As Keene State enters the spring semester, the Redfern Arts Center is planning to host several events for the upcoming months.
The KSC Theater and Dance Department will hold two main performances this semester.
The first will be a staged reading of the play “Really Really” by Paul Downs Colaizzo. The show will run from March 5 to 9 in the Wright Theater.
“Really Really” is a modern college story that deals with difficult topics. The show will be co-directed by TAD Department Chair Kirstin O’Brien and Jake Odmark, a member of the play’s original cast. Odmark, a Broadway actor, will lead a ten-day intensive for the cast.
“He [Odmark] is just a phenomenal human being. He was here last year, [he] worked with the students for about a week and they absolutely adored him and learned so much from him,” said O’Brien. “I’m really excited to see Jake work in this atmosphere. I’m super pumped to collaborate with him specifically on a piece that has meant so much to him and myself.”
O’Brien also plans to send theater students to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, which will take place at Central Connecticut State University.
The second mainstage show will be the annual performance of Evening of Dance, which is celebrating its 50th performance this year.
The show will run from April 11 to 13 in the Main Theater. The theme chosen for this year’s event will be “Dressed In Blue.” Additionally, the show will honor the 100th anniversary of “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin by having the piece as the show’s main performance.
“I’m collaborating with a lot of different people for Evening of Dance, and that’s always the most exciting thing for me,” said Associate Professor of Dance and show Director Cynthia McLaughlin. “I’m also excited to have a lot of alumni come back and host them.”
According to McLaughlin, the performance will feature a collaboration with the KSC Concert Band, as well as Professor Christina Wright-Ivanova as a piano soloist.
The Dance Department will also be taking their annual trip to the American College Dance Association’s Northeast Conference, where KSC students Marinna Toth and Sylvan Williams will showcase their choreography from last semester’s Choreography Showcase.
KSC Dance is also welcoming some new faculty members this semester.
“One of the things that we pride ourselves on is that, when students go through our program, they really get to work with a lot of different people in the field, so this semester is no different in that way,” McLaughlin said.
The Music Department will be hosting their concert series Redfern Presenting, with programs such as Celebrating African American and Female Musicians. This program, scheduled for March, will feature a performance by the Apple Hills String Quartet, along with guests speakers and musicians, all celebrating the accomplishments of African Americans and women in the music industry.
“I think it’s going to be really stimulating and a chance to really explore the world of classical music through a more inclusive lens,” said Music Department Chair Dan Carberg. “I just think it’s going to be such a great experience for our students and our community members and our faculty.”
Other programs in the Redfern Presenting series include a workshop and performance by the United States Air Force Woodwind Quintet, as well as faculty performances.
The department will also hold regular ensemble performances and student recitals throughout the semester. There will also be a few workshops, including a workshop for Music Technology students.
Outside of performances, the Music Department is also celebrating a goal reached as Keene State nears becoming an All-Steinway School.
“As of this semester, we are now going to be purchasing that piano, the final Steinway, in March, and [we] should have that soon after,” said Carberg. “We will be the only all-Steinway college in northern New England.”
According to Carberg, the department has also begun preparations for audition season for the incoming Class of 2028.
Emily Sloane can be contacted at
esloane@kscequinox.com
