As the semester comes to its end, students gathered to ponder the meaning of life through poetry and song.
The Philosopher’s Cabaret began at 3 p.m. in Building 600 with French songs done by a duet with singer Alexandra Bridaroli and her instrument performer Niko Makaris on keyboard and guitar.
Makaris is a returning student of philosophy who was asked to perform at the last minute to contribute to the end of the year celebration of the Philosophy Club.
“I used to write music for TV shows, but I left that world to become a computer programmer,” said Makaris. “However, my old professor knew I did music, so she reached out to me.”
Professor of existentialism and philosophy Melanie McQuitty organized the event with help from the book store and opened it to students from all departments.
Attendees were provided with refreshments, including popcorn and candy.
Members of the club and McQuitty’s students read monologues and performed musical acts. Musicians showed their talents by playing electronic music and the ukulele.
President of the Philosophy Club Nicolette Geoola said there was a theme for the event.
“It’s not specifically philosophy,” said Geoola. ”We have a lot of art and pieces focused on the meaning of life.”
She invited the audience to participate in Mad Libs to name an object or word when instructed to fill in the blanks of a paragraph. It could be as random as yelling “unicorn” for a mythical creature and it’ll fit like a puzzle piece in a monologue.
One of the games done after the show was the Deck of Life.
“When she described it to me, I kind of thought it was like an existentialist Dungeons & Dragons role playing game which I thought was so cool,” McQuitty said.
Another group project invited students to reflect on what gives their life meaning through art.
The goal of the event is not only meant to celebrate the end of the year but to recruit prospective students.
Geoola was enthusiastic about netting new members of the club.
“Two people just came up to me and asked me about the club, so I think it’s working out,” Geoola said.
Between performances, McQuitty provided a series of jokes related to philosophy, from Friedrich Nietzche to Karl Marx.
“When you become a philosophy professor, you spend your money on things like philosophy joke books,” McQuitty said.
