Tucked into the heart of Keene, New Hampshire, stands a 100-year-old institution that has seen silent films, live vaudeville, rock concerts, and now, a bold reimagining of its role in a modern small-town ecosystem. The Colonial Theatre, a downtown landmark with a 900-seat auditorium and a legacy of resilience, has found a new steward in Keith Marks—a nonprofit leader, educator, and cultural entrepreneur with a global outlook and a fierce belief in the power of the arts.
Marks, the new Executive Director of the Colonial, is quick to challenge assumptions. “We’re not just an entertainment house,” he says. “We’re a community center that uses arts and culture to cultivate belonging. That’s our North Star.”
In a town like Keene, where the arts have often played second fiddle to practicality, it’s a daring mission. But Marks is no stranger to ambition.
“I’ve lived in Tel Aviv, New York, Jacksonville—I’ve worked in communities large and small. The principles are the same: build relationships, tell stories, and make people feel like they matter.”
From the Middle East to Monadnock
Keith’s journey to Keene is anything but typical. After growing up in Florida and earning his master’s in education at Tel Aviv University, he spent over a decade weaving together a career as eclectic as his record collection. He taught yoga, ran a music nonprofit, consulted with international arts organizations, and helped shape the cultural landscape of cities thousands of miles away from the Monadnock region.
But when it came time to settle with his wife and children, he started looking for something smaller, something slower—and something real.
“We were ready to live somewhere that valued quality of life,” he says. “And when I landed in Putney, Vermont, just across the river from Keene, I found a region that was hungry for culture, but also deeply human. That’s rare.”
Marks initially ran Next Stage Arts, a vibrant arts organization in southern Vermont. But in 2023, when the Colonial Theatre began its search for new leadership, the opportunity felt like more than a job. It felt like a calling.
The Colonial’s Grand Challenge
The Colonial is not a typical nonprofit. It’s one of the few remaining downtown theaters of its kind—a sprawling, ornate venue with an almost intimidating 900-seat capacity. It’s a space designed for another era, but deeply beloved in this one.
That legacy is both a gift and a challenge.
“If I pitched you on building a 900-seat theater in a town this size today,” Keith says, “you’d laugh me out of the room. The economics don’t pencil out. But it already exists. That means our job isn’t to justify building it—it’s to make it work.”
And making it work is no small feat. Between artist fees, venue upkeep, staff salaries, and marketing, the numbers are brutal. A sold-out night at the Colonial might net the organization a few thousand dollars—barely enough to cover overhead.
So instead of fighting the model, Marks is reinventing it.
“It’s not just about shows. It’s about the experience, the feeling of being part of something larger than yourself.”
It’s a shift from performance to participation—from spectators to stakeholders.
The Showroom: A Stage for Risk and Intimacy
Just down the block from the Colonial is The Showroom, a black-box theater designed for smaller events and flexible programming. For Marks, it represents the Colonial’s greatest potential asset—and its most underused resource.
“The Showroom is where we can take risks,” he says. “We can partner with local organizations, try new formats, and cultivate deeper relationships.”
Whether it’s a documentary screening with a post-show panel, a partnership with a local nonprofit, or a small-scale concert with a community artist, The Showroom offers something the main stage can’t: nimbleness.
And with nimbleness comes emotional impact.
“The best feedback we get isn’t, ‘That show was cool.’ It’s, ‘I’m so glad I didn’t miss that.’ That’s when you know you’ve hit something real.”
Crossing the Connecticut: The Invisible Wall
One of the more poignant moments in Keith’s conversation with Jan Ziegler, owner of Freitag Marketing, a New Hampshire marketing agency, came when they discussed the invisible but palpable divide between Keene and the Vermont side of the river.
“I can swim to Putney,” Jan joked. “But for some reason, people just don’t cross the bridge.”
Keith agrees. “There’s so much cultural energy in Brattleboro and Putney. And yet Keene is often left out of that conversation—even though it’s only 20 minutes away. We need to start telling a shared story.”
It’s a regional marketing problem, but also a cultural one. People know Brattleboro as artsy. Keene, despite having a large theater, music venues, festivals, and an incredibly diverse restaurant scene, has yet to fully claim its identity.
That’s part of what Marks is hoping to change.
“Keene deserves to be seen as a cultural hub. We’re doing our part, but we need businesses, nonprofits, artists, and yes—marketers—to help get that story out.”
Building the Future—One Relationship at a Time
In just a few months on the job, Marks has already begun forming alliances across the region. He’s met with Rotary Clubs, chambers of commerce, business owners, schools, and city leaders. He’s hosting brainstorms, collaborating with other venues, and thinking hard about how to make the Colonial financially sustainable for the long term.
He talks not about “audiences,” but “participants.”
“We’re not selling tickets. We’re inviting people to be part of a community.”
And that word—community—keeps coming up. Over and over again.
From programming to fundraising, from marketing to volunteer recruitment, Marks believes everything stems from trust and proximity. “We can’t just parachute in great shows and hope people come,” he says. “We have to build something people feel ownership of.”
What Comes Next?
It’s still early days, but the energy is palpable. The Colonial’s calendar is already more diverse. The Showroom is hosting everything from jazz to spoken word. And collaborations with local groups—from senior centers to youth programs—are in motion.
There’s a quiet optimism humming beneath Keith’s words. A belief that, with the right alignment of people, passion, and storytelling, the Colonial can once again be the heart of Keene—not just for shows, but for everything that brings people together.
“This place shouldn’t exist. But it does. That’s a miracle. And we’re going to make the most of it.”
Want to Be Part of the Story?
This post is brought to you by Freitag Marketing, a New Hampshire marketing agency that believes in the power of community, storytelling, and creativity.
Whether you’re running a nonprofit, a small business, or something in between—we help you show up, stand out, and grow.🎭 Want to market your mission with clarity and heart?
🎯 Let’s talk: freitagmarketing.com
