If you’re lucky, you’ve probably had the privilege of running into or even working with Emmanuel senior Elizabeth Keith sometime in your college career. Well spoken and always smartly dressed, Elizabeth is funny, poised, and has something substantial to contribute to every conversation. As she makes her way through her final semester of undergraduate studies, I thought it would be fitting to sit down with her and discuss some of her interests, as well as a major project on the horizon!
Quickfire Favorites
Color: Dark purple
Movie: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World or Moonrise Kingdom
Boston Restaurant: Petit Robert Bistro (she also loves the Commons and the swan boats)
Philosopher: Nietzsche
Comedian: Eddie Izzard
Her Campus at Emmanuel: Hey, Elizabeth! How are you feeling about being featured in a Her Campus article?
Elizabeth Keith: Excited, very excited! I’ve never been interviewed for anything, so it’s kind of cool!
HCE: So, tell us a little bit about your upcoming student directed: What made you choose Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile?
EK: Originally Scott [Gagnon], our head of the department, suggested the play to me. While reading it myself I thought, “Well, this is amazing”, but it had too big a cast so I put it aside. I kept reading plays and coming back to this one because it just has this perfect balance of comedy and very serious moments about the way the world is. It’s so inspiring, and I think Steve Martin really captures that in a way that everyone can relate to by putting these historic figures onstage in what is obviously just a hilarious play that is so much fun to direct. We’ve run the show so many times now and we’re all still laughing.
HCE: That’s great; some people are going to want to see it more than once! So, you’re a philosophy minor: how does your interest in philosophy play into your direction of the show?
EK: It’s interesting, because I think the show isn’t really philosophically themed, but it does have a lot to say about theories of human nature, and our desire to reach out and express something to someone else. It’s about bridging the gap between all of us, which is mentioned in existential philosophy in terms of isolation and the difficulties in communication that we all experience. I think the show is about finding new and different ways to communicate the feeling of what makes us human, whether it’s through science, art, or music. Everyone experiences things differently, but it always means something.
HCE: What would you like the audience to take away from your adaptation of the piece?
EK: It’s about using these mediums as a way to connect with someone else, whether it’s an individual or a community. We’ve gotten so wrapped up in politics that we don’t always remember that our world is so big, and there’s so much in it we have yet to experience and understand. It’s about finding new ways to look at the world.
HCE: That’s really cool! What has been your best memory in the rehearsal process thus far?
EK: It’s such a good show; there are so many things…I’d have to say, the first time that we got to the end of the play and we made it work. When you get the timing right, it just sends a little chill up your spine.
HCE: And on the performing side of things, what has been your favorite role here at EC?
EK: My favorite role here has probably been Merteuil [in Les Liaisons Dangereuses]. I went into auditions, and I’d read the play like four times and thought, “This character – I understand her. She’s so awful, but I get her”. Being able to look at her character as a source of strength not only made my performance better, but it made me a stronger person, which is something you should be able to achieve with every role.
Thank you so much for the interview, Elizabeth! We look forward to seeing your directing chops in Picasso at the Lapin Agile March 18th and 19th in the EC auditorium! And if you’re a fan of what you see then, make sure to check Elizabeth out as Harpo Marx in the Spring mainstage production of A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine, April 8-10th and April 15-17th!