hanslick girls | The Hanslick Girls

August 14, 2017

The Chosen One: J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or games, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the girls revisited the original Harry Potter book, which began J.K. Rowling’s “wizarding world” two decades ago. Let’s listen in on their conversation…

“They don’t know we’re not allowed to use magic at home. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…”

And she closed the book, laying it on her chest. Eleanor stared at the ceiling. It was one of those books that left you awaiting the sequel – even after you’d read the sequel. Of course, the Wizarding World was much more than just a book series at this point – twenty years of midnight releases, summer blockbuster films, magical theme parks, and West End plays had firmly cemented J.K. Rowling’s creations as a cornerstone of early 21st century popular culture. Even those who hadn’t read the saga of Harry Potter could recognize the names Hermione, Voldemort, and Hogwarts. After the release of the 6th book in 2005, the publicly known spoiler “_____ Kills ________” was almost as famous and no-longer-a-spoiler as “Darth Vader is ____’s Father” or “Rosebud Was His ____.”

August 7, 2017

Saving Face Cards: Rikki Tahta’s “Coup”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or restaurants, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the girls were introduced to a card game by La Mame Games about the fun of deception and political gain. Let’s listen in on their conversation…

“Come on, Dania, you said ‘just a minute’ three minutes ago!”

“It’s an expression! It’s figurative!”

Eleanor cut the plastic wrap off the game box anyway, and proceeded to shuffle the small stack of cards. As Contessas and Ambassadors flashed by in the deck, Eleanor caught Gwen stacking the small cardboard tokens into even piles.

“You’re going to want to leave those unstacked for the game,” Eleanor explained. “You want to be able to see how many tokens everyone else has.”

July 31, 2017

Beyond The Surface: The Dating App “Tinder”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or restaurants, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the Girls clashed over the art of app design – codified in the digital flame of one of the most popular smartphone apps. Let’s hear their conversation…

*swipe*

…

*swipe*

Gwen leaned over the couch armrest, her cheek resting in her palm, looking down at her phone. Her thumb traced circles over the screen, flicking photo after photo in a seemingly endless string of small choices. Weeding through a series of potential partners, and life stories that might get written. She’d previously described it as “all the fun of looking for lost keys,” at least to Dania. But now a few months out of college and with no S.O. to speak of, Gwen had decided to at least dip a toe into digital dating – to at least get her bearings.

July 17, 2017

By A Thread: Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming”

Meet the Hanslick Girls: Gwen, Eleanor and Dania. Created by writer Zach Barr, they are a trio of friends who are always out experiencing the best of entertainment. Be it plays, films, concerts, exhibits, or restaurants, they’ve learned that the arts are best when experienced together. They may not have the same opinions, but their conversations tend to make for an entertaining read. Recently, the Girls saw “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Sony and Marvel’s sixth film featuring the web-slinging hero. Let’s hear what they had to say on their way back from the theater…

“Eh, not totally worth it to stay.”

“More like absolutely worth it to stay, Gwen,” Dania countered. “I am always down for more of that man on screen.”

“I’m just glad you were right about their being another post-credits scene, Dania,” Eleanor conceded, as the lights rose in the theater. Around them, the patient few who had stayed for the entire credits of the film were standing, shuffling their bags around, cleaning up popcorn, and murmuring their silent deliberations about the film’s quality.

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