Theatre Students to Improvise for Freshman Showcase

Join the Department of Theatre’s freshmen class as they take audience suggestions to improvise a new show every time in this year’s Freshman Showcase, which runs Thursday, November 29, to Sunday, December 2, at the MSU Auditorium’s Studio 60 Theatre.  For each performance, the characters, setting, dialogue, music, and lyrics all will be made up on the spot. The performers will improvise short-form…

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‘Men on Boats’ Coming to MSU Auditorium

MSU’s Department of Theatre will perform Jaclyn Backhaus’ Men on Boats November 9-11 and November 13-18 in the Studio 60 Theatre at the MSU Auditorium.  Directed by Associate Professor Ann Folino White, Men on Boats is a story of Major John Wesley Powell and his crew who set off to chart the Green and Colorado Rivers on the first official government-sponsored expedition of the Grand Canyon.…

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Theatre Student Works with Professor on Interactive Musical

Junior Theatre major Jonas Higbee has been researching interactive musicals with Associate Professor Alison Dobbins since his freshman year at Michigan State University. Their research is based around Dance Engine, an ever-evolving artistic project that combines dancing, storytelling, improvisation, and audience interaction to build a single-story timeline. For Dance Engine, all audience members are given tablet computers or, in the most recent version…

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10th Annual Haunted Aud Is ‘Carn-Evil’

MSU’s Department of Theatre has the perfect carnival-themed clown concoction brewing for its 10th annual Haunted Auditorium, which runs October 27, 28, and 31. This year’s production, titled Carn-Evil, will transform the three-story Auditorium into a scary carnival-theme atmosphere with student actors giving visitors a fright at every turn. The production is being led by Rachel Aho, a junior BFA Design major with a…

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ĭmáGen Collaboration Presents ‘One Good Day’

The ĭmáGen collaboration between MSU's Department of Theatre and the Wharton Center Institute for Arts and Creativity presents a staged concert of "One Good Day," a new musical by Rona Siddiqui and Liz Suggs, at the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre Sept. 22-23. Each year since 2014, ĭmáGen selects a new musical to be presented under the guidance of a Broadway-caliber director showcasing Broadway stars.…

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Department of Theatre Announces 2018-2019 Season

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre is “Breaking Down Borders,” the theme of its 2018-2019 season, in which the department will present plays with meaning and celebrate the lack of limitations here at MSU. The season includes nine shows, with each offering its own take on the theme. The season opens Saturday, September 22, with One Good Day and ends on Wednesday, April 24,…

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Summer Circle Theatre Begins June 6

This June, MSU's Department of Theatre, with support from the Friends of Theatre, invites you to a summer of romance under the stars as it kicks off its 58th season of Summer Circle Theatre. This year's collection of plays and musicals will entertain, entice, and make you fall in love.  All Summer Circle Theatre performances are free and open to the public and held in the…

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Theatre Students Collaborate with Local High School to Create Original Play

Camille Thomas, a senior double majoring in Theatre and Arts & Humanities, found a way to combine her interest in social justice with her passion for the arts by working with the East Lansing High School Student Black Union to devise an original social justice theatre piece for the school’s multicultural festival. After working with East Lansing High School for…

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Annual Friends of Theatre Gala to Feature ‘Farm! A Musical Experience’

Join the Friends of Theatre at Michigan State University for the ninth annual Friends of Theatre Gala supporting programs and activities for MSU Theatre students. The Gala is scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Wharton Center for the Performing Arts on the Cobb Great Hall stage. Tickets are available in advance for $75 per person ($20 tax-deductible) at theatre.msu.edu. Gala guests…

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