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MANIFESTOS Students dig deep and take a stand

Student Manifestos in 2020

As the world is undergoing a viral pandemic, and governments everywhere are instituting serious declarations about their intentions, you could say that the manifesto is of supreme importance.

In my First Year Seminar course, “Border Crossings: Creativity in the Mix and the Margins”, I gave the students a prompt for starting their own manifesto – Draw up a list of ten things that disturb you. From the serious, to the seriously absurd, intense gravitas or the fantastically lighthearted, they reached for feelings, challenged beliefs, and revealed what haunts them. Moving from the public to the private, or personal (which doesn’t mean a manifesto can’t still be provocative or poetic) they were each encouraged to experiment with different voices, styles, and formats.

Buckle up and see the short video and audio works they created below in the Spring semester of 2020 just after going into quarantine!

—Lynn Book: Teaching Professor, Department of Theatre and Dance at Wake Forest University

CHLOE MACZUBA

MICHAEL GENNARI

MARGARET RAND

“I reflect on living in the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic and how it has taught me to appreciate the small, beautiful moments in life that we usually don't pay much attention to. It also helped me reflect on everything I am grateful for, both memories from the past, but also living in the present moment and experiencing the unity of New Yorkers, who come together at 7 pm every night to cheer for the first responders at hospitals and trauma centers.”

QUIN WELTERS

CAROLINE GARRETT

Caroline Garrett's handwritten manifesto

MAREN BEVERLY

NATALIE ELLIS

begins with 30 seconds of noise; ends with white noise and no noise

RYLEY KENYON

SCHUYLER STUMP

Created By
Steve Morrison
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