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Foundation of New Student Group
Hair-Raising
When P. Kirstin Newby came to HSPH in 1997 for a doctoral
program in the Department of Nutrition, she hoped to find a
musical theater group active on campus.
"I didn't really expect to find one," she said, "because theater groups are rare in graduate schools. But I had just come from a master's program at Columbia University where they had a graduate theater group, and I enjoyed participating in it. When I didn't find a theater group here, I decided I would establish one myself if there was interest among Longwood campus students for theater activities."
At the beginning of this academic year, Newby sent an Email message to all HSPH students soliciting interest in a musical-theater group. She received nearly fifty enthusiastic replies.
"I was encouraged by the response. If there wasn't interest in the school community, then I wouldn't have taken it further." However, with interest having been proven, Newby began the administrative processes for founding an HSPH-sanctioned student group.
The first information meeting for the group that would become the Longwood Players was held on September 28, 1998. "About 15 people attended that first meeting," said Newby, "enough to convince me that we could have a theater group on the Longwood campus. We began to solicit interest at HMS and HSDM and gathered participants from among their student bodies as well."
The next step was to pick a production. "We chose Hair. We chose this show for a variety of reasons. For one, it's a fun show--it's a rock musical with great music and dancing. It's full of timeless messages of peace, love, happiness, and freedom. It's a fun production to perform in and to see," said Newby.
But there were more pragmatic considerations too, for this fledgling group. "It was important that we pick a show that wasn't too expensive for our budget--meaning not too many costumes or sets. The costumes of Hair are hippie costumes, many of which can come out of the recesses of our closets. And the sets aren't too complicated.
"Another advantage of Hair is that its cast can grow or shrink. We couldn't be sure of how many people would audition, so we chose a show that had a chorusor, in Hair's parlance, a tribe--whose numbers can vary according to cast availability."
Auditions were held during the e period. Approximately 30 people auditioned, and nearly all are participating in the production. The cast consists of about 16, and the production crew and band numbers approximately 35. Newby said: "One thing about a theater company is that there is a role for everyone who wants to participate--whether onstage or off. Of course we need actors, but we also need a director, we need lighting technicians, we need a choreographer, we need set designers. There's no shortage of work to do for anyone who has wanted to be involved."
The inaugural performance of the Longwood Players will
take place on April 30 at 8:00 p.m., with additional performances on May
1 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The show will be presented at the Tower Auditorium, Massachusetts College of Art, 621 Huntington
Avenue. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $7 for students and
seniors. Tickets are available from the Sanders Theatre box office
(617-496-2222) and will be sold during lunchtime in the Kresge
cafeteria the week of April 26.
P. Kirstin Newby (at the center of
the group) is one of the founders of the Longwood Players.
This photo is of a selection from Hair performed at
International Night on April 10. Daniel Hohman,
who plays Claude, is kneeling to the right of Newby.
