The Department of Theatre and Dance will present five productions as part of the 2014-15 Walter Gloor Mainstage Series – including a work considered to be “the original rock musical.”
The series opens in October with six performances of a classic work by William Shakespeare.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opens Oct. 17 in Marvel Theatre and runs through Oct. 25. Performances dates are Oct. 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Oct. 19. Shakespeare’s popular comedy follows a pair of lovers as they venture into the forest for an eventful night.
In December, the department presents a special adaption of a holiday favorite. “It’s A Wonderful Life – The Radio Play” runs from Dec. 3 to 13 in Bartlett Theatre. It will be a stage adaptation of the movie in which George Bailey learns the meaning of his life and of Christmas. The stage adaption is set in a 1940s radio station. Nine performances are slated for Dec. 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12 and 13 at 7:30 p.m., and matinees at 2 p.m. on Dec. 6 and 7.
The Mainstage Series continues in February with “Balm in Gilead” from Feb. 27 to March 7 in Bartlett Theatre. “Balm in Gilead” was Lanford Wilson’s first full-length play. It depicts the denizens of Frank’s Café in the seedy world of the upper west side of New York City in the early 1960s. Performance dates and times are Feb. 27, 28 and March 5, 6 and 7 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a matinee at 2 p.m. on March 1.
In April, the Department presents its annual musical with “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical.” Considered to be the original rock musical, “Hair” was a product of the hippie counterculture and the sexual revolution of the 1960s. The play tells the story of the “tribe,” a group of politically active hippies living a bohemian life in New York City fighting against the draft during the war in Vietnam. Six performances are scheduled in Marvel Theatre - April 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and April 12 with a 2 p.m. matinee.
Closing out the Mainstage Series will be the Fredonia Dance Ensemble’s annual concert from May 1 to 3 in Marvel Theatre. Works choreographed by faculty members and guest artists will be in the spotlight during the annual concert featuring Fredonia’s talented dance students. Guest artists will include Rosy Simas, a contemporary Native American artist from Minneapolis, Minn.; Terry Beck, a local choreographer, and Kerry Ring, a member of the Theatre and Dance faculty at the University of Buffalo. Performance dates and times are May 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m., and May 3 at 2 p.m. www.fredonia.edu/tickets
Tickets for all these events may be purchased through the Ticket Office in the Williams Center (673-3501 or www.fredonia.edu/tickets). Special “Mix & Match Season Ticket” packages are available.
