Welcome to the MSU Department of Theatre 2025 – 2026 Season! To buy tickets, visit here.
TAKING OFF!
New Musical Laboratory
- Book and Lyrics: Sonya Hayden
Music: Matthew Lowy - Directed: Adam Yankowy
Music Directed: Dave Wendelberger - Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center for Performing Arts
- Dates: September 19 – 21, 2025
Taking Off! is a 90-minute musical comedy set aboard a turbulent 1967 Panamorama Airlines flight, where an ambitious female mechanic, Amelia Darehart, trades her toolbox for a stewardess uniform—only to discover the role isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Between spilled drinks, a diamond heist gone wrong, and a dream ballet filled with terrible dancers, Amelia navigates love, ambition, and the absurd rules placed on women of the era. With high-flying hijinks and heart, Taking Off! explores the push and pull between freedom and societal expectations—all at 35,000 feet. A unique educational collaboration between Michigan State University Department of Theatre and the Institute for Arts & Creativity at Wharton Center.
THE SEAGULL
By Anton Chekhov
STUPID FUCKING BIRD
By Aaron Posner
Sort of adapted from THE SEAGULL by Anton Chekhov
Performed in Repertory*
*Means two related plays The Seagull and Stupid Fucking Bird are performed in the same date range (September 19 - 21)
- Directed: Rob Roznowski
- Location: Arena Theatre, MSU Auditorium
- Dates: October 4 – 12, 2025
Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull marked a turning point in theatrical realism at the Moscow Art Theatre in 1898. Aaron Posner’s contemporary reimagining of this classic play, Stupid Fucking Bird, offers a uniquely humorous perspective on Chekhov’s original. Now you can compare and contrast these two plays about unrequited love and unfulfilled life playing in repertory.
OTHELLO
Shakespeare
- Written by: William Shakespeare
Directed: Ji Won Jeon - Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center for Performing Arts
- Dates: November 7 – 16, 2025
What happens when fear takes control? Set in modern-day America, this bold new production of Othello brings Shakespeare’s searing tragedy into our world of political upheaval and cultural reckoning. Through the lens of diverse immigrant experiences—Middle Eastern, African American, Asian American, Latinx, and beyond—we confront the ways fear of the unknown fuels hatred and violence. In a time of global crises, how do we navigate truth, trust, and power? We invite the audience to explore these urgent questions and bring this electrifying vision to life.
CHEMICAL IMBALANCE
Storefront Series
- Written by: Lauren Wilson
- Directed: Brad Willcuts
- Location: Studio 60, MSU Auditorium
- Dates: November 19 – 23, 2025
A darkly comic adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In Victorian England, repressed impulses burst as Dr. Jekyll’s experiments in the nature of evil threaten to reveal the bloody hands beneath the gloves of the British Empire. A fast-paced romp about people tightrope-walking the line between aristocracy and depravity, and between the twin specters of good and evil.
UNSCRIPTED
Improvisation
- Directed: Sarah Hendrickson
- Location: Studio 60, MSU Auditorium
- Dates: December 4 – 7, 2025
Experience a night of improvisational comedy, featuring the newest members of the Department of Theatre. Each performance offers a unique blend of classic and current improv games and scenes, all inspired by audience suggestions. Because every performance features a different cast and everything is made up on the spot, no two shows are the same. Hard to believe? Come to all 5 shows and see for yourself!
ECHOES FROM THE BANKS OF RED CEDAR
Dance
- Written by: Alexandria Davis
Choreography: Alexandria Davis - Location: Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium
- Dates: February 13 – 22, 2026
What secrets lie dormant beneath the surface, waiting to emerge? If I plant you, what will you grow? Discover the hidden potential beneath the surface through an innovative collaboration involving Alexandria Davis, Kevin Jones, MSU Dance Minors, College of Music students, and MFA candidate Niloufar Fallahfar. This unique dance theatre performance, inspired by William James Beal’s seed experiment, explores the resilience of dormant seeds and the unseen forces shaping education. With elements of dance, dialogue, music, and sculpture, it celebrates our collective ability to grow and transform, even after long periods of dormancy.
RECORDED IN FRONT OF A LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE
Live Studio Audience
- A collaboration between the Department of Theatre, School of Journalism, and WKAR Public Media
- Location: WKAR Studio A, Communication Arts & Sciences
- Dates: March 25 – 29, 2026
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be at a live episode of Friends… That 70s Show… or Seinfeld? Join a studio audience now on campus at MSU! This production is a collaboration between the College of Arts and Letters’ Department of Theatre, School of Journalism’s Digital Storytelling program, and WKAR Public Media.
JANE AUSTEN’S PERSUASION
Jane Austen
- Directed: Daniel T. Smith
- Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center for Performing Arts
- Dates: April 14 – 19, 2026
Featuring Jane Austen’s signature wit and charm, this adaptation of her last completed novel reflects on matters of love, memory, and maturity. Persuaded in her youth to reject young Frederick Wentworth’s marriage proposal, Anne Elliot has not yet found a more suitable match. As the only truly sensible member of her immediate family, Anne shepherds her father and sisters through financial difficulties and medical concerns amid much letter-writing and secret-sharing. When Frederick returns as Captain Wentworth after achieving maritime success, he and Anne may have a second chance at love. Will they take the leap?
STOREFRONT MUSICAL
Storefront Series
- Directed: Adam Yankowy
Music Directed: Dave Wendelberger - Location: Studio 60, MSU Auditorium
- Dates: April 23 – 26, 2026
Experience a musical in the spotlight… without the spotlight! The Storefront Series aims to effectively tell stories with as little design as possible. Now, for the first time ever, see it done with a musical!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
You can buy MSU theatre season tickets through the Wharton Center for Performing Arts website: https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/category/dept-of-theatre
MSU Theatre performances are held either at the MSU Auditorium building (542 Auditorium Rd, East Lansing, MI 48824), which holds the Arena Theatre, Studio 60, and Fairchild Theatre, or at Wharton Center for Performing Arts, which holds the Pasant Theatre. Doublecheck the location of the performance you are going to so you arrive at the right place!
For MSU Auditorium performances, you can park for free at parking lot 9 after 6 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends. Otherwise, there is Pay By Plate parking across campus.
For Wharton Center for Performing Arts performances, you can park in Ramp 3 (Lot 19), which is adjacent to the Wharton Center with Pay By Plate. There is also surface lots 112 and 113, Lot 54, and Shaw Ramp (Lot 51), with their separate parking fees.
Please silence or turn off phone before the show and give full attention to cast and crew running the performance. If you have to use your device like taking a phone call, exit discreetly. Do not take photos/videos of performance to avoid violating copyright and spoiling performances for others. Exceptions could be for professional photographers and publicity/media specialists covering the event. Be present, limit distractions, and help create a respectful experience for all.
MSU students from all types of majors and backgrounds, including theatre, film, dance, engineering, biology, English, etc. are involved in these performances! Students gain experience, bond, and learn real-life skills through preparing and performing for the MSU theatre department.
