Student Theater Production of Proof | So, You Want to Be a Miscellany Editor… | We Ask, Profs Answer | Senior Spotlight
Student Theater Production of Proof
We sat down with Kaelyn, one of our editors who just so happens to be the lead in the Experimental Theater Board’s production of Proof, to get the inside scoop before their week nine performances.
What is Proof about?
It’s about Catherine, this girl in her 20s, who has been taking care of her ailing father for a long time. She grapples with losing him and the change that comes with it. The play also tackles her relationship with math which is so connected to her father, as he was a famous mathematician. Halfway through the play, a proof for a remarkable mathematical result is discovered and its authorship comes into question.
What have you most enjoyed about being in Proof?
Theater is just a really beautiful thing to be a part of. I love to do it every term or I don’t feel like myself. The people involved are kind, creative, and amazing which makes the rehearsal room a really positive environment. It’s nice that we’re all there for the same reason.
Have you learned anything unexpected playing the role of Catherine?
I’ve learned more about myself. This is the biggest role I’ve had and I’ve gotten to dive deep into a character which is really interesting. I’ve learned about the connections that you can make between yourself and a character that you see and think “Oh, she’s completely different from me. She has different interests from me.” You begin to see past the differences and see the underlying similarities. I’ve also memorized some big numbers. For example, 92,305 * 2^16,998 +1, the largest known Germain prime (at the time).
Why should a Miscellany reader come see the show?
We should all be supporting student theater. It’s weeks and weeks of work from many people. We’re proud of what we’ve made and we think the result will be beautiful. It’s also just a fun play. Even though it can be sad, it’s really funny and heartwarming and generally a good time. It’s also Kaelyn’s last performance on a Carleton stage.
There will be three evening performances of Proof on May 28, 29, and 31 in the Little Nourse Theater.
So, You Want to Be a Miscellany Editor…
Evidently, our stellar editor Kaelyn is graduating. We asked her to reflect on her time as an editor so that you can learn more about the role and (hopefully) apply.
What have you enjoyed about being an editor?
A job like this can feel isolated when you’re writing, but for the past two years, the editors I’ve worked with have been so friendly and collaborative. It’s a positive space and it’s fun to support the department and the work that is being done by students in the department. It’s made me more integrated in the department and aware of the goings-on.
What kind of article do you like writing the most?
My favorite kind of article to write, and it rarely comes by anymore, is a professor profile. It’s nice to talk to them in their office and learn more about them than you would in class. I love Senior Spotlight, especially for Creative Writing Minors, since you get to hear about their comps in another department.
So if you want to be an editor…
If you think you’d enjoy it, you should just apply and see what happens! It’s not a huge commitment but it’s highly enjoyable. It allows you to engage more deeply with profs and fellow majors, which is really nice.
The position is 3 hours/week of student employment. The ideal candidate is a sophomore English major, but if you’re an interested junior, still apply! Email Gwen (gkirby@carleton.edu) and Connie (cwalker@carleton.edu) to express your interest.
We Ask, Profs Answer: What’s Your Summer Read & What Will You Pair It With?
Kick back with the Second Laird Miscelleny as we ask profs’ summer reading plans!
Pierre Hecker: Pierre will be reading It’s A Book (2010) by Lane Smith in preparation for his banned books course this Fall as well as Tana French’s Cal Hooper (2020-26) series set in Western Ireland.
Paired with: a side of naps and walks to see how the owlets in the tree on 2nd Street are doing.
Peter Balaam: Returning to finish 100 Years of Solitude (1967) by Gabriel García Márquez after a 25 year hiatus.
Paired with: as many Cuban cigars as he can physically manage to get his hands on.
Gwen Kirby: The Book of Love (2024), the debut novel of famed short story author Kelly Link.
Paired with: Dark chocolate and an iced coffee.
Nancy Cho: Susan Choy’s newest novel, Flashlight (2025).
Paired with: Nothing in particular!
Emily Coccia: Private Rites (2024) a queer reimagining of King Lear by Julia Armfield.
Paired with: her homemade vegan ice cream, maybe in milkshake form if she’s being fancy. (It’s almost certainly going to be a tonal mismatch for a novel about grief and climate catastrophe, but the second the temperature hits 70, she’s got at least one batch of her dark chocolate Oreo ice cream in the freezer at all times!)
Kofi Owusu: reading the 1911 novel Ethiopia Unbound by Casely Hayford, Homegoing (2016) by Yaa Gyasi, and Dream Count (2025) by Chimamanda Adichie.
Paired with: Red wine, beer (it doesn’t matter what kind), and water respectively.
Senior Spotlight: Carlos Trejo and Catherine Zons
What are your current post-graduation aspirations?
Carlos: My dream is to work for the marketing team of an organization that specializes in supporting people’s sexual and reproductive health.
Catherine: I have a photography job that I’ll start doing full-time and some gigs reviewing concerts in the Twin Cities. I’m mostly excited to get some time to relax! Eventually I’d love to travel!
What was your favorite class you ever took?
Carlos: I have fond memories of taking Beginning Photography with Xavier Tavera Castro. I learned that I love the creative process of thinking about an idea and finding ways to express it.
Catherine: I’ve taken so many cool classes with so many cool departments, but a couple that stand out were Field Drawing and Intro to American Studies.
What advice would you give to future creative writing minors?
Carlos: Take risks! I find the most memorable stories experiment with plot content, structure, point of view, etc. Right now, I’m experimenting with communicating stories through different types of narrator voices! (shoutout to Gwen Kirby for teaching us all to take risks).
Catherine: Take workshops in arts that you haven’t explored. So many areas of my fiction writing practice were greatly improved by taking poetry classes. Also, have fun! Creative writing is so exciting because it’s fun to build a world out of nothing but words.
Favorite book of all time?
Carlos: The first book that comes to mind is Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I like the eerie, silent, Gothic feeling it creates.
Catherine: One book that has always stuck with me is Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing. As much for the story as the illustrations, this book is just so cool.
What’s your most “creative writing minor” trait?
Carlos: I sometimes imagine how I would write about a real life scenario. For example, the experience of eating at LDC and seeing someone I’m acquainted with but am not sure if we’re acquainted enough to ask to sit with them?
Catherine: I love watching the credits of movies because it’s the single best place to source interesting names and film-related career titles…
What’s your comps topic/thesis?
Carlos: My comps project focuses on Santa Muerte, an uncanonized folk saint from Mexico who is the embodiment of death. It’s centered around how ritualistic practices of Santa Muerte devotion construct a powerful, feminine saint that empowers socially marginalized folk who experience the most imminent sense of death on a daily basis.
Catherine: My comps is a large collage depicting a cohesive image of a horse when viewed from the right perspective. The image fractures as the viewer moves, which portrays the disorienting way disability warps one’s sense of self. See it in Perlman until June 13!