Theatre / Dance

Past Productions

Photo: Zoë Mahler

Godspell

Outside a run-down, inner-city church, an odd assortment of individuals gathers to hear the teachings of Jesus Christ. Through parables from the Gospels, they learn about life, forgiveness, compassion, and redemption. First produced on Broadway in 1971, this rock opera (with music by award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz and book by visionary playwright John Michael Tebelak) still touches audiences today. An eclectic range of songs from pop to vaudeville tells the story of Jesus’ life and message—and their relevance in our lives.

“We reconceived this musical to set it in 2022, portrayed as a dark time in our country’s future,” says Theatre Professor and the production’s Director Trish Brown. “Those who are not part of the privileged elite have been exiled from mainstream society. Into this world of exiles comes Jesus, an escaped prisoner from the world of privilege. Through his love and teaching, outcasts—and even a key member of the elite—learn to see themselves and others not by race, social class, or religious affiliation, but as beloved children of God.”

The stage and costume design were inspired by true stories from around the world about people who have nothing but castoffs and refuse, yet they still manage to make clothing, toys, musical instruments, and other life-affirming creations with what little they have. Thanks to Theatre Professor Leah McFall’s costuming and set design, as well as Technical Director Megan Lovegren’s lighting design, the production vividly came to life. Music Professor Joe Van Riper directed a pit orchestra of student musicians. 

Pride and Prejudice

Dances, gentlemen of means, and proposals of marriage dominate the thoughts, conversation, and energies of the young women in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In this lively adaptation by Jon Jory, the world of 19th-century England comes to life as the Bennett sisters accept proposals to dine, dance, and marry. While the stumbling blocks of pride and prejudice may threaten happiness, overcoming these moral defects may bring truer and more lasting love.

In the best tradition of the liberal arts, the production included over 40 students from more than a dozen majors in all aspects of the show, from scenic painting to costumes to sound, with period dances choreographed by junior Courtney Puduski.

Thanks to Professor Leah McFall’s design concept, inspired by pop-up books, graphic novels, and the 19th-century novel itself, characters appeared to step straight out of time and onto the stage. And technical director Megan Lovegren’s lighting and creative image projection surprised and delighted the audience.

The Best of Everything

Based on Rona Jaffe’s 1958 novel of the same title, The Best of Everything (adapted for stage by Julie Kramer) explores the tensions between women’s expanding interests and ambitions and their less expansive options. The play’s young secretaries want thrilling careers and exciting adventures—and husbands and children and lingerie and casserole recipes. “Today we call that ‘having it all,’” Principia Professor Chrissy Steele, the play’s director, points out.

Students in the cast kicked off rehearsal with a unique professional opportunity, returning to campus a week before the semester began for an intensive workshop with Dawn Arnold, Artistic Director of Moving Dock Theatre Company in Chicago and a Certified Michael Chekhov Teaching Artist. “They explored ideas, images, and relationships from the novel in order to bring to life the stories of these women and the men who seem to hold the power in their world,” Steele says. “This is very much an ensemble production with the actors creating not just the characters, but the world of the story through movement.” 

Dance Production 2016

The Spring 2016 Dance Production featured work from two guest choreographers and seven student choreographers. Dance Production debuted US, a patriotic piece choreographed by former American Ballet Theatre (ABT) dancer—his fourth original ballet created for Principia dancers. Visiting faculty Mary-Jean Cowell shared new work with Asian-inspired movement set to Fratres by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. Principia dance professor Hilary Harper-Wilcoxen debuted Going Home. Set to bluegrass music, it chronicles Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. Student choreographers shared pieces in a wide range of genres including hip hop, African, and ballet, and tap.

Guys and Dolls

Set against the colorful backdrop of author Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City of the 1940s, Guys and Dolls is considered one of the finest musicals ever written.

In the best tradition of the liberal arts, Principia College’s production included over 40 students from more than a dozen majors. Says theatre professor and production director John O’Hagan. “When first listening to the music, I kept seeing the classic Bugs Bunny-type images and the various hijinks of all the Looney Tunes characters in my mind. We’ve let that inform the design and direction of the show, and the cast’s energy is bright and palpable!”

Dance Production 2015

The Spring 2015 Dance Production featured a world premiere, CHINBOBLESS, choreographed by former American Ballet Theatre (ABT) and White Oak Dance Project dancer John Gardner and including former ABT prima ballerina Amanda McKerrow as a dancer. The music for CHINBOBLESS—Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.3—was performed live on Principia's 3,069-pipe Casavant organ.

Another new piece explored the relationship between physics and music—a unique collaboration between Dr. Laurance Doyle, director of Principia's Institute for the Metaphysics of Physics; Jim Hegarty director of special programs and a former music professor; and dance professor Hilary Harper-Wilcoxen. 

With eight student and three alumni choreographers and over 40 dancers showcasing ballet, modern, lyrical, and African dance styles in the 2015 show, Dance Production provided a rich and diverse line-up of performances.

Our Country’s Good

We explored redemption and restoration with this highly acclaimed, Olivier Award Winning drama of prisoners in the Australian penal colony of Sydney Cove coming together with one of their jailers to stage a play. The Guardian writes “…a triumph…a tribute to the transforming power of drama…it is heartening to find someone standing up for theatre’s spiritual power.”

The Winter’s Tale

Students returning from intensive Shakespeare studies at the Globe, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, and the British Library during Principia’s England Abroad present one of Shakespeare’s most complex and elegant romances. This tale of love, loss and redemption is described by The Stratford-upon-Avon Herald as “… breath[ing] the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation which is essential to the peace of the world."

All in the Timing

According to the New York Times, this collection of award-winning comedies is “like sketches for some hilarious, celestially conceived revue. The writing is not only very funny, it has density of thought and precision of poetry.” All in the Timing offers up some new perspectives on love, death, and the creative process all with tongue firmly in cheek.

Dance Production 2014

Dance Production 2014 debuted the work Found, choreographed by former American Ballet Theatre (ABT) dancer John Gardner and featuring former ABT prima ballerina Amanda McKerrow, as well as a piece choreographed by Cecil Slaughter, senior lecturer at Washington University. The show featured modern, African, lyrical, and Bollywood dance styles showcasing Principia students, nine of which were choreographed and directed by students.

HUSH: An Interview with America

Hush: An Interview with America, winner of an Outstanding International Plays for Young Audiences award, is an uplifting theatrical exploration of the challenges of growing up with a 24/7 media presence, the joy of childlike wonder, and the inspiration our physical senses can’t perceive.