Performances

Arms and the Man

By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Denise Gillman

Considered one of the finest plays by George Bernard Shaw, often deemed second only to Shakespeare in the pantheon of English playwrights, this witty satire challenges our cultural notions of romance, the glories of war, and authenticity. Though written over 100 years ago, young Raina’s journey of self-discovery still speaks to us today as she struggles to decide between her dashing fiancé and her sensitive “chocolate cream soldier.” Whom shall she choose?

Content Notice: This production contains loud noises, descriptions of war and violence, guns, swords, and alcohol. Additional content notice specifics.

Hooey-Hahs & Foofaraws: The Compleat Button Man’s Picket Fence Party Planner

An Unnecessarily Long-Titled New Farce

By H. Russ Brown
Directed by Dr. Danny Devlin

The sleepy little burg of Battue Haven, MN, is an idyllic suburban gem of picket fences and manicured lawns until, suddenly, with a literal Bada-bing-bada-BOOM!!… the sudden arrival of two mob enforcers causes what started as a simple cookout with the neighbors to quickly explode into a hilarious all-out rough-and-tumble tizzy of chaotic complications, esoteric entrées, and highbrow hoodlums on Pallduva Lane!

Content Notice: Please note the following are all presented in a slapstick comedic fashion.This production contains violence, guns, alcohol, theatrical haze and loud noises. Additional content notice specifics.

Gypsy

A Musical Fable, Book by Arthur Laurents
Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Suggested by the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee
Original Production by David Merrick and Leland Hayward
Entire production originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins
Directed by Laura Lloyd

Widely hailed as one of the greatest musicals of all time, Gypsy is a dazzling triumph of storytelling and song—crafted by three of Broadway’s most iconic talents with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by the memoirs of burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee, Gypsy tells the unforgettable story of ultimate stage mother Rose, as she chases fame for her daughters across the fading vaudeville circuit. Its bold exploration of ambition, identity, and sacrifice has captivated generations with memorable tunes like “Let Me Entertain You,” “You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” and, of course, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses!”

Content Notice: This production contains mild adult themes, mild language, depictions of non-physical abuse and historical misconceptions/stereotypes. Additional content notice specifics.

The Laramie Project

by Moisés Kaufman
and the Members of Tectonic Theater Project
Directed by Gregg Lloyd

In October 1998, a student at the University of Wyoming, Matthew Shephard, was severely beaten and left for dead outside Laramie, Wyoming. Why? Because he was gay. In the aftermath, Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, conducting over 200 interviews with the people of the town; some were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, detailing a breadth of reactions that is truly fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic then constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences in Laramie, creating a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.

Content Notice: This play contains discussions of death, grief and emotional trauma, violence, homophobia, strong language and religious extremism. Additional content notice specifics.

17th Annual Dance Concert

Directed by Ann Mazzocca Bellecci and Laura Lloyd

Join us for the 17th annual Dance Concert, which offers a variety of tap, ballet, jazz, modern, Afro-Caribbean and musical theatre dance styles. This high-energy event features student, faculty and guest choreographers.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Tim Rice
Directed by Laura Lloyd
Musical Direction by Nathan Matthews
Choreography by Jamie LaFever

A two-thousand-year-old story comes to the TheatreCNU stage in its 50-year-old rock opera format. Fused with ancient political history, modern sensibilities and a poignant non-traditional cast, this musical humbly reminds us that love and acceptance conquers all.

Content Notice: This production contains implied violence, suicide, murder and death, water vapors, strobe lights, flashing lights and theatrical haze.

Pride & Prejudice

By Kate Hamill
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Gregg Lloyd

Keenly modernized from Jane Austen’s well-known novel, this is an exploration of finding one’s perfectly imperfect love. Fitzwilliam is a proud gentry and Elizabeth is prejudiced against the aristocracy. With tongue-in-cheek spirit, they both learn to overcome. Enjoy this classic comedy of heartfelt fun.

Content Notice: This production contains themes of misogyny, alcohol consumption, sexism, mild adult language and situations.

Carrie the Musical

Music by Michael Gore
Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Directed by Laura Grace Godwin
Music Direction by Douglas Carpenter
Choreography by Tim Johnson and Gwen Hawdon

Fifty years ago, an awkward teenager got her night at the prom, as penned in the novel by Stephen King. Now, TheatreCNU brings her story, a fandom favorite musical, to our stage. Carrie White is bullied at home and at school. Once Carrie discovers that she has a special power, the world comes to know her full effulgence.

Content Notice: This production contains violence, blood, bullying, child abuse, substance abuse, religious extremism, homophobia, death, sexual assault, horror, water vapors, strobe lights and flashing lights.

Uncle Vanya

By Anton Chekhov
Translation by Paul Schmidt
Directed by Denise Gillman

One of the greatest Russian plays ever written is reimagined to resonate with contemporary audiences who understand the ennui of surviving isolation. Performed in an unusually intimate style, a celebrated professor and his new beautiful wife return to his pastoral roots, creating a suite of ordinary people who are comically inept at managing their lives.

Content Notice: This production contains themes of alcohol abuse, mental health challenges, guns, suicide, and death.

16th Annual Dance Concert

Directed by Ann Mazzocca Bellecci and Laura Lloyd

Join us for the 16th annual Dance Concert, which offers a variety of tap, ballet, jazz, modern, Afro-Caribbean and musical theater dance styles. This high-energy event features faculty, guest and student dancers and choreographers.

Stepping Out

Written by Richard Harris
Directed by Laura Lloyd

Tap dancing makes you smile. In this warm and jolly ‘play with music’, an eclectic group of lifelong learners gather for a weekly tap dance class in a dingy North London church hall. They are none too friendly, nor too coordinated. In shuffles and hops, they find a mission that unites them. Friendship and determination ensue, as they perfect the shuffle-flap-ball-change.

Dr. Frankenstein

Written by Selma Dimitrijevic
Directed by Denise Gillman

Victoria Frankenstein is a brilliant, visionary young woman. It’s the height of the Romantic Age, a time when old orders begin to crumble and everything seems possible. Provided of course that you are an English man. Women are not allowed to study medicine in England, so Victoria travels to Ingolstadt, Bavaria, to fulfill her destiny and become Dr. Frankenstein. Victoria’s experiments lead her to the very brink of human knowledge, the secret of life itself. Selma Dimitrijevic’s Dr. Frankenstein is based on the novel Frankenstein or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

9 to 5

Music and Lyrics by Dolly Parton
Book by Patricia Resnick
Based on the 20th Century Fox Picture
Directed by Gregg Lloyd

Take a break from the mundane work week with this iconic musical about just that. A trio of women, feeling the inequities of the corporate ladder, plot to get even with their pompous boss. But it’s just a joke. Or is it? When the boss finds out about their hijinks and threatens them, the three women commandeer the office and reimagine the working environment to be a happier, healthier, more productive place. Now, if they can just convince the board to keep their new model rolling. “It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.”

Queen Margaret

By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Jeanie O’Hare

Beggar. Lover. Courtier. Mother. Politician. Soldier. Margaret of Anjou is the tenacious She Wolf of France who became one of England’s most controversial queens. The only character to appear in four of Shakespeare’s plays, Margaret’s story was subordinated to her husband, Henry VI, and her implacable enemies, the Duke of York and his sons Edward IV and Richard III…until now. Playwright and dramaturg Jeanie O’Hare puts Margaret center stage in a retelling of Shakespeare’s vicious tales of a royal family torn apart by power.

15th Annual Dance Concert

Directed by Ann Mazzocca Bellecci and Laura Lloyd

Join us for the 15th annual Dance Concert, which offers a variety of tap, ballet, jazz, modern, Afro-Caribbean and musical theater dance styles. This high-energy event features faculty, guest and student dancers and choreographers.