by Adam West<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane Anderson, Visiting Professor of Theater at Centre College, tragically passed away on February 27th at the age of 47. Kane, as he preferred to be known, was well known on campus for his dark humor and his incredible sense of fashion, which he claimed to do to make theater look more fun and approachable. He was a joyous soul, a man who was witty, fun, smart, talented, passionate, and just a great guy to be around. Writing this article is hard, because it\u2019s hard to reduce a man with a storied life and career down to just one article. I knew Kane, so I\u2019m going to try to do him justice in this article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane was born in California, and received his Ph.D. in Theater Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, an MFA in Theater Performance from Arizona State University, and a BA in Theater Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Kane was a superhero-ologist (which was obvious if you walked into his office or saw his Superman suit or Spider-ham Halloween costume). Kane ended up at NSU, where he is quoted as describing theater as \u201cthe art of collaboration,\u201d and that \u201cWhenever you work, you aren\u2019t working alone. There are a lot of people behind the scenes, on stage and also collaborating with an audience. Your job is to make everyone look good.\u201d Unfortunately, NSU closed the program that Kane was a part of, and he was let go. Kane ended up at Centre, where he shone on campus. Kane taught several classes at Centre, including Acting 1 and a superhero based DLM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kane offered acting coaching to any of the theater students who wanted it, and I was fortunate enough to have Kane as an acting coach and director during my time at Centre. I am proud to say that he was my mentor, but, more importantly, my friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a previously unpublished interview with Kane, where he talked about Witch, <\/em>the play he was directing at the time of his passing. I have chosen to include it because it is his own words, and I believe that will demonstrate better who he was than I ever could:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What originally got you into theater?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “My twin brother told me that I could not do it when he was doing it, and I said \u201cwatch me.\u201d And then I was much better at it than he was. But a lot of it’s because I really enjoy theatricality. I think theater, like college, gives you an opportunity to experience life outside of your lived experience. So it’s an opportunity to say, \u201cI only get one life, but this way I get to feel like I’m experiencing a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What brought you to working at Centre as a visiting professor?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “A professor here reached out to me because they had lost an acting teacher, and I was going through a transition with my previous job. They shut down the program. So it was an opportunity to come and do work with students, frankly, who are at a much better level than I was at the last school. And it was fun because I see the seasons that Centre does. We do really cool productions here, and I think this whole season is great. So it was an opportunity to say, \u201cI wanna join something that’s really doing work that’s meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What interested you about the script of <\/strong>Witch<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “So I joined the Season Selection Committee that was already in progress, and Witch <\/em>is a play that I’ve had my eye on for years. Jen Silverman is really one of the most ambitious and up-and-coming playwrights. She does really good dark comedy while also exploring issues and empowering women. I was attracted to Witch because part of my other research is that\u00a0 I’m a superheroologist, so the idea of working with a play that deals with magic and a devil and the idea of how we are chasing things maybe that aren’t for us and what we’re willing to give up or sacrifice, sometimes our own stuff, sometimes other people, to get what we want.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think is the core message or theme of <\/strong>Witch<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “I think the core message of Witch <\/em>asks us to consider what we want and the gap between having it and what the cost is and, without spoiling too much of the show, many of the characters are prompted to sell their souls and are willing to do so, but perhaps not for the best of results. So that sense of \u201cbe careful what you wish for,\u201d but also how much are you willing to change or give up to make progress in what you want. It’s also a really dark comedy, so I love the\u2026 I would not call it salacious, but there’s so many surprising bits. Jen Silverman knows how to turn a moment on its head and it makes you go, \u201cOH,\u201d that is so fun. And so there are things throughout this play that I just find hilarious and often in ways that are unexpected.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n How is Centre theater different from past theater experiences that you have had?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “What I find really exciting about working with Center students is that many of them are very driven. The last school I was at, while I had some great students in a lot of ways, theater was struggling all the time. My acting classes at my last job were never full. Everywhere else I\u2019ve ever taught including Centre they’re full, so it’s nice to be back working with students who care about theater. I also think that the theater that’s happening at Centre: we’re willing to take risks, this whole season is fun stuff. The Arsonists <\/em>is really dark, really exciting, but also very pertinent to our message and what we’re talking about in our culture. I thought macbitches <\/em>was something that was delightful but very recognizable and almost haunting because I’ve been in theater my whole life and watching these women really fight over casting felt like insight into my past in a way that was unsettling. Witch <\/em>caps it off in a way that says if this whole season has been about strong women but also going after what you want with abandon and asking us \u201care we willing to push people out of the way?\u201d \u201cAre we willing to punish people and risk that to get what we want?\u201d And I think that’s a question that’s really important for the work that we’re doing in the theater where I teach a technique where I say \u201cwe’re always looking for joy, we’re trying to make other people look good,\u201d so working on a show that’s dark requires creating an environment where magic can happen while also making sure the actors understand the depth of what the language is playing with.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is there anything else you’d like to add?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “What’s really exciting to me about Witch <\/em>is a lot of the visual design. The design team here is doing really incredible work that’s evocative, expressive, but also the nuance that they have developed between lighting and set and costume is just exciting. I am spoiled here in a way that I have not been spoiled as a director in many years. So seeing people come together and invest in building a show for our audience is the most inspiring thing about my job. I also wanna add that the actors here really impressed me in auditions. I didn’t get to direct anything last semester, so I didn’t get to see a lot of the actors. This time, I actually had a challenge in casting this show because so many of the students really showed up and did great work. I’m excited for the ensemble to share what they’ve done.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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