House lights down! Curtain up!
After a year of virtual performances, stages around the College of the Arts are coming alive with music, theater, and dance. Back in the spotlight are some remarkable young talents who represent the future of the performing arts.
Throughout the academic year, there will be something for audiences of every interest and taste—bold and innovative theatrical works . . . music ranging from ageless masterpieces to contemporary jazz . . . dance that excites the eye and challenges the mind.
Take your pick and reserve your seat. It’s showtime at Montclair State!
Daniel Gurskis Dean, College of the Arts
| Anthony Mazzocchi Director, John J. Cali School of Music | Randy Mugleston Chair, Department of Theatre and Dance |
Cali Residency Series
Join us for the 2021-22 academic year for a reimagined professional residency program. The week-long residencies include a rotation of eleven top-rated artists and ensembles. Each residency will contribute to an ongoing exploration of the ever-changing landscape of music today, introducing students by example to a future that will be, at times, less traditional. Through the multiple opportunities to learn and collaborate with guest artists, students will broaden their understanding of their future musical careers.
Please join us for the public events at the Cali School of Music and the co-hosted Bridges Series concerts at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Co-Presented with Kaufman Music Center. Free admission but tickets are required.
Dance Makers
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Directed 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 the Alexander Kasser stage.
Head Over Heels
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Directed and Choreographed by Lainie Sakakora
Songs by The Go-Go’s | Based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney
Conceived and Original Book by Jeff Whitty | Adapted by James Magruder.
Head Over Heels is the bold new musical comedy from the visionaries who rocked Broadway with Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Avenue Q, and Spring Awakening. This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the music of the iconic 1980s all-female rock band The Go-Go’s, including the hit songs “We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” and Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” and “Mad About You.” A hilarious, exuberant celebration of love, Head Over Heels follows the escapades of a royal family on an outrageous journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction—only to discover the key to their realm’s survival lies within each of their own hearts.
Buy TicketsMSU Wind Symphony and MSU Symphonic Band
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00with special guest artists
Michael Daugherty, Composer | Dame Evelyn Glennie, Percussion
Thomas McCauley, Conductor
The MSU Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band will present the music of composer Michael Daugherty and will feature the world premiere of the wind band version of his composition Dreamachine, which will feature world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie as soloist.
Buy TicketsThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Memorial Auditorium | $20.00Based on a novel by Mark Haddon | Adapted by Simon Stephens
Directed by Heather Benton
When a neighbor’s dog turns up murdered, 15-year-old Christopher (a suspect himself) sets out to solve the mystery and embarks on a terrifying journey that takes him far beyond his familiar street in Swindon, UK. As Christopher navigates the world through a unique neurological lens with a brilliance for math, his journey reveals more than the murderer, as family secrets unravel, bonds of trust are broken, and his once predictable world spins out of control. Based on the award-winning novel by Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time received 7 Olivier Awards, including Best New Play in 2013.
Buy TicketsSpring Dance 2022
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Directed by Christian von Howard
Spring Dance 2022 features the choreographic works of Paul Taylor, Michelle Manzanales, TweetBoogie, Kathleen Kelley, Bradley Shelver, Christian von Howard, and other guest artists.
The Big Meal
Life Hall Studio Theatre | $15.00By Dan LaFranc | Directed by Susan Kerner
Somewhere in America, in a typical restaurant on a typical night, Sam and Nicole first meet. Sparks fly. And so begins the extraordinary tale of five generations of an ordinary family, from first kiss to final good-bye. Packed with humanity and humor, The Big Meal chronicles the loves, trials, and resilience of modern families. Playwright Dan LeFranc won the 2010 NYT Outstanding Playwright Award for this big-hearted, theatrically inventive comedy.
MSU Symphonic Band and MSU Campus Band
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Thomas McCauley | Theodora Sotiropoulos, Conductors
Join us for a great evening of eclectic and entertaining music-making by both the MSU Symphonic Band and the MSU Campus Band.
MSU Symphony Orchestra
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Nicholas DeMaison, Conductor
Join conductor Nicholas DeMaison and the MSU Symphony Orchestra as they present works from classical and contemporary repertoire.
Into the Woods
Memorial Auditorium | $20.00Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim | Book by James Lapine | Directed by Peter Flynn
“…and they live happily ever after.” So end all of our most beloved fairy tales; but what if there was a different “after” after the “ever after”? Are we always happy with what we get? Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s most acclaimed musical explores what happens when dreams come true, wishes are granted, and spells are broken. With soaring music, funny dialogue, and unexpected twists and turns, Into the Woods at MSU promises a night of mystery, magic, humor, and surprise. At a time when we are beginning to come out of our homes, we invite you Into the Woods.
MSU Wind Symphony
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Thomas McCauley, Conductor | Steven W. Ryan, Pianist
The MSU Wind Symphony will present the third of its three Travelogue concerts in preparation for their appearance at the 2022 International Conference of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), July 20, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic. The concert will feature the music of Aaron Copland, Joan Tower, and a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Colors of the Celestial City, with piano soloist Steven Ryan.
MSU Singers and MSU Chorale
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Heather J. Buchanan, Conductor | Steven W. Ryan, Accompanist
Celebrating the wealth of contemporary choral music and the poetry that inspires it, University Singers will perform a dazzling array of pieces in support of the literary and poetic Circlesong themes. Chorale will give the East Coast Premiere of Circlesong by UK composer Bob Chilcott.
Set for SATB and SSA choirs, 2 pianos, and 4 percussion, Circlesong is a musical portrayal of the human life cycle as captured in the indigenous poetry of North America. Based on poetry from the Chinook, Comanche, Dakota, Eskimo, Iroquois, Kwakiutl, Navajo, Ojibwa, Pueblo, Seminole, Sioux, and Yaqui traditions, the thirteen movements, in seven parts, mark the different stages of life, from birth and childhood to adulthood, middle age, and death. With energetic percussion accompaniment, climactic movements for tutti choir, tender unaccompanied passages, and solo song, Circlesong is a work of impressive drama, variety, and depth.
MSU Jazz Ensemble
Alexander Kasser Theater | $20.00Oscar Perez, Director
The MSU Jazz Ensemble will be joined by guest artists to perform an exciting concert of classic and contemporary jazz.
