festival playhouse

Festival Playhouse to Amplify Women’s Voices in 56th Season

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Kalamazoo College’s Festival Playhouse will celebrate its 56th season by honoring a tradition of empowering women through a community of theatre.

Festival Playhouse cMUMMA Twelfth Night
The Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College produced “Twelfth Night” last spring in its 55th season addressing assumption and confusion. Its 56th season will amplify women’s voices with Spitfire Grill, Silent Sky and Water by the Spoonful.

Under a theme of “HERstory: Forgotten Female Figures,” the three main stage plays will provide a realistic and meaningful look at women whose voices aren’t always heard—let alone amplified—and will reflect the work the Playhouse strives to accomplish offstage.

In the fall production of the musical Spitfire Grill by Fred Alley and James Valcq, parolee Percy Talbott tries to forge a new place for herself in the small town of Gilead, Wisconsin, as she combats town gossip, mostly about herself. In addition to female empowerment, the production’s themes include redemption, the economic problems of small towns, and the plight of Vietnam War veterans. The show will run Nov. 7-10.

Silent opens in the darkest months when the stars are brightest and runs Feb. 27-March 1. The play by Lauren Gunderson honors astronomer Henrietta Leavitt for the discoveries she made without recognition in her lifetime. In 1900, she has the opportunity to work at Harvard College Observatory, but is denied he opportunities of her male counterparts. Regardless, she enthusiastically begins tracking changes in Cepheid stars, leading to scientific discoveries that have long-term implications in the field of astronomy.

The season will conclude May 14-17 with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The play follows Odessa Ortiz, who uses the screen name Haikumom to moderate a chat room that ministers to those struggling with addiction as her own family life falls apart.

All three shows will be produced at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and older, and $5 for students in the general public. Tickets are free to patrons who present a Kalamazoo College ID. Tickets will be available  beginning Sept. 16 at festivalplayhouse.ludus.com or by calling the box office at 269.337.7333.

Visit the Festival Playhouse website for more information on the upcoming theatre season and additional student productions.

Festival Playhouse to Stage “Student Body”

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The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse’s 55th season, featuring the theme of Assumption and Confusion, continues this week with the powerful play Student Body.

Student Body Rehearsal
Kalamazoo College students rehearse for Student Body, which runs Thursday, Feb. 21-Sunday, Feb. 24, at the Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse.

Written by Frank Winters and directed by Visiting Theatre Arts Assistant Professor Bianca Washington, the play approaches complicated ethical questions when a college student wakes up after a party in her parents’ house and finds a video on her camera of a sexual encounter. The woman in the video might or might not be unconscious as others watch, leading the 10 characters, consisting of seven women and three men, to debate whether a sexual assault has occurred and who they should tell about it.

“The setting is written to be a university in the middle of nowhere, but the director made a bold decision to place it at K,” said Ynika Yuag ’21, who noted that some of the characters will wear Kalamazoo College apparel.

In her role as a dramaturg, Yuag is responsible for working with the director on background research and how current events and perspectives might inform or shape the production. “K isn’t exactly the middle of nowhere,” she said, “but the campus is small enough that we all get to know each other, which really makes [the production] personal. The more I work on it, the more I realize how it fits the theme of Assumption and Confusion.”

The performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 through Saturday, Feb. 23, with a 2 p.m. showing on Sunday, Feb. 24. Yuag said a lobby display with interactive elements will allow audience members to engage with ideas related to the play through proxy stations before and after the show. Plus, there will be talkback sessions featuring facilitators and cast members after each show. The scheduled facilitators include:

Be advised, there is strong language and a graphic discussion of sexual violence in the show.

Tickets for all four shows at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse are available by visiting festivalplayhouse.ludus.com or by calling 269.337.7333. Adults are $15, seniors are $10 and students are $5 with an ID. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their College IDs.

Learn more about Student Body at reason.kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.

Senior Performance Series Runs Through Sunday

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Kalamazoo College students are continuing the tradition of directing and performing in their own thought-provoking theater productions this week through the Festival Playhouse’s Senior Performance Series.

Senior Performance Series
Senior Performance Series shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14-Saturday, Feb. 16, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17.

This year’s Senior Performance Series shows are:

  • The Exception and the Rule, directed by Mitch Herr ’19; and
  • Realm of the Dead, written by Hunter Himelhoch ’19 and directed by Louise Thomas ’19.

The Exception and the Rule is about a merchant who rushes to Sacramento seeking wealth only to encounter self-imposed difficulties. The characters represent different areas of socioeconomic power and demonstrate problems inherent in a capitalist society.

“As a political science and theatre arts double major, getting to stage a play by Bertolt Brecht, one of the most prominent political theatre practitioners, is a huge honor and lesson,” Herr said. “The experimental nature of this play is still unusual in today’s theatre, even though he crafted [the play] in 1930.”

“Realm of the Dead” explores figures from Yiddish folklore, specifically Lilith and the Angel of Death, and their relationships to each other, humanity and a Jewish girl named Rebecca.

“I’ve spent about a year working on it and I’m really glad that it is being produced at K since it has given me the chance to fine-tune the show,” Himelhoch said. “It’s been very interesting to hear the actors’ interpretations of the script because they have greatly influenced this new version. I can’t wait for the audience to see it and I hope that they will enjoy the experience as much as I have.”

The shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 16, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Dungeon Theatre. General admission tickets will be available at the door. They’re free for Kalamazoo College students and employees with a College ID and $5 for the public.

For more information, visit http://reason.kzoo.edu/theatre/festival/.

Political Tale ‘It Can’t Happen Here’ Continues Through Sunday

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Political Tale It Can't Happen Here
“It Can’t Happen Here” is the political tale based on Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 satire of what could happen if Fascism spreads to the United States. Photo provided by Andy Krieger.

A political tale timely for the upcoming elections is the featured fall production for the Festival Playhouse at Kalamazoo College.

Political Tale It Can't Happen Here Festival Playhouse
The cast of “It Can’t Happen Here” rehearses for the political tale which opens Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Festival Playhouse.

“It Can’t Happen Here” is based on Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 satire of what could happen if Fascism spreads to the United States. The stage adaptation focuses on political candidate Buzz Windrip, who no one takes seriously until he promises to return America to greatness and prosperity.

After Windrip wins the presidency, his administration devolves into confusion and danger. Journalist Doremus Jessup explores themes of the responsibility and freedom of the American news media. Please be aware the production includes mature content.

The play, directed by guest artist Marissa Harrington, is a Michigan premiere and continues through Sunday. It follows the theme of Assumption and Confusion, highlighting the gap between what seems to happen and what really happens.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a College ID. Public tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and older and $5 for students. Reserve your tickets at festivalplayhouse.ludus.com.

For more information on other shows this season and the Festival Playhouse itself, visit its website at reason.kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.

Festival Playhouse 55th Season Tackles Assumption, Confusion

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The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse 55th season features the theme of Assumption and Confusion, highlighting the gap between what seems to happen and what really happens.

Festival Playhouse 55th Season cMUMMA THTR. Intimate Apparel 0251
The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse features three professionally directed plays each academic year. “Intimate Apparel” concluded its 54th season. The 55th season will begin with “It Can’t Happen Here.”

The fall production, “It Can’t Happen Here,” Nov. 1-4 will be a Michigan premiere. The story is a cautionary political tale based on Sinclair Lewis’ 1935 satire of what could happen if Fascism spreads to the United States. The stage adaptation focuses on political candidate Buzz Windrip, who no one takes seriously until he promises to return America to greatness and prosperity. After he wins the presidency, his administration devolves into confusion and danger.

“Student Body,” written by Frank Winters and directed by guest artist Bianca Washington, will run Feb. 21-24, 2019. Ten college students discuss what to do when they find a video of a sexual encounter recorded at a party. They debate whether it shows a sexual assault, who they should tell about it, and their responsibilities of reporting it.

William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night or What You Will” is scheduled for May 16-19, 2019. The production, directed by Theatre Arts Professor Karen Berthel, is known as one of Shakespeare’s most provocative and complex examinations of love and gender identity. Viola, disguised as a man, woos Olivia on Orsino’s behalf. However, Olivia falls in love with Viola’s male identity, who in turn longs to be with Orsino.

All three shows will be performed at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and older, and $5 for students in the general public. Tickets are free to patrons who present a Kalamazoo College ID. As they go on sale, tickets will be available at festivalplayhouse.ludus.com or by calling the box office at 269-337-7333.

Visit the Festival Playhouse’s website for more information on the upcoming theater season and additional student productions.

Festival Playhouse Stages ‘Intimate Apparel’

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Intimate Apparel
Actors rehearse for “Intimate Apparel,” which runs through Sunday at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St. The play is set in a New York boardinghouse in the early 1900s.
Intimate Apparel
“Intimate Apparel,” which runs through Sunday at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St., won the 2004 New York Drama Circle and Outer Critic Circle awards.

The Kalamazoo College Festival Playhouse will present its final production of the academic year, “Intimate Apparel,” May 17-20 at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St.

The play – which addresses race, love and dreams – is set in a New York City boardinghouse in the early 1900s. It concerns Esther, a young African-American woman who pursues her ambition of becoming a seamstress. Esther falls in love with Mr. Marks, a white Jewish fabric seller, although she agrees to marry George, a Caribbean man with whom she corresponds under false pretenses. The play will be directed by Karen Berthel.

“Intimate Apparel” is written by Lynn Nottage, an associate professor of theatre at Columbia University, whose plays often discuss the lives of women of African descent. She is acclaimed as one of the most poetic and honored of contemporary American playwrights, and “Intimate Apparel” – the winner of the 2004 New York Drama Circle and Outer Critic Circle awards – is widely considered to be her most moving and thoughtful play.

Intimate Apparel
“Intimate Apparel” – the winner of the 2004 New York Drama Circle and Outer Critic Circle awards – is widely considered to be Lynn Nottage’s most moving and thoughtful play.
Intimate Apparel
“Intimate Apparel” focuses on Esther, who falls in love with Mr. Marks, a Jewish fabric seller, although she agrees to marry George, a Caribbean man with whom she corresponds under false pretenses.

Tickets, all of which are general admission, are free with a Kalamazoo College ID. Other student tickets are $5, senior tickets are $10 and adult tickets are $15. The May 17-19 shows will be at 7:30 p.m. The May 20 show will be at 2 p.m. A talkback with cast members will take place after the May 17 performance.

Call 269-337-7333 or visit festivalplayhouse.ludus.com to reserve tickets today. Tickets also will be available at the door one hour before each show.

‘Fun Home’ Invited to Kennedy Center Festival

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The Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College production of the Tony award-winning musical “Fun Home” will be presented at the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) in Indianapolis in January, preceded by an encore performance at the College’s Dalton Theatre.

Fun Home at Kennedy Center Festival cMUMMA 2017 2
The Festival Playhouse cast of “Fun Home” will have a special fundraising performance of the play Jan. 8 at Dalton Theatre to support its trip to the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) in Indianapolis.

In November, K staged the college premiere of the musical, based on a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel and co-written for the stage by Jennifer Tesori and Lisa Kron ’83. The Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Musical of 2015; Kron and Tesori shared a Tony for Best Original Score; and Kron won for Best Book of a Musical.

A panel of college and university theater professors from around the Midwest chose the Kalamazoo College production of  “Fun Home” as one of seven from a list of 21 in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin that it considered for invitations to the festival. Ed Menta, the Kalamazoo College James A. B. Stone professor of theatre arts, called it a great – and rare – honor.

“This is only the fourth time in my 32 years at K that we’ve been invited to perform at this festival,” said Menta, adding that three of those plays were written by two alums: Kron and Joe Tracz ’04, whose “Allison Shields” was invited in 2011 and “Phenomenon of Decline” in 2006. Kron herself acted in a prior invitee, “El Grande de Coca Cola,” in 1984.

“We’re honored, thrilled and proud, especially on behalf of our students,” said Menta.

Adding to the honor, he said, KCACTF chose “Fun Home” to be the closing presentation of the festival, with performances at 1:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018, at the University of Indianapolis’ Ransburg Auditorium.

Though the play – a compelling portrait of a lesbian woman’s relationship with her gay, closeted father – was challenging to stage, “All of our students rose to the occasion,” said Menta, adding that he hopes the exposure the musical receives at the festival will encourage other colleges to produce it.

College troupes that perform at the festival must cover their travel expenses, and to defray the cost, the 45-member cast and crew of “Fun Home” will present a fundraising performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 8, at Dalton Theatre, with tickets available to the public at a suggested donation of $15 each.

For reservations, please visit https://festivalplayhouse.ludus.com/index.php.

 

 

Festival Playhouse Stages ‘Fun Home’

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“Fun Home,” a Tony Award-winning musical adapted for the stage by Kalamazoo College alumna Lisa Kron ’83 and Jeanine Tesori from a best-selling graphic memoir of the same name, will be the Festival Playhouse’s first production of its 54th season.

Fun Home actors rehearse ahead of premiere
The musical has earned Tony awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, as well as the N.Y. Drama Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, The Outer Critics Circle Award and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award.

K is the first college in the nation to present “Fun Home” and organizers expect each performance to sell out. The shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2-4 and 2 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St., at the north end of the Light Fine Arts Building.

“Fun Home” tracks Alison Bechdel, a middle-aged cartoonist. Writing her memoir in the present, Alison actively combs her past, including life as a 10-year-old as well as a first-year college student, when she came out as a lesbian. She particularly struggles to piece together a truer version of her father, Bruce, who was in the closet, and his suicide.

The musical has earned Tony awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, as well as the N.Y. Drama Critics Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, The Outer Critics Circle Award and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award. It also was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

A recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as numerous other grants, Kron teaches playwriting at Yale and also continues to work as an actress to great acclaim, most recently in the La MaMa production of Brecht’s “The Good Person of Szechwan.”

Tickets for all four shows are available by visiting festivalplayhouse.ludus.com/index.php or by calling 269-337-7333.

Adults are $15, seniors are $10 and students are $5 with an ID. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their school ID.

This season’s Festival Playhouse theme is “Theatre and Making New Families,” reflecting stories of characters searching to make sense of their family’s past or trying to create a new vision of family all together. Learn more about “Fun Home” and the upcoming theatre season at reason.kzoo.edu/festivalplayhouse.

Students Welcome to Audition for ‘Fun Home’

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Students are welcome to try out for “Fun Home,” a Tony-award winning musical that will be the first Festival Playhouse production of the year.

Fun Home Auditions at Festival Playhouse
Festival Playhouse will conduct auditions for “Fun Home” from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, and Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Auditions are scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, and Wednesday, Sept. 13. Callbacks are Thursday, Sept. 14.

Find more information on what to expect with auditioning and the upcoming rehearsals at our Theatre Arts website.

Festival Playhouse to Present ‘In the Heights’

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The Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College will present “In the Heights,” its final production of the academic year, from May 11-14 at the Nelda K. Balch Playhouse, 129 Thompson St., in Kalamazoo. The musical, written by “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, maintains the season’s theme, “Broadway Firsts: Stories of ‘Outsider’ Cultural Landmarks in American Theatre.”

In the Heights
The cast of “In The Heights” celebrates as they sing “Carnaval Del Barrio.”

The Broadway show premiered in 2008, exploring three days in the lives of several characters from the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. The score features hip-hop, Latin, salsa, merengue and soul music.

Bodega owner Usnavi is dating Vanessa, who works in a beauty salon. He dreams of opening a bar in his home country, the Dominican Republic. He soon realizes he sold a winning lottery ticket worth $96,000, prompting others in the neighborhood to discuss how Usnavi and Claudia, who raised Usnavi after the death of his parents, would spend the money.

Nina loves Benny, a shy, young African-American man who worked for Nina’s parents for years. Nina’s father opposes their relationship because he wants Nina to finish her education at Stanford University. She doesn’t want her father to bankrupt himself paying for her education, but her father is prepared to sell his car-service business for her sake.

The shows start at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11-Saturday, May 13, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 14. Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff are admitted free with their school ID. The general public may purchase tickets online or call the Playhouse box office at 269-337-7333 for more information. Reservations are encouraged.

For more information, visit the Festival Playhouse website.