Create-O-Thon

By CLAIRE WINTER

On September 28, Weissberg Auditorium in the Powerhouse hosted the Create-O-Thon event- a series of performance pieces centered around one specific theme. This semester, it was centered around Rosa Parks’ quote “We will fail when we fail to try”. Each year this event is offered as a kind of two-day class: students are given 48 hours to create and demonstrate their projects for class credit. 

Four groups presented their resulting creations. The standout performance included a stop-motion animation, with original poetry spoken in a live voiceover. Another group showcased their improved talents between grade and middle school pasts to current talents, while a third asked for audience participation on their fears to create a collage of sorts. Each group interpreted their prompt through their shared and individual experiences, creating a collaborative environment to enjoy. 

Although creativity is subjective and there was obviously a good deal of effort put into making this kind of project on a 48-hour deadline, I do have one criticism. Prior to the Montgomery Bus Boycotts in 1955, Rosa Parks had actually been a NAACP activist for over a decade prior to the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. While I did hear acknowledgement and discussion of this from some participants, I also heard the oft-quoted “just an ordinary tired woman”. I would have hoped that on as liberal a campus as Beloit’s, there would have been more research into the originator of the quote. 

The Create-O-Thon will hopefully return next semester, to showcase more student talent and inspiration.