Watch: Fall Southwick Recital Offers Tales of Transformation
The Moth Radio Hour’s got nothing on Emerson students, faculty, and alumni, eight of whom gathered Wednesday, November 2, to tell “Personal Stories of Change and Connection” for the Fall 2022 Southwick Recital.
“We carve out our experiences and we share a little of that with you, I hope you recognize the power of that,” said co-host Ken Grout, Communication Studies Executive-in-Residence and director of the Southwick, an Emerson tradition begun in 1900, revived in 2020.
Grout and his co-host, Leo Wilson ’24, guided the Greene Theater audience through the evening, which featured personal narratives told in words, music, and dance. The show opened with School of Communication Interim Dean Brent Smith, who talked about trying to acclimate to his new home in Tübingen, Germany.
Grout closed the evening with a tale of personal growth starring a thrift store sweater, an order of Chicken McNuggets, and one irritating middle school flautist.
In between, Daniella Lopez White ’24 talked about moving to Boston for college from Hawaii and making it her own and Jay Nagjee ’22 told of bonding with his father through chocolate mousse. Heidi Rose, MA ’89, offered a prose poem to her cousin, who was killed by a stray bullet 28 years ago, and Emma Palzere-Rae ’84 explained how she went from being a “good girl” to a feminist with a voice with the help of a bra and a jock strap (get your mind out of the gutter, it’s not what you think).
Proving narratives come in many forms, Marketing Communication Interim Chair Nejem Raheem performed his original song, “I’ll Make It Mine,” and Caroline Larangeira ’25 performed an interpretive tap dance about grace under pressure.
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