Department News

Message From The Chair

Dr. George F. Peters

Greetings to alumni and friends of the MSU Department of Theatre! With this message I hope to both inform you about exciting developments in Theatre and Dance in the Department and, at the same time, reestablish contact with graduates and patrons with whom we may have been out of touch. We want you to hear from us and, just as importantly, we hope to hear back from you, either on-line or through the enclosed questionnaire. Please do take a few minutes to respond and let us know how theatre continues to play a role in your lives.

This academic year the Department of Theatre commemorates 100 years of theatre performance at MSU. The 1907 production of School for Scandal initiated a tradition of faculty and student collaboration in the production of plays that steadily grew over the decades and remains a vital force in the arts at MSU today. Simultaneously this year the Department joins the major celebration of Arts and Culture that will extend across the entire campus and into the greater Lansing community. Culminating with the musical Babes in Arms during the Arts Marathon Weekend in April, with visiting director Greg Ganakas, and featuring an original show, Arts or Crafts, by the Department's own Head of Acting and Directing, Rob Roznowski, the Main Stage Season focuses on major themes surrounding the nature, purpose, and perplexity of art in our lives. Dance as a vital form of artistic expression is highlighted in February with DanceFest, at which our distinguished guest professor in residence, Vincent Thomas, will dance one of his own signature solos. The newly initiated Second Stage Season, featuring a Freshman Showcase and two plays directed by MFA students, complements the Main Stage offerings. Ten student productions, the Stratford Residency, the Young Playwright Festival, outreach and engagement activities involving schools and community groups—these and many more activities promise to help showcase the renewed vitality of the Department of Theatre at the center of artistic life on campus.

Academically, the Department is thriving. The new Theatre BFA program attracted a healthy number of talented students in its first year, while the BA degree continues to enroll well over 100 majors. In fall 2007 the Department will be one of the first on campus to introduce the newly allowed minor curriculum, letting students majoring in other departments add the formal study of Theatre to their transcripts. The MA and MFA programs continue to enroll top-notch students who are finding meaningful professional employment upon graduation.

We hope you will have the opportunity to come to the Department during the Year of the Arts and Culture, both to attend productions and to meet the new faculty and staff members who are revitalizing Theatre and Dance at MSU for the 21st Century. We would love to see you.

George F. Peters - Chair