Arts & Societies Dinner 2017 was, much like The Tempest, full of dramatic undertones, comedic speeches and sumptuous feasts (albeit with far fewer harpies). As someone whose previous knowledge of the artistic scene had consisted of a botched rendition of Much Ado About Nothing and a compulsory reading of the Tempest for GCSE (hence my feeble attempt at dramatic prowess above), it truly felt a step above to be invited to Arts Dinner, let alone be on High Table. However, Brasenose has been a fantastic chance for me to embrace what little artistic ability I have, and Arts dinner was a perfect reminder of just how much the college does for this important area.
In a move to give Burns’ Night a run for its money, the Dinner started with a champagne reception in the antechapel. Excluding the inevitable bustling every five seconds from trying to fit 80 people in a space clearly meant for a much smaller number, the reception was a fantastic experience to get to know different members of the Brasenose Arts community, whether it was talking to the chair of Brasenose’s debating society, the Addington Society, a member of Oxford’s hugely popular play STOP, or a myriad of other exciting people. It’s also very hard to turn down a glass of free champagne. Or two. Or three…
The fantastic mood was by no means constrained to the chapel, and the good times certainly flowed as we took our seats for the dinner. Besides validating an inner need to feel some degree of importance at a university where everyone is literally amazing, sitting at High Table was a fun and fascinating experience. Flanked by members of the Arts Committee both past and present and the indomitable presence of our Senior Tutor, the night was packed with thrilling conversation. As someone whose typical diet consists of missing breakfast, burnt microwave meals and half-eaten Hassans’, the step up to a three course dinner including oven roasted cod, char-grilled beef fillet with butternut dauphinoise and most importantly, chocolate fondant, was (g)astronomical.
However, the evening was not punctuated by dessert, and we had a triumvirate of fantastic speakers. The current Arts Rep, Ella Williams, delivered a moving speech thanking the previous committee for the fantastic work they had done, especially in making Brasenose Arts Week bigger than ever before, as well as commemorating arts & societies in Brasenose overall. She then went on to introduce our special guest, Stevyn Colgan (both pictured). Speaking about his career in the police force to becoming a QI writer, the audience was treated to a collection of comedic stories all underlined with the important message of being creative in everything you do. Of course, no black tie event is complete without a speech by our beloved principal, and this night was no exception. Leaving aside the formalities of recognising the brilliant work that Ella had done in organising the event and the staff in preparing it, John Bowers QC went on to invite 80 people into the Medieval Kitchen for an event only actually meant for about 15 people, and then took the time to promote Stevyn’s books and of course, his own recent work, Whistleblowing: Law and Practice.
Arts Dinner was an evening filled with brilliant food, rousing speeches and a fantastic range of guests, and I can certainly give a ringing endorsement to the evening.
by Manish Binukrishnan (First Year Economics and Management student)