The last Testimony show was just like any other a capella performance on campus: bright-eyed students wove together a narrative with silly skits and intermittent songs, blending their voices to create harmonious arrangements of popular and traditional melodies. The only major difference was that one of the group members began by leading the audience in prayer.
On the evening of Veterans’ Day, a room full of people sat facing an empty stage. There was no video footage or theatrical production for them to watch, yet each person stared transfixed, visualizing the nerve-wracking conflict, crippling heat and insidious boredom of deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan as they listened to the recorded voices of Stanford’s veterans. This was “Stories From the Front,” an event hosted by the Stanford Storytelling Project, a group of students and alumni that believe in the power and importance of oral storytelling.
Countless stories remain untold because filmmakers and directors do not have access to the resources or training they need. “Nairobi Half Life,” thankfully, was not one of these stories. The director, producers and actors have created a masterpiece; the film weaves a relatable, human story of ambition and redemption while also commenting on the disparity between the upper and lower classes in Kenya.
On the far edge of west campus, nestled behind the tennis courts, lies the Stanford Red Barn, a tranquil paradise of hay and sportsmanship where students, professional coaches, and community members of all ages bond over a shared love of horses.
Imagine, for a moment, a world in which having premarital sex leaves a woman with no option but suicide. In 1888, when August Strindberg wrote “Miss Julie,” such a scenario was entirely plausible.