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Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Arts

(Illustration by Kellyn Taylor)

Looking for a sweet treat? Madeleine’s Candy Shop opens in the South End

By Allison Po, Beacon Correspondent / March 26, 2025

Soft lighting and fish decor peek through the storefront. The ambiance is warm and whimsy.  This is Madeleine's Candy Shop, the perfect place for anyone...

From left to right: Ioana Jucan, Tushar Mathew, and Leonie Bradbury. (Courtesy Zubin Stillings)

All about Emerson Contemporary’s latest AI exhibition

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / March 26, 2025

While writers, illustrators, and artists have cowered in fear for the past two years, theatermakers have felt safe from the threat of generative AI. In...

Tommy Richman performs at the Paradise Rock Club (Courtesy Grahame White)

Review: Tommy Richman runs it back with electric Boston show

By Charlie Desjardins, Beacon Contributor / March 26, 2025

Just as quickly as he was embraced, he was forgotten.  Virginia singer-rapper Tommy Richman, who mere months ago had the musical world in a headlock...

This year’s cast of the Queer Voices Festival (Courtesy Maggie Hall)

Boston Queer Voices Festival amplifies LGBTQ+ voices with a triumphant second year

By Fiona McMahon, Magazine Editor / March 26, 2025

“I think I’m gonna try heroin,” says Ernie, a middle-aged dad eating leftover food beside his son’s gravestone. To his right, a young man mourns...

Teddy Abrams conducts the BSO in Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story" (Courtesy Hilary Scott)

Boston Symphony Orchestra serves up Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, and Tilson Thomas

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / March 19, 2025

Let’s see if you’ve heard this one: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Leonard Bernstein all walk into a bar… The result, which...

Courtesy of Jack Karnatz

Neal Francis explores connection, adulthood, and the groove on ‘Return to Zero’

By Sam Shipman, Kasteel Well Staff Writer / March 19, 2025

The moment Neal Francis began his interview with The Beacon, he said hello before taking a moment to light incense. Dressed in a slick jumpsuit that could...

Talia Suskauer and Max Chernin in the National Tour of PARADE, photo by Joan Marcus

Review: ‘Parade’ marches into the Colonial, telling a story that is still timely today

By Hannah Hughes, Staff Writer / March 19, 2025

The Tony Award-winning revival of Jason Robert Brown’s musical “Parade” marched into Emerson’s Colonial Theater on March 11.  “Parade”...

Shana Figueroa (left) on the set of "Forever War." (Courtesy of Shana Figueroa)

After 20 years in the Air Force, Shana Figueroa serves her creative dreams

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / March 19, 2025

What do you do when you’re stuck losing over and over again? The film “Forever War” opens with John, a veteran soldier who receives a mysterious...

UConn's Surya performs a routine inspired by the "Hunger Games" franchise. (Ryan Yau / Beacon Staff)

Bollywood in Boston: South Asian Showdown showcases traditional and contemporary dance

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / March 6, 2025

Last Saturday, 1,100 eager fans flocked to the Strand Theatre, cheering at a volume comparable to major sporting events. They were there to watch nine...

(Hannah Hughes / Beacon Staff)

Spring is here, and Spring is Queer at Fenway’s Time Out Market

By Hannah Hughes, Staff Writer / March 6, 2025

Time Out Market in Fenway was filled with more than just delicious food on Friday. The food hall hosted a Spring is Queer event, the first in a series...

Kirsten Johnson sits next to an audience member during a post-screening Q&A of "Dick Johnson is Dead." (Fiona McMahon / Beacon Staff)

Documentarian Kirsten Johnson gets up close and personal with the VMA department

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / March 6, 2025

Documentary filmmaker and cinematographer Kirsten Johnson, whose 2016 documentary “Cameraperson” is widely shown in 100-level Emerson film courses,...

Jules Grace (center) and Berklee Valencia students jam out on a Spanish beach. (Courtesy Birdie Nelson)

Jules Grace bids farewell to adolescence with debut album ‘Diaries & Daydreams’

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / February 26, 2025

Before hitting the record button, there are a couple things Jules Grace has to do first.  “We have to turn the heater and the furnace off, so it’s...

Courtesy of Danny Kennedy

Meet the brothers behind award-winning wedding videography company Crystal Lake Creatives

By Rylie Burns, Operations Managing Editor, Layout Editor & Newsletter Editor / February 26, 2025

With awards from “The Knot” and “WeddingWire” and a newly signed deal with a four-time Emmy award–winning composer, brothers Zander and Nate...

Courtesy of Skylar Watkins.

The Revivalists frontman and new dad David Shaw reflects on his solo career

By Sam Shipman, Kasteel Well Staff Writer / February 26, 2025

As frontman for The Revivalists, David Shaw has been crushing live shows for over fifteen years, selling out large venues with their unforgettable indie...

Daniel Kish and Anna Stoianova perform Swan Lake at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. (Courtesy of Grand Kyiv Ballet)

Grand Kyiv Ballet dazzles the stage with Swan Lake

By Allison Po and Hannah Woods / February 26, 2025

The elegant and rhythmic performance of Swan Lake graced the stage of the Emerson Colonial Theatre with dancers of The Grand Kyiv Ballet, a Ukranian ballet...

Brighton brings creativity and fun with weekly ‘Drinking and Drawing’ event

Brighton brings creativity and fun with weekly ‘Drinking and Drawing’ event

By Hannah Hughes, Staff Writer / February 19, 2025

Inside from the cold, tables full of art supplies fill the wide, open space of Zone 3’s large studio space. Warm from the music, laughter, and people,...

A portrait of Paul Willis by Saoire Duffy. (Courtesy of Paul Willis)

Paul Willis brings hip hop to education, and education to hip hop

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / February 19, 2025

Jamaica Plain native Paul Willis was told to pick one career path—a hip hop artist or an educator: “‘Get your degree, but keep the two worlds separate,’”...

A vendor serves soup to customers. (McKenzie Cooper/ Beacon Staff)

Soup Fest is good for the soul, and small businesses too

By McKenzie Cooper, Beacon Staff / February 19, 2025

The Bow Market, a two-story outdoor marketplace in Somerville, is usually filled with small businesses and food vendors who sell homemade trinkets, used...

Nathalie Stutzmann conducts the BSO at Symphony Hall. (Courtesy Robert Torres/BSO)

Nathalie Stutzmann has her Boston Symphony Orchestra conducting debut with ‘The Firebird’

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / February 12, 2025

Pristine classical music seeped into the brisk air through the window creases of Symphony Hall last weekend, as the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed...

Mark Adamo photographed by Daniel Welch. (Courtesy of April Thilbeault)

This 2,400-year-old Ancient Greek comedy might be perfect for Valentine’s Day

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / February 12, 2025

When Aristophanes dropped “Lysistrata” in 411 BC, Ancient Greece didn’t know how to react. The play follows Lysistrata, a woman who comes up with...