MSU Department of Theatre students have the opportunity of learning from and working with top Broadway performers and an internationally acclaimed director as part of the ĭmáGen 2016 production.
A unique educational collaboration between the MSU Federal Credit Union Institute for Arts & Creativity at Wharton Center and MSU’s Department of Theatre, ĭmáGen annually brings together, on the same stage, MSU music theatre and dance students, Broadway performers, and local high school and middle school students.
“ĭmáGen is such a great program for everyone involved — from the MSU and high school and middle school students to the Broadway performers,” said MSU Department of Theatre Chair Kirk Domer. “There are so many opportunities for creative collaboration. It’s simply amazing!”
This year, they are collaborating on Temple – A Staged Concert Reading, based on the life of the visionary, inventor, best-selling author, animal science professor, and autism activist Temple Grandin.
Grandin is widely celebrated as one of the first individuals on the autism spectrum to publicly share insights from her personal experience of autism. She is the inventor of the “hug box,” a device to calm those on the autism spectrum, and she was listed on the 2010 Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Grandin was named in the “Heroes” category.
“This program is about creating a well-rounded, extremely creative human being who can ask great questions, solve problems, and do all of the things that the arts can instill really well,” said Bert Goldstein, Director of the MSUFCU Institute for Arts & Creativity at Wharton Center.
The ĭmáGen 2016 production involves three weeks of rehearsal with three performances of this work-in-progress, including a sensory-friendly performance. Gabriel Barre (Amazing Grace) is the director.
Performances take place at the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre and are scheduled for
- Friday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, October 22, at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Saturday matinee performance will be sensory-friendly, meaning it will be modified for audience members with sensory input disorders, ASD, or other differences.
Tickets are available at the official source to purchase Wharton Center tickets online, whartoncenter.com, at the Auto-Owners Insurance Ticket Office, or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.
Read more about Temple at broadwayworld.com
