MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College hosts the live performance event “Cocoon,” inspired by the popular storytelling phenomenon “The Moth,” on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Mahaney Center for the Arts. Six handpicked storytellers will tell a diverse range of stories around the theme “Roots.” The audience is invited to a reception with the storytellers after the show.
This year’s storytellers will include Middlebury College alumna Bianca Giaever ’12.5; students Alexa Beyer ’15.5, Jabari Matthew ’17 and Naomi Eisenberg ’18; Associate Professor of History Rebecca Bennette; and Burlington-based storyteller Deena Frankel. Ambient guitarist and Mahaney Center for the Arts Technical Director Mark Christensen will provide the musical interludes. August Hutchinson ’16.5 and Celia Watson’ 17 of the Middlebury Moth-UP are co-organizers and co-hosts of this event.
This year’s theme of “Roots” was selected in honor of the Celebration of 50 Years of Environmental Education and Leadership at Middlebury.
This community-wide event is coordinated by the creators of Middlebury College’s student storytelling organization, the Middlebury Moth-UP. Since 2010, the Middlebury Moth-UP has brought students, professors, alumni and members of the greater Vermont community together to tell stories on a given theme. The event has two rules: One, all stories must be true; two, no notes. For the third year running, the MothUP has joined forces with the Mahaney Center for the Arts to produce “Cocoon” for an even larger audience. Support for the event was granted by Middlebury’s Committee on the Arts.
The Mahaney Center is located on the Middlebury College campus, at 72 Porter Field Road in Middlebury, just off Route 30 south. Free parking is available. Tickets are $12 for the general public; $10 for Middlebury College faculty, staff, alumni, emeriti and other ID card holders; and $6 for Middlebury College students. For tickets or further information, call (802) 443-MIDD (6433) or go to http://go.middlebury.edu/arts.