Introducing . . . Some Nice, Funny, and Very Patient People
Lights up! And we begin the scene as Melody, who I assure you is important, but we’ll get to her later, and I walk into a bar. No, it’s not the start of a joke, even if we’re at Sedona in broad daylight . . . it was Meet the Libel Board at Happy Hour, of course!
Sidebar (Editor Eddie’s note: wait, is that an accidental pun?): This event is not the focus of this article. Instead, the day before, I, serving in my dual capacity as a newly minted Staff Editor of the multi-time award-winning Virginia Law Weekly, thank you, hold for roaring applause, thank you again, and as the newly appointed Assistant Lights and Sound Director on the Libel board, though as my dear Producer and Editor-in Chief Bradley Berklich ’27 noted, not the real (elected) board, the one with the group chat and all, (gosh this sentence is long and winded, isn’t it . . . I feel bad for my fellow editors at VLW, no, not the one that supports women), somehow had agreed to and/or convinced myself and Brad that I could write an SNL type introduction for the members of the Libel Board, many of whom would attend this happy hour event (I apologize for that most run-on of run-ons.). So, here I am, writing less than an hour before the submission deadline an article I had an extra week because of fall break to figure out. Let’s get back to the show. Hit it!
We begin the day before, as I had agreed to write this article, and found myself face to face with two board members of Libel who were also Law Weekly writers. Benvin Lozada ’28, Libel videographer, noted for his photography skills and having hurt the finger that he needs to use to take pictures, starts our journey off with a simple answer to a question. I actually asked two questions to all of my interviewees: one, you’ll soon find has a common thread to each previous one, and the second is simply how they would describe Libel the Show.
Benvin said his favorite work of visual art is Thomas Cole’s The Voyage of Life. Appropriately for such a beautiful answer (and for not saying Libel the Show as his answer), he describes said show dropping another equally as beautiful answer with “Libel is necessary whimsy.” Next up, Bradley Berklich ’27, who has already been name-dropped three times now, so I guess I’m really hoping he reads this article, said his favorite part of Voyage was “how much character [Cole] gives the Hudson River.” On that water-based theme, he called Libel “boatloads of fun.” Now jumping to the actual event, Izzie Wilcox ’28, head writer, also my orientation person, shout-out, said her favorite part of the Hudson was the painting school it was named after and the Illumination movement, its offshoot, incidentally what the original painting draws from. She called Libel “a group of people who like to be silly and perform and like to make fun of their peers and professors,” which is a very serious answer from the person supposed to be writing all of the jokes for the show.
Sitting next to her was Caitlin Siggins ’27, patiently waiting her turn, since in this moment in real life, I had essentially cornered a table of 2Ls and 3Ls who just wanted to drink and chat and not get asked silly questions but still answered anyway because they are really nice and patient, and also funny. Caitlin said her favorite part about illumination was the Lord of Light from Game of Thrones (the TV show, not the book). (Editor Eddie’s note: We can see here that the format…is starting to break down.) Libel in her mind was “the most important social event in the law school calendar,” which, as Script Supervisor, is a very respectable answer from an incredibly respectable position. Linnéa Selendy ’28, assistant choreographer, said she liked Daenerys from Game of Thrones, the “dragon lady,” and that Libel was an “incredible opportunity to not take law school seriously,” speaking of, shout-out to her for being super awesome at a firm event woohoo! Linnéa also wanted me to say that Judge Friedland of the Ninth Circuit, in an event with VLW (The one that supports women. To be clear, Law Weekly also does; it is just not its primary purpose) and VLR (I don’t have any jokes about VLR because part of me wants to be on VLR and part of me is scared of them), said one of her biggest regrets in law school was not participating in her school’s musical . . . in Stanford, California . . .
Christy Bolin ’27, likes Emilia Clarke in Me Before You, the rom-dram, and called Libel the “Home of Washed Up Theatre Kids,” which, as a theatre kid, made me realize I am sadly washed up now. Luckily, Emma Case ’28, with the winner of best title “Propaganda Coordinator,” said regarding romantic dramas that her friend Emmy is a writer on one called Off-Campus. Her take on Libel? “A bunch of silly big dogs.” Moving to the next table, Grace Elman ’27, director—yes, the director, and not the only one you’ll meet today—said about Off-Campus that it was “straight people hockey,” which, having not seen the show, Emma called, “pretty much, yeah.” Grace called Libel “a group of people trying to express themselves in the stifling world of the law, making friends and being silly because everyone takes themselves too seriously,” which was beautiful, before dropping this breaking news . . . “[Libel] will be five hours long.” Anyways . . .
Alexis Pudvan ’28, assistant director, said about straight people hockey, referring to the NHL, I believe, that there is “the guy that Tate McRae was dating,” being the only thing she knows about it. She referred to Libel as “sort of like defamation,” which is not the first joke answer to what is really, kind of a bad question, but is the first legal-related joke, so bonus points on that front. Mina Ghani ’29, vocal director, and hot bench sitter, said about McRae that “she’s a good dancer,” but wishes her music was different, and said about Libel, having never done it before, our second breaking news: “it will be good.” (All five hours too!) Pietro Guarisco ’27 (the other director!) said of dancing that he “wants more of it, especially in Charlottesville,” since “people laugh at [him] when [he] dances,” and that “he likes the humiliation ritual.” Apparently, I was so distracted by that answer to the first question, I forgot to ask what he thought about Libel. Let’s presume he reaffirmed that Libel would be a good five hours long.
Now we meet Beth ’27, who I negligently forgot to write her last name because she’s not on the board. When asked about this happy hour event, she said: “[I] am here for the free alcohol.” Cassidy Buenz ’27, head writer part two, said regarding free alcohol that “it’s a once-a-week thing” for her, and “if [I] drink, it’s free.” Regarding Libel, it’s “a necessary part of the law school experience for everyone to be in,” which is a serious answer from the joke writer of the show (Editor Eddie’s note: oh shoot, I already made that joke, gosh, oops, too late now.) Bringing it all the way back to Melody Yuan ’29, stage manager extraordinaire, her answer to things that are once a week for her was “watching the sunrise” as her serious answer and “finishing your readings on time” for her funny answer. On Libel, she is quoted as saying: it is “great vibes and a chance to be unhinged.” Penultimately, Tanner Noronha-Weeks ’28 said, when asked to be interviewed for this article about the board, that he, in fact, was “not on the board.”
Before we wrap this up, quickly, people not mentioned who are important and on the board: Costume & Prop Director Eva Utzschneider, Choreographer Fayth Wisehart, Lighting/Sound Director Amir Downing, Producer Morgan Hughes, Assistant Producer Matt Nino, Assistant Director and ALF guy Noah Bray, Band Director, Composer, and the reason why I got into theatre because they were my first-year undergrad RA Errick Mah. Okay, finally, and five hundred words over the suggested eight-hundred-word count later, Eddie Zhang ’29 (me!), on my thoughts on boards (the executive kind, not the wooden ones), that my “favorite part is being on one, since who doesn’t love small amounts of power, and the most awkward part is writing about it while people are trying to enjoy a happy hour.” Sorry to everyone who I interviewed while you enjoyed the sunlight, drinks, appetizers, and incessant questions. About Libel, my takeaway: “I love that (nice, funny, and very patient) people really love it.”
Author: Eddie Zhang ’29