The Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season, Secrets & Spotlights, features performances designed to foster empathy by immersing audiences in stories that highlight diverse characters and perspectives.
“This year’s season presents a vibrant mix of beloved texts and original creations, rich in cultural, political, and aesthetic significance,” said Kirk Domer, Interim Chairperson of the Department of Theatre and Professor of Scene Design. “From reinventing Chekhov and Shakespeare to a live-recorded sitcom, a dance-theatre performance on seeds and survival, and a brand-new musical comedy created in collaboration with Wharton Center, we’re inviting our students and audiences to discover the power of story from all angles.”
“This year’s season presents a vibrant mix of beloved texts and original creations, rich in cultural, political, and aesthetic significance.”
Kirk Domer, Interim Chairperson of the Department of Theatre
The season opens with “Taking Off!” — a New Musical Laboratory production running Sept. 19-21, 2025 — and concludes with a Storefront Series production April 23-26, 2026. Seven additional shows will be presented throughout the year.
The following are all the productions scheduled for the Department of Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season. For more information on each production or to buy tickets, visit the Wharton Center for Performing Arts website.
Taking Off!
Sept. 19-21, 2025
Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center
“Taking Off!” — a 90-minute musical comedy written by Sonya Hayden with music by Matthew Lowy — is set aboard a turbulent 1967 Panamorama Airlines flight where an ambitious female mechanic, Amelia Darehart, trades her toolbox for a stewardess uniform and discovers 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.
Directed by Adam Yankowy, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre, with musical direction by Dave Wendelberger, Academic Specialist in the Department of Theatre, “Taking Off!” explores the push and pull between freedom and societal expectations — all at 35,000 feet.
This New Musical Laboratory production is a collaboration between MSU’s Department of Theatre and Wharton Center. It offers a unique educational experience for students as they work alongside Broadway-caliber professionals.
The Seagull & Stupid F**king Bird
Oct. 4-12, 2025
Arena Theatre, MSU Auditorium
Two plays, one repertory experience. Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull” marked a turning point in theatrical realism in 1898 at the Moscow Art Theatre. More than a century later, Aaron Posner’s irreverent reimagining, “Stupid F**king Bird,” offers a humorous, contemporary perspective on Chekhov’s classic.
Presented together as “The Seagull & Stupid F**king Bird” and directed by Rob Roznowski, Professor of Acting, these paired productions will give audiences the rare opportunity to compare and contrast the two plays, which explore unrequited love, creative struggle, and the pursuit of meaning.
Othello
Nov. 7-16, 2025
Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center
Set in modern-day America, this bold new staging of Shakespeare’s “Othello,” directed by Ji Won Jeon, Research Associate in the Department of Theatre, reimagines the classic tragedy through the lens of diverse immigrant experiences, including Middle Eastern, African American, Asian American, Latinx, and more.
In a time of political upheaval and global crises, the production confronts the ways fear of the unknown fuels hatred and violence while asking how we navigate the fragile lines between power and justice, love and betrayal.
Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play
Nov. 19-23, 2025
Studio 60, MSU Auditorium
This darkly comic adaption of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Lauren Wilson, transports audiences to Victorian England where repressed impulses erupt as Dr. Jekyll’s experiments in the nature of evil threaten to expose the bloody hands beneath the gloves of the British Empire.
Directed by Brad Willcuts, Associate Professor of Musical Theatre and Choreography, “Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Play,” is a fast-paced romp in which characters teeter on the edge between aristocracy and depravity, and between the ever-present forces of good and evil.
MSU UnScripted
Dec. 4-7, 2025
Studio 60, MSU Auditorium
Featuring the Department of Theatre’s newest students, “MSU UnScripted,” directed by Sarah Hendrickson, Academic Specialist in the Department of Theatre, delivers a night of high-energy improvisational comedy with each night bringing a new performance that uniquely blend classic and contemporary improv games and scenes inspired entirely by audience suggestions.
No two shows are alike — each features a different cast and everything is created on the spot. Hard to believe? Come to all five shows and see for yourself!
Echoes from the Banks of Red Cedar
Feb. 14-22, 2026
Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium
Inspired by William James Beal’s legendary seed experiment, “Echoes from the Banks of Red Cedar” is a multidisciplinary dance theatre production that explores the resilience of dormant seeds and the unseen forces that shape education.
Conceived by writer and choreographer Alexandria Davis, Assistant Professor of Theatre, in collaboration with Kevin Jones, MSU Percussion Instructor; MSU Dance minors; MSU College of Music students; and MFA candidate Niloufar Fallahfar, this innovative performance weaves together elements of dance, sculpture, dialogue, and music to celebrate our shared capacity to grow and transform, even after long periods of dormancy.
Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience
March 25-29, 2026
WKAR Studio A, Communication Arts & Sciences
In collaboration with WKAR Public Media, the School of Journalism‘s Digital Storytelling program, and the Department of Theatre, “Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience,” recreates the excitement of a live TV taping, transporting audiences back to the golden era of sitcoms like “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” and “That ’70s Show.”
Directed by Ryan Welsh, Associate Professor of Media Acting, and Alison Dobbins, Professor of Integrated Media Performance Design, the production will unfold on an authentic TV set inside WKAR Studio A.
Jane Austen’s Persuasion
April 14-19, 2026
Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center
Directed by Daniel T. Smith, Associate Professor of Theatre, “Jane Austen’s Persuasion” is a bittersweet tale of first love and second chances. Melissa Leilani Larson’s adaptation of Austen’s final novel preserves Austen’s signature wit and charm while capturing the poignancy of second-chance romance, reflecting on matters of love, memory, and maturity.
Anne Elliot, persuaded in her youth to reject young Frederick Wentworth’s marriage proposal, has never found a more suitable match. Years later, when Frederick returns as a successful naval captain, he and Anne are reunited and may have a second chance at love.
Storefront Musical
April 23-26, 2026
Studio 60, MSU Auditorium
Directed by Adam Yankowy, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre, with musical direction by Dave Wendelberger, Academic Specialist in the Department of Theatre, this marks the first musical performance in the Storefront Series, an initiative that aims to tell stories with minimal design.
The Storefront Series gives students practical experience with the “storefront production model,” a professional theatre format defined by smaller budgets and faster turnarounds. Through this series, students gain hands-on experience and build skills in writing, acting, and directing, preparing them for the realities of a career in the performing arts.
By Austin Curtis and Kim Popiolek
