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 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.
Three from a Kalamazoo College contingent of 15 who attended were recently honored with awards at the 51st annual Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival regional event in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kate Kreiss (clockwise from lower left), Teyia Artis and Rebecca Chan were Kalamazoo College representatives recently honored with awards at the American College Theatre Festival in Madison, Wisconsin.
During the festival, theater students from across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin presented their work to industry professionals, participated in workshops, attended performances and competed for awards and scholarships. The three students who collected specific awards were:
Kate Kreiss ’19 and Rebecca Chan ’22 who competed in the Institute for Theatre Journalism Advocacy (ITJA) events; and
Teyia Artis ’21, who competed in the Stage Management Fellowship category.
The ITJA events allowed Kreiss and Chan to participate in a series of seminars focusing on theater criticism and how it’s changing with technology. Both wrote deadline-oriented critiques and responses about shows they watched each night, targeting a general audience of event attendees with their work.
Kreiss earned runner-up honors from event faculty.
“It was a hugely beneficial experience that truly married journalism with activism and encouraged us to use our critiques to advocate for what we as writers and artists felt needed to be put on stage,” Kreiss said, adding she advocates for thoughtfully-done stories that reflect modern life.
Fifteen students represented Kalamazoo College at the American College Theatre Festival in Madison, Wisconsin.
“As a senior, receiving an honorable mention from ITJA and participating in the course has shown me a way to marry my theatre arts and English majors, and has offered me with a career path that I hadn’t considered,” Kreiss said.
Chan was given top honors as the ITJA nominee from Region III. In other words, she is eligible to become one of four students selected for the national American College Theatre Festival this year in Washington, D.C.
“It was a lot of work, and a lot of late nights, but the experience was wonderful,” Chan said. “Attending the workshop helped me discover a new skill, theater criticism, and it’s now something I really enjoy. Without the support and encouragement of the Theatre Arts Department, I probably wouldn’t have ever seen myself as a potential theater critic. Now, I’m excited to keep practicing this craft, and hopefully, I’ll move on to nationals.”
Artis was initially awarded a certificate of merit from the American College Theatre Festival for her work with “It Can’t Happen Here,” the Festival Playhouse production in fall 2018. That honor allowed Artis to submit a prompt book from the show to the Region III event in Madison, where student stage managers received feedback from professionals. Her honor from those professionals provides her with a Stage Management Fellowship certificate and a book consisting of tools for stage-management success.
“It means a lot to me because it shows that the judges took time to look through my prompt book and saw what needed improvement,” Artis said. “I truly appreciate the textbook as it will guide me to my future career as a stage manager.”
According to its website, The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival “showcases the finest in university theater across the nation. Through eight regional festivals plus the national festival in Washington, D.C., the festival celebrates artistic excellence and offers students individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, dramatic criticism, theatre management, directing and design.”
The festival aims to:
Celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in college and university theater programs;
Encourage the production of new plays, especially those written by students and experimental works alongside revitalized or newly conceived classics;
Help participants develop their theater skills and achieve professionalism; and
Improve the quality of college and university theater in the U.S.
Learn more about the Region III Festival at its website.
Learn more about Theatre Arts at Kalamazoo College at our website.
Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the Honors Day 2018 convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Nov. 2, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.
Interim Provost Laura Lowe Furge applauds students receiving awards in the Fine Arts Division during the Honors Day 2018 convocation at Stetson Chapel.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
The Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Isabel McLaughlin
Angela Pastor
The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Dylan Beight
Cooper Award
Alysia Homminga
Megan Wilson
Sherwood Prize
Christina Diaz
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Christina Diaz
Ynika Yuag
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION
LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Avani Ashtekar
Jessica Gougeon
Hardy Fuchs Award
Emily Eringaard
Margo Light Award
Grace Stier
Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Sophia Goebel
Samantha Vasquez
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Madeline Ward
Zhi Nee Wee
Provost’s Prize in Classics
Mara Hazen
HUMANITIES DIVISION
O.M. Allen Prize in English Avani Ashtekar
Ynika Yuag
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
CJ Martonchik
Department of Philosophy Prize
Johanna Jeung
Rosella LoChirco
Merrick Richardson
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Max Fitzell
Daniel Qin
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology Alexa Dulmage
Department of Chemistry Prize
Joseph Keller
Priya Pokorzynski
First-Year Chemistry Award
Lillian Baumann
Camden Gardner
Lemuel F. Smith Award
Sean Walsh
Computer Science Prize
Josephine Hosner
Ian Nostrant
First-Year Mathematics Award Samuel Ratliff
Minh Dang
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Austin Cramer
Ethan Cuka
Michael Orwin
William Tait
Madeline Ward
Cooper Prize in Physics
Andrew Backer
Adam Decker
Emily Eringaard
Daniel Qin
Eleri Watkins
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Julia Bachmann
Nyima Coleman
Vivian Enriquez
Marcos Ferguson Morales
Yasamin Shaker
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Jade Jiang
Zachary Ray
William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Shayaan Dar
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Georgie Andrews
Valentina Cordero
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Nick Klepser
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Political Science
Alaq Zghayer
Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Cavan Bonner
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize
Alex Dupree
Hannah Wolfe
Maggie Wardle Prize
Sophia Goebel
COLLEGE AWARDS
Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award
Anthony Diep
Malak Ghazal
Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Alex Cadigan
Sarah George
Nicholas Ludka
Amanda Moss
Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award
Sara Lonsberry
Heyl Scholars – Class of 2022
Evelyn Bartley
Eva DeYoung
Thomas Fales
Madeline Guimond
Alina Offerman
Molly Ratliff
Syeda Tooba
Tatianna Tyler
Posse Scholars – Class of 2022
Sonia Arreguin
Nicholas Davis
Nathan Garcia
Zy’ere Hollis
Tytiana Jones
Aaron Martinez
Udochi Okorie
Joshua Pamintuan
Anthony Peraza
Samantha Rodriguez
Fiorina Talaba
National Merit Scholar – Class of 2022
Carter Wade
Voynovich Scholars
Haley Harris
Kathryn Martin
Alpha Lambda Delta – Class of 2019
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.
Nicole Bailey
Angel Banuelos
Catherine Carlberg
Justin Christopher-Moody
Nyima Coleman
Karli Crouch
Alexandro Cruz
Sela Damer-Daigle
Shayaan Dar
Adam Decker
Julia Dobry
Talea Fournier
Anna Gambetta
Camden Gardner
Sophia Goebel
Stanton Greenstone
Emily Hamel
Kelly Hansen
Kaylee Henderson
Amelia Hensler
Audrey Honig
Samantha Jacobsen
Madeline Jump
Liza Kahn
Joseph Keller
Hannah Kerns
Lu Liu
Rachel Madar
Natalie Markech
CJ Martonchik
Daniel Mota-Villegas
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Abigail O’Keefe
Daniel Qin
Sage Ringsmuth
Maelle Rouquet
Kimberly Schmidt
Lily Shearer
Hannah Shiner
Caitlin Tremewan
Carter Vespi
Claire Ward
Maija Weaver
Ehren White
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Performing Arts: Music
Robert Barnard
Irie Browne
Rebecca Chan
Nolan Devine
Daniel Fahle
Grace Hancock
Julia Leet
Thomas Saxton
Lia Schroeder
Matthew Swarthout
Jonathan Townley
Ethan Tuck
Andrew Wright
MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS
The following Hornet teams earned the 2017-2018 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.
The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum a 3.5 grade-point average for the entire school year.
Alexandrea Ambs
Georgie Andrews
Ryan Andrusz
Hunter Angileri
Lauren Arquette
Julia Bachmann
Nicole Bailey
Zoe Barnes
Lillian Baumann
Jacob Bonifacio
Thomas Bryant
Jane Bunch
Alexander Cadigan
Charles Carson
Claire Cebelak
Joshua Claassens
Noah Coplan
Chase Coselman
Christina Dandar
Elan Dantus
Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Anders Finholt
Matthew Flotermersch
Benjamin Forhan
Maria Franco
Alex Fultz
Andre Gard
Sarah George
Jacob Gilhaus
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Beau Godkin
Sophia Goebel
Connor Grant
Keenan Grant
Preston Grossling
Rebekah Halley
Griffin Hamel
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Matthew Howrey
Briana Huisken
Shannon Irvine
Samantha Jacobsen
Tim Jeske
Benjamin Johanski
Katherine Johnson
Lisa Johnston
Jackson Jones
Madeline Jump
Claire Kalina
Grace Karrip
Maria Katrantzi
Donald Kearns
Sai Klein
Emily Kozal
Matthew Krinock
Rosella LoChirco
Molly Logsdon
Nicholas Ludka
Rachel Madar
Cydney Martell
Eliza McCall
Courtney McGinnis
Clayton Meldrum
Tytus Metzler
Nathan Micallef
Madison Moote
Amanda Moss
Elizabeth Munoz
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Jonathan Nord
Skyler Norgaard
Ian Nostrant
Abigail O’Keefe
Ryan Orr
Michael Orwin
Alexandria Oswalt
James Paprocki
Cayla Patterson
Caleb Patton
Zachary Prystash
Erika Pueblo
Daniel Qin
Erin Radermacher
Zachary Ray
Joshua Reuter
Julia Riddle
Scott Roberts
Anna Roodbergen
Justin Roop
Peter Rossi
Matthew Ryder
Claire Schertzing
Nicholas Schneider
Eleanor Schodowski
Justin Seablom
Sharif Shaker
Reagan Shapton
Danielle Simon
Jordan Skidmore
Adam Snider
Grant Stille
Shelby Suseland
Jack Tagget
Liam Tait
Kathryn Thamann
Alayna Tomlinson
Madison Vallan
David Vanderkloot
Zachary VanFaussien
Travis Veenhuis
Maija Weaver
Alex White
Jessica Wile
Jordan Wiley
Clayton Wilkey
Hannah Wolfe
Madeline Woods
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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,” 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” – 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” 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.
Ed Menta, the James A.B. Stone College Professor of Theatre Arts, is this year’s recipient of the Lux Esto Award of Excellence, which honors an employee who has served Kalamazoo College for 26 or more years for a superlative record of stewardship and innovation.
Ed Menta, the James A.B. Stone College Professor of Theatre Arts, is this year’s recipient of the Lux Esto Award of Excellence, which honors an employee who has served Kalamazoo College for 26 or more years for a superlative record of stewardship and innovation.
Biology Department Chair Binney Girdler and Educational Technology Specialist Josh Moon, who received Outstanding Adviser awards, and the Rev. Elizabeth Candido, the College chaplain, who received the Outstanding First-Year Advocate Award, also were recognized at the annual Founder’s Day Reflection on Friday, honoring the College’s 185th year.
Menta, a faculty member since 1986, has directed dozens of productions at K, including award winners such as last year’s college debut of “Fun Home.” K’s staging of the Tony Award-winning musical, co-written by Lisa Kron ’83, was selected for a featured performance at the Region III Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in January 2018.
Nomination letters by students, faculty, staff and alumni praised Menta for what they said has been his dedication to teaching, his efforts to build and bolster the theater community at K and across Kalamazoo, and his willingness to take on challenging and culturally relevant works that expand the horizons of actors and audiences.
In presenting the award, President Jorge G. Gonzalez cited a nominator who wrote that “Ed’s mark on the College is simply indelible.”
Provost Mickey McDonald, who after 10 years is leaving the College to assume the presidency of the Great Lakes Colleges Association, gave the keynote address for Founders Day, reflecting on how being a “fellowship in learning” — a concept that originated during the 1922-1935 presidency of Allan Hoben — has allowed K to navigate decades of challenges and changes.
“This has been an amazing, rewarding 10 years for me,” McDonald said. “I have witnessed Kalamazoo College continue to become a more equitable place to live and learn and work … and I have relished being part of a fellowship of learning that embraces a sense of innovation. That ability to change, to adapt, to reflect — as we are reflecting today — is an essential part of what has kept Kalamazoo College vital and relevant for almost 200 years. And I have every confidence that it will sustain the College as it enters its third century.”
Kalamazoo College students are continuing a tradition of directing and performing in their own theater productions through the Festival Playhouse’s Senior Performance Series. This year’s shows include:
Senior Performance Series shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15-Saturday, Feb. 17, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18.
• “Too Close to the Tracks,” written and directed by Sam Meyers ’18;
• Selections from “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” by Jane Wagner, performed by Tricia LaCaze ’18; and
• “Mal Ojo,” written and directed by Johanna Keller Flores ’18.
The shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15-Saturday, Feb. 17, with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse’s Dungeon Theatre. General admission tickets are available online. They’re free for Kalamazoo College students and employees with a College ID and $5 for the general public.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
