Come spend an afternoon with some ELVES!

"Sara Kate? Are you an Elf?" –Hillary, Act II

Remember a time when you believed in things like elves and magic? Remember a time when friendship seemed like a bond that lasted forever? Come relive some of the magic that can only be created in the mind of a child at Afternoon of the Elves!

Come spend an afternoon with the family at,  Afternoon of the Elves, opening this Friday, November 7th 2014 and running ONE WEEKEND ONLY!

Written by: Y York
From the Newberry Honor Book by Janet Taylor Lisle

Directed by: Mark Isler 

 

We sat down with two of the performers in Afternoon of the Elves, Lauren Zamiska and Gabrielle Morris! Check out what they had to say about the show and some of the fun things they did as kids!

Performances Are:

ONE WEEKEND ONLY

November 7th and 8th at 7PM 
and November 9th at 2PM
All tickets $7

Click here for Tickets 

 

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Student In The Spotlight: Nick Beezy

This week's Student in the Spotlight is...

Nick Beezy!

       Nick Beezy is a senior communications major with a musical theatre minor! He has worked on HONK!, and Chicago at EMU! Chicago is his favorite show that he has done here. He can also be seen playing vaudeville legend Bert Williams in our upcoming production of Tintypes!

       When asked what his favorite memory of EMU Theatre was he said, "Meeting the Fab Five!" After graduation he plans to leave Michigan and go to either the west coast or New York City. He hopes to continue singing and pursuing theatre, and maybe even get into radio!

12 Step Plan for a Life in the Theatre by Ken Stevens

Ken Stevens has accomplished quite a bit at EMU Theatre. As the last weekend of The 39 Steps approaches Stevens, the director, would like to share his Twelve Step Plan for a Life in the Theatre! Enjoy these photos of our current production of The 39 Steps and come see Ken's work in action THIS WEEKEND!

1) “OH YEAH, I DO THAT!”

-This means if you need a specific skill set to obtain a job...simply say, "Oh yea, I do that!" and go buy yourself a book about how to do that.

2) LEARN TO DO A BUNCH OF STUFF.
-Learn to knit. Learn a magic trick. Learn how to run on top of a train! It could come in handy.

3) APPRECIATE A BUNCH OF STUFF.
-There's more to life than musicals and farces. (We know! SHOCKING!)

4) SCREW IT AND DO IT YOURSELF.
-Who's gonna argue that?

5) ACT LIKE A BUSINESS.
-Take yourself seriously. Be professional. WORK HARD.

6) FAILURE IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
-"No" is the theatre's most-used-word.

7) MAKE FRIENDS AND KEEP THEM.
-...or else it COULD be awkward when your asked to kiss an enemy on stage.

8) DO MORE OF IT BETTER.
-Priceless advice.

9) NO BITCHING, NO WHINING, NO GOSSIP!
-Save the drama.

10) BE YOUR OWN UNION.
-Stick together! Help each other out! Promote each other! 

11) ACKNOWLEDGE TRAGEDY. LIVE COMEDY.
-Life's tough, get a helmet.

12) GET OUT.
-NOW GO OUT AND DO IT!

Get Tickets to "The 39 Steps" Here!

The History of Sponberg Theatre

Ken Stevens, Director of "The 39 Steps" , was the head of the 1980's campaign to build the Sponberg Theatre from the ground up and has produced countless performances within the space since.  All it took was a little bit of hard-work, some celebrity power, and one helicopter...

1970's

• Dr. Harold E. Sponberg is President of EMU and heads the initiative to create scholarships for the arts.
• EMU Forensics Team wins National Championship ('73, '75, '76, '77, '78, '79).
• Ken Stevens and his pal, Bob McElya, joked about putting a bubble over the outdoor performance space to create a Garden Theatre. 

1980-1983

• John Porter becomes President of EMU and sends out a call for proposals for capital campaigns at EMU.
• Ken writes proposal for Sponberg Theatre - a 200 seat facility that could be used to extend EMU Theatre programming, hold national Forensics competitions, and other campus events.
• A firm in Chicago deems Sponberg Theatre as the campaign that is most likely to succeed.
• The Department Head of the Communication and Theatre Arts Department, Dennis Beagen, backs the project along with Porter.
• Ken is asked to head the campaign.
• Ken seeks to secure the project with large donors before taking the project public.
• Enough funds are secured to make the campaign public.
• Carol Channing agrees to announce the campaign to the public ONLY if she can be flown to EMU by helicopter.
• Ken meets Carol on COBO Roof, takes a helicopter to EMU, and lands where our current Student Center is located.
• Carol announces the campaign and buys the first two chairs of Sponberg Theatre.

1984

• Enough funds are raised to break ground.
• Ground is broken.

2012

• On June 1st, Ken Stevens will present The 39 Steps in the Sponberg Theatre.
• Ken talks about his love for the space, "It's open, the size is right, and there is a sense of intimacy. You can do a range of productions. As a director, it is always a challenge to find a way to do a show in an unorthodox setting

Past productions that have taken place in Sponberg: 

Into the Woods, Brecht on Brecht, Little Me, Dead Man's Cell Phone, and many many more.

Click Here for Tickets to The 39 Steps!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY IN THE SPONBERG THEATRE BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW!

Hitchcock for Fun!

Movies like Psycho and Dial 'M' For Murder tend to cause vindictive grimaces, however, the stage-parody of Hitchcock's The 39 Steps is said to be one of Broadway's funniest productions. The 39 Steps will open on June 1 at EMU Theatre so we thought we'd give you some Fun Facts about Hitchcock to show you Hitchcock can be pleasant! 

• Alfred Hitchcock cast his daughter Patricia in the part of Caroline, Janet Leigh's co-worker in Psycho.
• Alfred Hitchcock was honored with a U. S. Postage stamp in 1998. 
• When Hitchcock was filming The 39 Steps he handcuffed the lead actor and actress Madeleine Carroll and Robert Donat and pretended to lose the key.
• Hitchcock never won an Academy Award for Best Director.
• Sir Anthony Hopkins is set to play Hitchcock in a new biographical drama about the life of one of the most influential film artists of all time. (Release date has yet to be announced.)

Hopkins as Hitchcock

So don't miss The 39 Steps at EMU Theatre! Director, Ken Stevens, has not handcuffed his actors (yet) but it's sure going to be a good time. Four actors playing 150+ characters. Hitchcock would be proud.

PURCHASE TIX!