Orchesis
Orchesis, a student organization working closely with dance and theatre faculty, welcomes all MSU students interested in dance to be members. The group’s mission is to enhance and enrich the presence of dance as an art form on campus.
To fulfill this mission, Orchesis promotes numerous activities. Some examples include co-sponsoring guest artists, organizing student participation in American College Dance Festival, and offering non-credit technique classes.
Questions? Email officialmsuorchesis@gmail.com
Spartan Theatrical Artist Resource Team (stART)
Who Are We?
stART is a student organization affiliated with Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre. They raise funds for students to use towards their careers. Their executive board organizes events for our members to participate and gain volunteer hours in. Their most notable event is called “Haunted AUD” which attracts thousands of community members each year. Additionally, they sell Department of Theatre apparel and share student activities on our social media sites (@msuDOTstudents).
How to Join
If you’re an MSU student who has completed 20 hours towards stART activities, then you are eligible to join the organization. As an active member of the organization (completing 20 hours each year), you are eligible to apply for a grant for student initiatives. Grants can be used for things like headshots, audition fees, senior trips, etc. Grants will be approved by faculty and the stART executive board. Contact: startdotmsu@gmail.com
How to Earn Hours
stART holds multiple fundraisers to participate in each semester. Check on their daily events page for updates on events where one can gain hours.
Spartan Public Outreach Team (S.P.O.T.)
S.P.O.T. is the Spartan Public Outreach Team, whose efforts began in 2008 (as the Spartan Prison Outreach Team) became a Registered Student Organization at MSU in 2012. The mission of S.P.O.T. is to serve the community through outreach initiatives that involve theatrical activity. The team enables the intellectual and emotional experiences afforded by the arts to transform attitudes, imagination and self-perception in its volunteers and participants. The team consists of a group of students interested in utilizing the visual and performing arts to assist in the creative process of various individuals in the surrounding community. The volunteers work alongside participants to teach various creative arts in a workshop-type setting, and build toward a performance showcase. The goal of the program is to serve as an educational and professional experience for its volunteers to apply their academic knowledge, artistic abilities and compassion to teach and inspire various participant or at-risk individuals. While the program operates out of the Department of Theatre, all MSU students with a passion for helping others through the arts are welcome to join. Recruitment for and orientation of interested new volunteers occurs at the beginning of each semester.
The program was featured in 2010 as one of the Spartan Sagas. In 2011, the University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) presentation by MFA Candidate and S.P.O.T. member Beth A. Kolongowski, titled “Prison Theatre: A Comparison of Two Arts Outreach Styles on an Unlikely Stage,” was the first place award winner for the Arts and Humanities category.
The MSU DOT faculty advisor for the program is Dionne O’Dell. Interested students can contact the current president of the organization at spartanprisonoutreachteam@gmail.com.
