MSU Production Blends Theatre, Digital Storytelling, and TV for Live Studio Audience Experience

MSU’s Department of Theatre invites you to step into the excitement of a live sitcom recording where lights blaze, cameras roll, and the laughter is real. This spring, audiences have an opportunity to experience that electric atmosphere firsthand as a WKAR studio becomes the stage for a one-of-a-kind theatrical event.

Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience: THIS RA LIFE a hilarious, original production written by Ryan Patrick Welsh and Sarah Hendrickson, runs March 25-29, 2026, at WKAR Studio A in the MSU Communication Arts and Sciences Building. And with just 60 seats available per performance, the production promises an intimate and lively theatrical experience.

Four cast members in a maintenance room set. A woman with long dark hair stands at left with arms crossed, while a man in a cap and tan jacket sits on a milk crate at center. A young man in a gray hoodie stands behind a rolling utility cart, and another cast member lounges in a rolling chair at right with arms raised overhead.

Four cast members perform a scene on the residence hall common room set. A young woman sits on the arm of a couch at left with a surprised expression, while another cast member sits on the couch facing her. Two other students stand behind them — one in a red sweater leaning on a stool, another in a black jacket with hands clasped — as bookshelves and potted plants fill the background.

Directed by Welsh, Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience is a collaboration between MSU’s Department of Theatre and the School of Journalism’s Digital Storytelling Program. Theatre students will be performing and Digital Storytelling students will be recording and editing the footage.

“Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience began as a bold idea to bring students and faculty together from across campus to do something that hadn’t been done before,” Welsh said. “The vehicle of this collaboration is an original sitcom, or multi-camera comedy. Sitcom has deep roots in theatrical practice, which makes it a perfect canvas for students in front, and behind the camera.”

What makes this production unique is that audience members become a crucial collaborator in the making of an episode.

“Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience began as a bold idea to bring students and faculty together from across campus to do something that hadn’t been done before.”
Ryan Welsh, Director

“Every chuckle, giggle, laugh, and guffaw the audience shares with us is recorded as a part of the laugh track that we’ve all come to expect in the final edit of a sitcom episode,” Welsh said. “More importantly, it’s an infectious gift that invites others into a space of joy. So, we invite the audience to kick back, loosen up, and watch these incredibly gifted students make something truly special.”

The idea for this production grew out of a successful 2024 collaboration between the Department of Theatre and the Digital Storytelling Program to incorporate live video into the Spring Awakening production, which inspired faculty to expand into a full-scale joint production, featuring both theatre and digital storytelling.

A large group of students and faculty seated around a rectangular arrangement of tables during the first table read for RA-Holes. Laptops and script pages are spread across the tables. A student in the foreground takes a selfie, smiling at the camera. — The first read through of *Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience*. *(Photo courtesy of Juliana Barnerd)*

“It is not often MSU students get to experience this type of collaboration in production and performance form,” said Alison Dobbins, MSU Professor of Integrated Media Performance Design and Unit Production Manager for the Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience production. “The best combination of theatre and film can be found in TV that is shot in front of a live studio audience.”

This production also reflects a positive shift in curriculum, says Dobbins. Previously, students in the BFA in Stage, Screen, and New Media focused on traditional stage production during the main season, while film projects were reserved for spring or winter breaks.

“It is not often MSU students get to experience this type of collaboration in production and performance form.”
Alison Dobbins, Professor of Integrated Media Performance Design

“With the advent of Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience, students who are exploring screen acting, art direction, cinematography, editing, props, costumes, and sound for film can do so as part of the main season,” Dobbins said. “A project such as this requires the input and effort of numerous faculty and students. It’s a different way of working, but the benefits are amazing.”

The partnership reflects the College of Communication Arts and Sciences and the Department of Theatre’s ongoing commitment to experiential learning and student development. From managing control rooms and lighting to acting, students are engaged in every aspect of this production, bridging classroom learning with real-world application.

By combining live theatre with television production, Recorded in Front of a Live Studio Audience offers students a rare, hybrid learning experience while giving audiences a fresh and engaging way to enjoy MSU Theatre.

Performance Dates and Times:

Wednesday, March 25, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 26, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 27, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 29, 2 p.m.

Tickets

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at whartoncenter.com, in person at the Wharton Center Ticket Office, by calling 517-432-2000 or 1-800-WHARTON, or one hour before a performance at the MSU Communication Arts and Sciences Building. Please note, all purchases at the Communication Arts and Sciences Building will be cashless.

General Admission: $29
Seniors (60+): $23
MSU Faculty and Staff: $23
Non-MSU Students: $13
MSU Students: FREE ticket per student with a valid MSU ID. Pick up the free ticket an hour before the performance at the Communication Arts and Sciences Building or day of/days prior at the Wharton Center Ticket Office.

By Buu-Tran Duong and Kim Popiolek