The Department of Theatre and Performance Studies has planned a semester jam-packed with thought-provoking plays, dark musicals and entertaining performances.
The department kicked off its season with the annual faculty staged reading Friday, Aug. 18, with a staged reading of a play titled “Christians.” Faculty staged readings are a TPS tradition, used to welcome new and returning students alike. The ticket price associated with the event is then added directly to scholarship funds for TPS students.
On Friday, Aug. 26, the department will stage the “24 Hour Play Festival,” an evening of theater devised entirely in the 24 hours before the performance. Friday night, student playwrights will begin drafting their scripts, and in the next day, student directors, actors and technicians will spend their time rehearsing the pieces before the 8 p.m. curtain on Saturday. Tickets are only $5.
From Sept. 7-9, the department will host guest artist Mark Kendall as he performs his one-man show, “The Magic Negro and other Blackness.” The show deals with issues of race and is recommended for adult audiences.
“Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” is the first mainstage show of the season and runs Sept. 26-Oct. 1. This show tells the true story of Rodney King, a black man who was brutally beaten in early 1991 by police officers. The play also follows the riots that occurred in Los Angeles immediately following the acquittal of the four officers in 1992. “Twilight” deals with issues of race, police brutality and protesting that are still extremely relevant to our current society.
“The Fifth Annual Coming Out Monologues Project” will be staged Oct. 12-13. TPS students will perform dramatic re-tellings of coming out stories from many members in the KSU and greater Atlanta communities.
Kennesaw Improv Society Stupid!, KSU’s improvisation ensemble, will perform its showcase Oct. 20-21 at the Onyx Theatre. It’s a free event, and hilarity is sure to ensue. The ensemble said that the content may not be appropriate for children under the age of 16.
The other mainstage show this season is “Heathers: The Musical,” which will run in the Stillwell Theatre Nov. 2-12. Based on the 1988 cult classic film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, the musical deals with issues of teen suicide, emotionally abusive relationships and the dynamics of high school friendships. The material of this dark comedy would be better suited for mature audiences.
This semester will end with the “KSU Tellers: Fall Showcase” Dec. 1-2. The ensemble will spend the semester crafting stories which they will then present dramatically for only $5.
The theater department has a lot of well-picked performances for the semester, many of which deal with issues that are relevant to our society today. For more information and ticket prices, visit the TPS website.