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

‘Haunted’ exposes the comedy and the horror of Indigenous land rights

‘Haunted’ exposes the comedy and the horror of Indigenous land rights

By Rosa Morales-Simmons, Beacon Correspondent / January 22, 2025

In “Haunted,” a comical horror stage play, residents are haunted by their home’s previously living, Indigenous American ghosts, who pass their time...

Dray Drinks sells beer, wine, and spirits—sans alcohol

Dray Drinks sells beer, wine, and spirits—sans alcohol

By Hannah Hughes, Staff Writer / January 22, 2025

Dray Drinks offers evergreen beer, wine, and spirit selections, alcohol-free. In the South End, the store’s large windows, painted mural, and open floor...

A woman on the Public Garden Foot Bridge records people skating on the frozen Swan Pond below. (Nick Peace/ Beacon Staff)

Frozen over: Bostonians skate and scrimmage in the Public Garden

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / January 22, 2025

As the sky eases into perpetual gray and temperatures drop, Bostonians reclaim their favorite winter pastime: grabbing their skates and hitting the ice. While...

Come here often? Romance bookstore Lovestruck Books opens in Cambridge

Come here often? Romance bookstore Lovestruck Books opens in Cambridge

By Allison Po and Hannah Woods / January 22, 2025

Decorated with hearts and florals, romance bookstore Lovestruck Books opened to an eager public reception last week, bringing not only books but a safe...

(Courtesy Layla Palmer)

Heart to Hustle: A podcast that highlights unconventional paths to success

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / January 15, 2025

It seems today that all we see in the podcast sphere is businessmen in suits talking about their startups and degrees. Layla Palmer, a senior business...

Festival Director Summer McCall at a Boston Celtic Music Festival event. (Courtesy of Summer McCall)

Calling all Celtic fans: The Boston Celtic Music Festival returns bigger than ever

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / January 15, 2025

Celtic music is found everywhere in Boston, flowing from the Irish pubs all over the city to the concert venues year round. But this weekend, the city’s...

Daphne Bryant, founder of Dreamworldgirl Zine, in a photoshoot. (Courtesy of Emma Cahill)

How Daphne Bryant built her dream world

By Bryan Liu and Meg Richards / January 15, 2025

Dreamworldgirl, a Y2K-inspired zine celebrating girlhood’s complexities, puts women of color, queer, and plus-size women in traditionally “girly”...

Students working on a set in a visual and media arts course.

Emerson’s VMA major becomes first ARRI-certified film program in New England

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / December 28, 2024

Emerson College earned an accreditation with the ARRI Certified Film School Program, a global leader in the development of film equipment and technologies,...

Courtesy of Rae Diep

Romantasy revealed with Sabaa Tahir hosted by upcoming bookstore Lovestruck

By Danielle Bartholet, Kasteel Well Staff Writer / December 11, 2024

Complete with pink tablecloths, red bookmarks with the words “Sucker for a Slowburn,” and cursive lettering reading “Lovestruck,” the Kennedy...

Courtesy of Joan Marcus

‘SIX,’ the electrifying Renaissance romp, comes to Boston

By Danielle Bartholet, Kasteel Well Staff Writer / December 11, 2024

“And tonight, Boston, we are … live!” The six cast members flooded the stage and got the audience members to jam along with the opening beats...

Grand Theft Hamlet depicts Shakespeare within the world of Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Hamlet depicts Shakespeare within the world of Grand Theft Auto

By Max Morin, Beacon Correspondent / December 11, 2024
During COVID-19, the 11-year-old video game Grand Theft Auto began to serve a new purpose: a medium to perform Shakespeare.
Courtesy of A24

Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter talk A24’s ‘Y2K’

By Clara Faulkner, Operations Managing Editor / December 6, 2024

What if the Y2K scare wasn’t just an overhyped flop but a gateway to chaos? In their new film “Y2K,” Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter transform the...

Born to Hula, 2012. (Kristen Barrett/Beacon Correspondent)

A conversation with Amsterdam-based artist Esiri Erheriene-Essi

By Kristin Barrett / December 6, 2024

English-born artist Esiri Erheriene-Essi seeks to represent cultural capital and the influence of celebrity in her painting, “Born to Hula.” She...

The quiet celestial power of the novel ‘Orbital’

The quiet celestial power of the novel ‘Orbital’

By Danielle Bartholet, Kasteel Well Staff Writer / December 4, 2024

When Samantha Harvey’s name was announced as the winner of the 2024 Booker Prize, the English author held her head in her hands, taking a moment of...

John Waters at the Coolidge Corner Theatre on Nov. 21. (Courtesy of Iz Indelicato)

An evening with the Pope of Trash at the Coolidge

By Fiona McMahon, Magazine Editor / December 4, 2024

After a week-long marathon screening of the artist’s cult classics, Coolidge Corner Theatre presented its 20th Coolidge Award to filmmaker, author,...

Uncle Drosselmeyer presents the nutcracker doll to Clara. (Courtesy of Grand Kyiv Ballet)

The Grand Kyiv Ballet presents Ukrainian culture in its rendition of ‘The Nutcracker’

By Rylie Burns, Operations Managing Editor, Layout Editor & Newsletter Editor / December 4, 2024

The Grand Kyiv Ballet of Ukraine presented a dazzling production of “The Nutcracker” on Nov. 29 at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. Founder Oleksandr...

Cerise Lim Jacobs, founder of White Snake Projects. (Courtesy of Kathy Wittman)

Ever heard of an activist opera company? White Snake Projects tells new stories through old traditions

By Ryan Yau, Living Arts Editor / December 3, 2024

To most Americans, the “holiday season” only refers to Christmas. But through the power of opera, Cerise Lim Jacobs hopes to change that. In 2018,...

The new Museum of Illusions on the second floor of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. (Madison Lucchesi/ Beacon Staff)

‘Immersive’ and ‘photo worthy’: Museum of Illusions opened on Saturday

By Madison Lucchesi, Beacon Staff / November 26, 2024

Nestled in Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a brand new perception-altering experience. From the hypnotic lights to slanted floors, the Museum of Illusions,...

Jesse Eisenberg, left; Kieran Culkin, right. (Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures)

‘A Real Pain’: How ignoring wounds can lead to scars

By Max Ardrey, Dept. Living Arts Editor / November 21, 2024

Jesse Eisenberg directs and stars in “A Real Pain,” a poignant and deeply Jewish exploration of grief wrapped in equal parts humor and heartache....

Charles Yu signs local author Cynthia Yee's copy of "Interior Chinatown" at the Boston Asian American Film Festival. Yee writes her own column called the Hudson Street Chronicles, a collection of personal essays about growing up in Boston's Chinatown during the '60s. She says the book saved her life. (Bryan Liu/ Beacon Staff)

‘Interior Chinatown’ responds to model minority myth

By Bryan Liu, Managing Editor / November 21, 2024

Taiwanese American author Charles Yu’s National Book Award-winning novel, “Interior Chinatown,” lept off the page, literally—he adapted...