Performances of the KSC Theatre and Dance (TAD) Department’s fall season debut “After the Blast,” a sci-fi drama by Zoe Kazan, have begun.
The performance will run from Wednesday, Oct. 9 to Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Redfern Arts Center’s Wright Theatre.
The show is a slice-of-life window into the lives of people living in a post-apocalyptic, subterranean colony, and explores themes of mental health, self-worth, environmentalism and family planning.
Professor of Theater Tyler Keyes, director of the play, said he is proud of how much the team has accomplished in such a short timeframe. According to Keyes, the cast and crew have faced larger time constraints than previous shows.
“We’ve had about half the time we normally would to get a show to the stage, and the way people have done their jobs, memorized their lines and supported each other every step of the way has really made all the difference in the world,” said Keyes.
“The dedication we’ve gotten from everyone has just been bananas,” added Keyes.
Keyes attributed the health of the production to a supportive community and group cohesion.
“It’s really unique how much we all try to take care of each other. As faculty and professors we try to model that, but really we just have this group of really good people who care about one another and know that they succeed when we all succeed,” said Keyes.
Sophomore Julia Dube is a cast member, playing the role of Anna, a character Dube said is interesting and relatable. Dube is confident that the show will be stage-ready by opening night.
“I feel good about where we’re at. Even last night, we got through all of act one, which is encouraging for where we are in the process,” said Dube.
According to Dube, Keyes’ direction has helped build the show into a more immersive experience.
“It’s a very word-heavy play, with a lot of monologues. A lot of the world-building comes from the script itself, but our director has taken a lot of care to incorporate movement and make it more intriguing and understandable, which I appreciate both as a performer and audience member,” said Dube.
Dube said she enjoys performing shows that comment on the human experience.
“This is what draws me to theater. I love shows that tell stories about the human experience in ways that we don’t expect,” said Dube.
Senior Wilson Hines plays Oliver in “After the Blast,” and said a strong community can lead to a strong show.
“There’s always a strong community here at Keene State, and I couldn’t be more proud of the amazing people I get to work with,” said Hines.
“It never gets old having a cast and crew that gets along so well. It’s a privilege to work with people who are so kind and committed,” added Hines.
“After the Blast” is being performed in the Wright Theatre, the Redfern’s smaller performance space. Hines is excited for audiences to experience an intimate evening of theater.
“The setting of the play is very claustrophobic, with everything taking place underground. With that context in mind, having this play performed in a smaller, more intimate setting like the Wright Theatre adds another layer of mood and vulnerability, which I hope helps audiences to open up to these characters and the situation they face,” said Hines.
Junior Kai Carreiro is the stage manager for the show and said designing the ambiance and visual elements of the show resulted in a lot of creative brainstorming.
“A lot of it has just been us playing with ideas and seeing what works best. We’re using blocks as furniture, which wasn’t our first idea, but we ended up liking the aesthetic and went with it. We also played around with colors, and just found all these creative ways to show off the setting and hopefully immerse the audience even more,” said Carreiro.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
