NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University Theatre and Dance will open its 2017-18 season with the musical “Stars of Tomorrow” on Sept. 27 – Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Theatre West.
The Theatre and Dance schedule includes “Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons” on Nov. 1-5; The Spring Dance Concert “The 5 Senses,” on Feb. 22-25 and March 1-3; “A Streetcar Named Desire” on March 14-18 and 21-24; “Beyond Boundaries” on April 4-7 and “Into the Woods” on April 20-22 and 25-27.
“NSU Theatre and Dance is very excited about the upcoming production season,”said Scott Burrell, head of the Department of Theatre and Dance. “The theatre/dance faculty chose the productions because we knew we had certain upperclassmen who were ready for the challenge of some very demanding shows. And not only challenges for our performers, but for our production designers and technicians as well. I’m sure our students and faculty will rise to the occasion as they always do and provide the NSU and Natchitoches communities a wonderful evening at the theatre.”
Tickets to each show are $15, $12 for children and seniors and Northwestern State, BPCC@NSU and Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts students are admitted free with a current student I.D. A “Five for Fifty” package allowing patrons to see each show for $10 or buy five tickets for one show for $50 is available. The “Five for Fifty” offer does not apply to the Christmas Gala or “Beyond Boundaries.” For ticket information, call (318) 357-4483 or visit theatre.nsula.edu.
“Stars of Tomorrow” features a cast of 12 aspiring Broadway performers presenting a concert of iconic scenes from their favorite Broadway musicals. The concert, spanning “A Chorus Line” to “Dear Evan Hansen” features pianist Daniel Ley, choreography by Rebecca Lambert Morgan and music and stage direction by Dr. Corey Trahan.
Christopher Hampton’s “Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons)” is set in 18th century France and presents a world of complex moral ambiguities and revenge. Gifted, wealthy and bored, the Vicomte De Valmont and the Marquise de Merteuil form an alliance and turn seduction into a game. They play this game with such wit and style it is impossible not to admire them, until they discover mysterious rules they cannot understand. In the ensuing battle, there can be no winners and the innocent suffer with the guilty. Scott Burrell is the director.
The five senses (sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste) from the basis of an exploration in dance. “The 5 Senses” will delve into our senses, specifically how they can deceive our perceptions and how the absence of one makes the others stronger. Choreography is by Cher Anabo, Brett Alan Garfinkel, Kirstin Riehl and Morgan.
The winner of the 1948 Pulitzer, “A Streetcar Named Desire” is often regarded as one of the finest plays of the 20th century, and is generally considered Tennessee Williams’ greatest work. Williams’ sultry story of passion revolves around faded Southern belle Blanche Dubois’ visit to her sister in a seedy section of New Orleans. On the fringes of sanity, Blanche is trying to forget her checkered past and start life anew. Tensions rise as the web of lies closes in on her, leading to a shocking climax that will change them all forever. Dr. Vicki Parrish is the director,
“Beyond Boundaries” is part of the regional American College Dance Association hosted by NSU April 4-7. More than 20 colleges and universities from throughout the region will bring more than 600 dance students to NSU to take master classes with top faculty and have their work judged by indu8stry professionals. Four pieces will be selected to perform at the national ACDA at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
“Into the Woods” features an ambivalent Cinderella, a bloodthirsty Little Red Ridinghood, a Prince Charming with a roving eye and a witch who raps. They are among the cockeyed characters in James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s fractured fairy tale. When a baker and his wife learn they’ve been cursed with childlessness by the witch next door, they embark on a quest for the special objects required to break the spell, swindling, lying to and stealing from Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Rapunzel and Jack (who climbed the beanstalk). Everyone’s wish is granted at the end of Act One but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results. What begins as a lively, irreverent fantasy becomes a moving lesson about community responsibility and the stories we tell our children.
