Relate open mic will hold its first event of the 2014 season with Relate to Discovery tonight at 7 p.m. in the Plantation Suite, followed by two more events in the semester.
Farren Clark, speech instructor, has been the coordinator of the Relate events since its start in 2011 and he is very excited about the new semester.
“Anyone can participate in this open mic event,” Clark said. “Any medium of creativity is accepted such as vocal or dancing performances.”
Clark describes Relate as very laid back with a comfortable atmosphere that lets students, faculty and the community get the chance to express themselves fully.
Clark chose the Relate themes for this semester with the help of some of his students. The themes are broad, open-ended and are open to interpretation.
“The students can do whatever they want with these themes and can go in whichever direction they choose,” Clark said. “That is the beauty of Relate.”
The Relate events this semester will go as they always have with the exception of the second event on March 20 in the Mardi Gras Room.
On March 20, the Relate theme is “Young and Restless” and it will be a memorial for Andrew Carter, who often performed at Relate.
Carter, a student at Nicholls, passed away this past December in a head-on collision in Raceland.
“Drew is missed by all of the Nicholls family, and we thought it would only be fitting then to pay him tribute,” Clark said.
According to Clark, this Relate is not just a tribute to Carter, but to all who have passed away. Anyone who would like to say a few words about a death of a loved one are also encouraged to speak at this special edition of Relate.
The last Relate of the semester will feature Brittany James who is a spoken word poet, and according to Clark, she will bring something new to the table.
This semester, Clark and the rest of the speech department would love to see the community get more involved in sharing pieces and sitting in the audience. Anyone who wants to participate are asked to come about 10 minutes early to write their name down on the sign-up sheet.
“The students really make this happen, and I cannot thank them enough for everything they do to make these events successful,” Clark said.