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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

Playing Gay In Hollywood illuminates queer film history

October 24, 2013

In one clip from the 1930s movie Crooner, a lesbian is depicted as having a deep voice, a short haircut, and most bizarrely, a monocle. In early motion...

Baritones and bologna: Lunch with singing stars

Baritones and bologna: Lunch with singing stars

October 24, 2013

On the afternoon of Oct. 16, musical theater students of Emerson College trickled into the Randall Lobby of the Paramount Theater, lunches in hand, and...

Girl Talk and the power of sampling music

October 24, 2013

“Generals gathered in their masses / Get out the way / Just like witches at black masses / Get out the way, bitch,” is quite an introduction....

Emerson Comedy Workshop goes for giggles

Emerson Comedy Workshop goes for giggles

October 17, 2013

In its first show of the semester on Oct. 10, Emerson Comedy Workshop showed off its bold, no-holds barred comedic style. The first sketch began with a...

Live for the applause: Dragtoberfest 2013 glams up Cabaret

Live for the applause: Dragtoberfest 2013 glams up Cabaret

October 17, 2013

Star projections in purple and blue littered the walls on either side of the catwalk as thumping trashy club beats rattled through the room. Soon the lights...

Alum Julian Higgins stresses importance of storytelling

Alum Julian Higgins stresses importance of storytelling

October 17, 2013

For Julian Higgins, an Emerson alumnus now teaching a class in the Los Angeles program, the path to becoming a director was deceivingly simple. “The...

Defying Gravity: Cuarón’s space flick dazzles

October 17, 2013

Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is the kind of movie that can immediately command one’s attention. At a school like Emerson, people are always...

Birds, words, & finding literature in unexpected places

Birds, words, & finding literature in unexpected places

October 10, 2013

In a review of William Sitwell’s book A History of Food in 100 Recipes posted on The New Yorker’s books blog this past summer, culinary historian...

Girlie Project stands out with stand-up

Girlie Project stands out with stand-up

October 10, 2013

On Thursday, Oct. 3, under the colored lights of the Cabaret, John Bickerstaff, a senior visual and media arts major, stood on-stage and gave a knowing...

Rock on: Wax on Felt hosts annual Battle of the Bands

Rock on: Wax on Felt hosts annual Battle of the Bands

October 10, 2013

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Emerson’s student-run record label, Wax On Felt, hosted its annual Battle of the Bands in the Cabaret. The contest is open to...

Tuning up: WECB features catchy fall shows

October 10, 2013

Tellingly billed as “The Underground Sound of Emerson College,” WECB’s online stream doesn’t have the range of WERS. However, what...

The Father Of Trash TV

The Father Of Trash TV

October 3, 2013

Abortion, rape, and neo-Nazis. These were just some of the controversial issues the conservative nutjob Morton Downey Jr. loved to tear apart in his unique,...

A sit-down with Emerson alum Graham Wright

A sit-down with Emerson alum Graham Wright

October 3, 2013

On Tuesday, Oct. 1, associate producer and 2010 Emerson alumnus Graham Wright, 28, whose most recent work is the new documentary Evocateur: The Morton...

Conservative Arts pledges hilarity, political satire

Conservative Arts pledges hilarity, political satire

September 26, 2013

When Ricky Downes III first arrived on campus in the fall of 2011, one thought crossed his mind among the flurry of Beyoncé beats and rainbow-clad...

Welch lights up the New Orleans poetry scene

Welch lights up the New Orleans poetry scene

September 26, 2013

  Most writers aren’t exactly keen on letting their audience in on their process. First drafts are meant for editors only, and show-and-tell...

Eight rockin’ back-to-school lessons from School of Rock

September 26, 2013

The movie School of Rock, starring Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, and a young Miranda Cosgrove, turns  ten this year. To celebrate, take a few notes...

Hot and EVVY

Hot and EVVY

April 25, 2013

Thirty-two years ago, Martie Cook decided to create an award show from the ground up. As a senior at Emerson College in 1981, one of her professors planted...

Literature in the age of distraction

April 25, 2013

Several weeks ago, I had to write a 2,000- word essay for my nonfiction workshop class. Although my notebooks are filled with scribbles of poetry and ideas...

In the Round: Wax on Felt brings musicians and songwriters together

In the Round: Wax on Felt brings musicians and songwriters together

April 4, 2013

Acoustic guitar chords, piano melodies, and raspy harmonica notes flooded Piano Row’s Multipurpose Room  as singers seated in a circle took...

Chocolate Cake City’s TED Talk

Chocolate Cake City’s TED Talk

April 4, 2013

When the lights go down and the Microsoft PowerPoint turns on, Emerson students may be prone to taking out their notebooks for a lecture. But this past...