Over the past semester, the immense talent shown in the department of theatre and dance and the department of music's “Parade” and Veg S.O.U.P.'s “Romeo and Juliet” impressed audiences.With winter break approaching, students have started prepping shows for the spring 2013 semester.
From mental patients to lounge singers, modern-day stories to period pieces, and witty comedy to powerful drama, the upcoming productions are generating excitement on campus.To start off the semester, Vocal Miscellany will present the classic Broadway musical “Cabaret,” with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.“Cabaret” follows the story of nightclub singer Sally Bowles and her relationship with American writer Cliff Bradshaw in Berlin on the cusp of the Third Reich.
The show, which originally appeared on Broadway in 1966, will run from Jan. 24 until Jan. 25 in the Black Box Theatre. This production, with director senior Julia Masotti and music director senior Katelyn Hearfield, will feature senior Alexandra Mendes as Bowles.Having recently found its extensive 16-person cast, Veg S.O.U.P.'s first production of the semester will be “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” by Dale Wasserman, based on the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey.
Directed by junior Kimberly Olsen, the show is set to run from Feb. 14 until Feb. 16 in the Robert E. Sinclair Theatre.“One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest” follows a quiet, stoic man known simply as the Chief, in an asylum as he observes the dramatic events that unfold, most notably the tension-filled power-struggle between new patient R.P. McMurphy, played by senior Sam White, and the controlling Nurse Ratched, played by junior Alicia Frame.Seniors Sara Koste and Megan Staudenraus will direct “The Vagina Monologues” written by Eve Ensler and first performed in 1996.
Geneseo students have performed this show annually for nearly 10 years and the show will run from Feb. 14 through Feb. 16 in the KnightSpot.Spring semester will also bring visiting playwright Elizabeth Wong to the Geneseo campus. In addition to teaching a selective playwriting class, as a part of her residency Ms. Wong will direct a production of Richard Wilbur's translation of Moliere's “Tartuffe” through the department of theatre and dance.
The show, which will run from March 6 until March 10 in the Alice S. Austin Theatre, is a 17th-century set comedy about the nature of hypocrisy performed through clever rhyming couplets.From May 2 until May 4, the GENseng production of Lauren D. Yee's “Ching Chong Chinaman,” directed by professor of theatre Randy Kaplan, will run in the Sinclair Theatre.
“Ching Chong Chinaman” is a satirical tale that explores Asian-American stereotypes through a Chinese family in California.With these five upcoming shows, along with other productions that have yet to be announced, the spring 2013 semester promises to have a variety of productions that will appeal to everyone.