Click Here for a digital copy of our season brochure for 2019-2020. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the office at 810-237-6522.
2019-2020 Season
2019-2020 Digital Season Brochure
Antigone
Antigone
by Sophocles
directed by Janet Haley
January 24-26, 31, February 1-2, 2020
Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
Civil war. Sibiling rivalry. King Creon of Thebes forbids anyone from burying The Traitor. When his niece Antigone, discontent to let her 'traitor' brother go without proper funeral rites, takes matters into her own hands, sparking a family feud that pits father against son, sister against sister, and civil law against gods.
To purchase tickets, please visit: tickets.thewhiting.com/8527.
fall dance concert
Fall Dance Concert
choreographed by Dance Faculty and Students
directed by Beth Freiman
November 14-15, 2019
Shows begin at 7:30 pm
Faculty and Student choreographed annual dance concert featuring a variety of dance styles, suitable for all ages.
To purchase tickets, please visit: tickets.thewhiting.com/8531.
the liar
The Liar
by David Ives, adapted from Le Menteur by Pierre Corneille
directed by William Irwin
October 25-27, November 1-3, 2019
Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
Paris, 1643. Doranty is a charming young man in search of romance who has one major flaw . . . he cannot tell the truth. In quick succession, he meets Cliton, a manservant who cannot tell a lie, and falls in love with Clarice. In his efforts to woo her, he invents a tale of his amazing military feats, unleashing a web fo falsehood that ensnares everyone, sparks mishaps and mistaken identities, and lie upon lie. In an age when our leaders play fast and loose with the facts, David Ives' adaptation takes one of the world's greatest comedies by the classic French playwright Pierre Corneille, and brings it forward with sidesplitting modern sensibilities.
To purchase tickets, please visit: tickets.thewhiting.com/8524.
2018-2019 Season
2018-2019 Digital Season Brochure
Click Here for a digital copy of our season brochure for 2018-2019. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the office at 810-237-6522.
spring dance concert
Spring Dance Concert
choreographed by Beth Freiman and Emma Davis
April 19-20
Friday, April 19 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 20 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm.
Faculty choreographed annual dance concert featuring a variety of dance styles, suitable for all ages.
significant other
Significant Other
a play by Joshua Harmon
directed by William Irwin
March 29-31, April 5-7
Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 pm, Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
All of Jordan Berman's best friends are setting a date . . . and he can't even get one! A cutting romantic comedy about sustaining friendships, falling in love, finding your soulmate, and discovering yourself in an increasingly disparate and alienating world.
cabaret at the capitol
Cabaret at the Capitol
Special 2 night Musical Theatre Performance
directed by Stephanie Dean
February 22-23
Friday, February 22 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 23 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
UM-Flint students sing a wide range of Broadway hits in an intimate evening of song and performance. Come enjoy a cabaret atmosphere with a variety of pieces and performers!
My children! my africa!
My Children! My Africa!
a play by Athol Fugard
directed by Janet Haley
January 25-27, February 1-3
Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
The search for a means to an end to apartheid inspires Mr. 'M', a black South African schoolteacher, to invite a white South African student named Isabel to join his student Thami in an inter-school debate competition. He hopes this will demonstrate that even in Apartheid-era South Africa, people of different races can work together toward a common goal. Pressure on Thami erupts into a tumultuous conflict between the black township students and the 'old-fashioned' black teacher. This astonishingly provocative drama explores the struggle between choosing actions of constructive dialogue or destructive violence in order to accomplish immediate justice and social change.
Peter and the star catcher
Peter and the Star Catcher
by Rick Elice, based on the Novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
music by Wayne Baker
directed by Janet Haley
October 26-28, November 2-4
Friday and Saturday Shows begin at 7:30 pm, Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
Using live msuic, song, and the wildly imaginative physical theatre conventiones, this Tony-award winning adaptation of Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson's best-selling novels, upends the old story of how a miserable orphan comes to be The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up -- aka Peter Pan. Over a dozen actors portray more than 100 unforgettable characters (including marauding pirates, jungel tyrants, unwilling comrades, and unlikely heroes). Peter and the Starcatcher playfully explores how the bonds of friendship, duty, and love can help us overcome greed and despair. An epically entertaining performance suitable for all ages.
2017-2018 season
2017-2018 Digital Season Brochure
Click Here for a digital copy of our season brochure for 2017-2018. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the office at 810-237-6522.
spring dance concert
Spring Dance Concert
choreographed by Dance Faculty
April 13-15
Friday and Saturday Shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
lend me a tenor
Lend Me a Tenor
by Ken Ludwig
directed by William Irwin
March 23-25, 30-31, 2018
Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7:30 pm and Sunday shows begin at 2:00 pm.
When a star opera singer becomes unexpectedly incapacitated prior to an important performance, a suitable replacement must be found. Who is cavalier enough to replace him? Mayhem, lunacy, and shear panic ensue, but in the end the show much always go on.
The fantasticks
The Fantasticks
by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt
directed by Stephanie Dean
January 26-28, February 2-4, 2018
Friday, January 26 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, January 28 at 2:00 pm
Friday, February 2 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, February 3 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 4 at 2:00 pm
The Fantasticks, the longest running musical of all time, is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their parents trying to keep them apart.
As you like it
As You Like It
by William Shakespeare
directed by Janet Haley
October 27-29, November 3-5, 2017
Friday, October 27 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 28 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, October 29 at 2:00 pm
Friday, November 3 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 5 at 2:00 pm
Rosalind flees to the Forest of Arden to find her father, but must disguise herself as a man. Her disguise is so convincing that it fools her beloved Orlando, who asks this 'boy' to help him win the heart of the girl of his dream--which is, of course, Rosalind herself. A romantic comedy that is fanciful, philisophical, witty, silly, and full of heart.
2016-2017 Season
2016-2017 Digital Season Brochure
Click Here for a digital copy of our season brochure for 2016-2017. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the office at 810-237-6522.
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
directed by William Irwin
March 24, 2017 7:30 PM
March 25, 2017 7:30 PM
March 26, 2017 2:00 PM
March 31 2017 7:30 PM
April 1, 2017 7:30 PM
April 2, 2017 2:00 PM
120 years after its first performance, this enduring comic masterpiece defines wit and style as two bachelor friends, the dandy playboy Algernon Moncrieff and the utterly reliable John Worthing, lead double lives to win the affections of the exquisite Gwendolyn Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. The gallants must then grapple with the consequences of their deceptions, as well as with the formidable Lady Bracknell, in this biting satire on love, class, and society.
Spring Dance Concert
Choreographed by Beth Freiman, Emma Davis, & Adesola Akinleye
April 14, 2017 7:30 PM
April 15, 2017 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Big Love
by Charles L. Mee
directed by Janet Haley
January 27, 2017 7:30 PM
January 28, 2017 7:30 PM
January 29, 2017 2:00 PM
February 3, 2017 7:30 PM
February 4, 2017 7:30 PM
February 5, 2017 2:00 PM
Fifty brides seek refuge from their fifty grooms in a villa on the coast of Italy. Mayhem ensues when the grooms arrive by helicopter in flight suits. This modern re-make of one of the western world's oldest plays, The Suppliant Women by Aeschylus, is a delightfully bold theatre piece that promises to enchant the imagination and ignite the heart. Big words, big music, big imagery, big love.
Next to Normal
by Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey
Directed by Stephanie Dean
October 28 2016 7:30 PM
October 29, 2016 7:30 PM
October 30, 2016 2:00 PM* Talk Back Discussion will follow this performance
November 3, 2016 *High School Only Backstage Tour & Rehearsal Night* Email Lisa Borton if interested in attending or bringing your high school group to this special evening.
November 4, 2016 7:30 PM
November 5, 2016 7:30 PM
November 6, 2016 2:00 PM* Talk Back Discussion will follow this performance
The deeply moving, Tony Award winning rock musical, Next to Normal, is about a mother who struggles with bipolar disorder and the effects of the illness on her seemingly “typical” American family. It is one of only eight musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
2015-2016 Season
2015-2016 Digital Season Brochure
Click Here for a digital copy of our season brochure for 2015-2016. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the office at 810-237-6522
Spring Dance Concert
Choreographed by Beth Freiman, Adesola Akinleye and Emma Davis
April 15, 2016 at 7:30 PM
April 16, 2016 at 7:30 PM
April 17, 2016 at 2:00 PM
The 2016 Spring Dance Concert will present dances inspired by the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether.
Romeo & Juliet
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Janet Haley
October 30, 2015 at 7:30 PM
October 31, 2015 at 2:00 PM*
November 1, 2015 at 2:00 PM
November 6, 2015 at 7:30 PM
November 7, 2015 at 2:00* and 7:30 PM
November 8, 2015 at 2:00 PM
*denotes a post show conversation with the director
Romeo and Juliet risk their lives to marry in secret, as the ancient grudge between their families ignites passionate actions of destructive violence. The UM-Flint Theatre stage will be transformed in a new way to thrust the play’s “violent delights” and their “violent ends” in explosive new ways for our audience.
The Call
By Tanya Barfield
Directed by Andrew Morton
January 29, 2016 at 7:30 PM
January 30, 2016 at 7:30 PM
January 31, 2016 at 2:00 PM
February 5, 2016 at 7:30 PM
February 6, 2016 at 7:30 PM
February 7, 2016 at 2:00 PM* post show conversation with the director
When Annie and Peter decide to adopt, they come to set their sights on a child from Africa. But when the reality of this choice sinks in, it opens a well of uncertainty that speaks to their very identity as White Americans. Politically-charged, funny and tack-sharp, The Call is a startling portrait of cultural divide, casting global issues into the heart of an American home.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by Jay Reiss
Directed by Stephanie Dean
March 25, 2016 at 7:30 PM
March 26, 2016 at 7:30 PM
April 1, 2016 at 7:30 PM
April 2, 2016 at 7:30 PM
April 3, 2016 at 2:00 PM
Six youngsters on the edge of puberty strive to become adults in this Tony Award winning musical comedy. The quirky outsiders use competition to define themselves apart from their crazy families, while their struggle to escape childhood is overseen by grown-ups who never escaped it themselves. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home life, they learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser.
2014-2015 Season
2014-2015 Digital Season Brochure
Click here for a digital copy of our season brochure for 2014-2015. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please call the office at 810-237-6522.
Spring Dance Concert
Spring Dance Concert
choreography by Adesola Akinleye, Beth Freiman, and Emma Davis
April 17-19
Each seasonthis annula dance concert explores and celebrates a specific theme through a repetoire of dynamic, original choreography. For the 2014-2015 season, carying literary works inspired the dances. From the poetry of Rumi and Kalil Gibran, to the local authors of Flint; the dances explore the written word.
Laughter on the 23rd floor
Laughter on the 23rd Floor
by Neil Simon
directed by William Irwin
Dates: March 27-29, April 3-4
Pultizer Prize winning playwright Neil Simon provides a nostalgic peek behind the scenes of television's golden age in this his Broadway comedy, which is based on Simon's own time spent on the writing staff of Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows. Among the mad antics in the writers' room of a weekly variety show, star Max Prince battles with NBC executives who fear his humor is too sophisticated for Middle America. With characters based on his co-writers; Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Sid Caesar, Simon showcases the hilarious jokes and banter of the original kings of comedy.
EURYDICE
Eurydice
by Sarah Ruhl
directed by Janet Haley
Dates: January 30-31, February 1, 6-8
Based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice explores the myth in a new light, focusing on Eurydice's perspective. Eurydice, about to be married to her loved Orpheus, dies shortly after her wedding. Eurydice enters the Underworld, where she meets her father, but she has lost her memory. Through language, her father lovingly tells her about her past life. A chorus of stones attempts to convice Eurydice to stay in the Underworld, speaking the language of the dead. Meanwhile, Orpheus grieves for Eurydice and deises a way to see her in the Underworld. However, the Lord of the Underworld stipulates that he must walk back to the world of the living without looking back at Eurydice. Eurydice must choose between a world which includes her father or a world which includes her husband.
SHE LOVES ME
She Loves Me
Music by Jerry Bock
Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Book by Joe Masteroff
directed by Stephanie Dean
Dates: October 31, November 1-2, 7-9
George and Amalia are two fueding clearks in a European parfumerie during the 1930s who secretly find solace in their anoymous romantic pen pals, little knowing their respective correspondents are none other than each other. Funny, intelligent, honest, and sentimental, SHE LOVES ME is a warm romantic comedy with an endearing innoccence and a touch of old world elegance and nostalgia, yet as universal and relevant as ever in this age of internet romances.
She Loves Me was presented through special arrangement with Musical Theatre International (MTI).
2013-2014 Season
HER STORY: CELEBRATING GREAT WOMEN IN HISTORY THROUGH DANCE
Her Story, 2014
Choreographed by the Dance Faculty: Adesola Akinleye, Emma Davis, and Beth Freiman
April 11-13, 2014, Friday-Saturday Curtain at 7:30 pm, Sunday Curtain at 2:00 pm.
Each season, this annual dance concert explores and celebrates a specific theme through a repetoire of dynamic, original choreography. For the 2013-2014 season, the performance will honor women in history.
THE ASH GIRL
The Ash Girl, 2014
by Timberlak Wertenbaker
directed by Janet Haley
March 21-23, 28-30, Friday-Saturday Curtain at 7:30 pm, Sunday Curtain at 2:00 pm.
The Ash Girl is a sweeping meta-theatrical re-telling of the Cinderella fairy tale. With her mother dead and her father away, Ash Girl lives a life of isolation and oppression, dominiated by her stepmother and stepsisters. When an invitation to the ball arrives from the pring, Ash girl finds the strength to go, with the help of her friends, some of whom come from unexpected places. When she gets home, Ash girl realizes that in order to regain the fleeting happiness she found in the ams of the prince, she must fight the monsters who have slithered and insinuated their way into her heart and mind. She must believe in herself for others to do the same.
GOD OF CARNAGE
God of Carnage
by Yasmina Reza, translation by Christopher Hampton
directed by William Irwin
February 1-16, 21-23, 2014, Friday-Saturday Curtain at 7:30 pm, Sunday Curtain at 2:00 pm.
After two eleven-year-old boys have a scuffle at a playground, their parents face in order to resolve the matter on their own. Despite their best attempts at courtesy and respect, hard truths and insecurities surface, pitting couple against couple, men against women, and even husband against wife. A Broadway hit and winner of the 2009 Tony® Award for best Play, God of Carnage takes a painfully funny look at parents behaving worse than their kids.
Running Time: Under 90 minutes, with NO INTERMISSION
This production is considered PG-13. It contains adult langage and violence.
The Local
The Local, 2013
written by the UM-Flint Collective Playwright's Workshop
directed by Andrew Morton
November 8, 10, 16, 22-24, 2013, Friday-Saturday Curtain at 7:30 pm, Sunday Curtain at 2:00 pm
This play was born from the Department of Theatre & Dance's 2012 collaborative playwright project, as a way to honor a venerable music venue: The Flint Local 432 (or "The Local"). For almost 3 decades this all-ages, substance-free club has brought the best of underground music to Flint. The Local is a story celebrating community, creativity, and punk rock.
Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors
Composer: Alan Menken
Lyricist & Librettist: Howard Ashman
directed by Stephanie Dean
November 1-3, 9, 15, 17, 2013, Friday-Saturday Curtian at 7:30 pm, Sunday Curtain at 2:00 pm.
A Broadway hit and movie favorite, the all-time best-selling musical, Little Shop of Horrors, tells a story that wil entertain the entire family. Life on Skid Row is bleak . . . until a floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation by discovering an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. This plant grows into the famous "Audrey II", an R&B singing carnivore who keeps audiences rolling in their seats with laughter.