Clashing Steel With The Stage
Have you ever wondered if that prop sword used in the heroic fighting scene of a play is real? Artist Jon Reeves of Kalamazoo has created countless steel props for plays over his 40 years in theater...
View ArticleFarmers Alley Puts On Pulitzer Prize Winning Play 'Disgraced'
“It’s intense, it’s psychological, it’s honest, it’s forthright and provocative," says D. Terry Williams, director of Farmers Alley Theatre ’s production of Disgraced. The play opens Friday, November...
View ArticleWMU Theatre & Music Depts Team Up For 1927 Classic 'Show Boat'
Director Jay Berkow and cast members Gabrielle Oliva (Magnolia) and Kendall VanAmberg (Gaylord Ravenol) join Cara Lieurance to talk about what makes the still-popular 1927 Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein...
View ArticleWhat It's Like To Be A Professional Princess
What's it like working as a princess? We aimed to find out. The Kalamazoo company Once Upon A Princess lets you rent a princess, prince, or superhero for a child’s birthday party or any number of events.
View ArticleWater By The Spoonful: Play Explores Addiction, Online Relationships
The internet allows people to connect who never would have met each other before. People who live in opposite corners of the globe, from different backgrounds and cultures. The Pulitzer-Prize winning...
View ArticleWestern Premieres Puppet Play, Sensory-Friendly Performance
It can be hard enough to portray real animals on stage. But how do you bring a creature to life that doesn’t exist? This weekend is the world premiere of Western Michigan University’s original play...
View Article'Wonder Tales' Hopes To Expose Kids To Other Cultures
If I say the phrase “folk tales” you might think of "The Three Little Pigs" or "Hansel and Gretel." Those are great stories from Western cultures - countries like England and Germany - but there are so...
View ArticleReview: 'It Shoulda Been You' At Farmers Alley Theatre
If you don’t attend a wedding in June or even if you do, I have good news. The musical “It Shoulda Been You” at Farmers Alley Theatre offers a stylish comic spin on nuptials that will be unlike any...
View ArticleReview: Barn Theatre's Presentation Of "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame"
The Barn Theatre’s run of the Hunchback of Notre Dame is in its second week. It continues through Sunday. Retired WMUK General Manager Gordon Bolar has a review.
View ArticleReview: The Barn Theatre Brings "Buddy Holly" To Life
You know you have a good juke-box musical when there’s an exceptional presentation of songs that mean something to the audience, and an engaging storyline that drives the music forward. Judging by the...
View ArticleGreat Escape Opens With New Theater, Podcast In Marshall
After nearly a year out of commission, the Great Escape Stage Company is re-opening its doors in Marshall - complete with a new theater, a new season of shows, and even a new podcast.
View Article"Waiting To Be Invited" At WMU Shows Everyday People Can Make A Difference
In the play, “Waiting to be Invited” by S.M. Shepard-Massat, three black housewives are going to Marsh’s - a “whites only” restaurant at an Atlanta department store. It’s 1964 and segregation has just...
View ArticleRadiation: A Hopeful, Locally Written Play About Cancer
You don’t expect much humor in a hospital waiting room, but “Radiation” by local playwrights Deborah Ann Percy and Arnie Johnston has humor and hope.
View ArticleNew Albion Theatre To Be Shared With College, Local Artists
The city of Albion is getting a new theatre space. Two vacant buildings downtown will turn into a multi-use facility for both Albion College and the community. Supporters say they hope it will help...
View ArticleLove And Activism Collide In The Play "Sunset Baby"
Many of us have that relative or friend that we no longer talk to. Maybe it was something they said. Maybe it was something we did. Maybe it had to do with politics. The characters in Dominique...
View ArticleNew Play About A Surreal Midlife Crisis Premieres In Kalamazoo
This weekend, Queer Theatre Kalamazoo will be the first to perform a brand new play called “The Days Are Shorter” by Chicago playwright Corinne J. Kawecki . It’s a surreal journey about a midlife crisis.
View ArticlePlay About AIDS Epidemic Gets Revival At Western And On Broadway
“Angels in America” — a play that centers around the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s — is gaining new attention today. In honor of its 25th anniversary, an all-star cast is performing it on Broadway —...
View ArticleFarmers Alley's “The Christians” Shows Doubt Is OK
What happens when someone questions your beliefs? The award-winning play “The Christians” by Lucas Hnath explores this. Friday is opening night for the Farmers Alley Theatre production in Kalamazoo. It...
View Article'Black Lives, Black Words' Hopes To Spark Needed Race Discussions
“Do black lives matter?” That’s the prompt that award-winning playwright and activist Reginald Edmund uses in the Black Lives, Black Words project. It’s a multi-city performance with theatre, poetry,...
View Article'Ships, Shells, & Chains': The Nutshell Version Of The African American...
If you distilled the experiences of African Americans into an hour and 45 minutes, it might look something like “Ships, Shells, and Chains.” The play by Kalamazoo’s Kendra Ann Flournoy is a series of...
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