By Micah Pasinski

OSWEGO, N.Y.– The Oswego Opera Theatre presented a special performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan comedic opera, “The Mikado” on November 11th and 12th. The Mikado was the ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations written between the famous musical duo, Arthur Sullivan and W.S Gilbert. It has remained incredibly popular to this day since it’s 1885 opening in London with many professional theatre companies still performing it.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic opera is a British piece set in Japan. This was done because the creators thought Japan was a far enough place away from their homeland of Britain to give them the freedom to satirize Victorian British politics and institutions of the time, by disguising them as Japanese.

The Oswego Opera Theatre took inspiration from the play’s original satirical nature and used the production as a way in which to poke fun at a lot of what has been dominating our political news lately. They even went so far as to having jokes pertaining to the Trump-Russia Scandal and a character in the show who was strikingly similar in appearance to 2016 Democratic Party Presidential Nominee, Hillary Clinton.

SUNY Oswego Orchestral and Artistic Director, and Conductor of “The Mikado” Dr. Juan Francisco La Manna said that the political aspect is all a part of what makes the show still relevant and enjoyable for audiences to see today.

“The great thing is that it can translate into today’s politics and world very well, so we took probably ninety percent of the substance of the script and adapted it so it would become really relevant,” said La Manna.

“The Mikado” is known as one of the most played musical theatre pieces in history. It was even estimated that before the end of 1885, its premiere year, 150 companies were already producing the opera.

The Oswego State women’s basketball team fell to the Brockport Golden Eagles by a score of 61-46. With the loss, the Lakers move to 7-17 overall and 4-13 in the conference while Brockport moves to 12-12 on the season.

Oswego battled Brockport throughout the first half keeping their turnovers to a minimum. The Lakers had just three in the first half and eleven total which was significantly lower than their conference leading 19.4 turnovers per game. Brockport’s Schyler Laux would change the momentum of the game as she scored eleven points in the second half. She finished with a game high 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. The Golden Eagles sealed the deal with a dominant performance as they held the Lakers to just five points in the fourth quarter.

Courtney Ameele led the Lakers with a team high 14 points while Zana Dillard and Rachael Windhausen left their mark on the defensive end. The two each had 11 rebounds with Windhausen also setting a career high with six blocks.

Oswego will play its final game of the season tomorrow at 1:00 against Geneseo at Max Ziel Gymnasium. Before the contest, the team will honor Ameele and Dillard as a part of Senior Day.

By Renee Dunn

OSWEGO, N.Y– Autumn is considered by some people as one of the most beautiful times of the year because of leaves changing, and the peak of Fall is here in Oswego. Strong leaf colors are being expected for several sections of Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Oswego counties this week.

According to I Love NY.com, the Thousand Islands-Seaway region of New York, which includes Oswego County, will experience 80 to nearly 100 percent leaf color change this week. This means that oak, maple, and sweetgum trees will be bright shades of red, yellow and orange while fewer areas of muted green, orange and purple remain.

For the students of SUNY Oswego, this color change of foliage brings about many opportunities to explore all of the beauty the campus has to offer. SUNY Oswego’s outdoor club takes trips in the fall to view the leaves changing colors, which peak at different times around the state.

“The adirondacks start first so we got a jump start a few weeks ago in the adirondacks to see the peak. Now it’s in the central New York region, [so we] kind of just drift with the leaves to chase the peak colors for the best hikes for our club members,” Meteorology student and co-president of SUNY Oswego’s Outdoor’s club Zach Butler said.

Rice Creek Field Station also offers opportunities to watch the change in seasons. Rice Creek has trails that are open during daylight hours that can be used for viewing the changing of the leaves in the fall. Student’s can also educate themselves on the ecosystem of Rice Creek at the field station’s wildlife exhibit.

Other areas of New York, such as Long island, are still in their midpoint of color change and are expected to reach their peak later in the month.
For more information and to view a map of peak fall foliage, visit https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/.