Performance

Theatre Students Workshop New Musical at Wharton Center

April 29, 2021

Throughout the Spring 2021 semester, the Michigan State University Department of Theatre Musical Theatre classes focused on workshopping a new musical by composer Joshua Salzman and lyricist Ryan Cunningham and the classes were able to safely meet in-person on the spacious Wharton Center stages. Michael Collins was one of 90 submissions for the Fall 2020 ĭmáGen New Musical Development Workshop. Though not…

Faculty / News / Performance / Programs / Student

Innovative In-Person Theatre Class Amid COVID-19

March 18, 2021

Pre-pandemic, “live and in-person” meant just that. Today, most “live and in-person” events take place via live stream and virtual platforms, which is especially challenging when it comes to education and the arts.

Award / Faculty / News / Performance / Research

Assistant Professor Bradley Willcuts Receives Teacher-Scholar Award

March 12, 2021

In recognition of his outstanding scholarship and teaching, Assistant Professor of Theatre Bradley Willcuts was named a 2021 recipient of Michigan State University’s Teacher-Scholar Award. Assistant Professor Bradley Willcuts Supported by the Office of University Development, Teacher-Scholar Awards recognize faculty who, early in their careers, have earned the respect of students and colleagues for their devotion to and skill in…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Faculty / News / Performance / Production / Student

Theatre Students Develop Anthology of Audio Plays to Evoke Conversations Around Social Justice Issues

March 9, 2021

A group of Michigan State University Department of Theatre students created a series of new audio plays, each connected to themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). All five “Audio Anthology” plays, along with a student-produced documentary short, are now available online at theatre.msu.edu/dei_audio.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / News / Performance / Production / Student

Theatre Student’s Drag Queen Web Series Uses Costume Design to Examine Current Events

March 2, 2021

When the Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s productions for the Fall 2020 semester were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a call went out to all faculty and students for ideas focused on themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion. First-year MFA Design Candidate Zech Saenz, who specializes in costume design, pitched a project addressing the pandemic through the lens of drag queens and comedy. The result is a three-episode web series, called Grads in Drag, which is now available for streaming on-demand.

Faculty / News / Performance / Podcast / Student

MSU Theatre Department Launches First-Ever Actor Warm-Up Podcast

February 25, 2021

In conjunction with Digital Learning Day on February 25, the Michigan State University Department of Theatre MFA Acting cohort will launch a six-season podcast, entitled “The Moment Before: An Actor’s Warm-Up Podcast,” which is the only known podcast focusing on quick and convenient ways for actors to warm-up and prepare for auditions, rehearsals, and performances with each season consisting of…

COVID-19 / Event / News / Performance / Student

MSU Theatre Freshmen Premiere Original Web Series Satire About College During COVID-19

February 9, 2021

The cast of Pandemic'd! rehearsing via Zoom The freshmen class of Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre have created a mockumentary-style web series satire about the experience of starting college during the COVID-19 pandemic. Freshman Showcase: Pandemic’d! will premiere its first two episodes with a Facebook Live Viewing Party on Friday, February 12, at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. While this is the 14th year for the Freshman Showcase, it is the first time…

Alumni / News / Performance / Student

Theatre Design Alum Returns to Mentor Current Students

January 18, 2021

G. “Max” Maxin IV (MFA Design ’12) was scheduled to return to Michigan State University as a guest scenic designer for the Department of Theatre’s production of 9 to 5: The Musical that was slated to open in February 2021, but when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered theatres and most of the department’s productions, the Dolly Parton musical based on the…

COVID-19 / Exhibition / Grant / News / Performance / Student

CREATE! Micro-Grant Project Addresses Societal Impact of COVID-19 Through Dance

January 11, 2021

Jake Gerard Price, junior Arts and Humanities major, received a CREATE! Micro-Grant to create a dance film that addresses the societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CREATE! Micro-Grant program selected 12 student projects, including Price’s, to each receive $500 to respond critically and imaginatively to events occurring during the pandemic. The winning projects are now displayed in a virtual…

COVID-19 / Exhibition / Grant / News / Performance / Podcast / Student

Graduating Senior Makes Film About Social Isolation

December 18, 2020

Marshall Ross, a senior BFA Acting major, received CREATE! Micro-grant funding to support his SOLO* project, a short-film that follows the experience of a young man living on his own during the Michigan stay-at-home order in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Written, directed, filmed, and acted entirely by Ross on his smartphone, the film explores the impact prolonged…