Pacific Index

Pacific’s arts and humanities clubs welcome everyone

For students at Pacific interested in the arts, clubs are a relaxed way to get involved. “There’s multiple people who do theatre who never did it before college, and I think they’ve really found their people through it,” says Rachel Kaufman, the secretary of the Drama Club, one of Pacific’s multiple arts and humanities extracurriculars. Co-president of the Songwriting Club, Candle Riggs, shares a similar sentiment to Kaufman. “I would recommend the club to anyone who’s interested in music or songwriting; any kind of songwriting” affirms Riggs. 

In addition to providing a welcoming environment, these clubs also put on a variety of activities for students who are looking for something fun to do. Kaufman explains that the drama club focuses on student-run productions and says, “This semester… we’re doing theatre by the minute, which is a series of student-written one acts that are completely written, produced, directed, and acted by students.” Theatre by the minute is upcoming in November, and Kaufman says more information will be posted as the event approaches.  

Another drama club event for students to look out for this month is the haunted house at the end of October. Kaufman says, “It’s going to be a haunted theatre tour… Then, basically, decorate the theatre as a haunted house and anybody can come and go through it, and it’s a really fun time.” She adds that it will be put on by student scare actors from the club, and will likely be sometime during Halloween weekend. This event will be in the Tom Miles Theatre in Warner Hall, for all students who are looking for a good scare. 

For Pacific’s musicians, Songwriting Club also provides an environment to be creative and connect with others. Though they are a newer club, they’re already hosting events to bring songwriters together. Riggs explains, “It’s slow so far… So, mostly we’ve just been doing workshops, like writing workshops, every Thursday.” These workshops are from three to four p.m. in room 100 of the Taylor-Meade basement. Riggs describes these workshops as “…a safe space for people to, you know, maybe refine their songwriting or get some new inspiration, or also get critiques if they want that.” Riggs and co-president Kendall Guiney also hope to bring their group to open mics in the future as they continue to grow. 

Though these two clubs have different artistic focuses, both provide inviting and relaxed environments for students. Kaufman notes that the Drama Club, “…vibe is just always so welcoming and very kind, it’s a very silly environment to be in.” Riggs, in addition to describing Songwriting Club as a safe space, says it’s for musicians of all levels. She states, “I would recommend the club to anyone who’s interested in music or songwriting… We have one person who’s writing a musical, and we have some people who play guitar and piano, some people who only sing. So, kind of whatever songwriting you do. Maybe even rap, who knows?”

Drama Club is also open to all students, and Kaufman says in Drama Club, “It doesn’t need to be super intense. I think when you’re in a show… you’re putting so much time into rehearsal and stuff like that. At drama club, events can be a lot more casual, and just sharing the love of this art form with each other without the feeling like it has to be your entire life.” So, for students with an inclination to the arts, it’s clubs like these that provide a safe space to build on that.