Penn kicked off April yesterday with its first annual April Fools' Day celebration, the Feast of Fools -- a Penn student performing arts festival.
The event featured numerous acts, including the Amorphous Jugglers, Front Row Theatre Company and Belligerent Thespians, Faculty One-Minute Lectures, Simply Chaos, the Underground Shakespeare Company and the Classical Studies Department's abridged version of Aristophanes' Clouds.
The celebration resembled a small-scale fair with games and prizes, hot dogs and cotton candy, balloons, children, hat-wearing and face painting.
The Feast of Fools has a long and important history as a day of license and buffoonery, when the fool -- that is, the jester, the trickster, the punster -- takes over and imposes his or her particular logic on events.
According to the Penn Humanities Web site, the "King of Fools" reflects the subtle and not-so-subtle dangers of what happens when people take themselves too seriously.
"I think it's pretty chaotic, but that's what we were expecting," said Katherine Olson, PHF administrative coordinator and activity leader. "It's a nice reception. It would be nice if there were more people watching the performance."
The celebration's bang was somewhat muted due to both its lack of advertising and its location.
Initially, the celebration was to take place outdoors on Wynn Commons and College Green, but due to early weather concerns, both the food and activities, such as the ring toss, were brought indoors.
Some students did not mind this arrangement.
"I'm so excited," College freshman Emily Goldman said. "I just came out of class, and I saw this."
Other students, however -- particularly those passing through on their way to class -- were not as pleased with the even'ts split location.
"It would've been better if [the event] wasn't broken up -- half inside, half outside," College of General Studies student Michael Thomas said. "By the time I figure it out, I'll be late for class."
Those who happened to participate seemed to enjoy the event for its overall purpose.
"It's a good idea," Engineering junior Charles Forster said, predicting that "they'll do it again next year."
Most students were unaware that the event had been scheduled but were pleasantly surprised by the festival's activities, which spiced up their usual stroll through Houston Hall.
"I didn't know anything about it. I know it's April Fools' Day, but I didn't realize that we celebrated this holiday," College junior Caroline Elkin said.
Word did spread to certain communities, however.
Various off-campus drama departments and troupes and the Penn Children's Center, which brought 22 bright-eyed preschool children to participate in certain activities.
In particular, the group was interested in the basketball toss and face painting. The latter service was provided by four College seniors from the Fine Arts Department.
"It's not a festival without face painting," Engineering junior Mike Swavola said.
The highlight of the event was unarguably the free food and prizes.
The prizes were donated by merchants from the community and included gift certificates for Power Yoga Works, Houston Market, Beijing restaurant, Famous Famiglia Pizzeria, Qdoba Mexican Grill, the Penn Bookstore and more.
"I never thought April Fools' was fun before," College sophomore Alison Peters said. "I get free food."
The event was sponsored by the Penn Humanities Forum, which is a 4-year-old project that aims to provide a setting for intellectual and cultural conversation among students, professors and locals.
Each year, the Penn Humanities Forum explores a different academic theme, which for the 2003-2004 school year is "belief."
