#TBT: Back to the Revueture or Back to Campus? 

Some say that SNL is the off-brand Keenan Revue; others say that the initial air date of both shows is too close to call. However, all can admit that the 46th annual Keenan Revue was a success. 

The “Keenan Revue,” an annual show put on by Keenan Hall, is a three-day experience composed of various skits that highlight the highs and lows of campus life, with all proceeds going to a local South Bend charity, Dismas House. 

Each year, thousands of students pile into the Stepan Center to view the show firsthand. Tickets are so valuable, in fact, that some students camped out in line in order to receive tickets to the show. Although humorous, the interest in the Keenan Revue illustrates its wide range and unification of the student body. 

Skits range from critiquing campus tours to the annual news report. Surprisingly enough, all jokes are approved by campus administrators for both the on-campus audience and the live-stream audience.

Students from across campus come together on Keenan’s special weekend to take a break from their studies, and share a laugh with their classmates. However, the students on South Quad didn’t always have to trek across campus to watch the show. 

In the February 2011 edition of Scholastic, an article written by Meghan Thomassen titled “Too Big for St Mary’s” details the move of the Revue from its off campus home of the Saint Mary’s O’Laughlin Auditorium to the Stepan Center. After the show was removed from Saint Mary’s due to its inappropriate nature, Thomassen writes, “Father Dan Nolan, Keenan’s rector, helped by suggesting subtler, smarter ways of executing the same jokes that each skit wanted to make.” While this year’s Revue was titled “Back to the Revueture,” it’s safe to assume that both the audience and cast members are hoping to be able to return to the Stepan Center next year after this year’s content.