While not *quite* a founding member of the theactrical improv group from Boston College, my first year at BC was the first full year the club was in existence, so for the later membership, I was pretty close... There were about 50 people at the reunion, ranging in date of graduation from 1993 (me) to students who were still at BC. Most attendees were from the 1999-2007 timeframe, with a few late 90's folks, and my friend Derek, who was class of 1995.
I got up and said a few words, to talk about the start of the club from my point of view, and to give some context for the day. I've done a lot of public speaking in my day, but I have to say that I was the most nervous I've been in awhile, talking to the group for my 5 minutes up on the stairs of O'Connell House. I think because this group really meant something to me.
I spoke of starting at BC as a student 1989, and not really remembering a time when the CCE was not part of my BC experience. It allowed me to be a "performer," to be interacting with other people of creativity and fun, and to do something that was different from the norm. I gave due respect to Dave Foucher and Dawn Bishop, as the two founders of the club, without whom none of us would have been standing in that room on Saturday evening. I gave respect to everyone in that room at the time, because without them, there would be no club. I had heard before, when I met some students in the summer of 2005 from the club, that some people would have probably transferred out of BC if it hadn't been for the CCE. Afterwards, I was surprised how many people came up to me and said the same thing, that the CCE had given them a reason to stay at BC. It's not like saving someone from jumping off a bridge, but it showed me that this club has had a *huge* impact on people's lives, without us really even intending it.
I took some questions at the end, and one of the recent graduates asked, "Without as many long standing traditions, what did you guys have to argue about?" My response: "Name it, and we argued about it." There was a lot of passion in the group, a lot of thoughts about right and wrong. We didn't really know what we were doing, so we played a lot of it by ear.
Throughout the night, I was continually surprised that people came up to me, to thank me for getting this club off the ground, telling me how much the CCE has meant to them, and the people in the group. It was a bit overwhelming, really. I mean, let's be honest, I'm all for having my ego stroked, but this was more than I really thought would be happening. It does, to me, show the power of an idea, and that idea giving people something to work towards, to have a goal and be able to accomplish it. I asked a present student, who had helped write the last show, if she would have ever thought that she'd write a production that others would perform. That wasn't in her plan for BC, she said. Which is as it should be, the CCE was able to push people outside of their areas of expertise, and get the members to be more than they thought they could be.
I'll be reflecting on this day for awhile. I mentioned to some of the newer graduates that when they come back in 10 years, and meet some of the present members, they may feel similar to myself, because people will be coming up to them to thank them for keeping the club going. They'll be hearing stories of students who were given a real taste of theater through the club, and how the club is one of the main things they'll remember from BC.
All because some people decided to try to put on a murdery mystery in Spring 1989, and then said, "Hey, why don't we do another???"
Some photos from the weekend....
My host Brian, at home... We watched a lot of the show "Spaced" on Friday night... Great stuff....
You know, he *is* a dick!
Brian and I hit The Border Cafe in Harvard Square after seeing the movie "Bug," (not bad, but not good). My favorite restaurant in, well, pretty much anywhere...
Shaw House, where I lived my Freshman/Sophomore years at BC, and where the CCE started up.
The Shaw House lounge piano. The same piano that was there when I lived there. I hope it's been tuned.... 
It's a bit dark, but the stairs of O'Connell House, where many intro and other scenes during CCE events were staged. Can you hear the voices? I can.
Me and some later members of the club. More and more people kept getting added to the photo. If you're in this photo, feel free to let me know! I'm horrible with names, otherwise I'd say who everyone was...
Just a room shot, showing people hanging out in O'Connell House on Upper Campus at BC.
Derek and I hanging out at the Union Street Restaurant, after the O'Connell House event. It was good to be able to sit and talk to him for a good chunk of time, although the band playing at the bar was a wee bit loud. Reminds me of why I don't like going out to bars... That, and my scratchy voice today, from yelling to be heard in the room.
I'm very glad I went to the reunion, after being ambivalent about it for awhile. It's great to see what the "new folks" have made of the club, and the sheer enjoyment that everyone obviously gets from each other's company. I talked to one of the organizers, and we were saying that the next reunion will probably be in 2009, to mark the 20 year anniversary of the club. So, there's more to come...
NP: King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic II (13 Oct 1972)
2 comments:
Boston is sweet. I love shopping there, the architecture, and especially the weather in autumn. I need to learn to skateboard at Charles River cause the ground here is anything but flat, and the boards are 3 times as expensive--even the lame World Industries ones.
Cheney IS a dick!
(What would you expect from a Cantibrigian cemetary, tho, right? =)
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