Michigan State University Department of Theatre

P/A is opening soon, in Studio 60 Theatre, at the MSU Auditorium!

P/A, part of MSU’s storefront series, is a protest performance that draws inspiration from the theme of women’s suffrage. P/A will challenge the artists and audience to confront their preconceived notions of gender roles and expectations.

Come see this newly devised piece, from September 24-29th, directed by Alexandria Davis. Tickets are available at whartoncenter.com

Michigan State University Department of Theatre Presents Inherit the Wind.

Darwins theory of evolution vs. ideology. Which will win? Come see this lively courtroom drama based on the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial to find out. Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and Directed by Rob Roznowski, this play will make audiences consider the age-old question of where to draw the line between church and state.

You don't want to miss this one! Get tickets now at whartoncenter.com and see Inherit the Wind in the Arena Theatre October 4th-13th!

Michigan State University Presents P/A!

Directed and devised by Alexandria Davis, this theater piece centers around women's suffrage and a woman's right to her body. This protest performance challenges both the artists and audience to confront preconceived notions about gender roles and expectations. This is a performance you don't want to miss! P/A performs in Studio 60 from September 24th-29th. Tickets are available now at whartoncenter.com!

Michigan State University Department of Theater and Wharton Center Co-Present In Pieces! This new musical written by Joey Contreras is coming to Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre on September 19th, 21st, and 22nd. For more information go to Whartoncenter.com or click on the link in our bio. Get excited for the Departments first show of the year!

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EL STUCKER

Continuing our introduction the MSU Department of Theatre MFA CLASS OF 2027, please help us to welcome El!

Elizabeth (El) Stucker comes to Michigan State University from the undergraduate program of South Dakota State University. During their undergraduate in South Dakota, El studied Theatre and Performing Arts Administration. While attending MSU El will have a focus in Costume Design Studies! They look forward to the new journey ahead through Grad School. In their free time El enjoys crafting, watching horror movies, and spending time with her friends and partner. www.elizabethstucker.com
Instagram: el_stuck

KAREN THERESE LAW

Continuing our introduction the MSU Department of Theatre MFA CLASS OF 2027, please help us to welcome Karen!

Born in Portland, Oregon, Karen is an inquisitive individual who spends her time pursuing various expressions of creativity. Her training began in the realm of musical theatre and some of her favorite opportunities have been The Sound of Music and The King and I. Being passionate about giving voice to her characters, has led Karen into investigating a variety of methodologies including Laban, Linklater, and Alexander. Most recently she has become curious about Knight-Thompson speech work and Fitzmaurice. She is currently a company member of Towne Street Theatre in Los Angeles.

Hard to believe we've already reached the final week of Summer Circle Theatre! THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) [REVISED] [AGAIN] opens Thursday and runs June 20 - 23. See you at the Circle!
https://theatre.msu.edu/sct-2/

MSU College of Arts & Letters
Michigan State University
Michigan State University Friends of Theatre

Thank you to WLNS-TV and Tessa Kresch! One more performance of “Digging Up Dessa” today at 4p. Summer Circle Theatre continues until June 23. Full info at theatre.msu.edu/sct

Summer Circle begins series of outdoor performances Organizers say the free performances help remove the financial barrier for the arts.

CHAMANG YANG

After over 700+ auditions coast-to-coast, we continue to introduce the MFA CLASS OF 2027!

Chamang is from Fresno, California where he currently resides. Yang received his BA in Theatre Arts - Acting at CSU Fresno. Yang has been performing in and around the Central Valley of California since graduating from college. He has performed in She Kills Monster (Miles) at the Selma Arts Center, Body Maps with Tim Miller at Fresno City College, and in Much Ado About Nothing (Dogberry) at the Woodward Shakespeare Festival. Yang is also a founding member of the ARTsonists, a theater group consisting of Hmong artists from the Fresno area. Their most recent performances was Hib Hib (pronounced “Hee Hee”) a Sketch Comedy/ Improv Show. Yang’s hobbies include working out, playing video games, cooking, drawing, and going to events(mostly night markets) in Fresno.

NICK TORRES

After over 700+ auditions coast-to-coast, we continue to introduce the MFA CLASS OF 2027!

Originally from Columbia, MD, Nick now lives in Charleston, SC. While serving in the Navy for the past nine years, he completed a BS in Nuclear Engineering Technology and after working in the Charleston theatre scene, found his way to MSU’s MFA program thanks to the support of his mentors, family, and friends. He has performed at the Queenstreet Playhouse (Ensemble in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eddie in Andrew Lippa’s Wild Party, and Officer Barrel in Urinetown), and with the Flowertown Players (Howard in Moon Over Buffalo, Jacob in Boundless). Nick loves board games, dancing, a lazy morning with coffee, and dog agility training.

SHELBY PARKER

After over 700+ auditions coast-to-coast, we continue to introduce the MFA CLASS OF 2027!

Originally from Fort Worth, TX, Shelby holds a BA in Theatre & Performance and a BFA in Film Production from Oklahoma City University. Recent credits include Last Day in Paradise at Neighborhood Theatre Group, adaptations of Frindle and Dork Diaries at Eastern Michigan University, and the Global Play Project at Spinning Dot Theatre. Shelby has worked as an educator in preschool and elementary settings, bringing theatre and drama into the classroom wherever she goes. Shelby currently lives in Brighton, MI with her partner, Olivia, and her pet ball python Udon.

ALEXIS MENDEZ

After over 700+ auditions coast-to-coast, we continue to introduce the MFA CLASS OF 2027!

Alexis Mendez is a Mexican actor originally from the town of Coatepec, Veracruz. Alexis received his BA in Theatre Performance and Musical Theatre from Marymount Manhattan College. Alexis has performed as an actor and singer at New York venues such as Lincoln Center, The York Theatre Company and The Edison Ballroom. His favorite theater credits include: John Merrick in The Elephant Man, David in El Frasco and The Old Man in Electra. He is also a founding member of the Lucky Rat Artist Collective. A community of New York Artists keeping art alive during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alexis also loves film and he has written and acted on two short films in New York, Isochrona and Inner; he looks forward to continuing collaborating and creating art that has a positive impact on society.

Summer Circle Theatre officially kicks off next Thursday with DIGGING UP DESSA by Laura Schellhardt.

Dessa is a 21st-century girl with no shortage of struggles, secrets and mysteries to solve. From dinosaur bones to hidden memories, the world is filled with buried treasures just waiting to be uncovered. Luckily, thanks to the mysterious appearance of a remarkable friend—the pioneering 19th-century English paleontologist Mary Anning—young Dessa knows just how to excavate them! After a field trip to a museum reveals that Mary Anning’s legacy has been buried by history because of her gender and lack of formal education, Dessa decides that she’s going to fight to earn her friend the credit she deserves. With help from her once-rival, Nilo, Dessa sets to work unearthing the secrets hidden beneath the surface of the past and present—for Mary’s history and her own future. For All Ages. Please Note: This production contains themes related to the death of a parent.

The first 100 future paleontologists (kids!) to attend “Digging Up Dessa” will receive a free dinosaur egg to excavate!

Directed by Dionne O’Dell
June 6, 7, 8 at 7PM & June 9 at 4PM

BONUS KID-FRIENDLY ENTERTAINMENT:
Post-Show Thursday, June 6 – SCT Cabaret: An Evening of Broadway (sing along to some favorite showtunes!)
Post-Show Friday, June 7 – After School Special Improv Team
Post-Show Saturday, June 8 – After School Special Improv Team
Pre-Show 3PM Sunday, June 9 – Greater Lansing Ballet Company

All Summer Circle Theatre productions are FREE and open to the general public.
For complete details visit: theatre.msu.edu/sct

ANDREW KELLER

After over 700+ auditions coast-to-coast, we continue to introduce the MFA CLASS OF 2027!

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Andrew now hails from Cleveland. He received a BA in Acting/Directing from Baldwin Wallace University, and he has worked as an actor and director around the Cleveland area for the last nine years. Favorite recent credits include Ada and the Engine (Lord Lovelace) at the Clague Playhouse, One Man, Two Guvnors (Alan) at Blank Canvas Theatre, and Into the Woods (The Baker) at Broadview Heights Spotlights. Recent directing credits include Our Town at Broadview Heights Spotlights as well as two summers at Sandstone Summer Theatre, working with younger actors in an educational theatre environment. There he directed productions of Grease as well as Beauty and the Beast. Andrew has a great love of history, music, and trivia; he has hosted a monthly trivia night at a local Cleveland restaurant for the last year.

After 700+ auditions from coast to coast, we’re proud to present the MFA Acting Class of 2027. Each member of this cohort was chosen for their skills and potential as actors and educators. We’re excited to welcome them to our Spartan arts community! We'll be introducing them one by one over the next few days, in alphabetical order.

MATT DURLAND
Matt comes from Essex, Connecticut where there are exciting things such as cows, trees, and hills! He holds a B.F.A. in Theatre from Central Connecticut State University. Some of his favorite theatre credits include Tranio in Taming of the Shrew with Valley Shakespeare Festival, Claude in Hair, Chip in 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cooper in Island Song and Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. Matt has directed productions such as Freaky Friday, Contractions, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Rock of Ages. His music direction credits include work on The Prom, Sister Act, Cabaret, A Funny Thing...Forum, 13, Leader of the Pack and A Chorus Line. Matt and his black lab Dexter are very excited to explore Michigan and see a lake or two!

Announcing our 62nd Season of FREE Summer Circle Theatre for all!

Summer Circle Theatre Announces New Artistic Director and FREE Shows for 62nd Season The Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s 2024 Summer Circle Theatre (SCT) is preparing for its 62nd season offering FREE outdoor performances for all ages. Shows run June 6-23 at the courtyard between the Auditorium Building and Kresge Art Center on MSU’s campus. This season, Summer...

The Dean’s Arts Advisory Council in the College of Arts & Letters is now accepting proposals for the 2024 CREATE! Microgrant program, in which seven winning proposals will be awarded $500 microgrants to create artworks that respond critically and imaginatively to the challenges of our contemporary moment.

Open to all Michigan State University undergraduate students who will remain enrolled at MSU during the Fall 2024 semester, the proposal submission deadline is June 7, 2024. Click to learn more!

Proposals Now Being Accepted for 2024 CREATE! Microgrant Program The Dean’s Arts Advisory Council in the College of Arts & Letters is now accepting proposals for the 2024 CREATE! Microgrant program, in which seven winning proposals will be awarded $500 microgrants to create artworks that respond critically and imaginatively…

Feeling Spartan Pride for Meleah Acuff, BFA in Acting for Stage, Screen, and New Media and a minor in Musical Theater, for being awarded the Louis B. Sudler Prize, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the performing and creative arts, including fine arts, music, creative writing, theatre, and electronic/photographic arts.

Throughout her academic journey, Meleah demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication to her craft, leaving a lasting impact on both her peers and the broader community!

The College of Arts & Letters awarded the Louis B. Sudler Prize to seniors Meleah Acuff, Jasmine Brocks-Matthews, and Doug Mains. This award recognizes outstanding achievement in the performing and creative arts. Learn more about each student and their achievements: https://cal.msu.edu/news/three-graduating-seniors-honored-as-louis-b-sudler-prize-winners/

Tooting our horns for Zhanna Yakubova!! 🥳 Double major in Acting and Linguistics, last summer she completed an internship in Buenos Aires and this summer is participating in the "British Theatre in London" study abroad program!! 🤩 MSU College of Arts & Letters

Theatre and Linguistics Major Gains Broader Global Experience with Internship Abroad Fluent in both Russian and English, Zhanna Yakubova, who was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, decided to learn Spanish too and began taking classes in high school when she moved to the United States six years ago. Now a senior at Michigan State University, Yakubova is double majoring in Linguistic...

This is how you graduate with a BFA in Stage Management!! 💚🤍

Theatre Spartan Class of '85 Greg Checketts will deliver the Alumni Address at the 2024 MSU College of Arts & Letters Spring Commencement Ceremony!!

Theatre Alum and 20-Year Artist for ‘The Simpsons’ Chosen as Commencement Speaker for the College Few television shows have left as indelible a mark on popular culture as The Simpsons, which is the longest running animated series, longest running sitcom, and longest scripted primetime series in the history of American television.Behind the scenes of this…

Head on down to Chelsea, MI and the Purple Rose Theatre Company to see Assistant Professor of Media Acting Ryan Welsh, starring in "The Antichrist Cometh" by David MacGregor!

The production's Intimacy Director was none other than Assistant Professor of Movement Acting, Alexis Black! 💚🤍💚 Go Green!

The Antichrist Cometh The Purple Rose Theatre Presents:THE ANTICHRIST COMETHa world premiere play by David MacGregordirected by Rhiannon RaglandMarch 22 - May 25, 2024PurpleRoseTh...