East Lansing might not be New York City or Chicago, but there are still plenty of theater venues and many ways to get involved in local productions. Below are some highlights for theater fans and fanatics:
See shows locally
For high-quality Broadway shows, don't even bother to leave campus. Wharton Center brings top musicals to our backyard. Its 2005-06 season features "Hairspray," "The Boy Friend," "The Lion King," "Annie," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Stomp."
The shows can be a little pricey, although student prices are available. Tickets usually cost about $30.
Lansing has the only Mid-Michigan professional theater venue, BoarsHead Theatre, which also tries to make its shows accessible to students. Because the theater is right across the street from the Capital Area Transportation Authority Center, students can make it to BoarsHead easily by bus. Student tickets are $12.
Community theater venues are a little cheaper - tickets will range from $5 to $12 and generally have decent plays and musicals to offer. These include Riverwalk Theatre, Lansing Civic Players, or LCP, Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. and Sunsets with Shakespeare.
Riverwalk Theatre and LCP are more family-oriented companies, whereas Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. and Sunsets with Shakespeare go for edgier plays. In the summer, Sunsets with Shakespeare offers free Shakespearean plays in local parks.
The MSU Department of Theatre also offers shows on campus for thespians to enjoy. There are usually six to 10 main stage shows that cost about $10 for students. These shows span a wide range from comedy to drama to musicals.
Get with the crew
If you want to try acting, but don't have time to spend with rehearsals every night, then taking Acting 1 (THR 101) at MSU might be a good move. Sections fill up fast, so check it out soon.
In the class, students present scenes and monologues and do trust exercises, along with voice and movement studies.
"Some people have such heavily concentrated majors that this interest becomes a sideline for them," said theater Professor Rob Roznowski. "People gain self-confidence and assurance and understand what goes behind good acting."
