Music and Lyrics by Steven Cheslik-deMeyer
Lyrics, Book, and Additional Music by Tim Maner
Music and Additional Lyrics: Alan Stevens Hewitt

Directed by Lydia Wagner
Music Direction by Dr. Joey Holland-Garcia

October 9-11 & 16-19, 2025

The first show of our season tells the story of Lizzie Borden, who was accused of murdering her father and stepmother in 1892. This all-female musical explores how women might react to extreme pressure and dire circumstances through contemporary pop, rock, and punk songs. The show’s director, Lydia Wagner, is looking forward to exploring how the heightened emotion is reflected in the musical style of the show. She says, “Lizzie doesn’t shy away from showing you a physical manifestation of how painful perseverance can look and how painful it can sound.”

TTU musicals are usually performed in the Maedgen, but Lizzie is expected to take place in the black box theatre. This space places the audience closer to the action and allows for greater connection between the audience and performers. Wagner remarks, “It’s more intimate than anything we’ve done in the past couple years, musical theatre wise. So I’ll be really excited for audiences to see that.” It seems the black box is being reimagined along with this story.

This intimate setting combined with a small cast invites the performers to interpret the story. Wagner is hoping to double cast the show to realize a variety of interpretations: “I encourage them to make it their own. They should have their own choices about this material, and it should make an audience member excited to see it twice.”

Directed by Dr. Bill Gelber

October 30-November 1 & 6-9, 2025

Not only is Hamlet written by a truly classic playwright, William Shakespeare, but it’s also one of his most classic works. In this play, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is visited by the ghost of his father who reveals that his death was no accident. Hamlet takes up the mantle of avenging his father in this tale of mystery, murder, and succession. 

Director of the play, Dr. Bill Gelber, is well-suited to the task. Not only is this his favorite play, but he’s even played the title role before. While there have been many famous Hamlets, Gelber believes each actor must bring themselves to the role. One way he plans to do this is by having the actors use their own accents rather than adopting an RP dialect.    

According to Dr. Gelber, “You can’t do Shakespeare without reimagining it.” We can make our best guesses as to how Hamlet would have been performed in Elizabethan England, but we cannot know for sure. This leaves each production with the task of creating a Hamlet that is accessible for modern audiences but still honors the old tradition. Dr. Gelber notes, “Actors still can be the translators or the conduits between that language and today’s language. But there are also ways, very simply, using props, and costumes, and sets, to make what’s happening clearer by using analogous design to help people understand.”

Dr. Gelber is in the process of making his own cutting of the script that fits his vision but hopes the cast will help. The plan is for the show to be staged in the Maedgen to meet its technical challenges but also try to create a more intimate atmosphere. This is sure to be a truly reimagined classic.

Choreography by Fourth-Year Dance Students

November 13-16, 2025

Graduating seniors will be demonstrating their choreography and dance skills in this exciting festival. Assistant Professor of Practice, Melissa Brading, is excited to give the students free reign in the creative process: “We want to give them room to create whatever they want” which helps each piece to be totally unique. “Choreographers work with student and faculty designers to fully realize their visions,” Brading claims, which helps their imaginations run wild.

The students will be working hard throughout the semester to realize their visions in group and solo pieces. We can’t wait to see what they have to share in collaboration with our designers.

Featuring MFA Performance & Pedagogy Students

February 2-7, 2026

The MFA thesis monodramas dazzled us this year, so we are thrilled to include them in our upcoming season for the first time. An MFA Performance & Pedagogy student’s 3 years of study culminate in an original, single-actor show. They are self-written, designed, directed, and performed which makes each piece unique and innovative.

Head of Acting/Directing, Rachel Hirshorn-Johnston, says, “We have as many as SIX monodrama master theses being prepared for next year, spanning genres and wide content variety. We anticipate another extraordinary display of talent and hard work, as were the hugely successful performances we had the privilege to experience in March of this year.” These plays are a great opportunity to celebrate the unique talents of our graduates one last time.

Based on Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

In collaboration with the School of Music and featuring choreography by TTU Dance Faculty

February 19-22, 2026

If you want to see cutting-edge dance performances, DanceTech is for you! This year’s show will re-imagine Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring into Rites of Spring by basing each piece off of the familiar, classical song. Co-Artistic Director, Dr. Christopher Staley, remarks “It is somewhat ironic to call Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring a ‘classic’ since it was such a groundbreaking work when it first premiered in 1913.” 

Choreographing these original compositions is already underway as students prepare to attend the Marfa Intensive this summer. This 2-week training program will be a place for students to devise dances or theatre pieces which will serve as the basis for rehearsal during the school year. 

This production truly takes advantage of the College in which the School of Theatre & Dance is housed.  Each Rite of Spring will be assigned a composer from the School of Music who will create their own interpretation of the song. According to Dr. Staley, “While there will be unique individual interpretations in each, we will be making this story and event cohesive around a shared vision by asking ourselves how The Rite of Spring still speaks to artists and audiences today.” We are excited to see how this artistic process transforms such an influential song.

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
From an adaptation by Christopher Bond

In collaboation with the School of Music

April 16-19 & 23-26, 2026

Set in Victorian London, this Sondheim musical tells the tale of a murderous barber. Sweeney Todd has been adapted from a written work to a play, musical, and film because the story continues to captivate. 

This show will also be produced in collaboration with the School of Music which is something we’ve never done before. Dr. Mark Charney, Director of the School of Theatre & Dance explains, “When I first arrived here, almost 13 years ago, we’d have never envisioned a co-production with the School of Music, and I think it’s a fine testament to our faculty who built the musical theatre program and to our students who have achieved acclaim. Combine that with the talents of the School of Music, not only vocal coaching but also staging and design, you have a terrific match—two schools intent on learning from each other and sharing the ways they have been taught to perform. I’m thrilled about this collaboration!” 

This spectacular classic is sure to entertain.