The Michigan State Univeristy Friends of Theatre invite the public to attend the Friends of Theatre Gala on Tuesday, May 7, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. This annual event, now in its 10th year, supports the programs and activities of MSU Theatre students such as scholarships, artist/educator fellowships, and scholar residencies. Guests will be invited onto the…
The MSU Department of Theatre will present The Bacchae by Euripides in Paul Woodruff’s translation. Directed by David Furumoto, this production, which runs April 12-21 at the Pasant Theatre, explores ancient Greek tragedy fused with classical Asian theatre aesthetics. The Bacchae tells a story of Dionysus, the god of wine. Supported by a Chorus of his followers (the Bacchae), Dionysus takes revenge on his mortal relatives in the…
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle has endeared itself in the hearts of readers for generations. Using Tracy Young’s truthful and supremely theatrical adaptation, MSU’s Department of Theatre takes impossible feats of fiction and brings them to life in bold, imaginative, and thrilling fashion in this theatrical version of the classic novel. The story thrusts three children into peril beyond their years…
Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre presents Oklahoma! February 15-17 and 19-24 at the Fairchild Theater. An American classic and Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration, Oklahoma! boasts a 25-person cast, the Orchesis dance company, and a 16-piece orchestra. In many ways, Oklahoma! is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most innovative collaboration, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. Set in a Western Indian…
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…
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.…
MSU’s Department of Theatre is proud to present its Sexual Politics Series, a unique and timely performance of published and ensemble-created works exploring how theatre, as an art form, has illuminated, illustrated, and even misrepresented issues of discrimination, empowerment, and abuse on several levels.
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…
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…
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.…