On the evening of Oct. 30, dozens of students gathered in the Underground under the dim glow of blue and red LED lighting. Students — sporting face paint, adorned in costumes and accessorized with teddy bears — took to the stage for a night of singing, stand-up comedy and other performances.
The Underground Thursdays Spooky Showcase was the latest installment of Underground Thursdays, a monthly performing arts showcase organized by the Student Activities Office.
While the Spooky Showcase required most performers to sign up in advance, other events have taken the form of an open mic night, giving students the opportunity to showcase their skills in an environment with “no barrier to entry,” said Lachlan McCann ’27, one of this year’s coordinators.
The organizers also provide instruments to performers when needed and allow audience members to volunteer to perform during empty time slots, McCann explained.
Marisa Fortney, assistant director of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center and student activities, has overseen Underground Thursdays since 2022, and has witnessed the growth of the event firsthand.
“When I first arrived, the space primarily showcased traditional acts such as original songwriters, cover artists and bands,” Fortney wrote in an email to The Herald. “Now, in addition to those performances, we also see comedians, poets and even magicians take the stage.”
Fortney added that Underground Thursdays provide an “open, supportive and inclusive space, where students can be vulnerable to share their art, knowing they will be accepted and supported by their peers.”
One of the Spooky Showcase performers, Ref Bari GS, a master’s student in physics, said the event gave him a space to relax, despite his heavy workload. “I do physics and math a lot of the time,” Bari, who has performed during past iterations of the event, told The Herald. “So this is a nice break from that.”
During his performance, which involved playing and singing songs on the guitar, Bari asked audience members to clap and sing alongside him. “I like to say that every audience member has two instruments with them: percussion — because they can clap — and vocals — because they can sing,” he added.
Talia Udelman ’28, a first-time performer, delivered a monologue at the event with a teddy bear as a comedic partner
“I haven’t gotten too involved theatrically and performance-wise in my time at Brown, so this was a really nice opportunity,” Udelman said. “I also attended the last Underground Thursday, and it was so cool to see people putting themselves out there.”
Bari and Udelman both told The Herald they encourage students to give performing at the event a try.
“As nervous as you are for your first act, just get out there and perform,” Bari said.
“It’s a safe place to express yourself,” Udelman said. “I pretended to almost make out with a teddy bear and somehow people still laughed, so if I can do it, anyone can.”
