Monthly Archives: April 2019

Home Page Featured News

Fresh flavors

and  

Bocaditos debuts on Lawrence campus

 

close up picture of woman in chef uniform standing in kitchen
Angie Jimenez, owner of Bocaditos, the new occupant of the Revolving Test Kitchen in Lawrence. Bocaditos is now open for business at NECC’s 420 Common St. building in Lawrence Photo Courtesy Lawrence Partnership

Bocaditos LLC brings fresh Latin flavor to NECC’s Lawrence campus. On the corner of 420 Common St. in Lawrence, the Revolving Test Kitchen (RTK) is in partnership with NECC to help develop new restaurant talent in the city. Angie Jimenez, owner and chef of Bocaditos LLC, shares her experience so far and what’s new to come to the menu. Jimenez, a single mother of four, moved to Lawrence permanently from the Dominican Republic in the early ‘90s. Her passion for cooking began with her mother and aunt. “I helped them start their own little diner, about 20 some years ago, here in Lawrence. They ran it and I helped and that’s when I started to see I liked it.”  “Then I watched the movie Julie and Julia and I really fell in love, so I decided to go to school after that.” Jimenez graduated from Le Cordon Bleu of Culinary Arts in Boston and truly began to pursue her dreams. “I was in the business (of catering) a while already but I wanted to have more techniques and learn more,” she says.

Along with the new store location, Jimenez also owns a catering business under the same name, Bocaditos LLC. “I specialize in appetizers, but I’m trying like a fresh, homemade style with a Latin twist with Bocaditos” Jimenez says. “Mainly I use natural ingredients. I try to use it all fresh, as much as I can.” According to Jimenez, opening Bocaditos was not what she expected. “I’m used to catering and working with a client and customizing,” Jimenez recalls, “It’s more relaxed in a way.”  “Even though I love creating food, when you come to a restaurant, you have to produce everyday. It’s difficult when you have to deal with so many components.” Jimenez had quickly realized what a large menu and small staff equal up to, a lot of stress. “I had so many things when I started, but you start seeing reality, it was too much, so I’m simplifying,” she says. 

Jimenez is perfecting her line of pastelitos, or empanadas. Her personal favorite, Jimenez mentions she makes her own dough and uses all nontraditional stuffing. “To me, it’s my pride and joy.” One of the five breakfast pastelitos includes the Early Bird: black forest ham, scrambled eggs and gouda cheese. Her six lunch pastelitos include The Caprese: fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese, basil pesto and reduced balsamic.  Jimenez also wants to introduce a line of healthy style bowls with a Spanish twist. “I’m playing with the ingredients but the base is the same, quinoa, white rice or black beans with unique herbs and spices.” Bocaditos also offers homemade desserts and paninis. “I try to mix different cheeses or experiment with ingredients. I have an item with mango chutney and smoked gouda, those different flavors I really like”. Jimenez applied to RTK after a potential space in South Lawrence suddenly became unavailable due to the gas explosions that affected Lawrence, Andover and North Andover in September 2018. “I was almost ready to sign the lease when the gas explosion happened so I ended up with nothing,” Jimenez recalls.

Jimenez wanted to be able to sell her food to the general public and find a space that was appropriate to do so. “It’s been hard to find a special place for me. To build something from scratch is not easy,” she says.  RTK gives culinary entrepreneurs the opportunity to test their idea or concept, says Jimenez. “It gives you the chance to kind of realize what and where exactly you want to go. If you want to stay in a big environment, like a full kitchen and seating area, or just takeout, or simply stay catering. That to me it’s like “Ok this is how I have to see it, its either do I really go with this or do I want to stay with my catering”

“Revolving Test Kitchen is a private/public collaboration between Lupoli Companies, the City of Lawrence, The Lawrence Partnership and Northern Essex Community College. It provides food entrepreneurs with the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of restaurant ownership by giving them access to the resources they may not have otherwise had access to” according a press release from NECC. “The space is already designed, so you have to make it your own” says Jimenez. “I’m still figuring it out. I’ve been there over a month and between cleaning and moving and getting used to it, it’s stressful” she adds. “Once it’s all in place and done, it’ll be more enjoyable.” Jimenez hopes for a completed restaurant in a month or two. Not only is she running her own businesses, Jimenez teaches cooking and cake decoration classes, and directs Servsafe certification courses. Talk about having a lot on your plate.Jimenez notes that the good reviews and customer appreciation have been the shining light through it all. “People love my food. That makes me keep going, that’s what matters.”

Hours:

     10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday

     Closed Sunday

     *hours may vary

Location:

420 Common St, Lawrence

Editorial, Home Page Featured News

Meme mania as politics grapples with social media

and  

The rise of social media may prove to have one of the largest impacts on politics of our age. Though rallies and advertisements continue to be staples of campaigning, and are not likely to become outmoded any time soon, the Internet has become a priceless means of engagement with both the voting public and between candidates and activists, their support and opposition. What is a meme? It may sound like a silly question to someone born and raised with access to social media, but what constitutes a meme is actually quite broad and open to interpretation. Oxford dictionary lists two definitions of the word, the more commonly understood being: “An image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by Internet users, often with slight variations.”

While this definition fits best with the common practice of political memes, that is to say images that either give support to or mock a candidate, group, or platform, memes as propaganda may be best described using the Oxford Dictionary’s primary definition of the phrase: “An element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means.” There are three tiers of political social media engagement which will be explored and discussed here. They are the interpersonal, the organizational, and the public figure tiers.

At the interpersonal level, memes are shared between individuals, or a private person shares a meme with their friends or followers. While a great many of these are confined to particular subcultures or communities, which can and do become insular to a degree, there is an ever-expanding library of relatively universal memes which circulate social media. Such characters as Wojak, Pepe the Frog, and Doge have become templates for messages of every variety, from the wholesome and tame to extreme to intentionally ridiculous.

Just emerging at the time of this article is a meme that has yet to take on a single name, being a variant of Pepe the Frog. Known as Honk Honk, or Clown Pepe, which features a poorly drawn Pepe wearing a rainbow wig and large red nose. This cartoon character seems to mostly represent a nihilistic attitude of amused indifference. “The world has devolved into a parody of itself, so all that’s left is to laugh.” Though not as explicit in its politics as many memes, the Clown Pepe does carry a tone of dissociation and mockery of perceived runaway Social Justice. It is a single image or format such as this that becomes part of a shared vocabulary and subculture across social media platforms, expanded upon and messed with by individuals. Above all else, the image must be shared between friends and social circles to promulgate it. This drive to be spread means that memes can end up being created and shared within almost any community.

Making memes has been, and is still by vast majority, simply an endeavor of enjoyment or distraction, by its nature not usually serious or with a specific goal in mind.  However, the concept of Information Warfare has entered the public consciousness. Since the cultural chaos of the “Great Meme War of ‘16,” it is difficult to imagine a campaign season without a firestorm of clever, stupid, or just plain bizarre memes for and against every candidate. There is evidence that some campaigns are even taking this a step further.

The second tier of memes in politics is the intentional use and manipulation of meme culture for a specific cause. Hence comes the curious case of the #yanggang. Begun as a nickname for supporters of 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, the meme largely revolved around his proposed Universal Basic Income, which would allot $1,000 a month to every citizen.

Ironically, many of the memes to come from #yanggang were similar in their message to Honk Honk, in that they were often nihilistic, and largely sarcastic in their support for Yang, serving more as a vehicle for a disillusioned sect of the right to criticize Trump. “The choice is now between losing the culture war, or losing the culture war and getting $1,000 bucks a month from the Government.” Though the meme did catch on and have a fair amount of organic growth, the #yanggang lost it’s thunder in wider social media almost as quickly as it appeared.

This was due to two primary reasons. The first, being that because Yang’s campaign embraced the title and the hashtag, Yang had to specifically address the politically edgy and intentionally offensive and provocative content creators, telling them that “for anyone with this agenda, we don’t want your support… You are not welcome in this campaign.” While sensible and likely inevitable an action, this caused much of Yang’s soft support and indifferent or ironic meme creators to drift off to find something else to post about. The second reason is that a thread posted to 4chan’s /politically incorrect/ board claimed that #yanggang had been an orchestrated “shilling” (misinformation and/or demoralization) campaign against Donald Trump’s online support base. True or not, there is reason to believe this accusation played a part in taking the wind out of #yanggang’s sails.

The third tier of memes in politics is involvement by and of social figures. On April 4th, President Donald Trump shared a satirical edit of Joe Biden’s statement in which the former VP smells his own hair, parodying his “odd” behavior around women on stage. This tweet garnered mixed reactions from his support. Some believing it unprofessional and unbecoming of the President, while others were amused by what many have simply come to accept as Trump being Trump. Such instances are not uncommon, as public figures now have access to a near endless fount of material with which to support their friends, deride their naysayers and mock their opponents. President Trump has proven himself fond of sharing memes created by supporters.

As outlandish as the President’s twitter habits may seem, he may well simply be ahead of the curve. While his tweets demonstrate a sense of humor and manner of wit that strikes a chord with some, his past opponents have done much of the work for him in displaying how out of touch they are with the fledgling online culture.  2016’s election was filled with candidate Hillary Clinton’s woefully fake-sounding attempts at appearing hip, which itself became something of a running joke throughout the election. “More like Chillary Clinton amirite?” and “Tell us how you feel about college debt in three emojis or less” were basically pre-packaged parodies of someone trying to sound like they know social media.

This is the double edged sword that is politicians, and celebrities in general, trying to engage with internet culture. If done well, it can be a potent tool to mock opponents and call them out in a way they cannot easily rebut, but if done poorly the politician posting can quickly become the punchline, much to their own detriment.  Internet culture is in its formative years still, and it remains to be seen what the lasting implications in politics and culture will be, but if one thing is sure, it’s that the candidates of the future will have to either be Social Media savvy themselves, or have people close at hand who are.

Opinion

My spring break is not like the movies

and  

Community college experience is different than those at private schools

As my time at Northern Essex community college comes to an end this year, I find myself reflecting on the differences and benefits between my attending a private institution and coming to a local community college. With the week of spring break having passed by reently, students were preparing for a well deserved time away from campus. It had been about seven weeks since Northern Essex Community College’s last school-wide break for the Holidays back in December of 2018. NECC’s breaks are a far cry from that of private institutions. In my experience from boarding school to attending Susquehanna University, the amount of people who ditch town is higher than that of a community college. Well, obviously this is due to the fact that most students go to school out of state when they attend private institutions, myself included.

At my last University, the class and wage differences came to the forefront once I found that others were planning trips to Cancun, Mexico with their families and friends. As I struggled to afford gas for my 7 hour drive home every small break I had, I would remember how this was my only option to have a place to rest my head. The only way students could stay on campus was if they paid a daily fee of $100. This was unfortunate for the broke college kids relying on scholarships to graduate. The only students who could afford to stay on campus were the people who booked their flights out of the country for an actual vacation.

Having a break close to home means you can take time for you to catch up on whatever it is you need, whether it be sleep, work, family time, or a small trip out of town. Northern Essex students are more likely to do one of the following due to the convenience of minor change in daily routines. Faith Barrett, current student at NECC, planned on “relaxing with family and friends” since she doesn’t get to see them much during the semester.

For many NECC students, spring break does not equal a vacation away from home. Instead it means continuing the same work schedule or picking up more hours. Journalism major, David Greene’s plans for spring break were “to pick up more hours at both of [his] jobs.” He hoped to practice and play his hobbies with friends, which includes skateboarding, photography, and music. Larry Coleman, student at NECC, planned to catch up on sleep and picked up more hours since he works at an Irish Pub and St. Patrick’s day was coming around.

At places like those private Universities, Spring break represents itself the way it is depicted in the movies: Renting a Miami beach house, drinking a lot of alcohol, and eating delicious food for a week straight. But, for us local adults, it’s a small break from the school work, and a step forward in normalcy.

Home Page Featured News, Opinion

Joe Biden: Post Me Too

and  

Are we overlooking the big picture?

For the 2020 presidential election there are currently 18 Democratic candidates running.  At the forefront of this crowded election pool many people look to former Vice President Joe Biden as one of the leaders. That being said however, while many hopeful Democrats look to Biden as a change for the future, there seems to be one rather big problem. While you could describe Biden as many things, overwhelmingly many women are describing Joe Biden as being just a little too handsy… In 2014, at a campaign event for the race for Nevada lieutenant governor, then 35-year-old woman Lucy Flores describes her encounter with Biden to The Cut Magazine as leaving her feeling “uneasy, gross, and confused.”

She describes then Vice President Biden inhaling the smell of her hair and planting a kiss on the back of her head. Amy Lappos of Connecticut, described to the Hartford Courant an encounter in 2009 where she said, “He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling me in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth.”  It should be noted however that she also said, “It wasn’t sexual, but he did grab me by the head.” While no one has actually accused Joe Biden of sexual misconduct yet, just a general feeling of ‘icky’ after his presence, this could be a huge talking point in the 2020 presidential debates. After all this is the post Me Too movement, where men and women alike are and should be hyper aware of how they interact with each other.

But if it comes down to just twpo presidential candidates, the incumbent Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, would Trump really have a leg to stand on if his main arguing point against Biden was, he makes women feel uncomfortable? While by no means am I condoning Joe Biden’s odd behavior with women, we cannot turn a blind eye to the stats against Donald Trump, and his inherent misogyny. How could anyone forget that the infamous “grab ‘em by the pussy” quote from the recordings with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush.  Or when he called his former porn star mistress Stormy Daniels “Horseface” on Twitter.

He has constantly gone after Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren for her claimed Native American Heritage, however at an appearance in Montana in the summer of 2018 when poking fun at Warren again, he stated, “but we have to do it gently because we’re in the #MeToo generation.” So, while we ask ourselves, is Joe Biden fit to be our president?  Regardless of your political viewings if you are basing it off of his “Uncle Joe” persona, then you must consider whatever you’d like to call Donald Trump, his many attacks on women and womanhood.

News

Wellness fair strives to inform community

and  

NECC hosts health and wellness fair for students and faculty

As the warm weather starts coming back and students return from Spring Break most would admit that now they are more stressed out than ever. With only a few weeks left until the semester ends student’s struggle with either remembering with what they’ve learned before the break, trying to catch up in their classes or having the issue of their brains being fried the very first day. But catching up doesn’t seem to be the only issue because with stress comes high blood pressure, sleep troubles and many others.

To help solve this problem, the campus hosted a Health and Wellness fair on March 25, at the Haverhill campus’ Spurk building. The fair consisted of many tables filled with information, faculty and students ready to answer any questions and inform others about how to improve their health. The tables entailed of Coping Skills, Drug and Alcohol Education, Environmental Health, Fitness Assessment (BMI, Body Fat Flexibility), The Fun Side of Medical Coding, Keep Calm You Have High Blood Pressure, Allergies Oral Systemic, Connection Pick a Vein Any Vein, Sleep Disorders and Stress Problems, Stress Management, Title IX Awareness, Transgender Health Program at GLFHC and many others.

In some of the tables there were many NECC students ready to educate. At Sleep Disorders and Problems there was one student in particular eager to answer this reporters’ questions. Jasmin Kirby has been attending NECC since 2014. When Kirby originally started she was majoring in our Early Childhood Education Program inspiring to be a teacher, she was then persuaded to look into Sleep Technology by another student and found a new passion. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And I think it’s just a really great opportunity to help people and kind of find a way to help them sleep in alternate areas of neurology.” Said Kirby. Because of Kirby’s knowledge in Early Childhood and also in Sleep Technology she now works at Boston Children’s Hospital to help even the little one’s get a good night’s rest.

The fair not only informed NECC students about how to get a good night’s rest but it gave them an opportunity to relax with the help of massage therapist, Bethany LaBelle. LaBelle held a massage section and gave the students some very helpful skills on what to do when they are stressed. LaBelle is actually an NECC Alumni who still comes to the campus during Health Fairs to educate students on the importance of taking care of your body physically and spiritually. “It’s like I tell my clients you don’t take your car out and run it till it has no oil in it and it seizes the engine. Our bodies are very similar. So more eastern medicine or holistic medicine teaches us things, even meditation or proper body mechanics or relaxation techniques teaches us how to prepare ourselves mentally and then that exhumes out every aspect of our body.” LaBelle explains. With 20 plus years of experience LaBelle now owns Serenity Massage in North Andover and informed students on tips and trick son what to do when there’s too much going on. Practicing deep breathing and mediation before bed and after you wake up, really taking the time to slow down relaxing your breath and body movements to release all of the day to day tension. During the interview LaBelle mentioned that many students even now some children don’t know how to take a deep breath and slow down so she was happy to demonstrate to them the techniques in order to take care of themselves.

While most of the fair was to teach students the importance of taking care of themselves and show them what it would be like if they were considering a career in the health field, there were also a few tables to inform students of the services NECC provides.  One of the tables that was interviewed was Susan Martin, the Director of the Learning Accommodations Center, and Knox, the Disability Specialist at the same Learning Accommodation Center. Marin and Knox explained about the certain services they provide for students who have any kind of special needs of their own. When asked about the services provided Martin explained, “We have disability services management model, so students are assigned a case manager or a disability services specialist and that person becomes their contact at the Learning Accommodation Center.”

News

Students bring museum to life

and  

NECC students and professors travel to Boston art museum

The bustle of the museum soon died out as the students moved further into the art galleries. Pictures lined that walls all around them as the soft smell of old belongings kissed their noses. Professor Patricia Portanova, Professor Steve Russell, and NECC students went to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) on April 3. After being stuck on a school bus in the morning rush to Boston, the students gathered in the MFA to learn more about American, European, and Spanish artists. Professor Portanova’s Creative Non-Fiction Writing class had previously written about an artist they had chosen from the museum’s website. Going through the museum, they were their own tour guides for the day. After a few wrong turns, the students found themselves talking about the artist and piece of work they had written about. Each student who had an artist that had their work displayed gave a short and informal presentation to the group.

Danikza Carrasquillo, a NECC English student, commented on how going to the MFA helped with her class. “It helped me to visualize the artwork. Seeing it in person gave me more intel of the artist,” she said. She also commented that going on the field trip was more of a social experience than sitting in a class room. Katherine Hailson, a Liberal Arts Writing Major, said that she liked seeing the students talk about the artist they picked to write their essays on. She said that it was “way more interesting than having a museum tour guide.” Hailson pointed out that one of the benefits of going on the field trip was that it was a different way of learning. Students got to get out of the classroom and could have a hands on experience she said. When asked what some of the highlights of the trip were, Hailson said “I got to explore exhibits that I wouldn’t usually explore.”

One of the popular exhibits that was on display was the Frida Kahlo exhibit. NECC student Mariella Mendez talked about how Kahlo was involved in a near fatal accident that had her bedridden for some time when she was young. Kahlo’s father suggested that she start drawing. Her love for art continued throughout her life and she became a very famous artist. The exhibit was full of bright colors and daring images. It was obvious that Kahlo did not censor anything when it came to her artwork. Carrasquillo commented that everything else seemed underwhelming compared to this exhibit. The students and faculty members that attended were engaged in what each other had to say. Hearing other students talk about what they learned about the artist they had chosen brought the museum to life.

News

Credit concerns

and  

Students weigh in on personal finance choices

When we were kids, we used to think that credit cards had unlimited money and questioned adults why we were denied of more tokens at Chuck E. Cheese or a stuffed animal we happen to fall in love with and just have to have it. As we become older, we realized that this is certainly not the case along with the thought of just another thing to worry about on our “adult” list of things to get done. The specials that credit cards publish really catch the average person’s eyes like rewards and cash back with 0 percent  interest for 6 months with no annual fees. As soon as we turn 18, we become a young adult, which means you carry on more and more responsibilities like possibly signing up for a credit card.

“By principle I feel like I should only purchase things if I have the physical amount on me as opposed to putting it off,”  NECC student David Greene states as well as many other students who have not signed up for a credit card. Greene also adds, “I have not yet signed up for a credit card and only have a debit card because I don’t like the idea of a credit card.” They can however be useful if you do your research and find one that fits all of your needs and is based off of your financial situation. NECC student Brianna Parker argues, “I think it helps to know how it all works and how to get the most of your credit cards.”

There are different ones that are specific to students as well like the Discover it Student Cash Back which includes rewards like 5 percent cash back and 1 percent unlimited cash back on all other purchases. Building credit when you are young however has its advantages. The best way would be to start out small by filling up your gas tank and paying for the dinner bill using the credit card. This way it is an easier bill to pay off instead of buying a first computer that maxes out your balance which can really put you in credit danger long term. “I don’t like how I wasn’t told the importance of credit prior to getting them” says NECC student Jens Reyes.

In high school, they never really prioritize the education in building credit or even how it works, you kind of have to just learn on your own and expect the best of it. Whether it is an unexpected car breakdown or medical bill, having a credit card can relieve the stress of instead rushing around trying to find the cash to pay for it. Parker argues, “I like that if you can’t afford something in the moment, but you know that you get paid in a couple days then you can use your credit card for now and then pay it off when you have the money,” ‘says Reyes.

There are many things that can go wrong with a credit card. For example, maxing out your credit card for a big purchase can really damage your credit score for years. Parker says, “I would probably change the fact that your credit score changes so easily. If I don’t use my credit card for a week it usually goes down a bit which is frustrating.” Any late payments as well can really screw up your credit, that is why some student credit cards allow a bigger time window to pay the balance monthly so there is no late fees for the first time paying off your bill which really reels students in. ​

News

Talking security

and  

Do students want their professors armed?

Do Students at Northern Essex want their professors to be armed? As many of us have seen online and on television, school gun violence is a very controversial issue. We may all want the same end result, no more gun violence, but there are many different opinions on how to achieve that such as stricter gun control laws, more security within the schools, and even arming teachers and professors.  Arming teachers and professors has been one of the most controversial solutions with it being possibly more dangerous.

Massachusetts law currently says:

“Whoever, not being a law enforcement officer and notwithstanding any license obtained by the person pursuant to chapter 140, carries on the person a firearm, loaded or unloaded, or other dangerous weapon in any building or on the grounds of any elementary or secondary school, college or university without the written authorization of the board or officer in charge of the elementary or secondary school, college or university shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or both.” However, some states do allow concealed carry on college campuses and some have advocated for arming teachers in the wake of various school shootings.

Do Northern Essex students think arming professors is a good idea? After speaking to NECC student Alexa Haded, it shows that you can be in favor of the Second Amendment but still not believe in solving gun violence with arming professors. After asking Haded’s opinion on whether or not they should be arming professors she said…“I believe in the right to bear arms which is why I’ll be getting my ltc (license to carry) to protect myself. Everyone has that option but it shouldn’t be forced upon professors.” NECC student Cameron DiGenova had a different take to the matter, believing it should be up to the professor… “I think if a professor has a license for concealed carry they can have it if they want, but students should not know about it and they should never see it unless there is an active shooter. But it shouldn’t be mandatory.”

He seemed very passionate about this topic, believing that carrying a weapon should be up to the individual, regardless of their profession. Vanessa Muthee, had another opinion when it came to this topic… “If they do have guns, they are more likely to misuse it. What if they feel threatened by a student?”  This has been a common opinion when debated in the news and online.  Although gun violence can be a sensitive topic, students here at Northern Essex seemed to have very strong opinions about it.  Regardless of different opinions on how to solve the gun violence epidemic, everyone has a common goal, of ending school violence once and for all.

Arts and Entertainment

NECC actor honored

and  

Gwynnethe Glickman awarded “Distinguished Performance in a Play” award from theater fest

NECC student Gwynnethe Glickman has received the “Distinguished Performance in a Play” award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) for her portrayal of Mash in NECC’s production of Stupid F*cking Bird by Aaron Posner. The production was chosen by the KCACTF to be showcased at is annual regional theater festival in Hyannis, Mass. and was performed there in January, according to Stupid F*cking Bird co-director Brianne Beatrice. According to the Facebook account of KCACTF Region 1 (the KCACTF showcase in which selected Northeastern U.S, colleges perform), the title Glickman won is a national award, and only three other actors in Region 1 received it.

woman, wearing black and white striped t-shirt and black pants is siting on a desk. Man, wearing black shirt and red pants is siting on a stool next to her
Northern Essex Community College students Armando Belliard Harmon of Haverhill portrays Tragorean and Gwynnethe Glickman of Newbury portrays Mash in NECC’s adaptation of Aaron Posner’s play “Stupid F*cking Bird.” Photo courtesy NECC Newsroom

However, the KCACTF is only one of several sources which say Glickman is a talented, hardworking and influential performer; Stupid F*cking Bird’s other co-director Sarah Durning, Newburyport-based actress Vanessa Romaides and Brianne Beatrice all express great admiration and appreciation for Glickman’s acting: an acting style Glickman says is based on improvisation, physicality, and honest communication with other actors and the audience.

Glickman, who has been acting since she was in elementary school, says that her method for acting varies with each character she portrays, but that, when playing Mash, she tried to fall into the role and to be as empathetic toward her character, whom Glickman describes as moody and sarcastic, as possible: “I felt like I knew her so well … The way I interacted with people (outside of the show) changed because of Mash. My sarcasm and cynicism were heightened because of her.”

In addition to the empathy she has for her characters, Glickman also draws on her own experiences to make performances organic and honest for audiences. She says she does this especially in darker scenes, since she finds it more difficult to portray darker (emotions she says she feels much less often than lighter feelings): “I think portraying happy, middle-ground characters is a lot easier than when you have to be sad. I like to pull from dark places because I want to feel for the character. I don’t want to just pretend I’m really sad.”

Yet while Glickman says the work an actor does with his or her individual self is important, she stresses that the most important, and some of the more difficult, work actors do in productions is with the rest of the cast: “Ideally you want it to be a communal experience where the cast is exploring together. I think it’s harder to do that work than it is to do the individual work.”

Glickman, along with her explanation of her acting style, is also offering advice to other actors. This advice includes ways she thinks it is effective to deliver lines and how to avoid falling prey to the self-scrutiny actors, according to Glickman, often experience. Glickman says that “The work actors do is based upon judgement. We go out on stage and constantly subject ourselves to judgement… Just try not to care about “messing up” or saying something “right.” Something I’m always working on is not caring. How you do stuff right is you mess up and sound like an idiot and explore methods that definitely won’t work so you can find ways that definitely will work.” The last piece of advice Glickman gives is to try to use physicality as much as possible when portraying a character. She says, simply but memorably, “When in doubt, move.”

But are these techniques effective? Other actors in the community vehemently say, “Yes.” Brianne Beatrice has described Glickman as “incredibly talented” and has said that, “She has no idea how good she is.” Sarah Durning expresses similar thoughts. Durning says that she sees Glickman as an influential and impactful performer: “I auditioned with her for The Odd Couple (a play put on by NECC before Stupid F*cking Bird), so I knew she was really good and I was like, “Oh, wow.” I really noticed her. So when she auditioned for Stupid F*cking Bird I was like, “Yes!””

Durning describes Glickman as “a lot of fun” to work with, and says that she is not afraid to own the stage: “I loved working with her. She’s very good with her body. She’s very good with owning the stage … Sometimes I wouldn’t know how to block her and she would just start moving around … I was like, “You can keep that.” Durning also admires Glickman’s passion and improvisational techniques, stating, “Her character, I think, broke the fourth wall more than any other character. (In theater, the fourth wall is the imaginary barrier between actors and the audience.) She was singing with the audience … She would often have to go off script and improv with the audience … I didn’t have to break her out of any kind of shell. I was like, “Just go around the stage and blow up,” and she would do it.”

But Glickman is, to Durning, not only a fantastic actor to direct but also a special performer to watch: “She just pops. She’s so unique and she catches a lot of eyes … I always loved watching her interact with the audience. She would do something different every night … During the first performance at festival, the ukulele wasn’t tuned, so she had to improvise and started clapping and singing. She got everyone to clap. That’s theater. Stuff like that happens and it’s live theater and you’re never going to see that again. She embodies that, doing something different every night. She inspires me to come out of my shell more.”

Vanessa Romaides is also inspired by Glickman. Romaides, who went to elementary school with Glickman and has acted with her in, Romaides says, at least seven shows, expresses that working with Glickman makes acting in a scene relatively easy: “When I’m with her I’m in the scene, you know? With certain people that I work with I feel like it’s hard to stay in character and that character integrity a problem because they aren’t the character. But Gwynne is the character. I’m in the world that we as performers have created, and the rest of the world doesn’t exist. When I’m with her, I’m not myself. I’m not Vanessa; Gwynne is not Gwynne. We are our characters.”

Romaides believes she has learned valuable lessons from Glickman, and says, “She is definitely one of the performers I look up to … She has no set type and she’s very versatile … She also experiments a lot with text, and, unlike a lot of actors, doesn’t have one set way of delivering lines. She lets it all out and she doesn’t care. I learned from her that I should give it 110 percent.”

Arts and Entertainment

Summer theater returns

and  

Another play will be put on by NECC students in the summer

For the past two summers, NECC has held a summer theater course for students who are interested in putting on a play at the end of the summer. This course is all about engaging with one another and bringing the theater alive to those who enjoy it. The play is still to be decided as of right now. Once students have enrolled, Brianne Beatrice, the director of the summer theater course will announce what show will be put on so the roles in the play align with how many students have signed up. Although this course was once credited it is no longer a credit course, but even though it is not credited it still is a course to look forward to. There is a role for everyone, if you enjoy being the center of attention and being dramatic then a role on stage is for you.

However, if you enjoy tech, and designing then an off stage roll would be the right fit.  The summer theatre program pushes students to collaborate in every part necessary for the production Aaron Lehner, Observer campus life editor as well as a theater major has participated in the summer theater course for the past two summers. Last year the play that was put on was “Escape From Happiness.” Lehner’s roles were on and off stage in the previous plays he’s participated in. He played the role Jimmy in Almost Maine two summers ago and staged managed last springs play Love/Sick and Singing Telegram Man.

Lehner was also the role of Fred in A Christmas Carol which is  NECC’s yearly show during the holidays ran by Alisha Bucchiere and John Budzyna. Lehner will not be participating in this summer’s theater course but he said he has had so much fun with the summer theater program. “No matter how much experience is someone has in theater, they always have an amazing time and some great friends and memories,” says Lehner.  The theater and dance majors were shut down due to low enrollment, but students can still take theater and dance classes. Beatrice has been working hard to help out the remaining students who are interested in  theater. The summer theater programs is  a way to get students involved and help rebuild the program.