“Keene Calling,” a week-long series of activities organized by the Social Activities Council (SAC) offered Keene State College owls with various events to participate and celebrate the end of the semester.
Coordinator of Student Activities and Organizations Britany Gallagher said, “SAC is the programming board for all of campus. So, they are responsible for planning some of the large-scale student-focused events that campus provides for the entire student body.”
Gallagher said it was the first time SAC put together a series of events back to back for a week.
Gallagher said, “In this year, they decided to go for a series of week-long events leading up to Spring Concert, which tends to be the biggest event that they put on.”
The events started with Stuff-a-Plush on Monday, April 16, and ended with the Spring Concert on Friday, April 20, where rapper Cousin Stizz and singer-songwriter Tinashe performed.
Garrett mcnamee/ equinox staff
SAC also hosted laser tag, an R-rated Hypnotist and late-night comedy shows.
SAC invited Hypnotist Dan Candell on Tuesday, April 17, at the Night Owl Café (NOC).
Candell is a corporate speaker, coach, a board-certified hypnotherapist and certified instructor through the National Guild of Hypnotists. He is also a columnist for the Journal of Hypnotism.Candell said he started hypnotisism at a very early age.
“When I was 13 years old, I actually learned self-hypnotism to overcome learning challenges I was having in school. From there, I realized that I was really good at doing it… and then learned it professionally,” Candell said.
Candell said, “I was about 14 [and I] started performing for stage shows all over the country, opening for celebrities. Now I have been doing hypnosis for more than half of my life.”
He said it was his second time at KSC.Candell said, “The first time, it was a clean show for parent’s weekend. This time, they asked me to spice it up a little bit and do more adult content (R- rated content).”
Candell said, “The track with the R-rated show is a very different type of clientele. And sometimes people aren’t aware that they are going to an R-rated show. It’s like… a little uncomfortable or uneasy… There was a big shock factor to it too and everybody really enjoyed it.”
Students bursted into laughter when Candell hypnotized some of the students who were willing to participate in the show.
He gave them different circumstances and roles to play where they showed their emotions.
Candell said, “…you saw a veriety of people up here on stage coming out of their shell, coming out on their own and just understanding that’s ok to let down their guard a little bit to have fun and to get down and dirty as well, which is really important to do. And everybody gets a big laugh out of it afterwards.”
Candell said, “…all of the things that people saw tonight, we actually use it also for more therapeutic purpose as well for more motivational purpose.”
Candell said he felt very welcomed and supported by the staff and students at KSC, and showed interest in coming back again next year.
There was also a late-night R-rated comedian show in the Mabel Brown Room (MBR) on Thursday, April 19.
SAC hosted two of comedians, Steve-O from Jackass and Chris Redd from Saturday Night Live.
Redd is a comedian, rapper and actor. He has been in the movies “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and the Netflix original comedy series “Disjointed.”
Redd said, “I was failed out of everything else and I was running out of option and talents. And comedy was the only thing that I hadn’t tried to pursue and didn’t see as a job (still kinda don’t). And then I tried it and it just had me hooked… It had me hooked enough to know that I wanna rip up my time to it.” Redd added, “It’s a fun ride. It’s a hard one, but it’s a fun ride.”
Redd said, “The most interesting part for me is when you talk about something you know someone else doesn’t know about or doesn’t agree with, but they are with you and they are laughing.”
He added, “It was super fun … it was so much good energy… I love Keene. Feels like it’s a good vibe at school.”
He said, “I would definitely want to come back. It would be awesome …I would love to come back and tell some more jokes.”
Benajil Rai can be contacted at brai@kscequinox.com
