The Daily Californian: You grew up in the Bay Area. How did that influence your choice to go into theater?

Madeline Trumble: I’ll always feel grateful for growing up in the Bay Area. Me and my brother and my sister all performed growing up. There was so much community and regional theater around us. I mean, we also had a great mom who was always willing to drive us. There’s a lot of theater in the Walnut Creek area. We would highlight the auditions we wanted to go to. I never really took classes growing up; I was always in a show. That’s the best education. And then when I went to college and I had to take acting classes and voice classes — it was weird. Growing up in theater, I know now how to be in a show. And it also made me grow up because all of my friends were at least four years older than me. So I definitely grew up and matured in the theater world.

DC: You’re in Minneapolis right now (at the time of the interview). It’s a pretty hectic touring schedule. How do you keep the show fresh every night?

MT: It’s stressful. I was in the ensemble before. But as the lead now there’s just a lot more pressure. When I was in the ensemble, if I wasn’t feeling well or tired, you could just dial it down. I can’t do that now. It means that I have to be careful after the show. I don’t go out; I have to be really careful and save my voice. It’s fun because you get to travel and see the country, but (it is) also very exhausting. It’s live theater, so things are rarely perfect or the same every night. The audience has no idea, but I know. I do the same thing every day, and then I see people who come to the show and friends of mine, and they’re so in awe. It is really cool and exciting what I do. It’s easy to forget when you go to work every day.

DC: What was the audition process like?

MT: It’s the same show with different management. I went to New York, got in “Newsies,” did that for a few months and I knew that the girl playing Mary was leaving. I just crossed my fingers that the company would call me. They’re really great about moving up understudies. I got a call to come in and audition. And they make you go on something like five auditions with only two days notice. So I went in (and) saw the show, surrounded by this group of kids. I had never seen it; I knew nothing about it. But the play is quite different from the movie. It takes the music from the movie but stories from the book — new characters and new songs. Now, when I watch the movie, I think the movie is so different and crazy.

DC: How do you feel the show appeals to both children and adults?

MT: “It is Disney, so the spectacle of that is a huge part of it. It has amazing sets, costumes, lights. You get all of that with tap dancing, with lots of singing and magic. The magic, though, is for the kids and the adults. It brings the adults back to when they were kids. But our show also has this great message about family, about rediscovering what is most important in life.”

Contact Jessica Pena at jpena@dailycal.org.

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Was it cold?

We all know that Berkeley at night can be a pretty chilly place. And if we get cold even without our jackets, you’d think that running stark naked anywhere on campus would leave you absolutely frigid. Well, something about Main Stacks during the Naked Run defies this logic. Not a single runner was shivering, and even spectators were taking off their coats! Because a massive swarm of hot bodies obviously produces more warmth than Doe’s heating system does, we suggest that the engineering department incorporate this finding into a more “green” Berkeley thermostat.

Were you drunk?

Unveiling your naked body to a hoard of strangers can be pretty stressful, so the Clog wondered whether any runners took a shot or two before the big event to calm their nerves. While some participants may have slipped under our radar, we found that the vast majority did not drink at all before disrobing. One runner, a seven-time veteran of the Naked Run, explained that the “high” he gets from dashing completely nude through a library is all-consuming, and he would hate to taint the liberating experience with the fog of alcohol.

What’d you do with your clothes?

Completely unburdened during their journey, most of the runners showed no traces of having arrived to Main Stacks fully clothed. Naturally, we wondered where they stashed their garments. The Clog discovered three main strategies. The most prepared runners temporarily trusted their clothes to supportive friends in the spectator crowd. Slightly less confident in their friends, others donned backpacks containing their valuables during the run. Finally, the most spontaneous participants stowed their clothes randomly in corners of Main Stacks — we even spotted a pile of pants on the spiral staircase!

Were you afraid?

Most runners, attracted to the sense of community and exhilaration, did not seem to fear revealing their bodies to strangers. However, a number expressed concern about the pictures and videos taken by spectators during the event. Donning pirate masks, face paint and even paper bags, many runners dodged this risk and showcased their creativity at the Naked Run this year.

Would you do it again?

Whether a seven-time veteran or a senior crossing the Naked Run off her bucket list, everybody we talked to expressed a desire to do it again. The juxtaposition of intense, stoic studiers and carefree, jubilant naked bodies is something we’ll probably only experience during our years at Cal.

Regardless of whether you ever decide to participate in the Naked Run, the Clog encourages you to do something fun this week. We know you won’t study for the entire 216 hours of dead week. Try a new running route. Go see “The Great Gatsby.” Get lunch with a friend. As proven by the continuing tradition of the Naked Run, a little excitement can definitely enhance our studying and the quality of our dead week memories.

Contact Katherine Velicki at kvelicki@dailycal.org.

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Trees near Mulford Hall. Just to the left of Mulford Hall is a beautiful little crevice of space that is perfect for some alone time. This quiet and peaceful place is lined with bright green trees and awesome log benches to sit on.

Terrace Cafe. Located on the Bechtel Roof, the small tables that the Terrace Cafe has to offer are wonderful. There’s a great view of the Campanile, there are shady and sunny places and few students stick around here. Plus, there are plenty of delicious grab-and-go goodies in the cafe if you’re hungry.  

Hearst Memorial Mining Building. This is arguably one of the most beautiful buildings on campus. The mild mint green structure, beautiful array of windows and cheerfully round light bulbs are sure to satisfy your spirit. We love this building because it is quiet and perfect for some alone time. Because it’s indoors, it’s also a great place to relax when the weather is bad.

Morgan Hall. Never heard of Morgan Hall? Neither had we, but that’s the beauty of exploring! Just to the right of this hall, adjacent to the GPB building, is a charming little courtyard area, with big, billowing trees and several benches for relaxation.

North Gate circle. Although you may have to trek up the steep hill next to the East Asian Library to get to this place, we think it’s totally worth it. Right next to North Gate lies a cute circle of grass surrounded by nature and benches. We loved this place because it’s not too quiet, but it’s also private enough to feel at peace.

Don’t get burned out studying. Take some time for yourself this week — you won’t regret it!

Contact Kristen McFadden at kmcfadden@dailycal.org.

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Lucky for you, we’re about to make it easier to wander away from Berkeley’s most overpopulated study spots. If you find yourself in a reading rut this dead week, try mixing it up with one of these awesome campus nooks!

1. Morrison Library: If you’re looking to peruse some texts, you can’t beat this comfortable little gem. Immediately on your right as you enter Doe, Morrison is filled with comfortable couches and secluded tables. If you can manage to get a seat, this is probably Berkeley’s most relaxing, stress-free and quiet reading environment. Except if you whip out your laptop. Then they’ll yell at you.

2. McCone Hall: Even though this is the geology building, we don’t advise you to study on the rocks (unless you have glutes of steel). If you take the elevator to the top floor of this building, there ‘s a beautiful west-facing balcony adorned with a couple of rarely used couches. And if this scenic spot gets busy, every floor of McCone has a small, sunny balcony with considerable privacy … oh, and spying privileges too.

3. Engineering Library: Believe it or not, the engineering library is not just for engineers! If you want to do some work on the computer in a room with killer air-conditioning, this is the place for you. Right next to Evans, this library has a huge assortment of study areas, ranging from silent reading nooks to collaborative group tables. Oh, and if you ask nicely, we’re sure you could get some masterful help on that last math assignment.

4. The chancellor’s front lawn: We probably should have saved this one for ourselves, but the grassy hills outside the chancellor’s house are the best outdoor study spot on campus. You can leisurely shift between sun and shade, enjoy the silence of low foot traffic and feed the squirrels. A towel to sit on and at least one bottle of water are always smart additions to your outdoor studying adventures.

5. Golden Bear Pool: So you just bought that new bathing suit but feel too guilty to go on a leisurely swim with so much studying left to do. Solution? Bring your books to Golden Bear Pool! Located behind Clark Kerr, this hidden oasis offers grassy slopes and a warm boardwalk that are perfect for lying out with some homework. Just try not to get distracted by the hottie in lane two.

Contact Katherine Velicki at kvelicki@dailycal.org.

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The chancellor’s concern about the “rancor and divisiveness” caused by the divestment vote (Daily Cal, April 18) reveals little sensitivity to the role of the university as a forum for discussing and debating controversial issues. The univeresity has a proud tradition of hosting such debates but often in conflict with the administration. It was here at Cal in 1964 that civil rights activists sought to fundraise and recruit students for civil rights work in the South by setting up in tables in Sproul Plaza, activity later generations of student activists have taken for granted. But in 1964, this tabling activity was banned by chancellor’s office, citing university regulations prohibiting advocacy of political causes at Cal other than for the Democratic or Republican parties.  This effort by to muzzle Free Speech led to the famous sit-in at Sproul Hall in 1964, the arrests of hundreds of UC students and the birth of the Free Speech Movement.
Later that decade, Cal students, often at great personal cost, protested the war in Vietnam, seeking to end campus ROTC. In the following years, Cal students protested apartheid in South Africa, other causes and more recently, Berkeley Law professor John Yoo’s key role in justifying the use of torture in Iraq.

In the course of all these protest activities, always the administration has complained, just as the chancellor has done in relation to the divestment debate, that these issues were “divisive,” that activists were disrupting the peaceful, “civil” atmosphere they say fosters learning and the educational mission of the university.  Indeed, all of these protest movements were vigorously opposed by other students and faculty who complained that the protesters threatened something the UC administration now refers to as the “campus climate.” But what the chancellor forgets, in echoing the complaints of those who took offense at the “divisiveness” caused by the FSM, Vietnam War protests and now, the divestment debate, is that advocacy for social change almost always is somewhat “divisive”  and inevitably offends those resisting change. The university is not well served by what author Christina Hoff-Sommers describes as the growing “tyranny of niceness” at U.S. universities.

The UC administration also does a disservice to campus community when it weighs in on this debate by describing the divestment vote as “not a positive force for (the) campus climate” or “rais(ing) passions without moving the issues perceptibly forward.” (Daily Cal, April 24). Without question, the controversy on all UC campuses over divestment and Israel-Palestine stirs strong passions on both sides. But that passion should inspire, not stifle, debate and discussion here at the university over the serial wars in the Middle East, the failures of U.S. foreign policy there and the dire consequences especially for Palestinians.
Equally unavailing is the chancellor’s complaint that criticism of Israel is one-sided and the not so-veiled accusation underlying this complaint that this “one-sidedness” reflects anti-Semitism. Even the insinuation of that charge raises rather than dampens, the “temperature” on the campus relative to these issues. Understandably, those opposing Apartheid in South Africa spent most of their energies seeking change there and not elsewhere. And one can oppose North Korea without “balancing” one’s views with criticism of South Korea.

To be clear, many of the students protesting Israeli policies are sharply critical of the anti-democratic policies of Israel’s Arab neighbors – hence the near-universal celebration of the Arab Spring within the pro-divestment community. But there is no “equal criticism” burden on the exercise of First Amendment rights. And it is entirely understandable why pro-divestment students focus on Israel: This conflict threatens world peace and drains enormous resources. But more fundamentally and from a moral perspective, support for Israel perpetuates the displacement of hundreds of thousands of refugees from the 1948 war, in clear contravention of international laws, and abides the continued and often very brutal occupation of the territories seized in 1967.

A few years ago, Chancellor Birgeneau climbed on top of a police car on Sproul Plaza to honor the legacy of Mario Savio and the Free Speech Movement. If the chancellor really respects UC Berkeley’s historic role as a forum for debate, he should encourage, not stand in the way of, vigorous advocacy for human rights and equality as exemplified by the divestment campaign, even if it upsets some members of the UC community.

Jewish Voices for Peace member Liz Jackson contributed to this op-ed.

Matt Ross is a UC Berkeley alum. Maggie Sager and Nathan Stuckey are members of Students for Justice in Palestine.

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“But Clog,” you ask us, “I really don’t know a lot about Arbor Day. How can I celebrate Arbor Day here at Berkeley? Can you provide a short but thorough list to speed things up?”

Sure.

Why Arbor Day is not Earth Day

The first Arbor Day was celebrated as a city planting movement in 1872 for the then treeless Nebraska City. Compared to Earth Day, which was born after a 1969 San Francisco UNESCO conference, Arbor Day’s historical origins are born from a more localized time.

Arbor means “tree” in Latin. The goal is that every person plants at least one tree by the end of the day. To celebrate Arbor Day, everyone needs a shovel, a small sapling and plenty of energy. Although every state celebrates the day in its own way, only Nebraska made Arbor Day a civic holiday.

Earth Day is a celebration of environmentalism and environmental protection. Unlike the down-in-the-dirt Arbor Day, Earth Day typically is celebrated in large fairs and conventions. Moreover, Earth Day is overseen by the Earth Day Network, an international mobilizing organization.

On Earth Day, phrases like “carbon-neutral” and “fossil fuels” are tossed around. On Arbor Day,  terms like “alkaline soil” and “pruning” spring up.

We at the Clog like to think of Earth Day as the “preach” and Arbor Day as the “practice.”

Make Berkeley a Tree City

In 2010, Berkeley was named an official member of Tree City USA. Last year, Berkeley fell off the list. To up the attitude, the Clog gathered some tree-planting opportunities.

The University of California Botanical Garden offers plenty of tree-planting opportunities with its extensive volunteer program. Volunteers are asked to clean seeds, prepare specimens for research and propagate needy plants. Rewards come for those who celebrate Arbor Day all weekend. Volunteers who put in 30 hours receive a nifty Garden Badge (and a 20-percent discount at the garden store).

Just want to admire trees instead? Check out this interactive map of historic trees on Cal’s campus.

Contact Alex Mabanta at amabanta@dailycal.org.

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In April 2010, when he applied to work on a “Half-Life 2” mod — a game developed as an expansion pack of sorts for the original game — called “Age of Chivalry,” Bao didn’t expect it to go very far. “At first, we were very much just a mod team. We were just a bunch of people who were like, ‘Oh, we should make a game,’ so initially we had no idea what we were doing,” he said.

Three years later, “Chivalry: Medieval Warfare” is an extremely successful indie game with a 79 on Metacritic and a large player base via Steam, an online gaming platform. It is known as one of the first high-quality medieval warfare titles of its kind, praised for its combat mechanics and multiplayer matches.

When the team — called Torn Banner Studios — decided to transition from a mod to a full-blown game, Bao was made lead programmer. He was in his junior year of high school and had only been programming seriously since his freshman year. “Requirements were a little more lenient (for the mod project), so I managed to sneak on during that. When we decided to transition to a full-blown project, I got switched over too,” Bao explained.
On top of everything, he was a self-taught programmer, and he had never used the Unreal Development Kit. The UDK is the free version of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3, which many developers use as a foundation of sorts for their code. In order to work on “Chivalry,” Bao had to quickly learn the ropes of the Unreal Engine.

For Bao, a lot of the value of his experience came from learning rather than getting access to gaming events or making money off of the game’s royalties. He says his experience with real-world programming has helped him in his computer science classes at Berkeley.

“I think a lot of people think that game development is really hard, and that’s why they shy away from trying to do it — but I think that once you get into it, it’s actually not that bad,” Bao said. “It just takes a lot of time and dedication. If you’re willing to put the effort into it, you can get it done.”

For Bao, putting effort into “Chivalry” meant working 20 hours a week for very little pay, and he says it became more of a “full-time job” toward the end of the project. “Mike was in front of his computer all the time. I’m surprised he ever ate or slept,” Kevin Lin said rather facetiously. Lin lived in Foothill with Bao during fall 2011 and spring 2012, when Bao was working on “Chivalry.” Gautam Tammewar, another former dorm-mate and friend of Bao’s, added, “He’s either at his computer or playing Mario with us.”

Bao worked tirelessly, sacrificing sleep and grades, all out of love for the project. “The game wasn’t about just one person’s vision but the entire team’s vision,” Bao said of the team’s dedication to the game. “If no one wanted to work on it besides the boss, then it wouldn’t be a game worth making.”

The team believed in “Chivalry” because it knew the game could find success. Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo as well as indie-friendly platforms like Steam make it easier for small developers to get noticed, and services like Humble Bundle give more players access to high-quality indie titles.

“I really like the fact that indie games can do so well in the gaming industry, just because the Internet is so friendly to indie games in general,” Bao said. “I think it’s one place where people with passion for something can really have success, and that’s one of the reasons why the gaming industry is so awesome. People who love what they do come together and do it. You can definitely tell when someone worked on a game that they really cared for.”

Bao added that the amount of time and effort he put into “Chivalry” was the exception to the rule when it comes to indie game development.

“A lot of people do this in their free time, whether it means an hour a week or eight hours every day. There’s a lot of cool indie projects out there; you could probably join one by sending them an email and saying, ‘Hey, I’m a programmer. I don’t really know Unreal, but I can learn it really quickly,’” Bao said. These kinds of indie projects make game development accessible to students or those looking to break into the gaming industry.
Bao expects indie games to grow even more popular thanks to the open nature of PC gaming and the iOS and Android mobile markets. For aspiring game developers, this means that a pet project might turn into a career or, at the very least, an invaluable learning experience.

“As long as you have someone to do the art and someone to do the programming, you can make a game,” Bao said. He added that, even if the project is not successful, it’s always worth doing in the end.

Contact Kallie Plagge at kplagge@dailycal.org. Check her out on twitter at @kirbyoshi.

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Livability, a website that determines “America’s best places to live and visit,” recently published its top 10 foodie cities, and the only West Coast city to make the list was Berkeley, which came in fourth place.

The entry on Berkeley cites its “European-style marketplaces, boutique restaurants and artisan food shops” and heralds it — and Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, of course — as the birthplace of the “California Cuisine” movement in the 1970s.

However, instead of segueing into the secondary Gourmet Ghetto that is Fourth Street, Livability zeroes in on the offerings down Shattuck Avenue, praising Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen, La Note and Bistro Liaison for breaking the “healthily sophisticated” mold.

Read the entire top 10 list below:

1. Decatur, Ga.
2. Hoboken, N.J.
3. Bloomington, Ind.
4. Berkeley, Calif.
5. Madison, Wis.
6. Lafayette, La.
7. Chapel Hill, N.C.
8. Santa Fe, N.M.
9. Alexandria, Va.
10. Burlington, Vt.

Christopher Yee is the editor of Eating Berkeley. Contact him at cyee@dailycal.org.

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Blank was known for his films on American food and music and produced 42 films in a career spanning more than 50 years, according to Blank’s website.

“He definitely was a seeker of beauty and truth and the ways to express and articulate that,” said Blank’s son Beau Blank.

Blank, who received a degree in English from Tulane University in 1958, also attended graduate school at UC Berkeley. He left, however, to pursue filmmaking at USC in 1960 after being heavily influenced by Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

“(His films) really captured a special time when there was a lot more distinctiveness in cultures and how rich they were,” said Maureen Gosling, who worked with Blank for nearly 20 years. “That’s the legacy of his work.”

Friends and family said Blank captured an intimacy in work that reflected his kind and thoughtful character. Though he was known to be shy and almost painfully quiet, Blank won over subjects and audiences with his attention to the small treasures of everyday life. Gosling said he best captured moments without words.

“We’re looking for the golden moments,” Blank once said to Gosling.

The subjects Blank chose reflected a wide variety of interests, ranging from garlic to gap-toothed women, blues musicians to Tex-Mex Chicano culture and tea-making to California hippie-culture.

“(His films) offer something unique,” said Harrod Blank, Blank’s other son. “His interests were diverse — his films were diverse.”

Harrod recalls watching foreign films, traveling and attending music festivals as a child with his father. Now a filmmaker himself, he expressed appreciation for the independence and skills that his father taught him. Both Harrod and Beau treasured the time spent with their father in the later years of his life. In the last 15 years, Harrod and his father regularly attended and filmed the annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada.

But Blank was appreciated by many more than just family members. He won several awards, including the 2011 Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association, the Maya Deren Award for outstanding life achievement from the American Film Institute and a British Academy Award in 1982 for his film “Burden of Dreams.”

“I try to find a fresh way of looking at the world around me and making some sense of it,” Blank said in an interview after winning the 2011 Career Achievement Award. “Hopefully (it is) something positive, something lasting that the world would want to see 100 years from now.”

Along with leaving behind a legacy of a prolific career, Blank is survived by ex-wife Chris Simon, sons Harrod and Beau, daughter Ferris Robinson and three grandchildren.

Contact Jennie Yoon at jyoon@dailycal.org.

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