“It takes almost as much effort as the whole rest of the festival,” she says, “but it really pulls people in and through the gates to the Yard in a way that just doesn’t happen at any other time of the year.”
Besides the traditional, Arts First has had its share of edgier, experimental works. In 1997, conflict arose over the exclusion of an act called “Dancing Deviant” from the program. The show, a multi-media solo performance containing nudity and sexually explicit material in an exploration of sexuality, included a scene of self-penetration with a vibrator and was informally referred to as “a back-flip on top of a dildo,” according to The Crimson.
The application of the show’s writer-performer—a member of the Arts First planning board—for a Council on the Arts grant was declined on the grounds that it did not clearly fit its sponsorship guidelines of “artistic innovation” and wide appeal among the student body. In a postscript to the form rejection letter, then-OFA Director Myra Mayman wrote, “Given the broad range of audience and ages that Arts First attracts, and the casual nature of attendance, the Council thinks that Arts First isn’t an appropriate forum for the play.”
The mix of performances does seem to have evolved somewhat over time, and Schorr says she sees “glimmers of innovation” this year from student participants. “They’re thinking differently about performance, audience, how to put something together,” she says. “There are still thirteen a capella groups and all the orchestras, but there’s something new going on.”
All of these performances—both annual and innovative—now amount to more than 200 total events, a 500 percent increase from the first year. More than 2,000 students are involved on the performance and production side, and thousands more come from Harvard Square and elsewhere to watch.
“I feel that this is just as important an event for Harvard audiences as for Harvard artists,” Lithgow says. “It should be an event where everybody at Harvard stops a moment and contemplates the incredible creative energy of this place. We’re not asking everybody to perform; we want at least half of them to come and watch!”
Although Arts First seems to be here to stay, its shape may shift with time.
“I think things are going to change because we have a new director of the OFA,” Schorr said. “We now have the outdoor stage in Harvard Yard, the site for the performance fair on Saturday, and [OFA Director Jack Megan] has been trying to push for public art in the Yard.”
—Staff writer Alexandra B. Moss can be reached at abmoss@fas.harvard.edu.