Photo by Declan Langton ‘22
This original poster from the first “The Big Broadcast!” is one of the many mementos from the occasion in Gionfriddo’s office.
“The Big Broadcast!,” an annual variety show based on commercials, radio stories and music from the 1940s, has been bringing Mount Holyoke back to the age of swing for over a decade. Mark Gionfriddo, director and founder of the Mount Holyoke Jazz Ensemble and creator of “The Big Broadcast!,” worked with his student production team (Chris Cassidy ’20, Megan Ferrara ’20, Mara Kleinberg ’22, Anna Morris ’20 and Julia Sienkiewicz ’20) to bring this year’s show to life.
Gionfriddo’s office in Pratt Hall is brimming with 1940s memorabilia, from a three-foot-tall papier-mâché can of dog food to live-audience-themed electrical signs prompting crowd applause. Gionfriddo even has the original “The Big Broadcast!” poster from its debut in 2006, which exclaims, “They say you can’t go back ... They’re wrong!” The show seems to have taken on a life of its own over the years, inspiring Gionfriddo and the student producers to delve into the history of American radio and pop culture.
“It’s a real ‘memory lane’ trip back,” Gionfriddo said.
Back in 2006, Gionfriddo never imagined that a small production team’s live-radio performance would become a signature event at Mount Holyoke. Now in its 15th year, “The Big Broadcast!” is well anticipated by Mount Holyoke and the surrounding South Hadley community. This year’s show will be hosted by Gionfriddo as bandleader “Matt Morgan” and WWLP-TV22 meteorologist Brian Lapis as emcee “Fred Kelley.” It will include performances by the Mount Holyoke jazz ensembles, comedic takes on commercials of the time, an original play with a “crime noir” theme and a guest performance by Caitlin Jaene Mercer ’02, a founding member of Mount Holyoke’s very first ensembles.
“It’s very gratifying as a teacher to work with people that you were a mentor for while they were here and to see them blossom when they go out into the real world,” Gionfriddo said.
Students currently involved in the production are looking forward to showing months of work to Saturday’s audiences. “We all get to be showcased,” Tori Potter ’23, a member of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, said. “It’s a good reason for people to come out and involve themselves.”
“The Big Broadcast!” brings a historically accurate representation of the ’40s to the stage, using period outfits, hairstyles and choreography to transport the audience to a different time. The producers use the archives to find real events from the 1940s, which their commercials and radio plays revolve around.
“We try to make it very authentic,” said Anna Morris ’20, a member of the production team.
Gionfriddo also scours the Pratt Music Library each year for original music arrangements to add novelty to the performances. In some cases, he transcribes pieces that have no known original recording and which the audience almost certainly hasn’t heard before. The goal is to continue to bring both familiar and new concepts of the 1940s to the public, providing an entertaining and educational experience for everyone watching.
The team may be writing for a 2020 audience, but the material is a satirical nod to the nostalgic (and at times problematic) elements of a past American media.
“We have a disclaimer at the top of the program so that the audience knows that some of this material could be offensive to some people,” Gionfriddo said. “It’s a real interesting place, especially for the typically educated, feminist student.”
The show intends to poke fun at stereotypes and clichés of the time, acknowledging issues with the media through irony and comedy.
“It’s really more about, ‘Look how far we’ve come,’” Gionfriddo explained. “Some of this material you’ll be rolling your eyes about, but then you’ll also be in on the joke.”
The show also reflects a time of uncertainty and fear, where people found solace in entertainment during periods of war and conflict.
“I think people kind of escaped through music and dance [in the 1940s]. They used the radio for their chief source of knowledge, of entertainment,” Gionfriddo said. “It was really kind of the center of the home.”
Gionfriddo believes that entertainment as a form of comic relief is also particularly valuable today. “I think there’s a need for all sorts of satire in the world that we live in,” he said.
“The Big Broadcast!” will take place on Saturday, March 7, with performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Students, youth under 17 and senior tickets cost $10, regular admission costs $20 and producer’s circle seats cost $25.