Arts and Entertainment
Storytellers gather in Opus for WHCL's Hamilton HUM
By Nora Grenfell '12, Online Managing Editor
October 6, 2011
“I am going to share something tonight that I have not shared before,” Genevieve Nierman ’13 confessed into a mic at Opus 1 on Wednesday, Sept. 7, before launching into an honest and hilarious series of vignettes about summer camp. Hamilton HUM, hosted by WHCL, featured students from every year and one faculty storyteller. At many points in the night, every couch and table at Opus was occupied. The event was recorded for a later broadcast on WHCL.
HUM was inspired by NPR’s Moth Radio Hour, which invites individuals from any and all backgrounds to tell their personal stories in front of a live audience.
At Opus, the crowd was made up of members of a smaller population. Regardless of Hamilton’s less than anonymous environment, community members still volunteered to share individual experiences with people whom they may not necessarily have known. Storytellers spoke extemporaneously about everything from ghost stories and childhood anxieties to the first time they saw Pearl Jam in concert.
WHCL Senior Advisor Ian Wayne ’12 said that the E-board had reservations going into the event. The staff was unsure how candid the performers would be, and how many people would show up for the event. “Now that we’ve completed the event we feel really confident about it,” said Wayne. “This sort of event absolutely works on campus, and we couldn’t have known that until we made it happen.”
Wayne sees HUM as being perfectly suited for the Hill. “Hamilton can be a very closed community. I think people need to feel more comfortable expressing themselves sincerely both in and out of the classroom; there aren’t a lot of public venues for expressing oneself in a way that doesn’t seem ephemeral. HUM is a chance for people to be honest about themselves and share the stories that contribute to the people who they are.”
Ryn Steck ’12, who told a story about a moment of rebellion on her 18th birthday, said that she “didn’t practice at all.” The unrehearsed air of the stories fostered an intimacy between speakers and the crowd, despite the size of the group in attendance.
“It felt like it was a conversational atmosphere,” said Steck. “Everybody at Hamilton has something to say, and it’s not that no one wants to listen. This was a platform for everyone to share about we have to offer.”
HUM will be broadcast sometime next week, and WHCL has plans for another HUM event before the end of the semester.