Productions 2017-18
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Students,
The Theatre and Dance Department is once again very excited to showcase a well-rounded season of performances here at Cal Poly this academic year.
The main stage productions continue to be key components in our educational mission, which is to provide opportunity and support for creative expression, intellectual development, and aesthetic appreciation for students, faculty, staff and audience. Each show in this year’s varied season makes good on the department’s focus on Learn by Doing — comprehensive, hands-on training that gives students a balanced and enriched knowledge of performance, onstage and behind the scenes.
All of our performances are on campus at the Alex and Faye Spanos Theatre. For ticket information, call the Performing Arts Ticket Center at 805-756-2787. And you can always reach us in our main department office at 805-756-1465.
Thank you for your support. See you at the theatre!
Josh Machamer
Chair, Theatre & Dance Department
Cal Poly Theatre & Dance
Season 2017-18 Upcoming Productions
80's Mix Tape
Orchesis Dance Company
JAN. 19-20, 25-27, 2018
80’s Mix Tape is the Cal Poly Orchesis Dance Company’s 48th Annual Performance. A concert theme such as the 1980s is a first for Orchesis, and it requires that all ten choreographers create dances to music recorded between 1980 and 1989. Cabbage Patch your way down memory lane while watching modern, ballet, musical theatre, and jazz pieces made by Cal Poly faculty and students, as well as guest artists from SLO, West Virginia and New York City.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Written by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Jennifer Wise
March 1-3, 8-10, 2018
1930s Chicago — the Great Depression has laid waste to the city's grocery business. Along comes Arturo Ui to make a name for himself. Together, with his gang of thugs, Ui's offer of small-time protection quickly transforms into a menacing grab for absolute power. Bertolt Brecht's historical parable in the form of an old-fashioned gangster play, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is a clever and frightening satire about the rise of a demogogue; a compelling, cautionary tale ripe for our current time.
Hookman
Written by Lauren Yee
May 10-12, 17-19, 2018
Transitioning from home to university can prove challenging—especially when facing homesickness, roommate relationships … and an urban legend stalking those around you. Lauren Yee’s “existential slasher comedy” follows a group of women as they navigate their freshman year of college; exploring significant issues confronting college students today in a manner that is simultaneously familiar and surreal.
Student Dance Concert
May 23-25, 2018
Watch this space! More information about show dates and ticket prices will be online shortly.
Annual One-Act Play Festival
JunE 9-10, 2018
Watch this space! More information about show dates and ticket prices will be online shortly.
2017-18 Past Productions
4,000 Miles
Written by Amy Herzog
NOV. 2-4, 9-11, 2017
While biking across America, 21 year-old Leo experiences a horrific event. Arriving in New York City, Leo spends a month with his feisty 91 year-old grandmother. Together, the pair navigates a maze of heartbreak, humor and healing.