Past Seasons
Recent Past Seasons
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Theater and Dance Open House
Fri, Sept 6th, 5:00 pm
Venue: Mainstage Theater (T121)
Get to know the theater and dance community and tour our work spaces!
Auditions for the Fall Theater Production: A Collaborative Creation
Fri, Sept 6th, 6:00-8:00 pm
Sat, Sept 7th, 2:30-5:30 pm
Venue: Mainstage Theater (T121)
This fall, THDA Faculty member and celebrated director and performer Bob Rosen will direct a devised piece in collaboration with an ensemble of student performers. If you’re interested in collaboratively creating an original performance piece, and having a lot of fun in the process, then this is the show for you! It will be performed November 22-24 and December 6-8.Audition information: here
Time slots: hereCallbacks
Sun, Sept 8th, 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Venue: Mainstage Theater (T121)
Auditions for the Fall Dance Concert
Sun, Sept 8th, 12:00-2:00 pm
Venue: Fox Studio (T120)
The Fall 2024 Dance Concert performances will take place November 7 – 10 and will be choreographed by a group of skilled student choreographers who have successfully completed Dance Composition or Contemporary Ensemble Choreography courses. Everyone is encouraged to audition, even if you are brand new to dance! Choreographers will be seeking dancers with a range of experiences and movement styles.No advance sign ups are required, and you don’t need to prepare anything to audition – just bring yourself and clothing you can move in.
Film Screening
On Tuesday, September 17, at 5 p.m. in the Mainstage Theater at Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center, Macalester THDA will stream a performance of Amarillo, a dance piece that explores the troubles of immigration, identity, and culture.Description from the company: A man departs for the US–Mexican border and vanishes before reaching his destination: Amarillo, Texas. Through stunning projected images, bilingual monologues and a sea of displaced objects and natural elements, this renowned company reconstructs his journey in a multimedia performance that travels imagined landscapes of both geography and cultural identity. The absent man takes on multiple faces and names as he comes to symbolize the thousands of disillusioned travelers who have suffered a similar fate. Amarillo touches on the complex nature of individual and national identity in a time of exodus—both for those who leave and those who are left behind.
Film runs for one hour. All are welcome.
Auditions for A Forgotten Mind: A Spring 2025 Honors Production
Auditions for Nick Suchomel’s A Forgotten Mind: A Spring 2025 Honors Production will take place on Friday Oct. 4 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. in the James A. Williams Theater T004. Call backs are Sunday Oct. 6 from 1-4 p.m. in the James A. Williams Theater T004. Please sign up to audition!
Afro-Cuban Dance Masterclass
Friday, Sept. 27, 4:45-6:00 p.m.
Venue: Fox Dance Studio (T120)
Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Yeniel ‘Chini’ Perez Domenech has been a professional dancer for over twenty five years. A graduate of the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Arte and a member of Afrocuba de Mantanzas, this passionate dance educator now performs and choreographs Rueda de la Calle and his own Chini Company. Join Yeniel to learn about Afro-Cuban Dance! Sign up here.
Macfest
Fri, Sept 27th, 7:30-8:30 pm
Sat, Sept 28th, 7:30-8:30 pm
Venue: James A. Williams Theater (T004)
Come join us for plays written and performed by current Macalester students. There will be three ten minute plays shown at each performance. Make sure to come see both shows, as different plays will be performed each night! Tickets will be 1st come 1st serve.
Northern Boundary States United States Institute for Theatre Technology Conference
Saturday, Oct 5
Macalester will host the Northern Boundary Section of USITT’s annual regional conference. The goal of the fall conference is to offer education and connection at a manageable and affordable level. There will be workshops, tours, creative work displays, networking, and social events. Sign up here.
Guest Speaker Jeffrey Mosser from Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Thursday October 10, 1:20 pm
Venue: James A. Williams ’77 Theater
Join us for a conversation with Jeffrey Mosser, artistic producer, who will share both his professional expertise and opportunities with Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Emerging Professional Residency. This residency is an apprenticeship program that serves as a bridge into the professional theater world. Geared towards those dedicated to careers in the performing arts, it creates the opportunity to connect with professionals from around the country and spend a season working in one of America’s foremost regional theaters. Residents will participate in crucial roles on and off-stage through close collaboration with established theater professionals, while learning about the business of theater from guest artists and experts in the field. Residencies are available in the areas of acting, directing, education and engagement, costume construction and stage management.
Film Screening
Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00 pm
Venue: JBD (CC lower level)
Join us for a film screening of The English National Ballet’s Giselle choreographed by Akram Khan. Giselle is a story of love, betrayal, and redemption, boldly reimagined. It is atmospherically mesmerizing as it conjures up a condemned factory and the vengeful ghosts that appear in its shadows.
Community Lunch
Thursday, Oct 24, 11:30 am
Venue: T205
Come enjoy lunch and connect with professors and other students in the department to learn about upcoming classes and auditions for Spring 2025! Open to all in the THDA department! RSVP
Dance Masterclass: Breaking with Lue Thao
Friday, Oct. 25, 4:45 pm
Venue: Fox Dance Studio, T120
Lue Thao is a professional dancer, instructor, and performer with a passion for breaking and supporting the dance community. In 2017, Lue founded Cypher Side with support of from Indigenous Roots Cultural Arts Center. In 2021, he opened Cypher Side Dance School, realizing his vision of creating a space for dance and community. Sign up here -
Spring 2024 Events
AUTOCAD Workshop with Kelly Pursley
February 2-4, various times
Venue: Design Studio (THDA 006)
You will leave this workshop with the skills and tools to be able to use AutoCAD to draft scenic elements, with a foundation to dig deeper into the vast array of tools this program has to offer. While the focus is on drafting for stage and entertainment design, the skills are applicable to any sort of drafting, including architectural, museums and more. Sign up here.
Krump with Cecil Neal
Feb 9, 4:45-6:15pm
Fox
This workshop will be an introduction to the core movement techniques of the Krump dance style. With key elements of stomping, popping, swinging, and isolating body parts, Krump has developed into a popular African-American style street dance. Join Cecil Neal to begin to explore these expressive and energetic movements. Sign up
THDA Performance Trip
February 9, 7:00pm
Walker Arts Center
Current Theater and Dance students, faculty and staff are invited to attend The Mood Room by Annie-B Parson’s Big Dance Theater at the Walker Arts Center on Friday, February 9 at 8pm. The deadline to sign up is 5pm Wednesday February 7.
Theater and Dance Honors production: A Patchwork Pillowfort
February 15-18, 7:00pm each night
James A. Williams Theater
A Patchwork Pillowfort is a mishmash of thirty different plays over the course of ninety minutes, presented in an order chosen by the audience (you!). This show aims to bring back the nostalgia and comfort of childhood nonsense while also adding touches of adult humor and existential questions. Each play was written, designed, and directed by the performers you will see onstage – meaning every one of these pieces is filled to the brim with personality, humor, and emotion. The James A. Williams Theater is located on the lower level of the theater wing in the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. Entry is free on a first come, first served basis, and seats are limited. Audience participation is optional, but encouraged.
Dance Showing
Feb 24, 9:00am
Fox
Choreographers creating work for the Spring 24 dance concert gather for an informal showing of works-in-progress to share feedback. All THDA faculty are invited to attend. Not open to the general public.
Playwriting: Revisions with Jarek Pastor
Feb 24, 2:00pm
T006 Design Lab
You’ve finished the first draft of a play. Now what? Rewriting can feel tricky and intimidating. You’ve earnestly poured every hope and intention into that first draft, but intention is only a part of expression, and what is a play if it does not communicate with an audience? Whether you’re slowly rescripting in solitude or reworking moments during breaks from rehearsal, revision makes up the bulk of a playwright’s work.
In this workshop, we will discuss tools and techniques to strength-test what you’ve put on the page and its relation to performance, experiment with revision strategies, explore lenses you can use to dig into the dramaturgy of your play, and engage in exercises to illuminate what you already have from new perspectives. This workshop is for those who have scripts they’d like to develop further, want to think more dramaturgically, or don’t even know where to begin when it comes to revision. Sign up here.
THDA Performance Trip
Feb 25, 12:00pm
Guthrie Theater
THDA is sponsoring a trip to see On Beckett at the Guthrie Theater on Sunday, February 25 at 1pm. The deadline to sign up is 12pm Friday, February 16. The show’s run time is 80 minutes. We will gather back on campus after the show to share a meal and reflect on the performance. All THDA students are invited to attend, including those in courses, majors, minors, workstudy, cast and crew. Sign up here.Below is a short description of the production from the Guthrie Website:
“Tony Award-winning actor and master clown Bill Irwin has spent a lifetime captivated by Samuel Beckett. The depth of his devotion for the famed Irish writer plays out onstage in a nonstop display of jovial verbal and physical comedy that has become Irwin’s signature. With little more than a microphone and a podium, Irwin lets the audience in on the creative process of engaging with Beckett’s undeniably rich language, providing a primer in clowning along the way. In addition to exploring texts by one of the most influential theater voices of the past century, audiences will fall in love with Irwin’s unique and endearing approach to Beckett’s work.”
Open Showing for Eurydice, directed by Randy Reyes
Feb 27, 6:15 pm
Mainstage Theater, T121
Join the cast for a sneak peek at THDA’s spring Mainstage Theater production. A 20 minute excerpt of this work in progress will be followed by a 20 minute feedback and discussion session. Additional information on the Theater and Dance Department will be available, including Fall 24 course offerings and performance opportunities.
THDA Performance Trip
Feb 29, 6:00pm
Northrup Auditorium
THDA is sponsoring a trip to see Ada/Ava by Manual Cinema at the Northrop on Thursday, February 29 at 7pm. The show’s run time is 60 minutes followed by a 30 minute Q and A. All THDA students are invited to attend, including those in courses, majors, minors, workstudy, cast and crew. The deadline to sign up is 12pm Thursday, February 22.Below is a short description of the production from the Northrop Website:
“Bereaved of her twin sister Ava, Ada marks time in the patterns of a life built for two, until a traveling carnival’s mirror maze plunges her—and you—into a journey set in the New England gothic landscape. “This Chicago troupe is conjuring phantasms to die for in an unclassifiable story of spectral beauty” raves The New York Times. Manual Cinema creates handspun cinema combining shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound—all in plain view. Aaron David Miller adds to this magical mixture playing Northrop’s historic pipe organ. This event includes a live Q&A with the artists following the show.” Advisory: This performance includes loud music and flashing lights.
Theater And Dance Honors Production: Anti-Cartesian Variety Show
March 1-2
Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 2:00pm and 7:30pm
James A. Williams Theater
In Anti-Cartesian Variety Show, collaged, written and directed by Jess Nguyen, you’ll experience an avant-garde solo performance, a cozy movie night, a standup comedy show, a documentary and autoethnography, and a philosophical address rolled into one. Informed by the author and director’s research into the Vietnamese Avant-Garde, this show explores how language, place, and identity collide within all of us through an autobiographical, interactive multimedia experience. The result is a journey that is both delightful and powerfully moving. The James A. Williams Theater is located on the lower level of the theater wing in the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. Entry is free on a first come, first served basis, and seats are limited.
Grants and Grant Writing Workshop I with Masami Kawazato
March 2, 1:00-4:00pm
THDA Classroom T101
You will learn about the process of finding, reading and understanding grants, including the details you need to consider beyond the narrative of the application. You will examine a sample grant application, and then will be given 6 weeks (a very typical application period) to submit an application as practice. You will begin to learn the skills and vocabulary for understanding grant applications and writing grants. You will leave the first session with a sample grant to work on, and we will discuss a selection of the submissions of participants in order to improve our understanding and writing of grants in the second.
Open Showing for Eurydice, directed by Randy Reyes
March 5, 6:15 pm
Mainstage Theater, T121
Join the cast for a sneak peek at THDA’s spring Mainstage Theater production. A 20 minute excerpt of this work in progress will be followed by a 20 minute feedback and discussion session. Additional information on the Theater and Dance Department will be available, including Fall 24 course offerings and performance opportunities.
Dance Masterclass with Ao (Aloe) Liu from CAAM Chinese Dance Theater
March 22, 4:45pm
Fox Dance Studio
Ao Liu works with CAAM Chinese Dance Theater to perform and celebrate Chinese cultural heritage through the universal language of dance. Chinese dance styles are plentiful and dynamic, from powerful movements inspired by martial arts to vibrant steps of ethnic dance to the flowing movements of classic dance. This workshop will be an introduction to the varied dance styles of Chinese dance. All levels of experience are welcome. Sign up here to join the waitlist.
Dance Open House and Placement Workshop
Wednesday, March 27, 4:45pm – 6pm
Thursday, March 28, 3pm – 4:30pm
Want to dance at Macalester? No matter your skill level, the Theater and Dance Department has enriching and engaging dance technique classes for you! At the Open House, you will meet Dance department faculty and other Mac students interested in dance, try out some of the many styles of dance offered at Macalester, and discover what dance classes might be right for you. All are welcome, no previous experience required. Sign up here
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Randy Reyes
Friday, March 29 at 7:30pm
Saturday, March 30 at 2pm and 7:30pmImmerse yourself in a captivating reimagining of the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. This isn’t just Orpheus’ journey – it’s Eurydice’s tale of love, loss, and resilience. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice embarks on an extraordinary journey to the underworld. Experience her reunion with her father, the challenges she faces, and the struggle to remember her lost love. This isn’t the story you read in high school; it’s laced with contemporary characters, unexpected plot twists, and emotional themes. Discover a fresh perspective on a timeless love story. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this enchanting theatrical experience! More information and ticket reservations can be found at this link.
Dance Showing 2
March 30, 9:00am
Fox Dance Studio, T120
Choreographers creating work for the Spring 24 dance concert gather for an informal showing of works-in-progress to share feedback. All THDA faculty are invited to attend. Not open to the general public.
THDA Community Pizza Lunch
April 2, 11:30 am
T204
Welcome back from Spring Break! The Theater and Dance department will be having a community lunch on April 2 from 11:30-12:30 pm. We’ll serve pizza for lunch and talk about next year’s classes, audition opportunities, and events! All students enrolled in a THDA course of any kind (class, production) are welcome to attend. There will also be time for students to meet with and talk to the THDA Student Reps. You can sign up to attend here. All are welcome!
Movement Workshop with Dr. Alessandra Williams
April 2, 4:45 pm
Fox Dance Studio, T120
The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship is inviting Macalester’s Mellon Mays alumna Dr. Alessandra Williams to give a keynote address. She is a dance scholar and artist at Rutgers University and affiliated with Ananya Dance Theatre. She has graciously offered to facilitate a movement workshop, as described below:
WORKSHOP: We use our voices, bodies, and breath according to our abilities on a daily basis, but can we take time to create rituals to better our physical wellness and reflect on personal memories? This workshop will immerse students in exercises designed to meditate on familial stories across generations and be attentive to gestural expression in everyday life. With demonstrations, concrete examples, and individualized and communal guidance provided by the instructor, participants will learn very simple gestures, introductory physical postures, and basic vocal work to carefully craft their practice. The workshop will be informed by the instructor’s enduring engagement with the Yorchhā technique of Ananya Dance Theatre and rooted in the vinyasa style of yoga which aligns physical postures with breath. Our soundwork includes audible breath, song, and vocalization so that participants can choose the practices that are suitable for their ritual. Our goal is to build a sound-movement practice, which will integrate sound and movement as a unified experience. No prior movement or vocal experience is necessary. All physical abilities are encouraged. Sign up here.
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Randy Reyes
Friday, April 5 at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 6 at 2pm and 7:30pm
Sunday, April 7 at 2pm
Immerse yourself in a captivating reimagining of the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. This isn’t just Orpheus’ journey – it’s Eurydice’s tale of love, loss, and resilience. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice embarks on an extraordinary journey to the underworld. Experience her reunion with her father, the challenges she faces, and the struggle to remember her lost love. This isn’t the story you read in high school; it’s laced with contemporary characters, unexpected plot twists, and emotional themes. Discover a fresh perspective on a timeless love story. Don’t miss the chance to be part of this enchanting theatrical experience! More information and ticket reservations can be found at this link.
Honors Festival
April 5-6, 4:00pm-6:00pm
Spaces throughout the Theater wingFour talented seniors present the results of their year-long research projects. Jessica Chen has designed and built an immersive installation, empowering the audience to explore and discover stories as they move independently throughout the world. Kitty Jiang has designed a story featuring Chinese traditional folktales presented through Chinese shadow puppetry, in which Kitty creates all visual elements of puppets, costumes, lighting and video creation. Lily Turner presents a brief fashion show and talk highlighting sustainable fashion design and clothing culture in the wake of environmental collapse and global crisis, and the importance of circular design. Nicola Wong’s exposure to a range of movement practices such as Butoh serves as inspiration for her own work, which considers ways we connect to ourselves, to community, and to our greater environment.
Contemporary Dance Masterclass with Sean Scantlebury
April 12, 4:45-6:15pm
Fox Dance Studio, T120
Sean Scantlebury, a member of Battery Dance since 2003, is a performer and teacher equally adept in modern, ballet, and contemporary. He also teaches and performs with Ballet Co. Laboratory and other area companies. Sign up here to join the waitlist.
THDA Performance Trip: 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography
Saturday, April 13 at 2pm, bus leaves JWall circle promptly at 1pm
Northrop Auditorium
“A blossoming initiative to recognize and elevate Asian creatives working in ballet, this program of Asian and Asian American choreography—co-curated by Final Bow for Yellowface’s Phil Chan—features The Washington Ballet, BalletMet, and Oakland Ballet Company. These performances celebrate the 75th anniversary of Singaporean choreographer Choo San Goh (1948-1987) who brought The Washington Ballet international acclaim, plus works by BalletMet’s Edwaard Liang—the first Asian Artistic Director for a major American ballet company, Phil Chan and Caili Quan for Oakland Ballet Company, and the Minnesota debut of choreographer Brett Ishida.”All THDA students are invited to attend, including those in courses, majors, minors, workstudy, cast and crew. After the 60 minute performance, we will gather back on campus to share a meal and our impressions. The deadline to sign up is 12pm Friday, April 5.
Grants and Grant Writing Workshop II, with Masami Kawazato
Sunday, April 14th from 1-4pm.
THDA Classroom T101
Attendance at 1st session is required for attendance at 2nd session
This second session will review the practice applications developed using the framework presented in the first session. You will discuss methodology used to assess grants, in order to improve your understanding and writing of grants.
Dance Technique Showing
April 19, 5:00pm
Fox Dance Studio, T120
All of this semester’s dance technique classes gather to share the culmination of their movement practice this spring. Featuring demonstrations of Modern, Ballet, Capoeira, Improvisation, and Breaking movement styles.
Spring 2024 Dance Concert
April 26 at 7:30pm
April 27 at 2:00pm and 7:30 pm
This spring’s dance performance, curated by NTT Assistant Professor Jill Lile, journeys through an array of styles and perspectives, ranging from the classical romantic ballet of Anton Dolin’s 1945 Pas De Quatre restaged by Lile, to original contemporary choreography created in collaboration with Macalester students by professional guests Leila Awadallah, Tumelo Khupe, and Marciano Silva Dos Santos. Current students Cassandra Wright, and Nicola Wong are also developing original dances. Tickets are available here.
Final Showing: Puppetry
May 2, 8:00-10:00am
James A. Williams Theater, T004
Join Sofía Sáenz Padilla’s students as they perform the results of this semester’s hands-on exploration of the vast possibilities of puppetry as a storytelling theatrical form. Students perform original short scenes using various types of puppets constructed during the course, ranging from shadow, rod, and hand puppets, and marionettes. -
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Student Productions for Family Fest
October 15 & 16, 2021
Angels in America
November 4-7, 2021
Fall 2021 Dance Concert: On Foot
December 3 & 4, 2021
Collaborative Theater Performance: Oedipus
October 9-11, 2021
Spring 2022 Dance Concert: Full Circle
February 11 & 12, 2022
Spring 2022 Honors Production: Seph – Directed by Jess Yates ’22
March 4-6, 2022
Thunderbodies
April 8-10, 14, 16, 2022
Collaborative Solo Dance Performances
April 29 & 30, 2022 -
Spring 2021 Dance Concert – Inside Out
April 28, May 1 & 2, 2021
I’m Going to Go Back There Someday – Directed by Asher de Forest
April 29, May 1 & 2, 2021
Como La Tierra – Directed by Gretta Marston-Lari
April 30, May 1 & 2, 2021
Touching Queerness: Performing Utopia in a Public Bathroom – Created by Adar Kamholtz-Roberts
April 20, 2021
Portals – Directed by Beth Cleary
March 5, 6, 7, 2021
Perspectives– Directed by Robert Rosen and Darrius Strong
November 11, 2021 -
Student Productions for Family Fest
October 11-12, 2019
The Rocky Horror Show. Directed by Harry Waters Jr.
October 31-November 9, 2019
Fall 2019 Dance Concert
December 6-7, 2019
February 28th, 2020
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Canceled due to COVID-19.
Spring 2020 Dance Collaborative
Canceled due to COVID-19. -
Fall Dance Concert: Breath Bound
November 9-10, 2018
Distracted by Lisa Loomer. Directed by Jack Reuler.
December 7-15, 2018
currently untitled. Written, directed, and produced by Macalester students.
February 28-March 2, 2019
Spring Dance Concert: Open Despite
April 11, 12, 14, 2019
Letters|Home. Co-directed by Wynn Fricke and Cláudia Tatinge Nascimento.
April 25-May 4, 2019 -
Venus in Fur by David Ives, A staging project of Richard Graham ’19, Emily Nadel ’18, and Miller Shor ’19.
September 8–9, 2017.
No Child by Nilaja Sun. Guest directed by Faye Price ’77 with Niara Williams ’18.
October 13–14, 2017
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Beth Cleary.
November 2–5, 2017
Fall Dance Concert: Ghost Light
November 2-5, 2017
SLUT: The Play by Katie Capiello. Directed by Signe Harriday.
February 16–18, 2018
Dirk (and others still with us) by Anna Bruijn.
March 23–24, 2018
Spring Dance Concert: Perennial
April 27-28, 2018 -
Urinetown by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis. Directed by Harry Waters Jr.
November 4-6, 10-12, 2016
Fall Dance Concert: Bodies in the Balance
December 2-3, 2016
Medea, The music performed by the full Macalester Orchestra conducted by Director of Instrumental Activities Mark Mandarano, together with original choreography by Director of Dance Wynn Fricke interspersed with scenes from the play by Euripides, translated and adapted by guest director Barbra Berlovitz
February 17-18, 2017
Acute Care, Directed by Beth Cleary
April 6-9, 2017
Spring Dance Concert: Eclipsed
April 28-29, 2017 -
Green: An Elegy to Summer by Carson Kreitzer. Directed by Harry Waters Jr.
October 1-4, 2015
As You Like It by William Shakespeare. Guest directed by Barbara Berlovitz.
November 6-14, 2015
Fall Dance Concert: Dreaming the World Forward
December 4-5, 2015
The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl. Guest directed by Steven Yoakam ’75.
February 25-27, 2016.
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Beth Cleary.
April 14-16, 2016
Spring Dance Concert: Awake
April 29-30, 2016 -
The Cradle Will Rock by Mark Blitzstein. Directed by Harry Waters Jr.
November 6-8, 2014
Fall Dance Concert: Time Pieces
November 21-23, 2014
Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act by Athol Fugard. Directed by James A. Williams.
February 19-21, 2015.
Fahrenheit 451, A work devised by Professor Kanta Kochar-Lindgren & Students
April 9-11, 2015
Spring Dance Concert: Stitchworks
April 24-25, 2015
Archives
For the most information about past seasons, please contact the Macalester College Archives, or browse the Theater and Dance Collection database.