At the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester, Musical Theatre students in MSU’s Department of Theatre expected to finish the academic year with some intense scene work that would bring together every element of what they had learned. When the university switched to remote learning for the remainder of the semester, the direction of the course began an organic shift, born out…
MSU's Department of Theatre's 2018-2019 Season received 31 nominations for Pulsar Awards and walked away with seven of those awards, the most of any organization. This was the 15th year for the Pulsar Awards, which recognize Lansing area community, professional, and college theatre programs. Earlier this month, Lansing City Pulse announced the nominees for the 2018-2019 awards. And although the number of nominations and awards received by MSU is impressive, they…
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…
One goal of Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre is to “encourage and promote the exchange of ideas, research, and creative production in all aspects of theatre and related fields.” That is exactly what Brad Willcuts, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre and Choreography, achieved this past summer while working on the new musical, Legende Holmes (Sherlock Holmes the Legend), at the prestigious Karlin Music…
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.…
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,…
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…
The final show of the Department of Theatre’s Divergent Voices season promises to rock audiences with an emotional story and incredible score. American Idiot opens Friday, April 13, in the Wharton Center for Performing Arts Pasant Theatre and runs through Sunday, April 22. Directed and Co-Choreographed by Assistant Professor of Theatre Brad Willcuts, this Tony Award-winning musical with Grammy Award-winning music explodes onto the stage as a…
Michigan State University's Department of Theatre announces its new Musical Theatre Touring Company, which will have its premiere at the Friends of Theatre "A Bite of Broadway" gala on Wednesday, May 10, at Wharton Center for Performing Arts. The Musical Theatre Touring Company is a group of elite students from MSU's Musical Theatre immersion program who will take musical theatre performances on the…
Two College of Arts & Letters faculty members recently were awarded 2017 AT&T Awards of Excellence for their outstanding contributions to the use and development of informational technology for teaching and learning at Michigan State University. Assistant Professor of Theatre Brad Willcuts received the Award of Excellence for Best Technology Enhancement for his use of technology in his Dance Techniques…