WCU's Department of Theatre & Dance Announces 2022/23 Season
West Chester University’s Department of Theatre and Dance today announced the 2022/23 season of spectacular dance concerts, thrilling theatrical classics, provocative new works and a groundbreaking musical. For more information visit http://www.wcupatix.com/theatreanddance.
Harvey Rovine, chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance says, “We are proud of the
high-quality performances that our West Chester students and faculty in the Department
of Theatre and Dance bring to our campus. This season, as in year’s past, there is
a little of something for everyone to provide entertainment for all interests and
ages. We invite the entire community to experience for themselves the professional
nature of our productions.”
Tickets for all events, save for the Student Written One Acts, are an affordable $12 and can be purchased at www.wcupatix.com. The Student Written One Acts tickets are $5 at the door. All performances take place in one of three state-of-the-art, intimate theatres on West Chester University’s campus: 1) The Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center, 817 S. High Street, West Chester; 2) MainStage Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts, 2 E. Rosedale Avenue, West Chester; 3) J. Peter Adler Studio Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts, 2 E. Rosedale Avenue, West Chester.
2022/23 THEATRE & DANCE SEASON
Spring Awakening - Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater, Music by Duncan Sheik. Based on the play by Frank Wedekind
October 20 – 22 at 7:30 p.m.; October 22-23 at 2 p.m.
Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center
The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Spring Awakening follows a group of teenage German students as they struggle to understand and obtain agency over their own bodies inside of a repressive, dismissive, ill-informed, and often cruel society. The folk-rock score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater is equal parts powerful and poetic, acting as a raw reflection of the characters’ inner lives, and a powerful celebration of youth and rebellion. Content warning: nudity, rape, suicide, violence.
Fall Dance Concert
November 11 & 12 at 7:30 p.m.; November 12 at 2 p.m.
Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center
University Dance Company’s annual Fall Dance Concert focuses on work by current WCU dance faculty and professional guest artists with selected student work.
Eurydice - By Sarah Ruhl
November 17 -19 at 7:30 p.m.; November 20 at 2 p.m.
MainStage Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts
Eurydice reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love and begins to discover that the cost of living again can sometimes exceed the cost of staying dead. Sarah Ruhl’s play transforms a traditional myth into a contemporary meditation on love worth grieving for through dark humor and wit.
Charlotte’s Web - Adapted by Joseph Robinette. Based on the book by E.B. White.
March 3 & 4 at 7:30 p.m.; March 4 & 5 at 2 p.m.
MainStage Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts
Charlotte’s Web, one of the most beloved and celebrated pieces of children’s literature ever written, comes to life in this poignant adaptation of the E.B. White masterpiece. Playwright Joseph Robinette created a play with beautiful simplicity. Join Wilbur the pig, his human friend Fern, Templeton the rat, and all the barnyard inhabitants as they learn what it means to be a true friend from the selfless spider, Charlotte. This family friendly production will be sure to delight audiences both young and old.
The Student Written One Acts of 2023 - By the Students of THA313
March 31st & April 1 at 7:30 p.m.; April 2 at 2 p.m.
J. Peter Adler Studio Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts
The Student Written One Acts is an evening of short plays penned by the Theatre 313 Playwrighting Class that reflect the issues and themes that resonate with West Chester University students. Students serve as directors, designers, technicians, stage managers and, of course, actors to present this night of original student work.
Twelfth Night - By William Shakespeare
April 20 & 21 at 7:30 p.m.; April 22 & 23 at 2 p.m. with a special performance on the QUAD for Shakespeare Day on April 23rd.
MainStage Theatre, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts
Twelfth Night tells the story of Viola, a young heroine who washes up on the shores of Illyria, disguises herself as a man, is sent to court a countess and falls hard for a Duke. As she navigates this strange and wonderful new land, she finds her true self and her true love in the process. Celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio with us!
Spring Dance Concert
April 27 – 29 at 7:30 p.m.; April 29 at 2 p.m.
Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, Swope Music Building & Performing Arts Center
University Dance Company’s annual Spring Dance Concert celebrates the creative choreography and design of WCU students in a variety of styles.