Set in Seattle at the turn of the 21st century, “10 Things I Hate About You” follows a group of soon-to-be high school graduates as they navigate dating, relationships and the pervasive ‘paid/dared to date the freak’ trope.
Olivia Dubach, a fourth-year public relations student, grew up watching the film.
“It’s such a good movie and it’ll always be a classic,” Dubach said.
Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona, angsty protagonists, are not unlike the students in ComStrat 485, who are nearing the end of their college careers as end-of-semester graduates.
In a PR student’s final semester, they must work with a small class to organize and advertise an event in conjunction with a local business. The Kenworthy Theater is a Moscow institution and has worked with ComStrat 485 in the past. Students are tasked with selecting a business, pitching to the owner and advertising to the community. This year, they decided on a partnership with Kenworthy and the promotion of a “10 Things I Hate About You” showing.
Reece Pitcher, a fourth-year Public Relations student and member of the community relations team, was responsible for the press and other promotional materials.
“The experiential learning element of it is super valuable because it’s just a chance to get actual experience. I don’t think a lot of universities prioritize that as much as WSU and the Murrow College,” Pitcher said.
Relationships between the consumer and the brand are essential in small towns like Pullman and Moscow, Pitcher said.
“It’s been fun to work with businesses that already have an established identity in the community. I have shopped at Storm Cellar and Revolver the entire time I’ve lived here. I think in a smaller community, you can see your impact more,” Pitcher said.
In order to expand the public reach of the event, Dubach’s role in the class was to find local sponsors.
“Because the Kenworthy is a nonprofit, we wanted to go out into the Pullman-Moscow community to get just some funding for the organization and the event,” Dubach said.
By partnering with Moscow thrift and vintage stores Revolver and The Storm Cellar, moviegoers will have the opportunity to dress in the fashions of their favorite characters from the movie.
Pitcher and Dubach hope that the queue outside the Kenworthy looks like a gathering of Padua High students, clad in vintage, whimsical garb befitting of the campy Shakespeare adaptation.
“People our age are nostalgic for that era,” Pitcher said. “The older demographic who attend Kenworthy, they remember that time, they were there, they saw the movie, they have the clothes. We wanted to bring them back to that and get them to tap into that.”
Before the event, future moviegoers are welcome to shop at both stores for the chance to win two free Kenworthy movie tickets in a raffle. If the weather permits, Pitcher said, there will be opportunities to costume oneself last minute.
“There’s going to be some level of shopping beforehand, whether there are racks or bins at the Kenworthy,” Pitcher said.
After a semester of hard work, ComStrat 485 students will see their work pay off this Sunday, Nov. 16. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their finest 90s and Y2K fashions, sourced from local vintage stores, the Storm Cellar and Revolver. Tickets are $8 and the event is open to all ages. The movie will start at 7 p.m.
Tickets are for sale online at https://www.kenworthy.org/events-calendar/10-things-i-hate-about-you/.
