Four Actors from the Stratford Shakespeare Company will be on campus Monday, Oct. 22. Workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, 1 to 3 p.m., and 4 to 6 p.m., in the McArdle Theatre. Schools may attend one of these times. The workshops are appropriate for English and Theatre classes and are free. The actors will lead exercises in exploring the text of various plays.
To attend, contact Professor Roger Held (VPA) at 487-1080 or rheld@mtu.edu .
Auditions are: September 4 and 5, in McArdle Theatre, Walker 207, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm.
We will audition folks on both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Anyone auditioning should plan to stay for the entire time on one of the two evenings.
Auditions will be readings from the scripts of the two plays: The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, and Romancing Horror.
No preparation or experience is necessary to audition, though scripts are available to borrow from the VPA office.
A little information about each production:
The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940
October 25-27, Rozsa Theatre, 7:30 p.m. (Possibly remounting in January for Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival)
A hilarious “who done it” that pokes fun at 1940s movie thrillers and campy musical comedies.
The creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher”) assemble for a backer’s audition of their new show at the Westchester estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with sliding panels, secret passageways and a German maid who is apparently four different people—all of which figure diabolically in the comic mayhem which follows and the “Slasher” unmasked—but not before the audience has been treated to a sidesplitting good time and a generous serving of the author’s biting, satiric when the infamous “Slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again—and again. As the composer, lyricist, actors and director prepare their performance, and a blizzard cuts off any possible retreat, bodies start to drop in plain sight, knives spring out of nowhere, masked figures drag their victims behind swiveling bookcases, and accusing fingers point in all directions. However, and with no thanks to the bumbling police inspector who snowshoes in to investigate, the mystery is solved in the nick of time and refreshingly irreverent wit.
Romancing Horror: the Tales of HP Lovecraft
November 29-30, December 1, McArdle Theatre, 7:30 p.m. (Possibly remounting in January for Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival)
A special performance featuring original sound designs and music.
Growing from the fertile soil of the Romantics and the symbolist poets, HP Lovecraft surpassed his predecessor, EA Poe, in perfecting the classic horror story. Since then every horror film concocted in Hollywood from the subtly and intrigue of Hitchcock to the evil of “Chucky” have followed Lovecraft’s mystery mantra. In the sedate salon of their New England home, Professor Rodney C. Phillips, world authority on horror fiction, and is somewhat eccentric but charming wife, Edith Abigail, conjure theatrical life into Lovecraft’s tales for their friends. Of course, there will be a surprise ending.
The 2012-2013 Arts Marketing Plan will promote the relevance of art at Michigan Tech, focusing on arts as they relate to the Michigan Tech STEM mission. This includes continuing to cross-promote VPA and Rozsa events.
Engineers make great artists make great engineers” is a theme that will appear throughout the campaign. Design elements will focus on da Vinci drawings.
Read more at Michigan Tech News, by Jennifer Donovan.
The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and the Department of Visual and Performing Arts announce their 2012-13 season.
The Department of Visual and Performing Arts will produce five plays, capping the year with a production of “Fiddler on the Roof” in April.
Subscription sales begin the first week of August. Single ticket sales begin the first week of September. To purchase tickets, contact Ticketing Services at 487-2073, or go online at rozsa.tickets.mtu.edu .
Read more at Tech Today, by Bethany Jones.
Assistant Professor Kalen Larson (VPA) is helping to prepare the world premiere of Tennessee Williams’ play, “In Masks Outrageous and Austere,” for its off-Broadway opening in New York.
The play runs from April 23 through May 26.
Award-winning actress Shirley Knight stars, and David Schweitzer directs.
The production includes a video system, 60 LED panels and 11 projectors. Larson is involved in the production process through The Culture Project.
Fights, wit and Shakespeare
The three sword fights in “Twelfth Night” are something Helsel is particularly proud of, as she brought in Zev Steinberg – a “fight coordinator” from Chicago – to work with the cast for two days in the art of stage combat. In rehearsing the fights, 30 seconds of fighting took an hour and a half to stage, according to a press release.
Read more at the Mining Gazette, by Zach Kukkonen.
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Shakespeare’s comic story follows Viola, a young woman who has been shipwrecked in a violent storm off the coast of Illyria; in the process she has lost her twin brother, Sebastian.
The Tech Theatre would like to welcome everyone to come out and see the performance in McArdle Theatre, Thursday – Saturday, March 22-24 & 29-31, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday Matinees, March 25 & April 1, 2:00 p.m.
Read more at the Michigan Tech Lode, by Mandy Barbul-Couch.
TechAlum Newsletter is asking if anyone was in KSO or Concert Choir in 2005. Also, were you in Little Theatre or acted in a production while at Tech? Contact Dennis Walikainen.
Almost, Maine: Nearly Houghton
A young couple has a dalliance under the northern lights and shooting stars. Another woman camps out in someone’s yard, trying to make amends and mend a broken heart. Another couple is splitting up in the Moose Patty Cafe, but they both land on their feet.
Read more at the TechAlum Newsletter, by Dennis Walikainen.
“Almost Maine” enchants audiences
Visually, the set was striking. Nine “mini-sets” were set up across the stage floor. This allows not only a certain parallel feel among scenes of the play—little things happening simultaneously: the writing in a book, the nursing of a drink—but also created the small town aura.
Read more at the Michigan Tech Lode, by Abigail Dillon.
John Cariani play performed at McArdle Theatre
Dr. Roger Held, the Theater Department Chair and director of Almost, Maine, had a number of reasons to choose this particular play. Some productions performed at Michigan Tech are very symbolic and different than our everyday experiences. However the setting, characters, and plot of Almost, Maine have a certain familiarity.
Read more at the Michigan Tech Lode, by Abigail Dillon.
Tech Theatre to Perform “Almost, Maine”
With the solar wind electrifying the night sky, the residents of Almost, Maine experience mysterious, life-changing events, falling in and out of love, and in again, in this poignant and funny exploration of personal epiphany on a deep and snowy midwinter’s night.
Read more at Tech Today, by Bethany Jones.