Student Spotlight
Jade Keaton

by: Caroline Dewberry, PR student intern

Jade Keaton is a senior communication major from Tupelo majoring in communication with a concentration in theatre. Keaton is involved in Theatre MSU serving as stage manager, assistant stage manager or assistant director. Keaton also serves as the business manager of Alpha Psi Omega and is a member of the Blackfriars Drama Society and The Scene. After graduation, Keaton plans to obtain an MFA in stage management with the hopes of becoming a professional stage manager in a theatre environment. 

Henson was nominated by her professor Tonya Hays, who said “Jade Keaton is a rock -solid technical artist.  Her organizational skills are exemplary.  Jade always = exceeds our expectations in the world of MSU technical theatre.  Jade came in as a transfer and we are sorry we didn't have her for all four years.  She is amazing.” 

Why communication?
I chose communication because I consider it one of the most important aspects - if not THE most important - of any career and any relationship. I chose theatre because the stage is the medium through which I want to communicate.

Best memory in the Department?
It was after a long tech rehearsal wherein I just had the worst theatre experience of my life. My friends tried to convince me to finish signing up for SETC, which I had previously been very excited to attend, but the deadline was midnight. I was not in the mood, but I submitted my application. Afterwards, I wouldn't tell them whether I was actually going, so they proceeded to perform comedy skits that progressed into lip-syncing musical numbers. They did that for over three hours. I didn't tell them what they wanted to know, but their actions cheered me up considerably.

Advice for incoming communication students?
My advice for incoming communication students would be to GET INVOLVED. Talk to your professors. Ask what's going on. Join communications groups. Look at what the different concentrations are doing; they are related and there are plenty of opportunities for crossover involvement.

Best advice you’ve received from a professor?
"Go to class." Professors are people, too. They are capable of understanding that sometimes, things happen. It's easy to get into a habit of not going to class, but if you end up needing help later in the semester, they're less inclined to take pity on you.

Favorite class?
My favorite class so far has been a special topic upper-level theatre course called Script Analysis.

If you were singing karaoke, what song would you pick to sing?
If I were singing karaoke, I would pick Bell Biv DeVoe's 'Poison' because lately I've really been feeling this song and the older I get, the more I realize it's a failed attempt at shaming a woman for 1) supposedly being a "slut" and 2) having an effect on a man that makes him seem weak to his friends.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
If I could only eat one meal for the rest of my life, it would be a bacon cheeseburger and fries. No matter the meat or fry shape.

What’s the most interesting thing that you’ve read, watched or listened to lately?
The most interesting thing I've watched/listened to lately is a very short video for my Intro to Race & Ethnicity class about an Australian student's thesis presentation that featured just a blank power point to make her point about the whitewashed lens in which we view cultures.

If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with that extra time?
If I didn't have to sleep, I would be catching up on my 2000+ imdb watchlist, which includes a lot of recommendations from my friends.