Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre and Dance is a close-knit community of student artists, theatre and dance professionals seeking to better understand and practice their craft and their calling in Christ. A caring yet challenging team of faculty mentors work alongside students to discover and develop their creative gifts. This is a sampling of their work.

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2020 Spring Senior Series

Messiah College

Friday, March 6 @ 8pm Saturday, March 7 @ 2pm

Poorman Black Box Theater, Climenhaga Building, Messiah College

Two original pieces will be featured;
- All in the Timing, Directed by Aidan Lewis
- Aurora Spectrum, Created & performed by Sara Parrish & Leah DePra.
Estimated Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
2020 Spring Senior Series (Weekend 2)

Messiah College

Saturday, March 7 @ 8pm

Sunday, March 8 @ 2pm

Poorman Black Box Theater, Climenhaga Building, Messiah College
- Her Story, created & performed by Abbie Weinel, featuring Jim Hy
- More, created & performed by Micah Crandall, featuring Katie Phykitt
Anne of Green Gables - February 2020

Messiah College

Directed by Ed Cohn

Music Direction by Eric Dundore

Choreography by Gregg Hurley

Anne of Green Gables follows the misadventures of a wildly independent orphan with fiery red hair and a temper to match. Anne Shirley is mistakenly sent to live with a plainspoken farmer and his spinster sister, who thought they were adopting a boy! As she attempts to win over the Cuthburts and all of Prince Edward Island with her irrepressible spirit and imagination, she wins over the audience with this warm, poignant story about love, home, and family. Cherished by generations, Lucy Maud Montgomery's timeless classic comes to life in this charming musical praised for capturing the essence of the literary work through its simplicity of language and beautiful orchestrations.

Estimated Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes
Antigone - October 2020

Daniel Inouye and Katie Anne Phykitt

Antigone Written by Sophocles Directed by Katie Anne Phykitt & Daniel Inouye

Brothers Polyneices and Eteocles died at each other’s sword. The newly appointed King Creon praises Eteocles as worthy of a burial with military honors but deems Polyneices a traitor to his country and decrees he shall be left unburied. Antigone is a fierce battle of wills between Antigone, who believes in loyalty to family and honor to the divine, and Creon, who believes in loyalty to the state and honor to the law. Antigone was written in roughly 441 BC, but its themes of fervent activism, feminism, political dissent, and justice make this play so relevant, it could have been written yesterday. This production places the action of the story in the present day and uses a modern lens to view an ancient story.

*Please note that this performance contains some mature content (reference to suicide) and may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.*

Climenhaga Building, Poorman Black Box Theatre October 1-3 and 5-7, 8 p.m. October 4, 3:00 p.m.

Estimated Runtime: 1 hr 15 mins (no intermission)
As it is in Heaven - April 2020

Messiah College

Written by Arlene Hutton

Directed by Daniel Inouye

A Shaker community in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, in the 1830s is, well, shaken after newcomer Fanny joins and some of its young female members begin to see visions and claim spiritual gifts. These “gifts” cause the young girls to dance, twirl, see angels, shout out and fall into awed trances, completely upending the community. The elder members see these experiences as mere flights of fancy, excuses not to do chores and a disruption of orderly worship. They question Fanny’s intentions and honesty, and the community must decide if this is a true spiritual resurgence or something manufactured by Fanny and the other girls.

April 2–4 and 17–18, 2020, 8 p.m. April 5 and 19, 2020, 3 p.m.

Climenhaga Building, Miller Theater
Daring to Move: Dance Explorations of Uncertainty, Risk, and Emotional Exposure - February 2020

Messiah College

“Daring to Move: Dance Explorations of Uncertainty, Risk and Emotional Exposure” Humanities Symposium dance concert

Gregg Hurley, director

Poorman Black Box Theater
2019 Fall Senior Series

Messiah College

An evening of performance created and presented by department seniors

The Fall Senior Series: “Aku Jelajahi (I [will] Travel)”

December 6 & 7 @ 8pm December 7 @ 3pm Grace Pollock Dance Studio

Created & Performed by James Lim Featuring Rachel Lauver

Every individual’s story is different, and whether we like to admit it or not, we have been shaped by our society. We are all yearning for purpose—each struggling to find a way to marry our vocations with our passions, while searching for how to make an impact that will leave a legacy long after we’re gone. Through life’s ups and downs, we are constantly finding ways to grow and mature. Join James as he explores his life’s ups and downs, the things that have impacted his life, and where life might lead in the future.

*Please note that this performance contains mature content (adult language, reference to sexual assault) and may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.*

Estimated Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes
2019 Fall Senior Series: “Great Challenges, Greater Joy” & “Sam and Charlie”

Lindsey Blank, Brooklyn Duttweiler, Brittany Grove, and Ellen Diehl

December 13 & 14, 2019 @ 8pm Poorman Black Box Theater, Climenhaga Building, Messiah College Estimated Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes (time includes one 15 minute intermission)

Great Challenges, Greater Joy Created by Lindsey Blank & Brooklyn Duttweiler

In our lives we have found that art explores life’s greatest challenges while also expressing the joy that God gives. In pursuit of this creative endeavor, we showcase the different redemption stories that have altered our perceptions. Through the combination of dance and costuming, we have worked to express those emotions that are too difficult to put into words.

Estimated runtime: 30 minutes

Sam and Charlie Created & Performed by Brittany Grove & Ellen Diehl

Sam is a vocalist. Charlie is a dog. When Sam faces challenges in her career and her relationship with her mother, Charlie tries to help with the charm that only a canine could possess. A playful frolic of camaraderie and fun, this story explores relationships and how we communicate with those closest to us.

*There will be a talkback after this performance with the creators of Sam and Charlie. Join us after the show to discuss impactful moments and give feedback to develop the original work.

Estimated runtime: 45 minutes
Blue Christmas - November 2019

Messiah College

Directed by Gregg Hurley

Have the unexpected twists and turns of life thrown you for a loop this year? Are you feeling challenged by the upcoming holidays? Reflect, process, and prepare for this season of Advent with us through the media of text, music, and dance. Together we will acknowledge that we all experience times of disappointment and difficulty that leave us clinging for signs of hope and relief.

Performance Date: Nov. 21, 2019, 7 PM

Poorman Black Box Theater, Climenhaga Building, Messiah College

Estimated runtime: 1 hour
She Stoops to Conquer - November 2019

Elizabeth Angelozzi

Directed by: Elizabeth Angelozzi

Pranks and hijinks abound in this raucous 18th century comedy of big costumes, big sets, big hair, and even bigger laughs. Two well-bred young men arrive at the country estate of Mr. Hardcastle, intending to woo his daughter Kate and her cousin Constance; but when local mischief-maker Tony Lumpkin plays a practical joke on the city slickers, the Hardcastle household is launched into a dizzying, deliciously preposterous romp of mistaken identity.

Estimated Runtime: 2 hours 40 minutes

Performance Dates: Nov. 14-17; 22-24, 2019
W;t - October 2019

Messiah College

Written by Margaret Edson

Directed by Edward Cohn

Margaret Edson’s powerfully imagined Pulitzer Prize–winning play examines what makes life worth living through her exploration of one of existence’s unifying experiences—mortality—while she also probes the vital importance of human relationships.

Climenhaga Building Poorman Black Box Theater

October 3-5, 8 p.m.; Oct. 6, 3 p.m.
The Tempest - November 2018

Messiah College

“The Tempest” Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Daniel Inouye

Shakespeare’s story of shipwreck, magic, vengeance, and reconciliation. This production will reimagine the character of Prospero as a woman. On a distant island Prospera waits, betrayed and exiled, spending years plotting her revenge. When fate places her old enemies within her reach, Prospera summons a magical storm that shipwrecks them onto her island. But after all these years, what revenge does she mean to take? The Tempest asks us to examine whether old injustices can lead to new hope or whether we repeat our past sins. For Prospera, that choice leads to unexpected consequences and love ultimately paving the way for reconciliation.

Estimated runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes

Performance dates:

Nov. 8-10 & 16-17 @ 8:00pm

Nov. 11 & 18 @ 3:00pm

Nov. 15 @ 10:00am