Whether their interests lie in film, music, drama or literature, Dartmouth students have a variety of activities available to them, either directly or helping out behind the scenes.
The Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts, completed in 1962, is a vast rabbit-warren teeming with artistic possibilities.
Students from Manhattan and fans of PBS may have noticed that the Hop looks more than a little bit like the Lincoln Center in New York City.
Actually, the center of arts at Dartmouth precedes its sister-building by a few years. Both were designed by Wallace Harrison, the architect who also designed the Rockefeller Center and the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
Students checking their mail boxes in the Hop often hear the sounds of merry clanking, sawing and hacking in the nearby studio as student set designers and lighting technicians put together sets for the various dramatic performances in the Moore and Bentley theaters.
More often than not, set designers are more than happy to put interested students to work when they happen to wander into the cavernous shop.
For those students more of an inclined to act than to build, several independent theater groups exist, among them, the Untamed Shrews, a small band of thespians who deal with women's issues at Dartmouth and society at large.
In addition, Dartmouth is blessed with its very own improvisational comedy group, the Dog Day Players, who perform about six times a term and are always very eager to accept new members.
"Even if you think you're not funny, you'd probably like to join our group because we get all the chicks," Erica Rivinoja '99 said jokingly.
In an era when many college film societies are going under, the Dartmouth Film Society continues to thrive, thanks to the variety of thought-provoking films screened, films that otherwise could not be seen outside of Telluride or Manhattan.
The musically inclined will want to descend into the labyrinth at the back of the Hopkins Center, where the music department is located.
Vocal groups on campus include the Chamber Singers, a small, tight band of vocalists who perform music ranging in style and era from Henry Purcell to Arvo Part. In addition, the group performs the much looked-forward-to Feast of Song every winter.
The Dartmouth Glee Club offers a less intense vocal experience, meeting less frequently each week. The Glee Club tours nationally every year, something which members anticipate with joy.
Finally, there is the Handel Society, which incorporates members from the town of Hanover. The Handel Society is the largest orchestra group and performs both classical and contemporary music.
For those performance-inclined students looking to get out from under the auspices of the music department but still interested in singing, Dartmouth has more a cappella groups than a freshman can shake a stick at.
Several a cappella groups, which typically hold auditions each term, offer alternatives for students who love to sing and perform.
The Dartmouth Aires are Dartmouth's oldest a cappella group, consisting of 10 to 15 men.
Perhaps the most prestigious a cappella group on campus, The Aires, as always will be offering open auditions in the fall.
The members of X. Ado, a Christian vocal group, truly put the fun back into fundamentalism.
"Our purpose is to tell a skeptical campus about the reality of Jesus Christ in our lives through the songs that we sing," said X. Ado member Josephine Hsu '99.
The Dodecaphonics, a coed a cappella group, has recently been honored with a track on the "Best of College A Cappella 3" album.
The Dodecaphonics are "Dartmouth's only contemporary rocking coed a cappella group," Dodecs Member Matthew Wrobel '99 said.
Musical opportunities abound for those skilled with an instrument was well.
The Dartmouth College Marching Band is most active in the fall, when the green-jacketed group of about 80 students can be seen -- and heard -- marching throughout town and amongst the dorms, drumming up support for Big Green Football.
"Although we do try to sound and look good, we are primarily interested in having fun rather than being a para-military marching band," DCMB member Chris Hodgson '99 said.
In addition, several symphonic groups thrive at Dartmouth. The Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra the Dartmouth Chamber Orchestra, and the Dartmouth Wind Symphony all perform under the aegis of the music department.
The Barbary Coast Jazz Ensemble is a small, tightly knit group of dedicated jazz artists who have the opportunity to play with visiting artists who come to perform at the Hop.
"Everyone in the group has a blast, especially when the guest artists come up," Barbary Coast group member Jerrod Tisdell '99 said.
