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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

‘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 / 10 hours ago

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

Gavin Creel. (Creative Commons)

‘He was a legend, a bright light in a tough business’: musical theater icon Gavin Creel dies at 48

By Jesse Lipschutz, Beacon Correspondent / October 14, 2024
On Sept. 30, the world lost beloved musical theater legend Gavin Creel.
Illustration by Molly Boyke

‘I Always Come Back’: The Theatrical Success of ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’

By Molly Boyke, Beacon Correspondent / November 1, 2023

Opinions expressed in Beacon Op-Eds are not necessarily shared by the entire staff. It is the responsibility of Opinion editors to elevate each individual’s...

Courtesy T Charles Erickson

The Huntington’s production of Fat Ham remixes a classic tale for today’s world

By Karenna Umscheid / September 27, 2023

From “10 Things I Hate About You” to “She’s The Man” and “West Side Story,” modern Shakespeare adaptations have been weaving comedic stylings...

'Constellations’: the multiverse of 'what if’s'

‘Constellations’: the multiverse of ‘what if’s’

By Shannon Garrido / April 12, 2023

Boston’s Vermillion Theater staged their interpretation of “Constellations,” portraying young love throughout different universes—highlighting...

Courtesy Jesse Barnett

Emerson’s historic “Jelly’s Last Jam” comes alive after four-year roadblock

By Meg Richards and Maddie Barron / April 5, 2023

Though the cast of “Jelly’s Last Jam” wasn’t mic'd, their powerful voices resonated throughout the Semel, echoing Emerson’s first all-Black musical’s...

Vermilion Theater’s second production of “Constellations” highlights the importance of queer love on stage

Vermilion Theater’s second production of “Constellations” highlights the importance of queer love on stage

By Shannon Garrido / April 5, 2023

The legacies of queer love stories on stage have been breaking barriers for theater since Broadway’s 1983 production of “La Cage.” This weekend,...

The set of "Mary, Sweet Mary"

‘Mary, Sweet Mary…’ brings modern queer themes to the Elizabethan era

By Sasha Zirin / March 9, 2023

“Mary, Sweet Mary, or The Final Tragedy of Christopher Marlowe” entered the hearts and minds of the public last weekend, lighting up the stage with...

Emshakes directors look back on a fall semester of revitalizing classics in student theater

Emshakes directors look back on a fall semester of revitalizing classics in student theater

By Karenna Umscheid, Assistant Living Arts Editor, Campus / January 24, 2023

Theater is transformation and reflection, a mirror held up to one’s society in the most dramatic form. The productions of Emshakes—formerly known as...

Emerson Stage to present ‘Marie Antoinette’ this weekend

Emerson Stage to present ‘Marie Antoinette’ this weekend

By Mariyam Quaisar / November 18, 2021

Emerson Stage will conclude its fall season with a production of “Marie Antoinette,” that aims to present audiences with a revolutionary and contemporary...

Emerson Stage's production of "The Late Wedding" marked the return of live theater on Emerson's campus.

Live theater returns with production of “The Late Wedding”

By Sophia Pargas / October 4, 2021

After 559 days of closed curtains and empty theaters, Emerson Stage kicked off its fall season with a production of “The Late Wedding,” a play about...

Cutler Majestic Theater, one of ArtEmerson’s performance venues.

ArtsEmerson hosts first event since March 2020

By Sophia Pargas and Mariyam Quaisar / September 9, 2021

ArtsEmerson’s first in-person event in 18 months—an open house in the Cutler Majestic Theatre on Wednesday—aimed to reintroduce the public to theater...

Ricky Downes III performing on stage

Alum Ricky Downes III writes and performs his own Lion King parody

By Sophia Pargas / September 9, 2021

“The Lion King but it’s Just One Guy” began when Ricky Downes III ‘15 was a junior at Emerson—now, the production, a one man show, is free to...

The Colonial Theatre

Colonial Theatre to reopen in September with new programming

By Camilo Fonseca, Assistant News Editor / July 8, 2021

The Emerson Colonial Theatre will open its doors to the public in September 2021 for the first time in seventeen months, the Ambassador Theatre Group announced...

Chair of the Performing Arts Department Bob Colby, who died April 5, 2021

Late performing arts chair leaves behind legacy of empathy

By Camilo Fonseca / April 8, 2021

After 44 years at Emerson, students and colleagues fondly recalled Robert Colby as a committed theatre practitioner, a trusted mentor, and by many, a valued...

AMC Theater by the Common.

Movies don’t need to be a cinematic masterpiece to be worthwhile

By Lucia Thorne / April 8, 2021

As we all start slowly returning to sitting in front of the big screen, a once-wide selection of movie showings is lacking as a result of the pandemic....

The exterior of Cutler Majestic Theatre.

From stages to classrooms: Emerson theaters during COVID-19

By Alexander Vassilopoulos / March 24, 2021

In March 2020, the stages of Emerson College fell silent for the foreseeable future. One year later, in March 2021, these stages are still just as empty.   Fortunately,...

Kyle Labe - Graphic by Ally Rzesa / Beacon Staff

Remembering Matthew Shepard 21 years later

By Kyle Labe / October 29, 2019

My high school selected The Laramie Project for its fall production during my senior year. This was a shock to me, knowing my town and the conservative...

Junior Alison Qu (center) said many other Boston colleges, such as Boston University, have their own Chinese student theater groups and Qu decided Emerson needed their own. - Photo by Xinyi Tu - Beacon Staff

Emerson Chuang Stage founders hope to break down cultural barriers

By Katiana Hoefle / April 9, 2019

Every day for the past four months, 27 Chinese students at Emerson spent several hours working to create their own student-run play, If I were not me. Junior...

Junior Sydney Elise Johnson posing with co-stars Tasha Smith from Empire and Telma Hopkins.  Photo Courtesy of Sydney Elise Johnson

Junior makes primetime debut in BET political thriller

By Monika Davis / December 6, 2018

When junior Sydney Elise Johnson’s agent told her about a potential role in an original primetime television movie, Johnson frantically learned...