NER Brims with Soul and Innovation

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, Middlebury students brought the stage to life with performances of literary works from the New England Review (NER). This was a night to unify the author with the actor, to revitalize prose through the age-old tradition of spoken word. The event was titled “NER Out Loud,” and involved actors and orators from the sophomore to senior classes reading aloud pieces published in the most recent NER, followed by a reception featuring student works from the literary magazines Sweatervest, Blackbird and Room 404.

Kevin Benscheidt ’17 kicked off the show with a comical yet contemplative discussion of physics and the human condition. Caitlin Duffy ’15.5 filled the space with poetic, dramatic ponderings concerning responsibility, exploration and bravery, and Brenna Christensen ’17 defined and expressed depression with brevity, eloquence and clarity. Jabari Matthew ’17 then brought the audience to consider the complexities of race and the process of challenging authority in the traditional academic system through the piece he read aloud. Melissa MacDonald ’15 successfully conveyed the experience of a deaf person with reality, honesty and sincerity, and Sally Seitz ’17 wrapped up the show by fluently expressing to the audience the pain of a failed marriage.

During the reception, student authors read works ranging from a valiant criticism of public art at Middlebury to a detailed account of personal romance. The audience was well fed with s’mores and, most importantly, well filled with contemplation of beauty, prose, emotion and heart.

This event has been almost a year in the planning and was designed to combine Middlebury publications and raise familiarity with NER, a nationally acclaimed literary magazine published in Middlebury (check out go/ner for more information and some cool sound bites of authors reading their work). Students were selected because of their skills in acting and oratory, and were coached by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre Dana Yeaton in the performance of their pieces.

After the performance, Duffy reflected on the short story that she read.

“[The story] is a tricky, complicated piece,” Duffy said. “There were lots of different voices in the text – the author wrote in italics and caps – and it was definitely a struggle and a major concern to convey these in a way that the audience would understand.”

“The process was really fun, and it was nice to get to know NER better,” she added.

Matthew spoke similarly about his experience.

“I had to do a lot of personal work to put myself in the shoes of the author,” Matthew said. “After a while it was easy to relate and I felt like I could bring [my character’s] experiences to life and make them relatable. I want to inspire people to speak, and to get involved in oratory – it is an extremely powerful art form. It’s also a way to break the Middlebury bubble. It’s amazing how stories can break through the isolation here.”

Yeaton explained after the event that he loved working with the performers.

“[The performers] absolutely transcended. They had their best game. It was as if they understood the works better than ever. I couldn’t be happier with what they did. It was incredible, and we must get more people here. This must happen again.”

C3 Post-Doctoral Fellow in Theatre Nathaniel G. Nesmith, an audience member, reflected on his reactions to the performances after the event.

“I found the performances thrilling, intellectually engaging, with lots of emotional substance, and the selection was well thought out,” Nesmith said. “I’ve seen many shows like this, especially with Isaac Shafer in the 70’s space, so I’m accustomed to this kind of thing and I was very impressed.”

Liza Sacheli, Director of the Kevin P. Mahaney Center for the Arts (MCA) spoke about the event with passion and intention.

“We at the MCA want to strengthen the literary presence in the theater, especially with so many amazing writers on campus and Vermont being such fertile ground for writer expression,” Sacheli said. “We can intersect literary arts with performing arts and help the literature to shine.”

The Oratory Society is perfect for this,” she added. “It really hits the sweet spot between writers and actors, so we couldn’t resist bringing in NER. People seemed energized by the process, when you’re reading something aloud you hear all sorts of new things, and this speaks to thousands of years in oral tradition. The live performance creates intimacy; it’s so influenced by the energy and participation of the audience, not at all like Netflix or something where it will be the same again and again.”

This was a night of poetry, beautifully presented on the MCA Concert Hall stage with excitement, joy, vulnerability and just the right amount of performance. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I came away not only feeling thought-provoked but also energized and soothed by the understanding that art really does flourish on this campus. Look out for this event again next year: you can be sure it will be filled with bravery, excitement, innovation and intention.