Skip to Main Content
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

Junior Taelon Ratliff's Easter egg website, Wild Wasteland, will launch beta in January. - Photo by Sabrina Ortiz / Beacon Correspondent

Video game secrets spotlighted on students site

By Danielle Fineza / November 8, 2018

While playing the video game Fallout, junior Taelon Ratliff noticed a Futurama reference—a frozen dog named Seymour. Ratliff noticed a trend of hidden...

Junior Tuvana Isildar has made $15,000 since starting her slime business one year ago. - Photo by Chassidy David / Beacon Correspondent

Pop, crackle, squish: student creates successful slime business

By Zenebou Sylla / November 7, 2018

What started as a slime hobby ended up making junior Tuvana Isildar thousands of dollars. Isildar's hobby evolved into spending her weekends creating,...

Sophomore Zach Cargie in his 10th floor Colonial suite, the new home for Tiny Dorm. - Photo by Abigail Noyes / Beacon Staff

Students hold concerts you can roll out of bed for

By Cassandre Coyer, Former Staff / November 4, 2018

Saxophone music streamed from suite 1020 to fill the 10th floor of the Colonial residence hall on Oct. 18. Sophomores Zach Cargie, Justin Wood, Chris...

From left, Alfonso Mateo, Bianca Nicdao, Francis De Leon, and Ranton Andaya hold up the Filipino flag for their documentary about the country's culture. Photo by Tivara Tanudjaja / Beacon Correspondent

New Sights New Bites celebrates Filipino identity

By Zenebou Sylla / November 3, 2018

Junior Bianca Nicdao’s documentary New Sights New Bites started as a BFA project, but as more Filipino students joined the production team, it turned...

Natalie Busch. Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

A Star is Born: Bradley Cooper’s vanity project

By Natalie Busch, Former Staff / October 28, 2018

Elle chose Lady Gaga as one of its 2018 Women in Hollywood honorees last week. In her acceptance speech she said, “[Women] are not just objects to...

Sarah Ginsburg '11, now living and working in Los Angeles, filmed "SPACESAVERS" during the 2015 Boston blizzard. / Courtesy of Sarah Ginsburg

Globe festival features alumna’s film on parking dibs

By Danielle Fineza / October 25, 2018

Armed with her camera and winter coat, Sarah Ginsburg ‘11 roamed the streets of Massachusetts during the 2015 blizzard and searched for the subjects...

Fifth Estate Entertainment's production of "Rock of Ages" stars alum Chris Renolds '15 as Franz. / Courtesy of Fifth Estate Entertainment

Alum’s production company debuts with “Rock of Ages” national tour

By Ally Rzesa, Former Staff / October 24, 2018

Small-town girl Sherrie met city boy Drew 10 years ago on Broadway. Now audiences can meet the duo again in the Rock of Ages Tenth Anniversary Tour. Rock...

Junior Liza Rogulina makes and sells her own Emerson-inspired buttons. Photo by Erin Nolan / Beacon Staff

Junior turns Emerson inside jokes into buttons

By Grace Griffin, Copy Editor / October 16, 2018

Students on campus can be seen sporting pins on their jackets and backpacks with professor Chester Lee and his infamous catchphrase, “If I may,” or...

Students working on a film set.

Alumna’s film highlights stress of social media, wins at festival

By Taina Millsap, Former Staff Writer / October 11, 2018

Ashley Zipperman ‘18 never imagined her class project would go on to win at the Burbank International Film Festival. Zipperman’s short film “Verified”—which...

Senior Abbrianna MacGregor, and juniors Alison Michalak, Kamryn Leoncavallo created SHEETS this semester. Photo by Erin Nolan / Beacon Staff

SHEETS magazine pulls back the covers on sex and relationships

By Melanie Curry / October 11, 2018

Juniors Alison Michalak, Kamryn Leoncavallo, and senior Abbrianna MacGregor always discuss their sex and love lives together. So, it's unsurprising...

Dan Perrault '09 (left), Tyler Alvarez (center), and Tony Yacenda '10 (right) on set of "American Vandal." / Courtesy of Tony Yacenda

Alumni document phallic graffiti in Emmy-nominated parody

By Lilly Milman / October 9, 2018

When alumni Dan Perrault ‘09 and Tony Yacenda ‘10 pitched the idea for the documentary parody American Vandal to Netflix in 2016, neither possessed...

Ollie West stars in "Hamnet," playing at the Paramount Theatre through Oct. 7 / Courtesy of Gianmarco Bresadola

Review: Hamnet rises to greatness on Paramount stage

By Ally Rzesa, Former Staff / October 4, 2018

I went into Hamnet expecting a straightforward, one-man play about Shakespeare’s son. I figured it’d play around with Shakespeare’s family life...

Junior Jacob Nakshian playing guitar at Fire House / Courtesy of Logan Wilder

Local bands burn bright at Fire House venue

By Lilly Milman / October 3, 2018

Senior Michael Papetti’s back tattoo depicts a small burning house—an ode to “Fire House,” the music venue he created in his living room. Last...

Jana Casale '11 published her first novel, "The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky." Courtesy of Elena Seibert

Casale ’11 publishes feminist fiction

By Damica Rodriguez / September 27, 2018

Jana Casale ‘11 published her first novel in April, The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky— a story detailing the everyday life of the main character,...

Freshman Jay Zimmer had over 120,000 followers on Vine, and has over 18,000 on Instagram. Anissa Gardizy/Beacon Correspondent

Freshman former Vine star turns to Instagram, YouTube

By Soleil Easton / September 27, 2018

Freshman Jay Zimmer had over 120,000 followers and 90 million loops on Vine, an app that allowed users to post six-second videos. Now, he posts sketch...

Rebecca Morgan Brusker '18 and Hillary Clinton / Courtesy of Kristen Blush

Alumna captures inspiration found in Hillary Clinton’s campaign

By Grace Griffin, Copy Editor / September 20, 2018

When Hillary Clinton saw Rebecca Morgan Brubaker ‘18 at a book signing, Brubaker told Clinton her idea for a documentary about the 2016 election. Clinton...

Morgan Wright helped create and act in the MBTA films

MBTA stations screen student commercials

By Cassandre Coyer, Former Staff / September 13, 2018

Instead of the dirty walls of subway stations, students and Bostonians can now watch educational content created by Emerson students. Last September,...

Kyra Power is the A24 Campus Intern

A24 boosts Bright Lights screenings

By Annika Hom, Former Staff / September 6, 2018

After Anna Feder, director of programming for the visual and media arts department, screened Swiss Army Man for the Bright Lights Film Series, she was...

AutonomoUs artist collective to highlight resilience

AutonomoUs artist collective to highlight resilience

By Ian Sloan, Former Staff / September 6, 2018

Cindy Luu ‘17 realized what it meant to be a survivor from a young age. The writing, literature and publishing major wrote her senior thesis, How Do...

Kevin Michael West's play Top and Bottom is a part of the Rainbow Theater Company. Photo courtesy of Kevin Michael West.

D.C. theater company ties up ‘Top and Bottom’

By Owen Murray / April 29, 2018

Kevin Michael West hesitated to play the role of a sexually dominant “top.” After a few unconvincing attempts, he decided to channel the awkward experience...