Post published:October 7, 2021

MSU Department of Theatre Returns to Full-Scale Productions

Image is broken into three parts. A vertical photo of a smiling man in a suit is on the left side, while two horizontal photos of two different couples are on top of one another on the right. — Cast of *A Contemporary American’s Guide to a Successful Marriage*

Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre returns to full-scale performances this month with its first mainstage production, A Contemporary American’s Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959 by Robert Bastron. Performances run October 15-24 at the Pasant Theatre in the Wharton Center for Performing Arts. Attendees must be masked for the health and safety of our students.

Set against the backdrop of the late 1950s and told in the style of the social guidance films of that era, this satirical comedy compares the joys of marriage promised in popular culture to the reality of shattered marital myths.

“The play follows two young couples from courtship to marriage and explores the complications of how gendered roles impact married life,” said Director Rob Roznowski. “It is set in a time when the nation was returning from World War II and ‘The American Dream’ seemed in reach. History looks back on this time with the fondness of how Americans ‘should’ be living. Many still believe in this myth, despite it being a homogenous, patriarchal, homophobic, and white reality.”

Image is broken into three vertical photos of the same man. On the left, his expression is serious. In the middle, he is smiling. On the right, he is looking away. — Christopher Eastland, who plays the Narrator in the production.

Scenic Designer Kasee Arnett (MFA Design) says the concept that anyone can live an idyllic life by following the propagandized rules of social norms extends into the various design elements of the show.

“The set incorporates blueprints from actual homes built in the 1950s because I wanted to emphasize the premise of peeling away the illusion of marital bliss and exposing the reality of marriage,” Arnett said.

The set incorporates blueprints from actual homes built in the 1950s because I wanted to emphasize the premise of peeling away the illusion of marital bliss and exposing the reality of marriage.
Kasee Arnett, Scenic Designer and MFA Design student

Following the performance on Thursday, October 21, the audience is invited to join Patrick Arnold, Advisor for the MSU Center on Gender in Global Context, for a post-show discussion.

Tickets for A Contemporary American’s Guide to a Successful Marriage © 1959 are $23.50 for general admission, $21.50 for MSU faculty/staff and seniors, and $13.50 for students. Tickets are available online at whartoncenter.com, at the Wharton Center box office, or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.