Preview of (most of) Theatre Productions at USC This Semester
By Kelly Kinas ‘16
USC has many theatrical productions every semester. There’s a comprehensive list somewhere. I don’t have that. I have the Facebook invites that my friends in the School of Dramatic Arts send me because how else do I know if I thing is actually happening unless it’s on Facebook??
The arts are incredibly important and I would urge you to see as many of these productions as possible. USC has amazing students studying acting and who act just for a hobby. These shows are cheaper than the ones at the Pantages or professional theatre companies here in Los Angeles, you don’t have to drive and try to find a place to park, and all of the shows I have seen have been incredibly high quality. And there’s a show for everyone! Let me explain.
Musical (Dark & Hilarious): Heathers
When: October 20-23rd
Where: Massman Theatre
How Much: $5 donation at the door
Based on the cult movie from the early 90s, this musical has it all: hilarity, suicide, and clueless adults. The main character, Veronica, and her friends, Heather, Heather, and Heather, deal with peer pressure, wanting to fit in, and bullying, all with an amazing score that has songs that are more jazzy, more rock, and more about sex. Disclaimer: there is STRONG sexual content in the show so beware. Personally, I think it just makes it more fun. Grab a slurpee, a crocket set, and buy your tickets now before it sells out. Dates are from October 22-23rd. (facebook)
This musical is put on MTR, which I did an SOS on last year here, a student organization that’s partially funded by the University and partially by paying $5 at the door.
Musical (Circus-y & Freak-ish): Side Show
When: October 27-30th
Where: McClintock Theatre
How Much: In person student, $5. Online $14
Based on the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton who became stars during the Great Depression, this hypnotic musical follows the girls’ progression from side-show attraction to the big time — and their heartwarming search for love and acceptance under the harsh spotlight of fame.
“…one of the most emotionally wrenching and altogether satisfying shows in many a moon.” —Cititour
You’re about so see some amazing sets and staging for this show. Facebook event (which includes the link to buy tickets) is here.
Play (Shakespeare & Everyone Knows It): Romeo & Juliet
When: November 3-6th
Where: Bing Theatre
How Much: in person student $5, online $14
CLASSIC! Two warring families and overdramatic teens! Ridiculous rules and no Sassy Gay friend to save the day (youtube link to this beautiful piece of art). Everyone and their mother had to read this play in high school. It might not be your favorite but Shakespeare was meant to be seen on stage! Reading it will only get you so far.
This play is being put on by the School of Dramatic arts and it’s super dramatic but post about it on Facebook and your high school English teacher (Is anyone else friends with their high school teachers on Facebook? Is that just a me??) will be so proud of you for being cultured AND I will be proud of you because you supported the arts and your fellow Trojans.
Play (Shakespeare & *~aRtSy~*): A Midsummer’s Night Dream
When: October 6-9th
Where: Bing Theatre
How Much: in person student $5, online $14
PUCK! Not the hockey kind but the servant to the King of the Fairies kind! Not as mainstream in popular culture and not as adapted in the film industry but still very well known in theatre circles, Midsummer is still a great Shakespeare play. I wish I could tell you it was a comedy but alas, it’s another drama. We’re all very dramatic this semester.
William Shakespeare’s beloved tale of mischief and merriment is a delightful and hilarious exploration of love’s capriciousness. What a great word. Capriciousness. Facebook event (which includes the link to buy tickets) is here.
This play is also put on by SDA. Super fun. Go see it.
Play (Meshing of the Old & New): Magnolia
When: November 17-20th
Where: McClintock Theatre
How Much: in person student $5, online $14
Regina Taylor’s arresting and imaginative new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard sets the action during the beginning of Atlanta’s desegregation in 1963. Amid these churning social currents, a free-spirited heiress returns from abroad to find her family’s beloved estate on the brink of ruin. Tensions build when a successful businessman lays claim to the estate where his ancestors were slaves.
“A worthy homage and a primer on the agony and inevitability of change.” —Chicago Tribune
It’s put on by SDA (crazy, right?) but it’s a really cool adaption of a classic play, The Cherry Orchard. Facebook event is here.
Play (That one where Daniel Radcliffe got naked after Harry Potter): Equus
When: October 6-9th
Where: Massman Theatre
How Much: $5 donation at the door
Equus is one of the late Peter Shaffer’s most well-known plays, along with Amadeus, and shares an account of a brilliant psychiatrist’s attempt to treat a 17 year-old boy who has blinded six horses with a metal spike. This whirlwind of a piece of theatre deals with the psychiatrist’s doubts about his profession and common conventions of “normalcy” that he contends with as he delves further and further into the mind of a disturbed youth. And as the audience delves further and further into the mystery of the boy’s motivations, the heinous and incomprehensible act becomes a little more clear. We are forced to ask ourselves what it means to “treat” someone for mental illness and whether or not the small defense mechanisms and insecurities of every day, mundane life may not be so different from those afflicting the “diseased.”
There’s nudity so be aware when coming over to Massman in a couple weeks.
This production is put on by ATC, or Aeneid Theatre Company. The Aeneid Theatre Company is a student theatre company at USC devoted to independently producing high quality non-musical plays at USC.
Play (Funny & Sad): Mockingbird
When: September 29 (!!!)- October 2
Where: McClintock Theatre
How Much: In Person Student $5, online $14
Based on the National Book Award-winning novel by Kathryn Erskine, Mockingbird explores a young autistic girl’s emotional journey through grief and healing in the wake of tragedy. This vibrant and surprisingly humorous production shows how one person can change a community — and how black and white can always be complemented by a kaleidoscope of colors.
“ ‘Mockingbird’ is brilliant, moving, luminous, and marvelous.” —DC Metro Theater Arts
This play is incredibly moving. I would highly suggest coming out next weekend and seeing it. Facebook link here.
Play (Warring families but not in a Shakespeare way): A Lie of the Mind
When: September 29th- October 2nd
Where: Scene Dock Theatre
How Much: In Person Student $5, online $14
Filled with enormous vitality and humor, Sam Shepard’s savage masterwork examines the destinies of two families, linked by marriage but set apart by jealousy and distrust, to probe into the human heart and the destructiveness it can engender.
“Sam Shepard is surely the only dramatist alive who could tell a story as sad and frightening as this one and make such a funny play of it without ever skimping on its emotional depth.” —The New Yorker
Another SDA production and another reason to take a study break this weekend. Sam Shepard is an amazing playwright and you should hop on over to the Scene Dock Theatre next weekend! Facebook event here!
Play (Dark Comedy about Families): Escape From Happiness
When: October 20-23rd
Where: Scene Dock Theatre
How Much: In person student $5, online $14
This ferociously dark comedy follows the idiosyncratic members of a very broken family who refuse to surrender to neighborhood criminal elements and would-be crooked cops. Escape from Happiness is both a viciously funny satire and a moving meditation on forgiveness.
“It’s brisk and stimulating, guaranteed to shake you up, make you laugh and get you thinking, all at the same time.” —Toronto Star
Facebook event here.
So many dark comedies and so many plays about families. Whatever makes you run to the theatre, come out and support the arts this season!
If I forgot one, I sincerely apologize. Also these are the ones through the beginning of November. If there are any more later, I will make another blog post. Promise.
Fight on!
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