For me, the only redeemable quality of winter is awards season. From now until Daylight Savings, the cold days in my calendar are benchmarked with The Golden Globes, Grammys and Oscars. It’s pretentious, absolutely, but I love how these ceremonies celebrate talented artistry — as subjective as trying to judge it might be.
In the spirit of unearned authority, I’m offering my personal flavor of pomp and circumstance before Feb graduation. For my last article, in the middle of this gloomy month, I wanted to treat myself to rounding up my favorite moments of arts and culture at Middlebury to share with you. Without further ado, it is my pleasure to present the Catherine’s Choice Awards.
The 12 a.m. WRMC Award for Excellence: ProcHampton
I made one of my first friends in college because she was wearing a BROCKHAMPTON hoodie. I thought she was the coolest person in the line at Proctor (and I was probably right) and we hit it off over a love for The Hardest Working Boyband in Show Business. I think a lot of friends harbor the delusion that their conversations would make for a good podcast, and I’m so grateful to WRMC for entertaining that fantasy for me and Mia Gaiever ’24. Our show, ProcHampton, was nothing if not reliant on the FCC’s safe harbor. ProcHampton’s first time slot was from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. (we showed up half the time), next semester we were promoted to the 12 a.m. shift (we attended two-thirds of these), and finally, by senior year we were on air Wednesday nights from 11 p.m. to midnight. Having a standing appointment with one of my nearest and dearest Middlebury friends was a privilege I don’t take lightly, and one of the things I’ll miss the most about college. Moreover, there is a Schrodinger’s effect having a radio show during the witching hours allows; you have no idea if there’s a soul tuning into your conversation and this not-knowing makes the experience infinitely more fun.
The Laurie Patton Award for Most-Anticipated Day of the Year: Nocturne
One of the greatest champions of Nocturne, President Emerita Laurie Patton said of the festival in her final interview with The Campus, “If we want to have really faithful arguments with more wisdom and deeper respect, the arts is a very powerful way to do that. And the people who've told us that and taught us that are our students, and they continue to be students.”
I couldn’t agree more. Nocturne, the free (anti-profit, even) showcase of student art is the most creative, collaborative and carefree night of the academic year. It’s the perfect transition from mud season to spring where students construct a tiny, resourceful metropolis for the night. This past year, my friend Emma Cortina ’24.5 and I drew improvised portraits of festival goers that they could take with them. Even for untrained, makeshift artists like Cortina and me, Nocturne is the perfect forum for DIY fun.
Spirit Award for Indie Enterprising Prestige: The Hepburn Zoo
I was awe-struck my first time in the Hepburn Zoo watching “Botticelli In The Fire”. It’s the only space on campus that’s as magical as the shows it houses. The scale of the Zoo amazes me; it can have the vitality of a grand cityscape or the familiarity of an intimate living room on a dime. When I saw “Botticelli In The Fire,” a show as bold as it is tender, I was taken aback by just how much of a punch a black box theater and a good cast and crew can pack. I got better acquainted with the space as a board-op for a Middlebury Discount Comedy show and “Airswimming” and became more enchanted with the bootstrapping spirit of Zoo productions. I’m embarrassed by how earnest this reverence is, but it’s nothing short of amazing to see your friends, that guy from class, that girl from the line at Ross, on stage suspending disbelief so confidently. The time and care it takes to put on a student-run show is admirable and the result can be utterly remarkable.
MCAB Award for Circular Narrative Satisfaction: Flo Milli and Flo Rida
As a 22-year-old native Alabamian, the opening lyrics of “In The Party” mean more to me than “Sweet Home Alabama” ever will. I was over the moon when MCAB x WRMC announced Flo Milli would be performing at Middlebury’s 2021 fall concert — the first since COVID. It was a triumphant return for the Middlebury arts scene, to say the least. Flo Milli rocked the Battell lawn with a slice of Southern excellence that wouldn’t be matched until the spring of 2024 when Flo Rida gave rural Vermont a run for its money. I had just submitted my thesis (a paper on contemporary literature in Florida) when the concert was announced. I hate to be so self-righteous as to say the MCAB concert lineup from 2020–2024 was meant for me, but it’s the closest thing to a picture-perfect book ending to my college experience I could ask for.
Proc Crush List Award for My Longest Relationship: The Middlebury Marquis
Around this time three years ago, I started working at The Marquis. I was hoping a job off-campus would vary dark winter days and help me feel a little more connected to Middlebury. I got what I wished for ten times over. The Marquis was my first service job and I loved how real and concrete the work was. Being on the public-facing end of an art form I love so much, a form that often feels intangible and out of reach, was a way to connect with the best parts of the medium. Talking to customers, shelling out popcorn and candy and sweeping out said popcorn and candy from under the theater’s beloved leather couches were small ways of showing my appreciation for cinema and the audiences that connect with it. By far the best part of this job is the people who work there — some of the warmest, funniest people in Middlebury. As corny (pun intended) as it sounds, The Marquis taught me that as much as I love movies, I love the people who love movies more.
Honorable mentions: The big tray of salad at Atwater, Hirschfield screenings, “Survivor” winner Sophie Clarke ’11 and The Special Collections Instagram.
The formidable New York writer, Dorothy Parker once said of her hometown, “New York is always hopeful. Always it believes that something particularly good is about to come off, and it must hurry to meet it.”
I think it’s Vermont’s earnestness combined with college-aged verve that makes Middlebury much the same way. There’s always something here worth paying attention to, always a performance, an exhibit, an artist with something interesting to show. As far as I’m concerned, Wright Theater is Broadway, the Axinn Winter Garden is Washington Square Park, Johnson is Chelsea and The Knoll is Brooklyn. Pretend it’s a city — you’ll never be bored.
Catherine Goodrich '24 (she/her) is a Senior Arts and Culture Editor.
Catherine previously served as an Arts and Culture editor and Staff Writer. Catherine is an English and Film double major hailing from Birmingham, Alabama. She is the prose editor for the Blackbird Literary Arts journal and works concessions at the Middlebury Marquis where she has developed a love for trivia and making nachos.
