Name Your Favorite '11-'12 EMU Theatre Moment!

Well it's been quite a journey since August, wouldn't you say? It all started at Fajita Fest when we worked the mobs of freshman, trying to get them pumped about EMU Theatre!

We were there for auditions and bumped into some typical theatre types...

The Theatre Clique

The Suck Up

 The Over-Enthused Freshman

After the cast list was posted, our students immediately got to work on Imaginary Invalid. Making 16th Century Theatre accessible to all audiences is not an easy task, friends, and takes a lot of practice.

But the hard work paid off and Invalid was a success! Many new faces were introduced to the program and the designers sure had a lot of fun with their wacky concepts.

Drama Day was a rip roarin' good time when high schools from all over Michigan came to take theatre workshop classes and watch Imaginary Invalid. Check out the video to see how Drama Day changes lives...

Then it was onto Go, Dog Go! which brought audiences in from out-of-state! Fans of this children's classic couldn't resist the opportunity to see it live at EMU Theatre!

We were able to creatively address the issue of sexual harassment with a double feature of Oleanna and How I Learned to Drive with our Lab Theatre Series. Student directed and produced, these performances led to many honest discussions about a "taboo" issue.

PHEW! We made it to Winter break! Most of us spent our time engulfing holiday treats and others prepared for our upcoming repertory series (while guzzling holiday treats). Dead Man's Cell Phone and No Child... played in rep as commentary on contemporary issues such as technology and public education.

This spun us right into our annual Student Written and Directed One Act Festival. We had quite an array of styles and topics covered in one evening for one low price!

Most recently, we successfully revived an American Musical Theatre Classic EMU Theatre style! Guys and Dolls opened April 13 and left audiences with a pep in their step and songs in their head.

And in the meantime...we created a webseries! Inside the EMU Actor's Studio interviews actors, designers, and directors about the upcoming shows. Check out some of our favorites!

 

Now, don't be sad. You think we're just going to disappear in the Summer? Well, we're not! Broadway's longest running comedy, The 39 Steps by Alfred Hitchcock is coming to EMU Theatre this June. Good luck with the rest of your finals...AH HEM!...We mean...Break legs on your finals. AND CONGRATS TO OUR GRADUATES!  Kylie, SVA, Sarah Leahy, Millhouse, Emily Tipton, Clarkso, Craig, and Betty!

Stay connected over the summer!

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Watch the rest of our Youtube videos.

EMU Theatre Presents "Guys and Dolls": A Show Full of Crap (Games)

The desire to live in another era is a common fantasy, but for EMU Theatre students the fantasy is practically a reality. Guys and Dolls (April 13-21) takes place in the 1940’s – an era that is often romanticized in film and theatre. It is the decade of WWII, the first commercial televisions, Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, and a minimum wage rate of $.43 per hour.  (Keep reading and check out some photos from rehearsal!)

Guys and Dolls ushers audiences through the infamous decade with spectacular song, dance, and nifty dialogue.

Eric Hohnke (pictured center) says, “Even though Guys and Dolls is a familiar classic, it will be an EMU Theatre original”. Actors, designers, and directors have dedicated the past months to organizing a ducky experience for Southeastern Michigan audiences.

If you’re not familiar with Guys and Dolls….Don’t worry, we won’t tell you to scram! Rather, we would delight in introducing you to the beloved characters Nathan Detroit, Miss Adelaide, Miss Sarah Brown, and Sky Masterson. 

In an effort to jump start his crap games, Nathan Detroit, wrangles a risky wager with Sky Masterson, a man who bets as high as his name. Nathan bets Sky 1 thousand dollars that he will fail at wooing the prudish broad, Miss Sarah Brown.

To win the bet, Sky must convince Miss Sarah Brown to travel to Havana with him. Meanwhile, Nathan Detroit is dealing with a relationship predicament of his own. He has been engaged to the lovely Miss Adelaide for 14 years! Does he have it in him to set a date before she tells him to scram? (Check out the interview with the actors who play Nathan and Adelaide!)

Guys and Dolls runs April 13-21 (click here for show times!) and is sure to entertain audiences of ALL ages. Bring a date! Bring a friend! Purchase tickets HERE!

Rehearsal Preview!