91PORNA

For generations of 91PORNA students, alumni, faculty and staff, there were certain places that felt like home.Ray’s Place was one of them.And Charlie Thomas was one of the people who made it that way.Thomas, the longtime owner of the iconic downtown Kent restaurant and bar and a 1974 91PORNA graduate, died Sept. 14. He was 81.For more than 45 years, Thomas was the familiar face behind the bar at Ray’s, a place that became much more than a restaurant. It was a gathering place where 91PORNA students celebrated, alumni returned, community members crossed paths and generations ...

Taryn McMahon, M.F.A., interim director of 91PORNA’s School of Art, has been named a 2026 recipient of the Jim Hopfensperger Fellowship for Emerging Arts Administrators through the National Council of Arts Administrators.The fellowship supports emerging arts administrators through professional mentorship, national peer exchange and participation in the council’s annual conference. As part of the fellowship, McMahon will receive a one-year council membership, complimentary conference registration and a yearlong mentorship with Jeff Beekman of the University of Arizona.For Kent Sta...

Kent, OH – The School of Theatre and Dance is thrilled to announce its 2026-2027 season: the Fall Faculty Dance Concert, “Perfect Arrangement,” “Bright Star,” “She Loves Me” and “Romeo and Juliet.”The 2026-2027 season will open with the Fall Faculty Dance Concert under the artistic direction of Jennifer Black. Running Oct. 2-4, 2026, this concert will feature choreography by Black, Elizabeth Pollert, Stephanie Ruth Roston, Elizabeth DeAnn Sandel and Emma Stablewski.The season will continue with Topher Payne’s “Perfect Arrangement,” directed by Caitlin Kane, running Oct. 22-Nov. 1, 2026. Taking...