Arts & Culture

Maneuvering the endless maze in “Hollow Knight”

Some of life’s most interesting pleasures are those that are acquired.  For me, “Hollow Knight” is one of those acquired pleasures.

Reel Critic: “Passing”

Is race just something we are all performing? This question is explored, though not exactly answered, in the most recent film in the Hirschfield International Film Series, “Passing.” The film ruminates on colorism and identity politics through the story of Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare ...

“No One Is Forgotten” revels in fragmented information

Leave the elaborate set and extensive casts to faculty shows. Theses, in contrast, are the simpler, single-celled protozoa at the root of the theatrical tree of life. “No One is Forgotten,” Gabi Martin's ’21.5 acting thesis and Madison Middleton’s ’22.5 500-level work in directing, revels ...

Beyond the Page brings new possibilities to learning through theatre

For decades, professional actors from the Bread Loaf Acting Ensemble have enriched liberal arts curricula and pedagogy at the Bread Loaf School of English by collaborating with faculty to connect theatre practice and performance to classroom learning.

YouPower faces Vermont winter without prospect of indoor relocation

If you ever pass by the loading dock of the Freeman International Center (FIC) to catch an 8 a.m. morning class, you might notice a group of students riding stationary bikes. This group is YouPower, Middlebury’s free spin club. As the Vermont winter quickly approaches, the group is desperately looking ...

Matthew Whitaker illuminates Robinson Hall

From its roots in down-home New Orleans bands, Harlem swing and bebop, jazz is constantly evolving. It pays homage to its early icons and bases its musical substance on their characteristics, and yet it takes on new forms that react to the world beyond the practice room. The Middlebury College community ...

Reel Critic: “The French Dispatch”

To kill a bookworm: Winter is coming

It certainly feels like November on campus: there’s a chill in the air and the first snow in the mountains is already behind us. These four books all hail from a variety of genres but have a wintery feel, making them perfect for rainy afternoons or snowy nights. I’ve found that winter books often ...

Radio Roundup: An auditory feast

Harlem makes sloppy, grimey, stain-your-shirt punk music, but they do it on purpose. “Hippies” hits you right in the face with fast-paced, high-intensity licks and steady percussion, sketchily thrown together over angry vocals. The Austin-based three piece band hasn’t had much commercial success ...

Evo Dance Crew returns to Wilson Hall for "Resurrection"

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson faded out and the rumble of stomping feet echoed across Wilson Hall as the crowd eagerly awaited the start of Evolution Dance Crew's (Evo) annual Halloween dance show.

“The Orphan Muses” unpacks Canada’s most dysfunctional family

Brought to life by the Middlebury College Department of Theatre, “The Orphan Muses” touches on themes of abandonment, oppression and liberation within the comedic framework of the wacky, dysfunctional Tanguay family.

Reel Critic: “Petite Maman”

“Petite Maman,” the latest movie in the Hirschfield International Film Series, uses a minimalist approach to tell a poignant story of family and friendship bound through loss and love.

Radio Roundup: Don’t break out your christmas playlists just yet

If you’re looking for an album to rip your heart out, this is it. I don’t think I will ever get sick of James Blake’s voice or his carefully composed instrumentals. In “Friends That Break Your Heart,” Blake abandons his usual fragmented and disrupted sound for something more linear, leaving ...

Reel Critic: “No Time to Die,” Bye-Bye Bond

The datedness of James Bond is a puzzle “No Time to Die” tries to address. As Dame Judi Dench’s M once put it, Bond really is a “sexist, misogynist dinosaur, a relic of the Cold War.”

007 Double Feature: Craig’s Emotional Farewell to Bond

“No Time to Die” is a big movie — big in budget, big in story and big in spectacle. But for the 25th film in the 007 series, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and featuring the last of five turns as James Bond for star Daniel Craig, nothing plays a larger role than the beating heart at its center: ...

Conjuring Spirits in “The Dreaming”

Words may not be able to describe how I feel about Kate Bush, but I can still try. A breakout star in Britain at age 19, Bush made her name with thematically sprawling concept albums and interpretive dance.

Radio Roundup: Sonic delights for Halloweekend

My favorite album to listen to at Halloween has to be “Impeccable Blahs” by Say Hi. Not only is it perfectly melancholy to compliment the rainy autumn weather, but it is also almost entirely about vampires. Think “Juno” soundtrack meets “Twilight.”

“The Deli People”: a slice of cold cult comedy coming soon

From May through August of 2021, recent Middlebury graduates Cole Merrell ’21 and Jacob Morton ’21 spent their days driving around Vermont, writing, filming, directing and editing a web series titled “The Deli People.”

Middlebury College Art Museum aims to increase accessibility and inclusion with thematic rehang

In January 2021, the Middlebury College Art Museum began an extensive rehang — installing a new organization concept that displays permanent collection art by theme rather than based on region and chronology, as is typical of most European and American museums. With this rehang, along with the implementation ...

Like moths to a flame: parents and students flock to 9th annual Cocoon

The 9th annual Cocoon featured many of the constants that have marked its past decade. A faded paisley rug. A single microphone. A winged logo. And, once again, the gentle hum of a packed crowd. Compared to last year’s heavily-modified Cocoon event, the energy in the lobby before Friday night’s ...