Students and K-State MTD Family,
Health. Family. Education. These are our priorities. This means some level of social distancing will be required for the entire ’20-’21 academic year. It is important to us that we prioritize the safety and well-being of our students and patrons alike.
As you can imagine, decisions and creative strategies are continuously being devised and revised in light of the ever-changing status of our university, state, and nation. This is a year to be adaptable- and as a population of artists and arts lovers, we excel at adaptability.
We no longer have the rights to produce CHICAGO. This has to do with tour dates and the shutdown of productions across the U.S. We have moved the musical to the spring semester to “preserve” it, in case we are expected to operate in an online format again in the fall. We have replaced both CHICAGO and THE CRUCIBLE with productions with titles the faculty feel are very adaptable for our changing circumstances and social distancing expectations. We also feel that our new titles, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and the musical, WORKING have messages that the world needs to hear right now.
Below is the current season plan, without specific dates. Dates may change as we learn more about our mode of delivery. There will be no auditions until the Fall semester and we expect that everyone currently cast in MACBETH will remain in the cast, except for seniors who may be unable to return.
Listed chronologically:
Fall Semester
THE LARAMIE PROJECT -TEN YEARS LATER- stage reading, Hunter Parker
A PIECE OF OUR HEARTS- second stage, Abby Custer
MACBETH- main stage, David Mackay
BARRIER FREE THEATRE REDUX (rescheduled from S20)- Sally Bailey
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE – RADIO PLAY – main stage, Jerry Jay Cranford
Devised Piece (TITLE?)- second stage, Megan Clark
WINTER DANCE CONCERT
Spring Semester
FAIRVIEW- Ebony Theatre- stage reading, guest director
WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID- stage reading, Meghan McGeehee
THE MEDIUM/GALLANTRY (Opera double bill) – main stage, Dr. Pittman
THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT- second stage, Ian Boyd-Duncan
THEATRE SHORTS – Lunchbag- Acting/Directing class project
SPRING DANCE CONCERT
BARRIER FREE THEATRE- second stage, Sally Bailey
WORKING, The Musical – main stage, Jerry Jay Cranford
There will likely be only one Ebony Theatre First Friday each semester.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Anne Bogart:
“We are debris arrangers. Equipped with what we have inherited, we try to make a life, make a living and make art. We are assemblers. We forge received parts into meaningful compositions. This state of affairs is our plight and our destiny, but it also offers the opportunity to find meaning as well as to find communion with others.” ―
Let’s use the debris we have been given as an opportunity for meaning and communion.
The faculty miss you all so very, very much.
Jen Vellenga