It’s 7 p.m. and Kelsea Ballerini is on stage with a crowd of 11,000 fans filling a stadium for the first time in her career. After a decade in the industry, Ballerini has become a household name, rising to Taylor Swift levels of fame, and often reaching a similar fan base. On Feb. 19, a sea of young women in denim and sparkles made their way to Newark’s Prudential Center to see the “Legends” singer live in concert. 

   Opening night for the Hofstra University Drama Department’s “Guys and Dolls” was sensational. The show, set in the 1950s, effortlessly transports the audience into a world of colorful suits and effervescent dances. This musical humorously contrasts the lives of gamblers and showgirls with the lives of conservative Christian missionaries.