Chapman University’s 2017-18 academic year marks the thrilling tenth anniversary of the formation of the College of Performing Arts! To mark this great milestone, several special CoPA 10th Anniversary events are planned throughout the performance season beginning in October 2017. Did you know? CoPA produces over 100 shows and concerts every year as part of Chapman’s pre-professional curriculum in
The College of Performing Arts announces the addition of Nick Gabriel as a full-time tenure-track faculty to the Department of Theatre. As a resident artist at the American Conservatory Theater and Director of Studio A.C.T., Professor Gabriel also serves on the associate faculty of A.C.T.’s Master of Fine Arts program. “I am extremely excited about
Department of Theatre alumna and actress/singer/writer Leah McKendrick’s film M.F.A. made its debut this week at the SXSW (South by South West) Festival in Austin, TX (March 10 – 19, 2017). The film follows the aftermath of a vicious campus rape, including the violent death of the attacker, and the revenge campaign engendered by the
The Who’s Tommy reaches deep and leaves no element of heartbreak unexplored in its tale of self-discovery and familial reconciliation. It is a challenging musical for many reasons; actors must infuse every moment with energy worthy not only of immortal rock stars, but also of vulnerable humans. The Pinball Wizard of The Who’s Tommy experiences the glories of rock and roll and
Of course, Pinball Wizard is his favorite number. Never mind that it’s hard to keep a straight face as an absurdly-costumed cast prances around him while he compulsively plays a pinball machine. This is The Who’s Tommy, and if you’re Tommy you just have to love the iconic moment in the 1969 rock opera when
As of late, many students and artists have been wondering what they can do to make their voices, and the voices of others, heard. As you can imagine, these thoughts have been manifesting twice as much within student-artists. That is particularly why the Coalition of Artistic Students in Theatre (CAST), a club within the Department
The smoothness of the finest white satin. The warm black skin of her husband. A stash of savings sewn into a hem. These are some of the things that Esther, an African-American seamstress filled with longing in playwright Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, can feel under her fingertips but is not meant to keep for her
Surrounded by small piles of dark sweaters and jackets, 21 Chapman University student dancers swirl around the floor at the Partridge Dance Center. Despite their closeness, the dancers avoid each other’s touch and stick to their contained spheres of motion. Several times they lift cupped hands to their eyes, creating singular tunnel visions. This collection
On Sunday, November 6, renowned British theatre director Phelim McDermott spent 90 minutes with Dr. Theresa Dudeck and her theatre students in the Waltmar Theatre, talking about his range of work over the last 30 years as a theatre and opera director, creator, collaborator, and improviser. McDermott, one of the masterminds behind the dark,
This week, the Department of Theatre opens with two repertory productions focused on timely issues that are found in today’s headlines and faced by today’s youth. Good Kids by Naomi Iizuka, directed by James Gardner, and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal, directed by Nanci Ruby, begin an alternating schedule October 11 through