By Kevin Perrington-Tuner, Contributing Writer
On April 4, in the main auditorium at 6 p.m. was the first Fishbowl: Aquarium that was held by UMass Dartmouth’s own students. Hosted by Johnny Perreira, Sawyer Pollitt, Jordan Vongsithi, and Mike Kilbride. The event involved an open mic system where students would go on stage and share their best stories.
Typically, this event is held every week in a smaller room that’s filled with crazy and true stories from people of all ages. But this past Wednesday was the first time it was held in the Aquarium. All the 15 best stories from the past semester were shared on stage for everyone to hear.
Stories came from all different types of topics and moods. From a hysterical story about a girl losing her satanic hamster by Meg Sullivan, to a heart felt story about someone losing his long time friend being his dog by Tighe Ratcliffe. All of these stories were amazing and entertaining as the crowd seemed to enjoy every minute. As the crowd went from laughs and giggles to a bunch of other emotions over the course of this three hour show.
Although there were laughs and jokes within stories that were shared. There were also topics that many left thinking about, such as race. Speakers like Jordan Vongsithi and Armani Marquez-Chaves touch on what it’s like being an minority in strange situations. And how it can cause awkwardness at times. Even making a hilarious story out of being profiled and making light of a situation did Zach Downing. There were people from all ages who chose to tell stories.
Even with the intermissions, that did not stop this crew from making sure there were no dull moments on this night. Auctioning off merch and engaging with the audience made the crowd feel a part of something and leaving happy. With Tim Costa on the guitar in between stories to add to the effect. It was more of a community feeling. A feeling of a bunch of friends sitting around in a small room just telling each other their most craziest stories. And it worked! The audience in the crowd were involved from start to finish and seemed very enthusiastic to hear the stories. Almost as enthusiastic as the people were telling them. As viewers stayed glues to their seats from when the doors opened. The crew was mostly dressed up in yellow shirts and black pants similar to a improvisation team in which it almost felt like just that. Telling jokes on the fly as one tells their stories.
It was completely free to get in although some people in attendance chose to donate. The next upcoming event is April 10 and every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The events will take place in CVPA 352. All types of stories are welcomed. Being that it was their first big event, they hope to make it even bigger next time with even crazier stories.
Here is a list of everyone who shared their story. Sawyer Pollitt, Armani Marquez-Chaves, Meg Sullivan, Trevor, Jordan Vongsithi, Zach Downing, Jillian Yates, Patrick Medeiros, Johnny Perreira, Tighe Ratcliffe, Joan Mann, Tim Costa, James Stergois, Eric Sousa, and Mike Kilbride.
Picture of the two UMass Dartmouth students Jordan Vongsithi (Left) and Johnny Perreira (Right)