May 24, 2013
Theater, Dance, & Opera
The Ann Arbor area plays host to several community and semi-professional theater companies, with new shows going up every month. Ballet, modern, and traditional dance concerts abound, along with musical theater productions from Broadway to grand opera.
Wednesday
May 2012
“White Buffalo”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sat. (except Easter), Mar. 29-June 2. Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Don Zolidis’s award-winning drama about a white buffalo born on a small farm in southern Wisconsin. The owner thinks nothing of it until she learns that the birth is the fulfillment of an ancient Sioux prophecy of peace on earth, and her little farm is quickly overwhelmed with religious pilgrims, bringing her into contact with a culture and faith wholly unfamiliar to her. Cast: David Daoust, Matthew David, Rainbow Dickerson, Stacie Hadgikosti, Alex Leydenfrost, Nate Mitchell, Michelle Mountain, Michael Brian Ogden, Meghan Thompson.
8 p.m. (Wed.-Sat.), 3 p.m. (Wed. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mar. 29-Apr. 5: $20 (Wed. & Thurs.), $25 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & 40 (Sat. eve.). After Apr. 5: Tickets $25 (Wed. & Thurs.), $35 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & $40 (Sat. eves.) in advance at purplerosetheatre.org , and by phone. 433-7673. [map
Thursday
May 2012
12:10 p.m.
Gifts of Art: U-M Hospitals.
Every Thurs. Performances by area musicians and dancers. Choral Connection. Cellist Suzanne Smith. Modern Dance by People Dancing & Friends. June 7: High-energy blues by The Bluescasters. June 14: Western swing, classic country, boogie-woogie, and rock ’n’ roll by the Cadillac Cowboys. June 21: Calypso and other island music by the Gratitude Steel Band. June 28: Jazz by Dave Sharp & Friends. 12:10 p.m., U-M Hospital lobby, 1500 E. Medical Center Dr. (off Fuller). Free. 936–ARTS. [map
“Arsenic and Old Lace”: Explorers Drama Club.
May 24-26. James Pinard and Leanne Wade direct an ensemble of area homeschooled high school students in Joseph Kesselring’s enduring screwball comedy. It’s the story of a drama critic whose plans to elope (on Halloween) are interrupted when he learns that the sweet maiden aunts who raised him have made a charity project of poisoning lonely old men to put them out of their misery. While he tries to deal with the situation--and with another eccentric relative who believes he’s Teddy Roosevelt--matters are further complicated by the arrival of a long-lost brother with a sinister past.
7 p.m., Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron, Ypsilanti. $8 (seniors age 60 & older, $8) in advance at explorersdramaclub.org and via email to explorersdrama@gmail.com , $10 and at the door. (313) 618-2615. [map
“Nunsense”: Encore Musical Theatre Company.
Every Thurs.-Sun, May 20-June 10. This Dexter-based professional company presents Dan Goggin’s wacky musical about a convent in crisis. A cadre of bingo-playing nuns returns to the convent to find that 52 of their sisters have been killed by tainted soup. After burying only 48, the sisters run out of money and decide to whip up a talent show to raise cash and finish the job. Hidden talent emerges as the nuns show off some soft shoe, storytelling, and singing of such songs as “Just a Coupl'a Sisters,” “Holier than Thou,” “So You Want to Be a Nun,” and others. Cast TBA.
7 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 3 p.m. (Sat., Sun., & June 7), Encore, 3126 Broad St., Dexter. $18 on Thurs., $32 (members & seniors, $29; groups of 10 or more, $26) on Fri. & Sat. eve., & $28 (members & seniors, $25; groups of 10 or more, $22) for matinees. Tickets available at theencoretheatre.org and at the door. 268-6200. [map
7:30-9:30 p.m.
"Dance and Dine with Ann Arbor Civic Ballet".
Dance demonstrations by the Civic Ballet and A2 Tango. Followed by a free tango lesson. Food from Frita Batidos.
7:30-9:30 p.m., Sylvia Studio of Dance, 3900 Jackson, suite 6. Free, but donations accepted. 668-8066. [map
“Red”: Performance Network Professional Season.
Every Thurs.-Sun., Apr. 19-June 3. Carla Milarch directs the Michigan premiere of John Logan’s Tony-winning drama about the great American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. Over the course of 2 years working on his famous commission to provide a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant, Rothko is challenged by his apprentice in a way that causes him to question what he has become. “Red may be all talk and no action--but what talk!” says Variety reviewer Marilyn Stasio. “John Logan sends American abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko into battle with his demons in this electrifying play of ideas, and the artist's howls are pure music.” Stars Mark Rademacher and Kevin Young.
7:30 p.m. (Thurs.) 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (May 5 & 19), Performance Network, 120 E. Huron. Preview tickets: whatever you can afford to pay (Apr. 19), $22 (Apr. 20, 22, & 26), and $30 (Apr. 21). Apr. 27 opening night tickets: $39 & $41 includes reception. After Apr. 27: $27 & $29 (Thurs.), $32 & $34 (Fri. & Sun.), $25 & $27 (Sat. matinee), $39 & $41 (Sat. eve.). $3 discount for seniors age 60 & over. Tickets available in advance at performancenetwork.org & by phone, and at the door. $10 student discount in advance, half-price student tickets at the door only. For reservations, call 663-0681; to charge by phone, call 663-0696. [map
“The Odd Couple”: Emergent Arts Theatre Company.
May 24-27. Tim Henning directs local actors in Neil Simon’s vintage comedy about 2 men—one a fussy neatnik, the other a free-spirited slob—who find themselves living together after their wives throw them out. Within 2 weeks, the tension between fastidiousness and slovenliness builds to a perilous peak. Stars Jon Elliott and Steve Elliott.
8 p.m. (May 24-26) & 2 p.m. (May 26 & 27), U-M Walgreen Drama Center Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Tickets $20 (seniors and students with ID, $16). 985-0875, emergentarts.com . [map
“White Buffalo”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sat. (except Easter), Mar. 29-June 2. Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Don Zolidis’s award-winning drama about a white buffalo born on a small farm in southern Wisconsin. The owner thinks nothing of it until she learns that the birth is the fulfillment of an ancient Sioux prophecy of peace on earth, and her little farm is quickly overwhelmed with religious pilgrims, bringing her into contact with a culture and faith wholly unfamiliar to her. Cast: David Daoust, Matthew David, Rainbow Dickerson, Stacie Hadgikosti, Alex Leydenfrost, Nate Mitchell, Michelle Mountain, Michael Brian Ogden, Meghan Thompson.
8 p.m. (Wed.-Sat.), 3 p.m. (Wed. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mar. 29-Apr. 5: $20 (Wed. & Thurs.), $25 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & 40 (Sat. eve.). After Apr. 5: Tickets $25 (Wed. & Thurs.), $35 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & $40 (Sat. eves.) in advance at purplerosetheatre.org , and by phone. 433-7673. [map
Friday
May 2012
“Arsenic and Old Lace”: Explorers Drama Club.
May 24-26. James Pinard and Leanne Wade direct an ensemble of area homeschooled high school students in Joseph Kesselring’s enduring screwball comedy. It’s the story of a drama critic whose plans to elope (on Halloween) are interrupted when he learns that the sweet maiden aunts who raised him have made a charity project of poisoning lonely old men to put them out of their misery. While he tries to deal with the situation--and with another eccentric relative who believes he’s Teddy Roosevelt--matters are further complicated by the arrival of a long-lost brother with a sinister past.
7 p.m., Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron, Ypsilanti. $8 (seniors age 60 & older, $8) in advance at explorersdramaclub.org and via email to explorersdrama@gmail.com , $10 and at the door. (313) 618-2615. [map
“Off Q Improv”: Dexter High School Drama Club.
Theatrical improvisation by DHS students.
7 p.m., Dexter Center for the Performing Arts, Dexter High School, 2200 N. Parker at Shield, Dexter. $5. 424-4240. [map
Canceled: “The Tempest Project”: New Theatre Project.Canceled. May 8, 9, 11-13, 18-20, & 25-27. Keith Paul Medelis directs this local company in Jason Sebacher’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s visionary romance that turns attention away from Prospero to focus on the isolation and enslavement of some of the play’s lesser characters. Cast: Luna Alexander, Jane Bruce, Dan Tracy, Andrew Whipple.
8 p.m., Mix Performance Space, 130 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. May 8 & 9 previews are pay-what-you-can. Regular admission is $15 (students & seniors, $10) by reservation at tickets@thenewtheatreproject.org and at the door. 645-9776. [map
“Nunsense”: Encore Musical Theatre Company.
Every Thurs.-Sun, May 20-June 10. This Dexter-based professional company presents Dan Goggin’s wacky musical about a convent in crisis. A cadre of bingo-playing nuns returns to the convent to find that 52 of their sisters have been killed by tainted soup. After burying only 48, the sisters run out of money and decide to whip up a talent show to raise cash and finish the job. Hidden talent emerges as the nuns show off some soft shoe, storytelling, and singing of such songs as “Just a Coupl'a Sisters,” “Holier than Thou,” “So You Want to Be a Nun,” and others. Cast TBA.
7 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 3 p.m. (Sat., Sun., & June 7), Encore, 3126 Broad St., Dexter. $18 on Thurs., $32 (members & seniors, $29; groups of 10 or more, $26) on Fri. & Sat. eve., & $28 (members & seniors, $25; groups of 10 or more, $22) for matinees. Tickets available at theencoretheatre.org and at the door. 268-6200. [map
“Red”: Performance Network Professional Season.
Every Thurs.-Sun., Apr. 19-June 3. Carla Milarch directs the Michigan premiere of John Logan’s Tony-winning drama about the great American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. Over the course of 2 years working on his famous commission to provide a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant, Rothko is challenged by his apprentice in a way that causes him to question what he has become. “Red may be all talk and no action--but what talk!” says Variety reviewer Marilyn Stasio. “John Logan sends American abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko into battle with his demons in this electrifying play of ideas, and the artist's howls are pure music.” Stars Mark Rademacher and Kevin Young.
7:30 p.m. (Thurs.) 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (May 5 & 19), Performance Network, 120 E. Huron. Preview tickets: whatever you can afford to pay (Apr. 19), $22 (Apr. 20, 22, & 26), and $30 (Apr. 21). Apr. 27 opening night tickets: $39 & $41 includes reception. After Apr. 27: $27 & $29 (Thurs.), $32 & $34 (Fri. & Sun.), $25 & $27 (Sat. matinee), $39 & $41 (Sat. eve.). $3 discount for seniors age 60 & over. Tickets available in advance at performancenetwork.org & by phone, and at the door. $10 student discount in advance, half-price student tickets at the door only. For reservations, call 663-0681; to charge by phone, call 663-0696. [map
“The Odd Couple”: Emergent Arts Theatre Company.
May 24-27. Tim Henning directs local actors in Neil Simon’s vintage comedy about 2 men—one a fussy neatnik, the other a free-spirited slob—who find themselves living together after their wives throw them out. Within 2 weeks, the tension between fastidiousness and slovenliness builds to a perilous peak. Stars Jon Elliott and Steve Elliott.
8 p.m. (May 24-26) & 2 p.m. (May 26 & 27), U-M Walgreen Drama Center Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Tickets $20 (seniors and students with ID, $16). 985-0875, emergentarts.com . [map
“White Buffalo”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sat. (except Easter), Mar. 29-June 2. Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Don Zolidis’s award-winning drama about a white buffalo born on a small farm in southern Wisconsin. The owner thinks nothing of it until she learns that the birth is the fulfillment of an ancient Sioux prophecy of peace on earth, and her little farm is quickly overwhelmed with religious pilgrims, bringing her into contact with a culture and faith wholly unfamiliar to her. Cast: David Daoust, Matthew David, Rainbow Dickerson, Stacie Hadgikosti, Alex Leydenfrost, Nate Mitchell, Michelle Mountain, Michael Brian Ogden, Meghan Thompson.
8 p.m. (Wed.-Sat.), 3 p.m. (Wed. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mar. 29-Apr. 5: $20 (Wed. & Thurs.), $25 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & 40 (Sat. eve.). After Apr. 5: Tickets $25 (Wed. & Thurs.), $35 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & $40 (Sat. eves.) in advance at purplerosetheatre.org , and by phone. 433-7673. [map
Saturday
May 2012
“The Odd Couple”: Emergent Arts Theatre Company.
May 24-27. Tim Henning directs local actors in Neil Simon’s vintage comedy about 2 men—one a fussy neatnik, the other a free-spirited slob—who find themselves living together after their wives throw them out. Within 2 weeks, the tension between fastidiousness and slovenliness builds to a perilous peak. Stars Jon Elliott and Steve Elliott.
8 p.m. (May 24-26) & 2 p.m. (May 26 & 27), U-M Walgreen Drama Center Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Tickets $20 (seniors and students with ID, $16). 985-0875, emergentarts.com . [map
“White Buffalo”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sat. (except Easter), Mar. 29-June 2. Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Don Zolidis’s award-winning drama about a white buffalo born on a small farm in southern Wisconsin. The owner thinks nothing of it until she learns that the birth is the fulfillment of an ancient Sioux prophecy of peace on earth, and her little farm is quickly overwhelmed with religious pilgrims, bringing her into contact with a culture and faith wholly unfamiliar to her. Cast: David Daoust, Matthew David, Rainbow Dickerson, Stacie Hadgikosti, Alex Leydenfrost, Nate Mitchell, Michelle Mountain, Michael Brian Ogden, Meghan Thompson.
8 p.m. (Wed.-Sat.), 3 p.m. (Wed. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mar. 29-Apr. 5: $20 (Wed. & Thurs.), $25 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & 40 (Sat. eve.). After Apr. 5: Tickets $25 (Wed. & Thurs.), $35 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & $40 (Sat. eves.) in advance at purplerosetheatre.org , and by phone. 433-7673. [map
“Arsenic and Old Lace”: Explorers Drama Club.
May 24-26. James Pinard and Leanne Wade direct an ensemble of area homeschooled high school students in Joseph Kesselring’s enduring screwball comedy. It’s the story of a drama critic whose plans to elope (on Halloween) are interrupted when he learns that the sweet maiden aunts who raised him have made a charity project of poisoning lonely old men to put them out of their misery. While he tries to deal with the situation--and with another eccentric relative who believes he’s Teddy Roosevelt--matters are further complicated by the arrival of a long-lost brother with a sinister past.
7 p.m., Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron, Ypsilanti. $8 (seniors age 60 & older, $8) in advance at explorersdramaclub.org and via email to explorersdrama@gmail.com , $10 and at the door. (313) 618-2615. [map
Canceled: “The Tempest Project”: New Theatre Project.Canceled. May 8, 9, 11-13, 18-20, & 25-27. Keith Paul Medelis directs this local company in Jason Sebacher’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s visionary romance that turns attention away from Prospero to focus on the isolation and enslavement of some of the play’s lesser characters. Cast: Luna Alexander, Jane Bruce, Dan Tracy, Andrew Whipple.
8 p.m., Mix Performance Space, 130 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. May 8 & 9 previews are pay-what-you-can. Regular admission is $15 (students & seniors, $10) by reservation at tickets@thenewtheatreproject.org and at the door. 645-9776. [map
“Nunsense”: Encore Musical Theatre Company.
Every Thurs.-Sun, May 20-June 10. This Dexter-based professional company presents Dan Goggin’s wacky musical about a convent in crisis. A cadre of bingo-playing nuns returns to the convent to find that 52 of their sisters have been killed by tainted soup. After burying only 48, the sisters run out of money and decide to whip up a talent show to raise cash and finish the job. Hidden talent emerges as the nuns show off some soft shoe, storytelling, and singing of such songs as “Just a Coupl'a Sisters,” “Holier than Thou,” “So You Want to Be a Nun,” and others. Cast TBA.
7 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 3 p.m. (Sat., Sun., & June 7), Encore, 3126 Broad St., Dexter. $18 on Thurs., $32 (members & seniors, $29; groups of 10 or more, $26) on Fri. & Sat. eve., & $28 (members & seniors, $25; groups of 10 or more, $22) for matinees. Tickets available at theencoretheatre.org and at the door. 268-6200. [map
“Red”: Performance Network Professional Season.
Every Thurs.-Sun., Apr. 19-June 3. Carla Milarch directs the Michigan premiere of John Logan’s Tony-winning drama about the great American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. Over the course of 2 years working on his famous commission to provide a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant, Rothko is challenged by his apprentice in a way that causes him to question what he has become. “Red may be all talk and no action--but what talk!” says Variety reviewer Marilyn Stasio. “John Logan sends American abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko into battle with his demons in this electrifying play of ideas, and the artist's howls are pure music.” Stars Mark Rademacher and Kevin Young.
7:30 p.m. (Thurs.) 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (May 5 & 19), Performance Network, 120 E. Huron. Preview tickets: whatever you can afford to pay (Apr. 19), $22 (Apr. 20, 22, & 26), and $30 (Apr. 21). Apr. 27 opening night tickets: $39 & $41 includes reception. After Apr. 27: $27 & $29 (Thurs.), $32 & $34 (Fri. & Sun.), $25 & $27 (Sat. matinee), $39 & $41 (Sat. eve.). $3 discount for seniors age 60 & over. Tickets available in advance at performancenetwork.org & by phone, and at the door. $10 student discount in advance, half-price student tickets at the door only. For reservations, call 663-0681; to charge by phone, call 663-0696. [map
Sunday
May 2012
“Red”: Performance Network Professional Season.
Every Thurs.-Sun., Apr. 19-June 3. Carla Milarch directs the Michigan premiere of John Logan’s Tony-winning drama about the great American abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko. Over the course of 2 years working on his famous commission to provide a series of murals for the Four Seasons restaurant, Rothko is challenged by his apprentice in a way that causes him to question what he has become. “Red may be all talk and no action--but what talk!” says Variety reviewer Marilyn Stasio. “John Logan sends American abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko into battle with his demons in this electrifying play of ideas, and the artist's howls are pure music.” Stars Mark Rademacher and Kevin Young.
7:30 p.m. (Thurs.) 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) 2 p.m. (Sun.), & 3 p.m. (May 5 & 19), Performance Network, 120 E. Huron. Preview tickets: whatever you can afford to pay (Apr. 19), $22 (Apr. 20, 22, & 26), and $30 (Apr. 21). Apr. 27 opening night tickets: $39 & $41 includes reception. After Apr. 27: $27 & $29 (Thurs.), $32 & $34 (Fri. & Sun.), $25 & $27 (Sat. matinee), $39 & $41 (Sat. eve.). $3 discount for seniors age 60 & over. Tickets available in advance at performancenetwork.org & by phone, and at the door. $10 student discount in advance, half-price student tickets at the door only. For reservations, call 663-0681; to charge by phone, call 663-0696. [map
“The Odd Couple”: Emergent Arts Theatre Company.
May 24-27. Tim Henning directs local actors in Neil Simon’s vintage comedy about 2 men—one a fussy neatnik, the other a free-spirited slob—who find themselves living together after their wives throw them out. Within 2 weeks, the tension between fastidiousness and slovenliness builds to a perilous peak. Stars Jon Elliott and Steve Elliott.
8 p.m. (May 24-26) & 2 p.m. (May 26 & 27), U-M Walgreen Drama Center Arthur Miller Theatre, 1226 Murfin, North Campus. Tickets $20 (seniors and students with ID, $16). 985-0875, emergentarts.com . [map
“White Buffalo”: Purple Rose Theatre Company.
Every Wed.-Sat. (except Easter), Mar. 29-June 2. Guy Sanville directs the world premiere of Don Zolidis’s award-winning drama about a white buffalo born on a small farm in southern Wisconsin. The owner thinks nothing of it until she learns that the birth is the fulfillment of an ancient Sioux prophecy of peace on earth, and her little farm is quickly overwhelmed with religious pilgrims, bringing her into contact with a culture and faith wholly unfamiliar to her. Cast: David Daoust, Matthew David, Rainbow Dickerson, Stacie Hadgikosti, Alex Leydenfrost, Nate Mitchell, Michelle Mountain, Michael Brian Ogden, Meghan Thompson.
8 p.m. (Wed.-Sat.), 3 p.m. (Wed. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.), Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Mar. 29-Apr. 5: $20 (Wed. & Thurs.), $25 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & 40 (Sat. eve.). After Apr. 5: Tickets $25 (Wed. & Thurs.), $35 (Fri. eves. & weekend matinees), & $40 (Sat. eves.) in advance at purplerosetheatre.org , and by phone. 433-7673. [map
“Nunsense”: Encore Musical Theatre Company.
Every Thurs.-Sun, May 20-June 10. This Dexter-based professional company presents Dan Goggin’s wacky musical about a convent in crisis. A cadre of bingo-playing nuns returns to the convent to find that 52 of their sisters have been killed by tainted soup. After burying only 48, the sisters run out of money and decide to whip up a talent show to raise cash and finish the job. Hidden talent emerges as the nuns show off some soft shoe, storytelling, and singing of such songs as “Just a Coupl'a Sisters,” “Holier than Thou,” “So You Want to Be a Nun,” and others. Cast TBA.
7 p.m. (Thurs.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 3 p.m. (Sat., Sun., & June 7), Encore, 3126 Broad St., Dexter. $18 on Thurs., $32 (members & seniors, $29; groups of 10 or more, $26) on Fri. & Sat. eve., & $28 (members & seniors, $25; groups of 10 or more, $22) for matinees. Tickets available at theencoretheatre.org and at the door. 268-6200. [map
Canceled: “The Tempest Project”: New Theatre Project.Canceled. May 8, 9, 11-13, 18-20, & 25-27. Keith Paul Medelis directs this local company in Jason Sebacher’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s visionary romance that turns attention away from Prospero to focus on the isolation and enslavement of some of the play’s lesser characters. Cast: Luna Alexander, Jane Bruce, Dan Tracy, Andrew Whipple.
8 p.m., Mix Performance Space, 130 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti. May 8 & 9 previews are pay-what-you-can. Regular admission is $15 (students & seniors, $10) by reservation at tickets@thenewtheatreproject.org and at the door. 645-9776. [map
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