24 Hours of Peace An Overview

Author: Liz Braunstein

The variety and quality of artistic ability of 24 Hours For Peace was as impressive and dense as promised. The second annual celebration began Oct. 11 and lasted until late the next day, consisting of dance, music and comedy. The event, heavily influenced by the pending war with Iraq and Ari Fleischer's '82 alumni award acceptance speech on Sunday, was a venue for discussion, sign making or, at base, simple appreciation of talent.
Co-sponsored by the Otter Nonsense Players, the Progressives, the College Democrats, Feminist Action at Middlebury, the Middlebury Unitarian-Universalist Society and all five commons, the event attracted students as well as professor and families.
Beginning the event on Friday night, the Otter Nonsense Players, Middlebury's comedy improvisation troop, was the most frequent performer. The group, including its newest members, played throughout the night, twice the next day and then helped conclude on Saturday, testing and proving the members' endurance. The seemingly frivolous skits, one lasting over an hour, lightened the political mood of protest, which loomed intensely at times of the event. Stevie Ray Hendrix, DJ Ben Gore and the Shari P'oons Funk Brigade also performed that night.
Saturday's acts took place on McCullough lawn, as students made the most of the open space and nice weather. The Mamajamas were the first show, singing on the steps of the McCullough Student Center as students helped themselves to the free organic brunch or apple-oatmeal muffins and cranberry scones. Tables also offered information from Middlebury's chapter of Students for a Free Tibet and Seeds of Peace, an organization that works with children in war torn areas to promote unity. The Mischords performed renditions of "Lover Lay Down" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Passionate Kisses." The a capella music attracted a small audience that grew as the day progressed.
Tori Sikes '03 performed her own pieces, such as "Heavy," "Run Like Ink" and "A Good Broken." Anais Mitchell '04 sang harmony on Sikes' last piece, "A Simple Song," whose soft notes and plain words made the act quite touching.
Following the duet, the Middle Ground Children's Theatre, a children's acting group in Middlebury, shared with the crowd some theatrical exercises. The group meets twice a week to rehearse short plays and practice acting technique. They will be performing the weekend of Nov. 14 at the Mary Hogan School.
Mitchell then returned, this time with her guitar, as protest organizers began making anti-war banners and puppets. The event had become decidedly more political as Mitchell sang eloquently about government injustices while cardboard cutouts were painted with slogans like "Peace is Patriotic" and "Diplomacy Now." "You say don't ask any questions else the terrorists have won," Mitchell sang, "… Give me back my peace of mind / give me back my pride / I don't know who's winning now but I know I'm terrified."
Juniors Marco Sotelino and Will Cleveland took the stage next, strumming guitars and singing popular tunes with broken interludes of protest songs from the '60s. Thus the contrasts of music between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Buffalo Springfield mimicked the circumstances of the protesters, who focused on the impending war but were heavily influenced by their parents' generation of combat and demonstrations. Sotelino and Cleveland also performed a song that they had written when the United States sent troops to Sarajevo, and said that it seemed even more relevant now, singing, "Do you have any idea what you're getting into?" The Royal We followed the duo and concluded the afternoon's schedule.
The grand finale took place in the McCullough Social Space, beginning at 8 p.m. on Saturday night with the last performance by the Otters.
Erwin Allen and the Route 7 Ramblers, a student bluegrass band comprised of two guitars, a bass, a fiddle and a banjo followed. Their jams inspired students to show off some of their square dancing skills while others bobbed their bodies to the music. RIDDIM, the College's world dance club, performed next and began with a stomp trio who battled each other before the ensemble piece began. The performance incorporated lyrical and club dance to resemble an organized party scene. Dash, a.k.a. Damian Washington '03, closed the show with his sharp freestyle raps.
Throughout the performance, a donation box for Seeds of Peace was passed around.
Despite the tension aroused by Fleischer's presence, the event's genuinely peaceful message through art was maintained throughout the 24 hours. In the end, the day truly did call for 24 for peace.