G.L.U.T. News - Greater Lansing Ubiquitous Theatre

Incognito coming to Ixion

8/30/2022

Ixion Ensemble Presents Incognito by Nick Payne

Are we born with an inherent personality, or are we merely an assemblage of our thoughts and recollections?

In this cerebral journey through neuroscience, amnesia, and the theft of Albert Einstein’s brain, playwright Nick Payne investigates the nature of identity in a series of mysterious and touching interwoven tales.

Incognito is directed by Heath Sartorius and features a quartet of talented actors: Doak Bloss, Gini Larson, Kate Clark and Edward Heldt.

Incognito runs September 16-24 at 8 PM in the Lansing Mall's west wing, 5330 W. Saginaw Hwy. Lansing, MI. (Enter at “Lens Crafters” door. Theatre is in the storefront across from “Journey”; follow the signs.)

Tickets are available for $15 at the door or via the ticketing website, https://our.show/ixionincognito. For more information call 517.775.4246 or email ixionensemble@gmail.com

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Farewell to Mitzi Carol

8/30/2022

Sad to report that beloved LCC Choreographer/Dancer Mitzi Carol has jetéed off the earth stage.

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/lansing-mi/mitzi-carol-10903180

A visitation will be held Friday, September 2 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes – Tiffany Chapel 3232 W Saginaw St. Lansing, MI 48917. The funeral service will be held Saturday September 3 at 12:00pm with a visitation two hours prior at Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes – Tiffany Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to ASPCA or the Disabled American Veterans organization.

Costume shop news - no drop offs

8/24/2022

NO COSTUME DONATIONS
The Costume Shop run by Riverwalk Theatre is NOT currently accepting drop-off donations. Please do not leave any clothing or material. Costume shop employees can help you find an alternate place for your donation, or make an appointment to evaluate a specific item. 517-494-9199 - costumes@riverwalktheatre.com. You can always stop by the NEW COSTUME SHOP OPEN HOURS. Monday and Fridays 4-6:30 pm. Check out the vast array of costumes and think about HALLOWEEN! 1131 May St, Lansing, MI 48906

University Club Halloween Job

8/21/2022

Jane...

I have been a long-time recipient of your amazing emails regarding theater events throughout the region, and am so grateful for what you do. I have gone to see many productions based on your reviews and recommendations, and am always glad I did. Keep up the great work, and thank you!!

I am also writing as the CEO of the University Club, with a question for you. Every year, we have produced a fantastic Halloween party for our members. They take an ENORMOUS amount of work, and are truly outside our wheelhouse in many ways. But we have had someone on the staff who LOVES Halloween and has spearheaded the theme, decor, activities, etc. In our (hopefully) post-COVID world, we need to rekindle the Halloween push, but that person is no longer on our staff.

We do have several people willing to help orchestrate most of the event, which consists of a theme, lobby decor and photo backdrop, and buffet-style dining in the Heritage Room with a DJ and dance floor. But the biggest challenge is everything on the lower level, which includes our haunted house and activities room. We try to match these with the theme, so--for example--when we did a Harry Potter theme, the dining room was decorated like the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle, with seating for each of the four schools. Every child went under the sorting hat outside the dining room to determine which section they sat in. The lobby decor was Platform 9-3/4. Then, downstairs the activity room was Diagon Alley. The kids redeemed a chip for fake money from Gringotts Bank, then spent it in various booths: making wands (dipping pretzel rods in chocolate and various sprinkles), getting fortunes told (in a secret place with an owl around), buying candy from Honeydukes, etc. Then the haunted house featured lots of aspects of Harry Potter, along with generic Halloween stuff.
So, why am I telling you all this? I'm reaching out to see if by any change you know of any creative theater staging/props/design people who might be interested in a contract job helping us pull all this together, particularly taking a major role in planning and building the haunted house, and in helping with the backdrops for the lobby photos and the activity room downstairs. We are looking at a Spooky Summer Camp theme, bringing back our summer camp counselors in crazy costumes (we are about to complete nine straight weeks of sold-out camps) and using lots of generic Halloween stuff.

I don't have a specific budget, but like everyone else we're so short-staffed that I'm trying to see if we can outsource this as a separate contract. The person would work with our team to propose the concepts and layouts, help pull the required materials together from sources they might have, and help build it. The date of the party is October 28 & 29, with pre-set on October 26 & 27. Pre-COVID, we would typically get 400-500 people each night. This year, we'll probably still be limiting attendance based on staffing levels at the time, but I would guess at least 350 each night.

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in discussing this opportunity, and urge them to call me to discuss further details. Thank you so much for any help you can give, and no worries if this request is outside your wheelhouse!

Warmest regards,

Karen L. Grannemann, CCM
CEO & General Manager, University Club of MSU
3435 Forest Road Lansing, MI 48910
517-353-5620
www.universityclubofmsu.org

John Lepard stars in Henry Ford movie

8/21/2022

10 Questions for Henry Ford special film screening at Studio C at the Meridian Mall

Wednesday, September 7, 2022 at 7pm
Special film screening at Studio C at the Meridian Mall
1999 Central Park Dr, Okemos, MI 48864
Followed by a talk back with Andy Kirshner and John Lepard

All tickets are $20. Seating is general admission. Tickets are only available through the Williamston Theatre box office or website. They are not available for purchase through Studio C as this is a rental event for them.

10 Questions for Henry Ford is a documentary art film by writer/director/composer Andy Kirshner. It draws on rare documents, archival film, oral histories, and Ford’s personal notebooks to assemble a nuanced portrait of a complicated man.

In Kirshner’s lyrical, time-traveling documentary, the ghost of Henry Ford (played by actor John Lepard) returns to Detroit in 2021. Wandering through the post-industrial landscape of Southeast Michigan, he encounters the ruins of his former factories, the resilient beauty of the Rouge River, the violent legacy of his own words, and insistent memories of his beloved, but estranged son, Edsel.

While acknowledging the iconic automaker’s remarkable accomplishments, Kirshner’s film does not shy from plainly presenting the industrialist’s brutal campaign to suppress organized labor in his plants, or the influence of his virulent antisemitism on fascist movements around the world. Linking past to present, 10 Questions makes implicit connections between the nativist, antisemitic conspiracy theories popularized by Henry Ford in the 1920’s, and the right-wing extremism and white nationalism of today. A carefully researched combination of historical fact and poetic imagining, Kirshner’s film is a musical-visual-choreographic rumination on the ways in which the literal and figurative ghosts of the past still haunt us.

Kirshner worked closely with the film’s single actor, John Lepard, over a period of four years, and shot the film “documentary style” at a variety of locations significant to the life and legacy of Henry Ford – the Ford Highland Park Plant, the Ford “Fair Lane” Estate, the Willow Run Bomber Plant, Ford’s Greenfield Village, to name a few. The movie features choreography by Debbie Williams, and an original score by Kirshner, who is also an award-winning composer of music for dance, theatre, and film.

www.williamstontheatre.org

LCC Show Season — all in Black Box

8/4/2022

Lansing Community College Performing Arts 2022-23 Season Announcement

We’re excited to announce our 2022-23 Season. In addition to the theatre productions, there will be music concerts with the LCC Concert Choir, LCC Jazz Band, LCC Rock Band and dance performances in various community venues. Concert dates and locations will be announced soon. All theatre productions will be in the LCC Black BoxTheatre while Dart Auditorium is under renovation.

LCC Black Box stage is 1422 Gannon Bldg. south end of building; enter from Grand Ave. Note that shows run only ONE WEEKEND.

Queering History
By Maggie Keenan-Bolger
Directed by Paige Tufford
October 13-15, 2022 @ 8 p.m.

Emma is a quiet, unobtrusive high school student who also happens to be queer. Her high school history class is turned upside down by a visit from her ‘Fairy Queen Godmother,’ Kinsey Scale and his Gaggle of Historical Gays. Written in collaboration with LGBTQIA+ Homeless Youth, Queering History explores how our world might be different if LGBTQIA+ history was taught in our schools. (Staged Reading)

Everybody
By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Andy Callis
November 16-19, 2022 @ 8 p.m.
November 20 @ 2 p.m.

A finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize, this modern riff on the 15th-century morality play Everyman follows Everybody (chosen from amongst the cast by lottery at each performance) as they journey through life’s greatest mystery: the meaning of living. “This is theatre rather unlike anything you might have seen…unusual, unconventional and eye-opening…Everyman is no barrel of laughs, being a morality play about death. EVERYBODY tells the same tale, with equal emotional heft; but it is not only provocative and involving, it is also funny. Wildly funny, in fact.” --Huffington Post.

Do You Feel Anger?
By Mara Nelson-Greenberg
Directed by Paige Tufford
February 22-25, 2023 @ 8 p.m.
February 26 @ 2 p.m.

Sofia was recently hired as an empathy coach at a debt collection agency—and clearly, she has her work cut out for her. These employees can barely identify what an emotion is, much less practice deep, radical compassion for others. And while they painstakingly stumble towards enlightenment, someone keeps mugging Eva in the kitchen. An outrageous comedy about the absurdity—and the danger—of a world where some people’s feelings matter more than others’.

I Knock at the Door
By Sean O’Casey
Adapted by Paul Shyre
Directed by Andy Callis
March 16-18, 2023 @ 8 p.m.

Similar to Kenneth Branagh's film "Belfast", I Knock at the Door is a story of a family being held together by a loving and strong mother while class and religious turmoil threaten to pull them apart. O'Casey's portraits of his family are deeply sympathetic, and his vivid memories are brought to life with equally vivid language. With Irish Music. (Staged Reading)

Tartuffe
By Molière, translated into English verse by Richard Wilbur
Directed by Kevin O’Callaghan
April 12-15, 2023 @ 8 p.m.
April 16 @ 2 p.m.

The story takes place in the home of the wealthy Orgon, where Tartuffe—a fraud and a pious imposter—has insinuated himself. He succeeds magnificently in winning the respect and devotion of the head of the house, and then tries to marry his daughter and seduce his wife. Denounced and banned by the French government when first produced in the 1660s, Molière’s devilish comedy is perfectly ripe for our times.

Contact     LCC Performing Arts Production Office, 517-483-1122 or tuffordl@lcc.edu

Web      http://www.lcc.edu/showinfo

Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/LCCPerformingArts/

Ripples, July-August 2022

8/2/2022

Check out RIPPLES — including notice of Annual Meeting, Barney Awards results, and donate in honor of milestone birthday of Theatre Godmother Lee Helder!

Calendar August 2022

8/2/2022

ATTEND some theatre this month!

August 2022

7/14 - 8/14 - 8pm Thur/Fri, 3pm & 8pm Sat, 2pm Sun - The Hat Box by Eric Coble directed by John Lepard, a wild ride down memory lane. - World Premiere - WT
8/3-7 - 7 p.m. Wiley and the Hairy Man by Suzan Zeder,  Directed by Blake Bowen LCC Outdoor Amphitheater, Free-  LCC

8/18-21 - 7:30pm Thu, 8pm Fri/Sat, 2pm Sun Tuesdays with Morrie - WTN

8/18-28 - Big Fish - Mysterious Musical, Music & Lyrics Andrew Lippa, Book John August, Directed by Dale Wayne Williams - Main Stage -RWT

8/16/22 - 6:00-8:30pm - Teen Theatre Workshop (Ages 13-18) Fowlerville Senior Center, $10 - FCT

8/18-28 - Big Fish - Mysterious Musical, Music & Lyrics Andrew Lippa, Book John August, Directed by Dale Wayne Williams - Main Stage -RWT

8/19/22 - 6:00-8:30pm - Junior Theatre Workshop (Ages 7-12) Fowlerville Senior Center, $10 - FCT

8/20/22 - 10:00-11:30am - Mini Theatre Workshop (Ages 3-6) Fowlerville Senior Center, $10 - FCT

8/20 and 8/27 AUDITIONS for Elf Jr. the Musical. Ages 8-18 sign up for your audition spot at midwaytheatercompany.org - MTC

8/21-22 -  Sun & Mon 6-9 pm - Auditions for Merrily We Roll Along at Lansing Media Center 2500 S. Washington Ave, Lansing, MI 48910  Callbacks Tues, Aug 23, 6:30pm  Prepare to read from the script and sing; accompanist  provided. For further info, contact director Ben Cassidy at: benj.cassidy@gmail.com - PCTC

8/25-26 - 6:30-8:30 p.m. AUDITIONS for Something Wicked This Way Comes for ages 9-18 (8/24 - 6:30-8:30 Audition Workshop $10 members $15 non-members) - AECT

8/29-30 - 7pm AUDITIONS for Shrek the Musical. All the Info is here https://portlandcivicplayers.com/auditions/ - PCP

Greater Lansing Ubiquitous Theatres

AECT - All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre -
www.cityofeastlansing.com/allofus - 517-319-6957 - ecooke@cityofeastlansing.com performs at E.L. Hannah Community Center 819 Abbot Road East Lansing, MI 48823

FCT - Fowlerville Community Theatre - mailto:FowlervilleTheatre@gmail.com - http://fowlervilletheatre.com

LCC - Lansing Community College Arts - all shows at LCC Black Box Stage 1422 Gannon Bldg  (Dart Auditorium is being renovated) www.lcc.edu/showinfo - 517-483-1122

MTC - Midway Theater Company -
midwaytheatercompany.org - 517-316-5272

PCP - Portland Civic Players - portlandcivicplayers.com Box Office: 517-647-4041 | 231 Maple St., PO Box 344, Portland MI 48875

PCTC - Peppermint Creek Theatre Company - Sycamore Creek Church, 1919 S. Pennsylvania Ave, Lansing MI 48910 - www.peppermintcreek.org - 517-927-3016
RWT - Community Circle Players at Riverwalk Theatre, www.RiverwalkTheatre.com, 517-482-5700

WT - Williamston Theatre - 517-655-SHOW (7469) www.williamstontheatre.org

WTN - Wharton Center for Performing Arts at MSU - 517-432-2000 or 1-800-Wharton or  www.whartoncenter.com