Production

Two young women sit on a stage, one comforting the other by holding her face. Both wear casual summer outfits. The woman on the right holds yellow flowers, conveying emotions of support and tenderness.

MSU Premieres New Musical, Exploring Caregiving, Resilience, and Mental Health

April 15, 2026

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre invites audiences to experience Dandelion, a 23-song original musical based on a true story that will resonate with families everywhere. Brought to life in just months with limited resources and running April 23-26, 2026, at Studio 60 in the MSU Auditorium, this new musical tells the story of a daughter who longs to leave…

Eight cast members of RA-Holes posed on and around a brown leather couch against a light blue background. Four students stand in the back row while four others sit in front, displaying a range of exaggerated and comedic expressions.

Arts MSU / Faculty / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre

MSU Production Blends Theatre, Digital Storytelling, and TV for Live Studio Audience Experience

March 19, 2026

MSU’s Department of Theatre invites you to step into the excitement of a live sitcom recording where lights blaze, cameras roll, and the laughter is real. This spring, audiences have an opportunity to experience that electric atmosphere firsthand as a WKAR studio becomes the stage for a one-of-a-kind theatrical event. Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience: THIS RA…

A woman in a cream period dress stands under a vibrant blue spotlight center stage with her palms turned upward. To her right is a wooden desk with a small lamp, and to her left is a bed. The background shows a digital projection of historical ledger lines and text.

Alumni / Arts MSU / English / Faculty / Faculty / Michigan Impact / News / Performance / Production

MSU Alum Sandra Seaton Reclaims History and Voice in World Premiere of ‘Sally: A Solo Play’

February 25, 2026

When award-winning playwright and Michigan State University alum Sandra Seaton returned to Wharton Center for Performing Arts for the world premiere of "Sally: A Solo Play," it was both a creative milestone and a homecoming. The production brought Seaton’s 15-year engagement with Sally Hemings to a stage that has long shaped her artistic life — one she calls “a home away from home.”

Two student performers stand on stage beneath a large projection reading, “AI learns through mathematical pattern recognition and optimization of large datasets, while human learning is a biological process shaped by experience, emotions and consciousness.” Blue and purple lighting and stage haze frame the scene, with one performer elevated on a platform and another kneeling nearby, holding a notebook.

Arts MSU / Faculty / Faculty / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre

From Seed to Stage: MSU Department of Theatre Production Draws Inspiration from Historic Beal Experiment

February 9, 2026

Buried beneath Michigan State University’s campus are the seeds of one of the world’s longest continuously monitored scientific experiments — and now, a new production presented by MSU’s Department of Theatre is bringing that history to life. Currently in its 147th year, the William J. Beal Seed Experiment serves as the inspiration for Echoes from the Banks of the Red Cedar, an immersive dance theatre production written, choreographed, and directed by Alexandria Davis, Assistant Professor of Dance.

A group of students sit in rows of chairs, turned toward the camera and smiling during a rehearsal presentation.

Arts MSU / News / Performance / Production / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Department of Theatre Confronts Anger and Fear with ‘Othello’ Production

October 22, 2025

The Michigan State University Department of Theatre presents the William Shakespeare tragedy “Othello” Nov. 7-16, 2025, at the Pasant Theatre in the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Directed by Ji Won Jeon, Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre, this production asks what happens when fear takes control, not just in one man’s life, but in a divided society.

Four actors in matching flight attendant costumes perform on stage. They wear white button-down shirts, navy skirts, blue caps with gold emblems, and red-and-blue scarves. One actor holds an open green book.

Arts MSU / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre

Free Tickets Offered to MSU Students for Department of Theatre Productions

October 16, 2025

Michigan State University students can receive free tickets to the remaining MSU Department of Theatre productions in the 2025-2026 season, "Secrets & Spotlights." To receive a free ticket, students need to show their MSU student ID at the Wharton Center Ticket Office in the days prior to the show or at the ticket booth where the production is being held just prior to the show. One free ticket will be given per student per production.

Stylized illustration of three women in vintage aviation uniforms walking forward with determined expressions. The first two wear matching blue uniforms and hats, while the third, leading the group, wears a red bandana, rolled-up sleeves, and carries a toolbox. A plane flies overhead.

Arts MSU / Lansing-East Lansing Impact / News / Performance / Production / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

New Musical Takes Flight at MSU in Partnership with Department of Theatre and Wharton Center

September 3, 2025

Buckle up for turbulence, tunes, and 1960s hijinks as Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre, in collaboration with Wharton Center, presents “Taking Off!,” a high-flying new musical comedy and this year’s New Musical Laboratory production. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 19-21, 2025, at Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.

A smiling individual with glasses and a navy jacket holds up a binder labeled 'The Book of Mormon Script & Score, North American Tour.' The background shows a city skyline over water at sunset.

Alumni / Arts MSU / News / Performance / Production / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

Theatre Alum Returns to Campus as Part of ‘The Book of Mormon’ North American Tour

June 17, 2025

As a high school student, Kevin T. Mazur sat in the audience at Detroit's Fisher Theatre watching the Broadway tour of “The Book of Mormon” and dreamt of a life on stage, a future in New York, and the possibility of one day joining a company like the one performing that day. Nearly a decade later, he has accomplished all that.

Arts MSU / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Theatre Presents ‘Inching Towards Yeolha,’ the Final Production of 2024-25 Season

April 4, 2025

“Inching Towards Yeolha,” the final production of the 2024-25 season of the Michigan State University Department of Theatre, offers a thought-provoking look at how one individual’s seemingly small rebellion can unveil the complexities of an entire community's way of life. It is a symbolic exploration of freedom, identity, and the cost of challenging deeply rooted customs. This dark, absurd comedy will be presented April 11-19 at the Pasant Theatre in the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.

Arts MSU / News / Performance / Production / Student / Student / Theatre / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

MSU Theatre Presents Historical Drama About Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII

March 17, 2025

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre presents “Decision Height,” a historical drama written by Meredith Dayna Levy about a woman who leaves home to serve her country during World War II as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP). This period piece, with performances scheduled for April 1-5, 2025, at the Studio 60 Theatre in the MSU Auditorium Building, follows a…