Pamela Bump
Equinox Staff
Keene State College students, staff and alumni were not limited to just sporting events this Homecoming Weekend. A program filled with entertainment opportunities offered theater, comedians and school spirited events. Tuesday through Saturday, KSC Theatre and Dance ran a production of Nöel Coward’s “Private Lives” in the Redfern Art Center’s Wright Theater. The comedy takes place in 1930s France and tells the story of a divorced couple who accidentally meet again on their second honeymoon with their new spouses. The cast included KSC seniors Aaron Howland, Kristine Sullivan, and juniors Jon Adams, Katherine Wadleigh and Meghan Smyth. KSC Theatre Professor Ron Spangler directed the show.
Kristine Sullivan, who played Sybil Chase, the newer and younger wife of one of one of the divorcees, explained that she was drawn to the show as a fan of Nöel Coward and for its witty humor, dialogue and cast intimacy. Sullivan knew both Howland and Adams and said she enjoyed being able to work with them on stage. “It was a really great experience,” she said. Sullivan shared that she did great amounts of preparation for her role to put herself in the mindset of “a very naive person who has fallen in love.” The final showing of the performance on Saturday night had a full house. Sullivan noted that she was happy about the turn out. She commented, “It was refreshing to see so many people of different ages in the audience.”
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Howland, who played Sullivan’s previously divorced husband, also mentioned being drawn to the show due to the intimacy of the show’s small cast. He said that he enjoyed playing the role of Elyot Chase, which he described as “flippant and sarcastic.”
Howland explained that he also enjoyed working under the direction of Ron Spangler as it was their third show working together. As audiences watched the antics of “Private Lives,” other members of the KSC community watched two comedians perform at the Night Owl Cafe on Friday night. The show had mostly student audience members with a few alumni, according to performing comedians Mike Dorval and Erin Judge. The comedians made jokes related to the college and possible alumni audience. Campus Safety, different majors, and the college lifestyle existed as recurring topics in their comedic routines. They interacted with the audience by picking out different people to discuss various topics with. While Judge shared after the show that she would have liked to see a few more alumni in the audience, she indicated that the show had a “good audience” of mostly students. Judge, the first comedian to speak, explained she was originally from New York and Massachusetts. Judge’s routine made jokes about pop culture in Keene, such as the filming of the blockbuster “Jumanji.” Judge also introduced herself to the audience as a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and her comedy routine involved her telling stories of how she “came out” to friends and family. Comedian Mike Dorval used a similar approach with the audience by asking members various questions and talking about his life as a single man. After the show Dorval explained, “We were happy they [KSC] brought us.” Dorval also mentioned that he enjoyed the campus and people of Keene. Dorval shared, “People here are very polite.” He joked that the people who gave him driving directions in Keene were, “Better than an iPhone app.” Dorval estimated that a majority of the audience was made up of upperclassmen, but did mention that he had also heard that a few alumni came for the earlier portions of their performance in the NOC. Throughout the weekend, other events took place as well at Owl Stadium, such as the Res Hall Rumble and Spirit Central. The Res Hall Rumble, an annual event organized by Residential Life and Residence Hall Organization brought students and members of KSC Residential Life together, as each hall competed in field day activities and contests. This year’s winning hall was Carle Hall.
Saturday’s Homecoming events also featured Spirit Central, which took place before the men’s soccer game. Both students, alumni, and other members of the KSC community celebrated Homecoming weekend with food, games and musical entertainment from KSC student bands. Jake McKelvie & the Countertops, a band made up of Jake McKelvie, from the Keene area, and KSC juniors Nick Votruba and Jeff Hall performed. The Countertops were followed by a KSC alumni band called Zach Benton and the Ben-Tones, which featured Zach Benton of the class of 2010 and Sam Vendt of the 2011 class. Finally, after the men’s soccer game, fireworks concluded the evening.
Pam Bump can be contacted at
pbump@keene-equinox.com