Theatre and Dance Season

Theatre and Dance Series is the main production season of the Department of Theatre and Dance, consisting of five to seven theatrical productions and three dance concerts annually. Works to be performed are specifically chosen to expose students to the broad spectrum of dramatic and choreographic literature, including timeless classics and contemporary genres. Policies for non-traditional casting ensure equal opportunity for students to explore diverse roles and stretch themselves artistically. Each project is directed and/or choreographed by the resident or guest artist directors and choreographers and performed by the Department’s theatre and dance majors.

The Studio Theatre Series allows students and faculty to produce work quickly and simply, free from the constraints and costs of fully-staged productions. It is a laboratory for exploration that emphasizes acting as an art form. These performances give us the unique opportunity to explore a creative process that requires less production support and focuses more on character, speech, voice, and movement.

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Upcoming Shows

The Department of Theatre and Dance at Montclair State University wants to bring the experience of live theatre and dance to everyone by engaging the audience with entertaining, diverse, relevant, and inspirational programming. We would like to share the passions of student artists who are eager to engage with their fellow audience members.

Come see the stars of tomorrow today as our talented students reinterpret works that have come to define an American tradition in performing arts.

We are excited to present our 2023-24 season where Everyone’s Welcome!


DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE

a black and white image of an elephant

ELEPHANT’S GRAVEYARD

Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty

“When a traveling circus arrived in a muddy Tennessee town in 1916, the hunger for spectacle and the power of hysteria collided and took a tragic turn.  Based on a true story, Elephant’s Graveyard recounts why the hanging execution of a gigantic elephant happened, with personal narrative and lush theatricality that will reverberate long after the curtain goes down.”

  • Saturday, February 25 @ 2:00 pm
  • Saturday, February 25 @ 7:30 pm
  • Tuesday, February 28 @ 7:30 pm
  • Wednesday, March 1 @ 7:30 pm
  • Thursday,  March 2 @ 7:30 pm

Alexander Kasser Theatre
$20.00


DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE

dancer in black and white

DANCE MAKERS

Directed by Maxine Steinman

Come see the next generation of dance makers! In this curated dance concert, Montclair State student choreographers bring their individual and distinct creativity to Memorial Auditorium.

  • Thursday, March 23 @ 7:30 pm
  • Friday, March 24 @ 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, March 25 @ 2:00 pm
  • Saturday, March 25 @ 7:30 pm

Memorial Auditorium
$20.00


JOHN J CALI SCHOOL OF MUSIC | DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE

train in a dark tunnel

BRIGHT STAR

Music, Book & Story by Steven Martin
Music, Lyrics & Story by Edie Brickell
Directed by R. Lee Kratzer

Edie Brickell and Steve Martin’s BRIGHT STAR tells the story of a woman’s harrowing journey to face her past and reckon with her future. With a powerful and graceful score inspired by the pair’s 2013 collaboration bluegrass album, “Love Has Come for You,” this tale of optimism in the face of impossible choices brings us closer to what makes us human—our capacity for closeness and forgiveness.

  • Thursday, March 30 @ 7:30 pm
  • Friday, March 31 @ 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, April 1 @ 2:00 pm
  • Saturday, April 1 @ 7:30 pm
  • Tuesday, April 4 @ 7:30 pm
  • Wednesday, April 5 @ 7:30 pm
  • Thursday, April 6 @ 7:30 pm

Life Hall Studio 1200
$15.00


JOHN J CALI SCHOOL OF MUSIC | DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE

cartoon city skyline

ON THE TOWN

Music by Leonard Bernstein
Book and Lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Directed by Ashley Rodbro

Three sailors on shore leave in New York City during World War II and find romance and adventure in the first Broadway musical written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, with legendary choreography by Jerome Robbins.

  • Saturday, April 15,  2:00 pm
  • Saturday, April 15, 7:30 pm
  • Tuesday, April 18,  7:30 pm
  • Wednesday, April 19, 7:30 pm
  • Thursday, April 20, 7:30 pm
  • Friday, April 21, 7:30 pm

Alexander Kasser Theater
$20.00


collection of students mid dance performance

SPRING DANCE 2023

Directed by Christian von Howard

Spring Dance 2023 features the choreographic works of Stefanie Batten Bland, Kathleen Kelley, Michelle Manzanales, Maxine Steinman, Christian von Howard, and other guest choreographers.

  • Thursday, April 27 @ 7:30 pm
  • Friday, April 28 @ 7:30 pm
  • Saturday, April 29 @ 2:00 pm
  • Saturday, April 29 @ 7:30 pm
  • Sunday, April 30 @ 2:00 pm

Memorial Auditorium
$20.00