October 3, 2022
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) Theatre announces its 2022-2023 season of performances with four productions, featuring visiting professional directors and designers, and a series where students take the lead in experimentation with the writing and production process.
This year’s season involves participation by guest artists through the Artists in Residence program of MCLA Arts & Culture (MAC). These professional artists from the region will work with students and faculty on campus throughout the year.
“This gives students the opportunity to see working professionals model techniques in real-time,” said Jeremy Winchester, director of MAC. “It has a great learning value and lifts the overall level of artistry of the shows.”
The season opens on Nov. 4 with the Main Stage production of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, adapted by Winchester and featuring guest director Tom Truss and music direction by alum Trevor Wheelock ’19. This circus adaptation of the play includes a new Ringmaster character
The second show of the fall semester, premiering in early December, is a science fiction production presented by the Theatre Lab with Laura Standley and her directing class. Because of the essence of the Theatre Lab productions, it’s an exploratory experience with a faculty member leading students in creating the show from scratch.
“The theater lab shows are experimental in nature and the details vary semester by semester,” Winchester said. “The text and the performance style are created from the ground up. When students leave college, they will work in many modes beyond the usual where you’re just handed a script. We want to make sure they have the opportunity to work in a more devised way, building a show from the ground up, as that style is becoming more and more common in the profession.”
An acting showcase with projects from the semester’s acting class will culminate on Dec. 9 to close the fall season.
On March 23, 2023, “Fefu and Her Friends” will debut on the Main Stage – written by Maria Irene Fornes and directed by Laura Standley. This production is performed in the promenade style – where the audience walks from scene to scene in different locations of the building. It also features two guest artists – Juliana Von Haubrich, set designer, and James Bilnoski, lighting designer. “Fefu and Her Friends” is set in New England in the spring of 1935 and tells the story of a feminist’s exploration of women’s roles and relationships – how they support each other, injure each other, and create community.
“It is physically and dynamically unique,” Winchester said.
The second production of the spring semester at the end of April will be a musical performance from the Theatre Lab with students of the advanced acting class. The final acting showcase will take place on May 5.
Learn more on MCLA Theatre’s upcoming season at mcla.edu/mac.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA
is designed to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully
empowered to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 128-year commitment
to public education, we have fortified our commitment to equitable academic excellence.
For 10 of the last 12 years, MCLA has been named a Top Ten College by U.S. News and
World Report. MCLA also appears on the organization’s list of top National Public
Liberal Arts Colleges. Since the list was created, MCLA has risen to #33 as a Top
Performer on Social Mobility and ranks first among all
Massachusetts liberal arts schools, which measures how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants. Learn more at www.mcla.edu.
