Theatre and Dance at Wayne Announces 2022-2023 Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2022
DETROIT, MI – Theatre and Dance at Wayne, the producing arm of the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University, is thrilled to announce its 2022-2023 production season.
Theatre and Dance at Wayne has curated a season of theatre and dance productions that will delight and inspire you with four plays, two musicals, two dance concerts, and four student-run productions.
Our season opens in September 2022 with Rent, the iconic musical about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., opening in October 2022, a wildly experimental and inventive new play that does not behave, is about the conundrums of being a woman in the 21st century. Fans of Shakespeare will be thrilled to attend his comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor in November 2022.
February 2023 marks Theatre and Dance at Wayne’s long-awaited move to the Hilberry Gateway. Our first show on the STAGE at the Hilberry Gateway is the provocative, poignant and fiercely humorous coming-of-age story of a young gay man in the South, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet. In April 2023, we celebrate our first musical in the new Hilberry Gateway with the daring, provocative, and exuberantly entertaining musical Cabaret. In May 2023, a sophisticated and poetic stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando by Sarah Ruhl takes the stage in the STUDIO at the Hilberry Gateway to tell the story of a young nobleman who is drawn into a love affair with Queen Elizabeth I.
In December 2022 and April 2023, Theatre and Dance at Wayne’s dancers are excited to bring you dance productions full of extraordinary visuals and tests of human ability in the form of our December Dance Concert and Spring Dance Concert. After our December Dance Concert in the Allesee Dance Theatre, our dancers will move to the STAGE at the Hilberry Gateway for our Spring Dance Concert in April 2023.
The first of our student-run Underground productions takes the stage in November 2022 with The End of a Society, an Afro-futuristic adventure written and directed by Hilberry Graduate Company member LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne. Also in November 2022, The People Vs. Friar Laurence, The Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet is a musical comedy telling the story of Romeo and Juliet from a new perspective. Hilberry Graduate Company member Lindsey Sigler’s adaptation of The Yellow Wallpaper, a work based on the 1892 novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, will be directed by Sigler in February 2023. She Kills Monsters, a one act comedic adventure drama that addresses themes of familial bonds, LGBTQ+ issues, and the struggles of being an outcast, completes our student-run production series in April 2023.
Subscriptions to Theatre and Dance at Wayne’s 2022-2023 season are on sale now at www.wsushows.com. Our season subscription includes Rent, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, Cabaret, and Orlando. Subscription Add-Ons include Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., December Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert, and the shows in the Underground series.
About the Shows:
Rent – by Jonathan Larson
Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. This Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon written by Jonathon Larson follows a year in the lives of a diverse group of artists and friends struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. Facing the problems head on, they make personal self-discoveries and find what really matters most in life. With songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages, Rent is a show you won't want to miss.
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. – by Alice Birch
A wildly experimental and inventive new play that does not behave, Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. is an implosive play about the conundrums of being female in the 21st century. Playwright Alice Birch has a way of making you question everything you say when it comes to discussing women and their relationships with men, one another, and a world in a state of unending upheaval. Following a series of increasingly abstract vignettes, the play revolutionizes language, work, and the body by unraveling the typical narrative structure of theatre in favor of raw emotion and action.
The End of a Society – by LaRaisha DiEvelyn Dionne
The End of a Society by LaRaisha Dionne is an Afro-futuristic adventure that blends the culture and mythologies of Yoruba, Egypt, and Black America while calling upon the poetry of Alice Dunbar Nelson and William Shakespeare. After a successful reading with Shakespeare in Detroit in the Summer of 2021, this world premiere at the Underground will tell the story of a group of Black women in the final days of human existence, and their fantastical journey back to the motherland to determine the fate of the world.
The Merry Wives of Windsor – by William Shakespeare
The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy in five acts. The boozing and boorish Sir John Falstaff is in Windsor looking to have fun. But he's running out of money, and so hatches a plot to woo a wealthy wife away from her husband to get her money. But instead of sending a love letter to just one woman, he sends identical letters to two. The women learn about Falstaff's dishonorable intentions and set out to humiliate him appropriately.
The People Vs. Friar Laurence – by Phillip Swann and Ron E. West
The People Vs. Friar Laurence, The Man Who Killed Romeo and Juliet is a musical comedy telling the story of Romeo and Juliet from a new perspective. By Ron West and Phil Swann, the story shows Friar Laurence behind bars, and charged for the 'murder' of the two young lovers. As the trial progresses mayhem and silliness abound with laugh out loud bits, catchy songs, and scenes equal parts Vaudeville and Bard.
December Dance Concert
As the weather cools down, our dancers are warming up for the December Dance Concert at the Maggie Allesee Dance Theatre. Presenting works choreographed by our esteemed faculty, guest artists, and students themselves, you are sure to be engaged throughout with a variety of unique and diverse works. Don't miss our first departmental concert of the 2022-2023 season!
The Yellow Wallpaper – Adapted by Lindsey Sigler from the story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Yellow Wallpaper adapted from Charlotte Perkins Gilman's novel from 1892 is the story of a woman whose husband diagnoses her with a "temporary nervous depression" after the birth of their child. They spend their time in a summer home where the woman is confined to the nursery upstairs which is covered in yellow wallpaper that causes her to slip deeper into hysteria.
Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet – by Tarrell Alvin McCraney
Marcus is sixteen and "sweet." Days before Hurricane Katrina strikes the housing projects of Louisiana, the currents of his life converge, overflowing into his close-knit community and launching the search for his identity on a cultural landscape infused with mysterious family creeds. A devastating tempest is brewing in the skies above, and Marcus is haunted by his father's mysterious legacy, his own sexuality, and his dreams of torrential downpours. The provocative, poignant and fiercely humorous coming-of-age story of a young gay man in the South, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet is the stirring conclusion of The Brother/Sister Plays by Academy Award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight).
Cabaret – Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Joe Masteroff
Daring, provocative and exuberantly entertaining, Cabaret, with music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and book by Joe Masteroff, explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920's draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates.
She Kills Monsters – by Qui Nguyen
She Kills Monsters tells the story of a young woman embarking on a fantastical Dungeons and Dragons adventure in pursuit of understanding her late younger sister. Set in 1995, this story goes back and forth between the real world and the world of D&D. She Kills Monsters is a one act comedic adventure/drama that addresses themes of familial bonds, LGBTQ+ issues, and the struggles of being an outcast.
Spring Dance Concert
The 94th annual Spring Dance concert is the culmination of the yearlong works of our undergraduate dancers. Students have the chance to perform in repertory pieces choreographed by resident faculty and guest artists alike. Student choreographers will also present and share their work alongside industry professionals. Be there for our dancers' debut on the STAGE at the Hilberry Gateway!
Orlando – by Virginia Woolf, Adapted by Sarah Ruhl
A sophisticated and poetic stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf's Orlando by Sarah Ruhl tells the story of a young nobleman who is drawn into a love affair with Queen Elizabeth I. For a time, life at court is interesting enough, but Orlando yearns for something more. As he strives to make his way as a poet and lover, his travels keep him at the heart of a dazzling tale where gender and gender preferences shift regularly, usually with hilarious results.
Pricing
For more information about tickets and pricing, visit our website at https://theatreanddance.wayne.edu/buy-tickets
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Single Tickets |
5-Show Subscription |
Subscription Add-Ons |
|
Adult |
$22 |
$82.50 |
$22 |
|
Senior |
$18 |
$67.50 |
$18 |
|
WSU Alumni/Faculty/Staff |
$18 |
$67.50 |
$18 |
|
Student |
$15 |
$57.50 |
$15 |
|
All Underground tickets are $15 |
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*5-Show Subscriptions include Rent, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, Cabaret, and Orlando. Subscription Add-Ons include Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., December Dance Concert, and Spring Dance Concert. Underground series productions include The End of a Society, The People Vs. Friar Laurence, The Yellow Wallpaper, and She Kills Monsters.
About Theatre and Dance at Wayne
Theatre and Dance at Wayne is the producing entity of the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, a department within the College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts at Wayne State University. The department offers undergraduate and graduate programs in theatre and dance, including a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre; Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre with an emphasis in either Performance, Design and Technology, or Stage Management; Bachelor of Science in Dance; Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance; Master of Fine Arts in Acting, Set Design, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Stage Management, and Theatre Management; Master of Arts in Teaching Artistry; and a Master of Arts in Arts Administration. Minors are available in Africana Theatre and Dance; Theatre Design and Technology, Theatre, Theatre Management, Dance, Community and Studio Dance. Additional information on academic programs can be found at http://theatreanddance.wayne.edu/
About Wayne State University
Wayne State University is one of the nation’s preeminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://research.wayne.edu/
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Schedule: Please visit https://theatreanddance.wayne.edu/onstage to view performance dates for each production.
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Opening Date |
Closing Date |
Feature |
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Friday, September 23, 2022 |
Sunday, October 2, 2022 |
Rent |
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Friday, October 21, 2022 |
Saturday, October 29, 2022 |
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. |
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Friday, November 4, 2022 |
Saturday, November 5, 2022 |
The End of a Society |
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Friday, November 11, 2022 |
Sunday, November 20, 2022 |
The Merry Wives of Windsor |
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Friday, November 18, 2022 |
Saturday, November 19, 2022 |
The People Vs. Friar Laurence |
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Friday, December 9, 2022 |
Sunday, December 11, 2022 |
December Dance Concert |
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Friday, February 3, 2023 |
Saturday, February 4, 2023 |
The Yellow Wallpaper |
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Friday, February 24, 2023 |
Sunday, March 5, 2023 |
Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet |
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Friday, April 7, 2023 |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 |
Cabaret |
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Friday, April 14, 2023 |
Saturday, April 15, 2023 |
She Kills Monsters |
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Friday, April 21, 2023 |
Sunday, April 23, 2023 |
Spring Dance Concert |
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Friday, May 5, 2023 |
Sunday, May 14, 2023 |
Orlando |