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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

Latest from Payton Cavanaugh
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[Photo] Vivi Smilgius

October 11, 2021

Sidney Gish at the Paramount Theater April 6. Photo by Grace Yewon Lee.

Sidney Gish performs at Emerson’s WECB show, with openers JOBIE and Jo & The Average

By Payton Cavanaugh / April 13, 2022

An enthusiastic crowd of Emerson students gathered at The Paramount Theater this past Wednesday to enjoy a free concert put on by WECB. Emerson musicians...

Drawing by Lucia Thorne

Soundtracks to your slainte

By Payton Cavanaugh / March 16, 2022

St. Patrick’s Day in the City of Boston is in full swing, and what better way to kick off the festivities than listening to some authentic Irish music—and...

Entertainment for Change feature in Green Living Magazine. Photo courtesy of Jade Zaroff.

Creating art for a better world: Emerson alum founds New York based nonprofit

By Payton Cavanaugh / March 3, 2022

The impact of art is vast and intentional artistic expression is incredibly influential to today’s youth.   Emerson alum Jade Zaroff ‘16 has committed...

Mitski at Showbox SODO. Photo by David Lee.

“When I’m done singing this song I will have to find something else to do to keep me here”; on Mitski’s “Laurel Hell”

By Payton Cavanaugh / February 16, 2022

It comes as no surprise that Mitski’s recent release Laurel Hell induces pretty much every human emotion in the book. From the heart-shattering misery...

Photo: Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo.

Emerson Stage puts on Pulitzer Prize winning musical ‘Next to Normal’

By Payton Cavanaugh / February 3, 2022

Content Warning: This article contains mentions of mental illness. “They’re the perfect loving family, so adoring,” Senior Roberta Alaman, playing...

The Lumineers' "BRIGHTSIDE" album cover.

A brightside to 2022: Lumineers release new album to kick off the new year

By Payton Cavanaugh / January 27, 2022

We can always count on the Lumineers to deliver all the vibes of 2 a.m. drives and summer night campfires. With the release of their newest album, Brightside,...

Graphic by Lucia Thorne.

The soundtracks of 2021: Looking back on some of the albums released over this past year

By Payton Cavanaugh / January 27, 2022

As we look back on the past year, let's take the time to reflect on all that was brought into our lives. Music is a universal language and a unifying art...

Some of Emerson's first-get students have bonded over shared experiences. From left to right: Priscilla Beltran, Maria Vu, Ashley Blanco, Kelly Moreno and Carolina Alcantara.
Courtesy / Ashley Blanco

‘Almost hidden diversity’: Emerson’s first-generation students share their stories

By Payton Cavanaugh and Adri Pray / January 21, 2022

First-generation students, without guidance from older family members or friends, and limited access to resources, face a far more challenging acclimation...

"Next to Normal" cover art

‘It’s Gonna Be Good’: Emerson Stage to put on production of Next to Normal

By Payton Cavanaugh / January 20, 2022

Content Warning: This article mentions a play that includes “depictions of mental health, medical care and treatment, intense loss, a suicide attempt,...

Production "Iphigenia" at the Cutler Majestic theater.

You are all that the myth can’t bear: ArtsEmerson hosts Iphagenia’s world premiere

By Payton Cavanaugh / November 18, 2021

On Nov. 13, I watched “Iphigenia,” an opera that tells a new rendition of the well-known Greek Myth Iphigenia at Aulis, in the Cutler Majestic theater...

Students cross the intersection of Boylston St. and Tremont St. in front of the Little Building.

Students return to a new campus with eased COVID-19 restrictions

As students moved onto campus for the fall term, they returned to a bustling campus with minimized social distancing restrictions—a far cry from the...