This winter, Northern Michigan University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance invites you to a series of enchanting events that promise to warm your heart and inspire your imagination. From the whimsical 'Home for the Holidays' and the magical 'Holiday Soirée' to the classic 'Much Ado About Nothing' and the powerful 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' audiences will be treated to a rich tapestry of performances. Additionally, witness the brilliance of the Beijing Guitar Duo and delve into the surreal with 'Alice in Wonderland: An Immersive Experience.' This season, NMU transforms the stage into a festive wonderland, celebrating art, music, and community spirit.

A Holiday Spectacle: NMU's Theatrical and Musical Extravaganza

Northern Michigan University's School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is set to captivate audiences with an eclectic array of performances in 2025. From a whimsical immersive experience inspired by 'Alice in Wonderland,' to a comedic twist on Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing,' and the evocative strains of the Beijing Guitar Duo, NMU promises a season of artistic diversity. The program culminates in the dramatic rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' inviting audiences on a musical journey through its narrative depths.

A Tapestry of Performance: NMU's Diverse Artistic Showcase

Northern Michigan University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance is poised to captivate audiences with a diverse lineup of events in 2025. From an immersive Alice in Wonderland experience to Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, a masterclass by the Beijing Guitar Duo, and the timeless musical Jesus Christ Superstar, there's something for everyone. These events promise to showcase the talents of students and professionals while providing engaging, thought-provoking experiences that celebrate the power of music, theatre, and storytelling.

Dive into Theatre and Art: NMU's Exciting Lineup for 2025

What’s the buzz? The first musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to be produced for the professional stage, Jesus Christ Superstar has wowed audiences for over 50 years. A timeless work, the rock opera is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary and universally known series of events but seen, unusually, through the eyes of Judas Iscariot. Loosely based on the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Superstar follows the last week of Jesus Christ’s life. The story, told entirely through song, explores the personal relationships and struggles between Jesus, Judas, Mary Magdalene, his disciples, his followers and the Roman Empire.

Jesus Christ Superstar

Northern Michigan University

Beijing Guitar Duo

Admissions Office

From the author of Running comes a contest-tailored abridgement of the Shakespeare classic. Young lovers, virtue, villainy, and charming naivete abound. Don John and Borachio and the unwitting Margaret supply the deception regarding Hero. Claudio, Leonato, Don Pedro, and Ursula are the saddened recipients. Only Beatrice, Hero's closest friend, refuses to accept the fabrication and enlists the help of her sometimes suitor, sometimes nemesis, Benedick. Their love battle weaves through the other passions of the play. Order is restored despite the hilarious and oddly-worded meddling of Dogberry and Verges, the inept clowns, uh, constables (these plum comic roles are females in this version). The wedding day finally arrives, under most unusual circumstances, and Friar Francis (who helped right the wrong) blesses the union of Hero and Claudio. Benedick and Beatrice are each mirthfully betrayed by letters and poems in their own hands and a second love match is made. Only Don Pedro seems left out of the joy, and is chided by the formerly sworn woman hater, Benedick -- "Prince, thou art sad. Get thee a wife!" And music and dancing and celebration bring down the curtain on Much Ado About Nothing.

Much Ado About Nothing

McClintock

Alice in Wonderland: An Immersive Experience

NMU Theatre and Dance

Join us for a festive evening to celebrate the holiday season with the inaugural NMU Theatre and Dance Holiday Soirée. This special event will support Theatre and Dance Student Scholarships. Indulge in a Holiday buffet to kick off the evening and be enchanted by holiday performances presented by our talented theatre and dance students. Plus, a special visit from Santa Claus himself! It's a night of seasonal entertainment, delectable treats, and holiday cheer. Don't miss out on this magical celebration for student scholarships.

Holiday Soirée

Home for the Holidays

One of today’s premiere clarinet-violin-piano ensembles, the Zodiac Trio is known for presenting masterpieces for their unconventional instrumentation alongside hidden gems, arrangements, and the occasional duo/solo in a concert experience marked with a special gusto, virtuosity and energy.

Zodiac Trio

Harking back to the original concept of Frankenstein, this version amplifies the film's suspenseful horror and adds greater depth of character and motivation as well as a new and different love story. All of the eagerly anticipated elements are here: the stone walled laboratory, the crazed scientist, angry villagers, a swooning heroine, a fearful storm and the hideous yet pathetic, deadly creature with its confused mind and powerful, undisciplined body. The final confrontation between the doctor and the creature produces a startling surprise.

Frankenstein

Sitting somewhere between traditional folk, gritty punk rock and tribal dance music, The Trouble Notes have traveled their way across continents in search of musical influences…

The Trouble Notes

In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920's draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally's boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish.

Cabaret

Percussionist Britton-René Collins has dedicated her artistry to shaping an equitable community in which all musicians can thrive. Britton-René is a winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, receiving the Ambassador Prize for exceptional musicianship and demonstrating an active passion for creating social change through her music.

Britton-René Collins, percussionist

Music Appreciation Presentation with Britton-René Collins

Percussion Masterclass with Britton-René Collins

We’re back, Wildcats! Enjoy a beginning-of-the-year showcase of our theatre and dance students featuring a collection of scenes, songs, monologues, and dance pieces.

EPSG:4326

Wildcat Theatre Follies

Join us for the 3rd Annual North Coast Dance Festival, a spectacular celebration of dance! Professional dancers from across the country will gather alongside the NMU CO/LAB Dance Company for engaging educational experiences and mesmerizing performances. Don't miss this unforgettable event filled with grace, talent, and artistry. This year are thrilled to welcome back ballet dancers Mate Szentes, Julia Feldman, and Ava Chatterson, as well as introduce you to Giordano Dance Chicago, a jazz dance company out of Chicago, Illinois. They will be performing their new work Gershwin in B, choreographed by Emmy-winning choreographer, Al Blackstone.

North Coast Dance Festival

North Coast Dance Festival is proud to welcome back professional ballet dancers Mate Szentes, Julia Feldman, and Ava Chatterson this year! We are also excited to announce that Giordano Jazz Dance Company from Chicago will perform their new Al Blackstone musical-theatre jazz piece, Gershwin in B. Also joining our professional guests will be members of the NMU CO/LAB Dance Company performing a new work choreographed by CO/LAB Artistic Director Karina Johnson.

North Coast Dance Festival 2024

The Second City is celebrating 65 years of legendary laughs! Showcasing some of our audience’s favorite songs, sketches, and characters written on our stages by some of our illustrious alumni, including Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Amber Ruffin, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Tim Robinson, Joan Rivers, Eugene Levy, Adam McKay and so many more... With material handpicked from our iconic comedy archive and brought to life by our all-star ensemble, see for yourself why The Second City continues to be the world’s most influential name in comedy for sixty-five years and counting. 

The Second City

Join NMU Theatre and Dance for a drag cabaret to start Pride Month! Celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Marquette and beyond as performers make the Forest Roberts Theatre stage their own.

Drag Cabaret

The Playwriting Award was established in 1977 by the Forest Roberts Theatre at NMU. The award is designed to encourage and stimulate artistic growth among educational and professional playwrights. It provides students and faculty the unique opportunity to mount and produce original work on the university stage. Submissions will be accepted biennially and must adhere to the theme of that competition cycle. They will be blindly read and judged by members of a screening committee. The winning play will be featured in our North Coast Theatre Festival Season.

Northern Michigan University School of Music, Theatre and Dance

10 - 19 Apr, 2025

Jesus Christ Superstar

Mar 14, 2025

Beijing Guitar Duo

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Northern Michigan University School of Music, Theatre and Dance