The Year in Theater

JOHN TROYER, MEMBER, PRAXIS GROUP

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In August I attended the funeral for Kevin Vance. Kevin was a local actor and, more important, a genuinely sincere individual. No matter how many years would pass between our encounters, Kevin would always say hello with a personal warmth that I rarely encounter. We both attended the University of Minnesota during the mid-1990s and worked on a series of plays together while pursuing our undergraduate degrees. An unexpected and tragic death like Kevin's is never easy to articulate in words, but I often remember something Kevin said to me while we labored on a lukewarm production of The Crucible at the U of M. We were both sitting backstage on a bench and Kevin leaned over and said, "You know, it could be worse." "Like how?" I asked. "I don't know, but I'm sure it could be somehow." Always the optimist, even when Arthur Miller plays could conceivably not be worse, Kevin let few things drag him down to the level of cynicism. Kevin Vance will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by many people in the Twin Cities. Mitakuye Owasin, Kevin.