LHU to host gay musical comedian Kristin Key – Lock Haven Express
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Musical comedian Kristin Key will offer a free performance on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Price Performance Center Auditorium at Lock Haven University.
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LOCK HAVEN — Lock Haven University will host Kristin Key, gay musical comedian, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9 in the Price Performance Center Auditorium. The free performance is open to the public and sponsored by the President’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs and Student Auxiliary Services Inc.
Key grew up a minister’s daughter in a small town in west Texas. Much like the movie “Footloose,” she was raised in a no-drinking, no-dancing, no instrumental music environment… so she immediately took up drinking, dancing and playing an instrument.
Proving that the almighty has a strange sense of humor, Key came out of the closet at 15 and it did not go well with her conservative family. She decided to “take it back,” retreat back into the closet, and try a little harder to be straight.
At age 19, while in college to become a paramedic, Key signed up for Open Mic Night at the local comedy club. As soon as she took the stage, she felt at home. Though her observations and wit made her a local favorite, she remained in the closet, fearful of losing her local fan base. Small shows in the Texas panhandle turned into appearances throughout the country. Audiences couldn’t help but love the original comedy songs and rapid-fire style of comedy coming from the “Preacher’s Kid,” and though female comics struggled to find work, she was booked not for being a woman, but for simply being funny.
While participating in an anti-bullying fundraiser, Key finally broke her silence and decided to share her hilarious story of coming out, taking it back, living in the closet and meeting her wife. After 15 years in comedy, she has found a way to perfectly blend together her thought provoking hilarious true stories and original songs with outrageous off-the-cuff improv moments, ensuring that no two shows are the same.
Key is most recognized for her appearance on “Last Comic Standing,” additional credits include: NBC’s “Bring the Funny,” “Comics Unleashed,” VH- 1’s “100 Greatest Series,” “Dry Bar Special,” “Kristin Key: Crafty,” “Kristin Knows Blank” podcast, The Bob and Tom show and Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. She has released several comedy and music albums, including a Christmas album, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Kristin” (available on Amazon, Google, and iTunes).
“This time around, I’m so proud of my material, not because it’s better than what anybody else is doing, but because this is mine,” Key said. “I can finally talk about myself, I can talk about my wife, I can talk about my whole life. I’m happy that I get to be proud of what I’m putting out there because it’s mine, and be comfortable in my skin, not worried the entire time that someone might think I’m gay.”
“We strive to make our campus and community welcoming and diverse,” said Dr. Rick Schulze, chairperson, President’s Commission on LGBTQ Affairs. “We hope Kristin’s comedy can play a role in celebrating our stories through laughter.”
For more information about Lock Haven University, visit www.lockhaven.edu, email admissions@lockhaven.edu, or call 570-484-2011.
LHU is a member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth.