The Colonial is a 102-year-old historical theater on Main Street in Keene where both live performances and films are shown.
“It was sweet! It was cute, I liked it,” said Keene State first-year and construction management major Ciara Poff about going to The Colonial Theatre on Main Street on Friday, Sep. 4. Similarly, Ivan Rivera, a first-year music education major at KSC, said, “I liked it; it felt homey and comfortable.”
Keith Marks is the executive director as of 2025, and Owen Murphy is the director of programming. They both offered some insight on the theater and encouraged students and the surrounding community to get involved.
Murphy mentioned several shows the theater will be presenting this semester, such as their season opener, Slavic Soul Party. Murphy described them as “a bulking brass funk kind of band; they’re Brooklyn-based.” He said they have a lot of energy and it is a great way to start off the season on Saturday, Sep. 12.
Additionally, Murphy said there are a few comedy shows later in the semester, which he said will be “very entertaining.”
According to Murphy, The Colonial now presents artists of all different genres such as country, jazz and hip-hop. He described many of the shows as “phenomenal,” “powerful,” “interesting,” “loved by the community,” “awesome,” “amazing,” and “exciting,” and suggested college students and people in the Keene community attend them. Murphy mentioned that some of the shows coming to The Colonial also have “interesting” backgrounds; for example, a country artist who suffered a stroke and a comedian who overcame cancer.
Murphy mentioned one specific show that he said will likely draw college students in, which is “Rocky Horror Picture Show” followed by a “late night drag show” on October 30.
SHOWROOM is a smaller performing arts theater behind The Colonial, said Murphy, where they show smaller artists who would not be able to fill all 900 seats in the main theater. Murphy said this allows them to bring “a little more challenging, a little more artistically creative events” to the area. Marks described it as a more “scrappy” club, but he said he believes the shows there are just as good and just as important as the ones in the main theater.
When asked why people should attend shows at The Colonial and SHOWROOM, Murphy said, “I think the opportunity to experience culture and things that you might not see on campus, step out into the community and participate in some of what’s going on here is a great opportunity.”
He said the theater shows productions that are tailored to all different ages and mostly anyone can go see anything, so he encouraged community members to not be afraid to visit because there is likely something there that you will like. “There is a real value to the human experience when you come into a room full of other people in your community and are experiencing something that transports you,” said Marks, echoing Murphy’s hope that The Colonial can help build connections in the community.
Marks mentioned how the generation of students in college right now was negatively affected by COVID-19 in the sense that they do not get out as much. Marks said they always have their heads in their phones, but there is more power in the entertainment they get from “walking into a room full of community and having a unique experience that is fleeting.”
Marks spoke of a lot of benefits that come from attending live performances and films, such as “feelings of belonging,” inspiration, human connection and mental health benefits.
“The arts are a portal that open up doors to other ways of thinking,” said Marks. “It opens up opportunities and things that you maybe didn’t even know you wanted to know more about.”
Alex Perry can be contacted at
alex.perry@keene.edu
