You know when you are walking through East Campus Mall between classes, just strolling along taking your time, simply observing everything around you. What I often notice is that when students walk right up next to Vilas (across the mall from Coffee Bytes) next to the Mitchell Theatre (which they probably don’t even know exists) they catch a glimpse of the five or six huge promotional posters hanging on the building and then just walk away as if those posters had never existed.
Well, let me tell you something: those posters do exist, and they are promoting some extremely awesome productions that the University Theatre Department (UT) will be producing in the spring.
Not only that, but a student org called the Undergraduate Theatre Association (UTA), which is a branch off of the theatre department itself, will also be producing a couple of productions this upcoming semester as well. What is so unique about UTA, is that it is all student run, and the goal of the club is to provide undergraduates with more opportunities to be involved in theatre.
The Productions:
The first production of 2017 will be UTA’s Romeo and Juliet, running from February 9-11 in the Frederic March Play Circle in Memorial Union. Nothing beats a classic, and let me tell you this won’t be your typical Elizabethan period Shakespeare production. Verona will be set in 1920s Chicago—so, get ready for some swing dancing, epic battles for love, and a timeless tale of the star-crossed lovers. The question is: what would you do to be with the one you loved?
The University Theatre Department’s first spring production will be yet another famous Shakespearean play, Twelfth Night. Twelfth Night is about twin brother and sister Sebastian and Viola who are separated in a shipwreck, both of whom survive, thinking the other is dead. Meanwhile, Viola, to conceal her identity, dresses as a man and is hired to work under the Duke Orsino of Illyria, where Viola was washed ashore to. To make things more complicated (because with Shakespeare for some reason life can never be easy or simple for his characters), the Duke is in love with a countess named Olivia, Olivia falls in love with Viola’s male disguise, and Viola falls in love with the Duke. Well, if it isn’t another one of those ridiculously complicated love triangles, those never get old. Now, if that plot description didn’t hook you then this should: it’s set in a mythical Polynesian island. Twelfth Night will be running from February 23-March 12 in the Hemsley Theatre.
You’re probably thinking: wow, that’s a lot of Shakespeare. No worries, UTA will be mixing it up with the musical Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown running from April 6-9 in the Hemsley Theatre. Songs for a New World follows three men and three women, as they tell their personal stories over different periods of time. The musical is all about having to make a decision when faced with certain choices, weighing your options and hoping you choose the right one. It’s about life, cycles we all go through, emotions we all feel. It’s about falling in love and out of love. Songs for a New World is a production that any person can walk away from and say that they felt something. We all have decisions to make, and we all have stories to tell.
Last but certainly not least, what better way to end the year off than with a laugh? UT’s final production for the spring semester will be The Underpants by none other than Steve Martin himself. We are talking underpants dropping, seduction by apartment room renters, 1910s Germany, eavesdroppers and a king. Combine those five things together and you have a feel-good comedy that will make you laugh so hard you will probably cry. Trust me, it’s hilarious! The Underpants will be running from April 13-30 in the Mitchell Theatre.
If you’ve never been to the theatre before, now is the time to check it out. There are so many amazing productions coming up this spring that you aren’t going to want to miss. Go with your friends, your crush that you’ve been meaning to ask out, your parents, your roommate, anyone! But, I highly encourage you to forget about school for a couple of hours, get away from the Madison scene for one night, and immerse yourself into another world (where you can watch other people deal with their problems for the evening).
But, believe me when I say that theatre can change you. We need more theatre in our lives.