charge of the film aspect of University entertainment life. They are a more recent addition to UPC as of spring of 1974 and are the group responsible for bringing movies to the Newcomb Hall theater.
PK German's story is a bit more complex. "Back in the day, before U-Union (now UPC) existed, The Pots and Kettles [cooking] Club and the German [language] Club often would co-sponsor concerts. So when they incorporated Union and started a concerts committee, they decided to call it PK German, after the Pots and Kettles Club and the German Club," said PK German chair, third-year College student Jbeau Lewis.
With around 12 movies offered at Cinematheque each semester and numerous bands to see, many students flock to the Newcomb Hall vicinity to catch an old favorite or a new release, while others step outside and follow the sounds to the live music under the Big White Tent.
Contrary to the belief that the University scores specific movies and bands simply by being an institution entitled to such privileges, the UPC staff has to extensively prepare and organize events to bring big-name entertainment to Charlottesville.
Most students who attend movies and concerts witness only the finished product, yet the toil and trouble fronted by the UPC committee prior to the event is considerable.
Lewis is the PK German chair in charge of booking bands. When planning a concert, he considers "past tour dates and locations, past ticket sales and attendance figures, past ticket prices, and past experiences with other schools' programming boards" before even attempting to book a band.
"Research is easily the most critical element to planning a successful concert," Lewis said. "Our preparation policies actually demand that we do the necessary research. We contact past venues and promoters, and investigate their overall opinion of these gigs. The most important question we can ask someone who has promoted a potential PK German band in the past is 'Would you invite the band back again?'"
In addition to paying careful attention to band reviews from various promoters, PK German listens to what the students have to say.
"We always keep the interests of the student population in mind. The PK German survey was sent to every University student this past winter in order to gain a sense of students' desires for future programming. The result has been several shows in past months planned to reflect the responses to that survey, and with such a great response last winter, we plan to try the survey again in the future," Lewis said.
According to Cinematheque Chair and third-year Nursing student Becky Parrish, student opinions play a crucial role in determining which movies will show at the University.
"We ask around to find out what the students want to see. We find we can count on some 'classic' college movies to continually bring in crowds. We often get requests for 'Dazed and Confused,' 'Usual Suspects' and 'Braveheart' along with a number of favorite '80s movies like 'The Breakfast Club'... basic college type movies," said Parrish.
Once the committee members conclude their research, the intensity of event planning picks up considerably. For instance, Cinematheque obtains movies through two companies, each carrying various movie genres and producers.
"Swank and Criterion are companies that send us catalogs from which we make our choices. With the list of possible movie picks, we decide on a film based on its release date, and when it will be available to us," said Parrish.
Likewise, just as Cinematheque has to consider availability, PK German books bands according to the geography of a band's touring schedule to determine whether a trip through Charlottesville is feasible.
"Since the vast majority of touring acts prefer to spend weeks at a time travelling the country with tour buses and semi-trucks, tours are scheduled according to geography. Most of the time, a band accepts offers from venues all over the country, then picks and chooses their routing. Consequently, if on-Grounds venue availability and band availability don't match up, that's just a reality of the concert industry that we have to accept," Lewis said.
Students may be wondering what to expect for entertainment this semester. Currently, PK German is busy planning MTV's Campus Invasion Tour, featuring Wyclef Jean, De La Soul and Black Eyed Peas for Thursday, October 5 in University Hall.
As for the rest of the year, "Expect nothing but a variety," Lewis said. "The goal is always to keep growing, to keep building a reputation as an organization that allows us to book the hottest bands, and that makes bands want to come to us."
PK German hopes to "test the waters of [alternative] University [entertainment] venues like Old Cabell Hall and the newly renovated stadium."
"Every concert-goer wants to be outside, and with the right band onstage, even Scott Stadium could become an intimate venue," commented Lewis.
As for movies, Cinematheque is presently trying to book "The Patriot," "Coyote Ugly," "X-Men" and "Kings of Comedy." Upcoming events include the annual film festival that takes place during the weekend of October 27. The committee will show both "Batman" and "Batman Returns," and Sam Hamm, the "Batman" films writer, will be in town to speak to students, along with critic David Edelstein.
Both Cinematheque and PK German provide an alternative to the usual weekend party grind. If you're sick of sweating in a packed frat house, go sweat while carrying on at a jammin' concert, or avoid perspiring altogether by taking in a flick at Newcomb theater. Whatever you choose, you're bound to think of something to do courtesy of the UPC.
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