Hamline University’s Department of Performance, Production, and Community (PPC) is gearing up for an exhilarating 2024-2025 season, featuring a diverse lineup of theatre and dance productions that promise to captivate and challenge audiences. Following a stellar season that saw the successes of “Heathers: The Musical,” “The Revolutionists” and “Concord Floral,” the department is ready to continue its tradition of innovative and thought-provoking performances. Jeff Turner, the administrative head of the Arts, Media and Culture Department, shared his excitement about the upcoming productions.
“I am so proud to be a part of the Department of Performance, Production and Community and look forward to working with students new and old in our upcoming season,” Turner said.
Romeo & Juliet
Kicking off the season in Nov.2024, Hamline will present William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Dr. Laura Dougherty and featuring scenic designs by Technical Director and Production Manager Kim Lartz, this production will dive into the passionate and tumultuous love story of Verona’s star-crossed lovers.
“[Dougherty] is focusing this production on the urgency of love and the different kinds of love we have in the world. This doesn’t just include the romantic love of Romeo and Juliet themselves, but familial love and platonic love as well,” Lartz said.
During the design process, Lartz strives to capture the excitement and urgency of a first love. Her goal is always to elicit an emotion from the audience, with Romeo and Juliet, she wants the audience to feel curious and excited as soon as they enter the theater.
“I hope it helps the audience reflect on the love they can spread in the world, too.” Lartz said.
The PPC faculty encourages students to come and get lost in love as they dive into love and how people belong to each other. If interested in joining this romantic expedition, auditions will be held Sept. 3 from 6:30-9:30 PM in Anne Simley Theater. StudentsYou can sign up with the link in the Instagram bio of @hamlinetheatre, or if studentsyou want to be involved in behind-the-scenes work you can contact Kim Lartz at klartz01@hamline.edu.
Aria da Capo
In March 2025, the spotlight will shifts to Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Aria da Capo. Senior Eden Fahy will direct this whimsical one-act play as part of their senior project. Fahy will use the themes of war, friendship, love and boredom to guide their exploration of the play and find deeper personal meaning within it.
“It depicts the way many people nowadays create barriers between themselves and their peers and friends and their people that are baseless,” Fahy said. Pierrot and Columbine lament their shiny decadence as Harlequins. Cothurnus wears a masque of tragedy. An imaginary battle claims the lives of friends Thyrsis and Corydon.
“The show also touches on overconsumption, another unfortunate characteristic prevalent in our society today. I hope Aria can highlight that to audiences and make them relate it to their lives,” Fahy said. The production promises to reflect the play’s historical context and relevance to issues over a century later.
FAB-U-LAND
The artist Jay Owen Eisenberg has designed and directed theis daring new piece, FAB-U-LAND, coming to Hamline in April 2025. FAB-U-LAND is an aggressively homosexual theme park that also serves as the defunct dream of a bankrupt billionaire who passed away. Three queer engineers decide to revive the faded vision. Designed to satisfy the corrupt billionaire and people-pleasing sides of each of us, this production is a delightfully unethical exploration of entertainment, exploitation and community.
Dance Ensemble
Hamline Dance Ensemble will also be showcasing a performance in Spring 2025. CThey appointed celebrated choreographer and dancer Alanna Morris has been appointed as their new artist director. Morris brings a fresh vision to the department and will lead the ensemble in an engaging and dynamic performance. Among Morris’ numerous awards are inclusion in Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” and a 2018 Artist of the Year recognition from Minneapolis’ now-defunct alternative weekly City Pages. Readers also voted Morris the Twin Cities’ Best Choreographer in City Pages in 2019—her innovative approach to dance promises to enrich the department’s performances.
