Coming soon to a campus near you: a preview of 2017’s theatre & dance season
As usual, the Muhlenberg Theatre Association and the Muhlenberg Dance Association have jumped right into the new semester and are preparing performances that students will definitely not want to miss. Starting as soon as February, students can look forward to Master Choreographers, Listen to Me, and the Comedy Slam festival. On February 9, 10, and 11, Muhlenberg’s dancers will perform in Master Choreographers under the artistic direction of Professor Karen Dearborn. This show will feature ballet, jazz, tap, and contemporary numbers choreographed by acclaimed faculty and guest choreographers. Following this performance will be a Mainstage production of Gertrude Stein’s Listen to Me, directed by Professor James Peck. This play will explore how characters make sense of a world in crisis, and how they attempt to hold onto hope. The last event of February is Comedy Slam, which is an opportunity to attend workshops with professional sketch writers and improvisers. In the past, this was only open to the campus’s sketch and improv groups, but this year there will be a second day of the festival that is open to anyone who would like to learn more about sketch writing or improv. The tentative dates for Comedy Slam are Feb. 25 and 26.
March will be a very busy time for theatre students and theatre lovers! On Mar. 17, 18, and 19, this semester’s Studio Productions will be performed. The Studio Productions include five plays that will be directed by some of our very talented classmates: An American Century directed by Evan Richter, Final Replacement directed by Eve Engel, WASP directed by Drew Maidment, Reverse Transcription: Six Playwrights Bury a Seventh; a Ten Minute Play that’s Nearly 20 Minutes Long directed by Simone Becker, and The Other Room directed by Irene Martinko. Following these plays, Mar. 30 marks the opening night of the Mainstage play Wig Out!, written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, directed by Professor Troy Dywer, and choreographed by Professor Samuel Antonio Reyes. This production, which portrays drag queens and runway battles, as well as challenges the audience to think about what life is really all about, will run until Apr. 2. Finally, Mar. 31 is Pancake Palooza, a fun time to party with Muhlenberg’s amazing a cappella groups and eat pancakes.
Immediately following Pancake Palooza is A Cappella Fest on Apr. 1, an opportunity to see all of the a cappella groups perform, with groups from other colleges and universities as well. During the weekend of Apr. 7, 8, and 9, the Red Door Play Festival will feature plays that will be chosen and directed by students who may be new to directing. On Apr. 19, 20, 21, and 22, Dance Emerge will give our talented student choreographers the opportunity to not only demonstrate their work over the spring semester, but also to make meaningful dances that comment on such topics as society and culture. This performance, under the artistic direction of Professor Randall Anthony Smith, will show off our classmates’ talent as well as provide a thought-provoking experience. Shortly after this performance, The Cherry Orchard will be the last of the MTA’s Mainstage shows, which can be seen on Apr. 26, 27, 28, and 29. This play, written by Anton Chekov and directed by Professor Matthew Moore, deals with the political and social changes in Russia during the early twentieth century, as well as the characters’ nostalgia for a past that can never be reclaimed.
Mulenberg students should support their theatre, dance, performance, and a cappella groups by coming to see these amazing shows! If you want even more opportunities to see some talented classmates, then you are in luck! Performances by the Performance Ensembles and a cappella groups will occur all semester, although many of these shows do not currently have set dates. This semester will offer a great variety of things to be involved in or to see for both participants and supporters of the performing arts.
February 9 -11 Master Choreographers
February 22-26 Listen to Me
February 25-26 Comedy Slam
March 17-19 Studio Productions
March 30-April 2 Wig Out!
March 31 Pancake Palooza
April 1 A Capella Fest
April 7-9 Red Door Play Festival
April 19-22 Dance Emerge
April 26-29 The Cherry Orchard