Arts & Culture

Though Shakespeare may not have expected his plays to be performed on anything but a theater stage,Studio301makes it seem likeA Midsummer Night’s Dream was designed for the outdoors.The independent student theater group’s production debuted last night and will continue performances Thursdays through Sundays until May24.A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows three intertwining tales of love and bewitchment.First the audience meets the four youths:two men and two women who are all a bit crossed in love.Their story begins calmly but quickly escalates to an uproarious scene of infighting and competitions of machismo.

The most impressive aspect ofStar Trek is how the writers managed to make a prequel interesting and entertaining.Prequels are often devoid of suspense because you know that if the characters appear in movies that occur later chronologically,nothing bad can really happen to them.This doesn’t make for a very exciting film,no matter how action packed it may be (see:Wolverine).

Rarely do movies made about the Asian American experience reach a wide audience,but an ongoing event at UC Davis is trying to change that. UC Davis‘ Asian American Association is in the middle of hosting its annual film festival.The event,which kicked off on May5,continues until May15.The films run Tuesdays,Thursdays and Fridays each week.

MUSIC The Lovetones,Chief Nowhere,The Ancient Sons Today,9p.m.,$$,21 Old Ironsides in Sacramento For anyone wondering what sort of music sprouts from the land down under,the answer:It’s not that different from the stuff here.The Aussies of the Lovetones bring a psychedelic touch to their Interpol-esque rock base.

With the mixed musical styles of former Bright Eyes front man Conor Oberst and the full-throttled folk back-up from Mystic Valley Band also come mixed feelings. The band’s sophomore albumOuter South,which was released on May5,is not for creatures of habitual bouts of quivering melodies and nervous serenades,as most Oberst fans have become accustomed to.While Oberst has consistently shown an ability to evolve in unexpected ways,this change is not for the better.

In many cultures around the world, footwear not only serves functional purposes, but also as indicators of social class and economic status. “Stepping Out: Footwear Around the World,” an exhibition put on by UC Davis design students, features shoes from our very own design collection. The exhibit opens on Monday and will run until July 12. An opening reception will be held on May 17 at 1 p.m. at the museum, and guided tours will be given throughout the afternoon.

After a full week of avid fundraising from Apr.20to26,campus radio station KDVS90.3FM raised$56,375,just shy of their$60,000goal. The online pledge system is still up and active,continuing to accept and receive donations.Currently,the station has raised$58,745and continues to receive pledges fromfundraiser.kdvs.org.

QUAD STAGE Mad Cow String Band Friday,6:30p.m. CEDAR STAGE Ginger Ninjas Friday,7:30p.m. Ben Lewis Saturday,6p.m. Ayla Nero Sunday,10a.m.

As we grow up,it becomes clear that the world is not black and white.That is just what psychology graduate student Lauren Berger aims to prove with “Mixed Photo Project,” a photo exhibition that opened yesterday at the Memorial Union Art Lounge as part of Mixed Heritage Week.

MUSIC Dirt Nasty,Andre Legacy,Beardo Today,8p.m.,$15in advance,$17day of show The Boardwalk in Orangevale Some people are so bad that they’re good,and Dirt Nasty may or may not be one of those people.It all just depends whether you’re into obnoxious rap songs that feature topics such as cocaine,itty-bitty baby dicks and bestiality.

Green River Ordinance Out Of My Hands Virgin Records Rating:2

Metric Fantasies Independent Rating:4 It‘s become a recent trend that as artists create new records,they add a variety of instruments here and there,use a pinch of synthesizer,toss in a tasty beat mix,sprinkle in a couple clever lines and gently place it into the indie rock oven and hope forthe best,yes?