2019-2020 Season
We are sad to announce that Gustavus has extended online learning through the spring semester due to COVID-19. Therefore, spring in-person Theatre and Dance performances will be cancelled. Please watch our social media pages for announcements about opportunities for our students to showcase their work.
Into the Woods
Book by James Lapine, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Henry MacCarthy, Director
October 31, November 1-2 | 8:00 PM
November 2-3 | 2:00 PM
Anderson Theatre
Delving into the dark and whimsical lore of the Brothers Grimm, Stephen Sondheim taps into the shared world of fantasy that aims to connect us all. Sondheim weaves the fairy tales of our youth together into a single narrative on the quest for family, the perils of the past, and the importance of forging a path for ourselves, even in the thick of the woods. An exhilarating musical theatre experience. Limited seating. This production may not be appropriate for young children.
Click here for Into the Woods photos.
Lyric Confluence: The Choreographers’ Gallery
Melissa C. Rolnick, Director
November 22 | 8:30 PM
November 23 | 5:30 PM
November 24 | 4:00 PM
Kresge Dance Studio
Experience the eclectic range of emerging talent where individual student choreographers offer an evening of singular beauty in this year’s Choreographers’ Gallery.
Click here for Lyric Confluence photos.
Time to Get Real: Selections from the Classics of Modern Drama
Amy Seham, Director
November 22 | 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM
November 23 | 8:00 PM
November 24 | 1:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Black Box Theatre
Realism was a revolution. Artists such as Stanislavsky, Ibsen, and Duse broke all the rules of 19th century theatre when they strove to represent believable human beings dealing society’s social problems. Today, realism is the dominant style for theatre and film acting. Students in this workshop production rediscover the revolutionary in scenes, monologues, and short plays from classic European and American realism.
Click here for Time to Get Real photos.
You're Invited! A New Creation by The Moving Company
February 20-22, 2020 | 8:00 PM [Please note that the Saturday performance is invitation only]
February 23, 2020 | 2:00 PM
Inaugural Performance in the New Laboratory Theatre
A simple proposition — a room, a table, and all the events of life that are invited to live for a moment in this space. What takes place around the candid landscape of a table? Both a private and public space; what is hidden, what might be uncovered? Who has a seat at the table, and who is left out? It’s a party, a funeral, a wedding, a refugee. And the table, always there, witness to it all — birth and death, surprise and reflection. The little moments we share. The life that is celebrated. And You’re Invited.
Click here for You're Invited photos.
Partnering with Gravity: The Gustavus Dance Company in Concert
Melissa C. Rolnick and Michele Rusinko, Directors
March 19-21, 2020 | 8:00 PM
March 22, 2020 | 2:00 PM
New Laboratory Theatre
This year's spring dance concert embraces, "Partnering with Gravity" a choreographic offering by Gustavus dance faculty Sarah Hauss, Jill Patterson, and Michele Rusinko. Guest choreographers include Jeffrey Peterson, Dan Stark and selected student pieces. Faculty performers include Sarah Hauss and Melissa C. Rolnick.
*** Note: The coronavirus pandemic became reality during tech and the concert envisioned, choreographed, rehearsed, designed, and created, was not performed in front of a live audience. ***
Self: Dance Honors Performance by Madeline Miller & Megan Witte
May 21, 2020 _ 7:30 PM
via YouTube Premiere
The Mother Courage Project
Students' Online Adaptations of the Stage Production of Brecht's play originally directed by Amy Seham
May 27 | 7:30 pm
via Google Hangouts Meet
Honors Performance by Morgan Fuller '20
Honors Scenic Design by Nicole Meyer '20
Original music by Conrad Oddoye '20
Critics have called Mother Courage, “the greatest anti-war play of all time.” Entertaining and provocative, Brecht’s epic drama alternates comic dialogue, poignant moments, unexpected songs, and stark images to challenge audiences to look through the fog of war. Brecht wrote Mother Courage in 1939 as a response to the Nazi invasion of Poland. It is as relevant and compelling today as it was then.
Click here for Mother Courage photos.
Take a look at information from the 2018-2019 season.