ASU School of Film, Dance and Theatre announces 2017-2018 season

The ASU School of Film, Dance and Theatre’s upcoming season offers something for everyone, from dance concerts and film screenings to cutting-edge theatre and collaborative productions between different art forms. 

A highlight of this year’s season is “Six Stories Tall” — a joint theater and dance production.

“One of the goals of this collaboration is to explore interdisciplinary forms that move beyond traditional approaches to art making,” said Mary Fitzgerald, assistant director of dance in the School of Film, Dance and Theatre.

“Six Stories Tall” is a vibrant collection of hip-hop fairy tales that celebrates urban culture through dance, music and storytelling.

“The innovative practices that have emerged from urban dance (movement and spoken word) can take the production in entirely new directions, perhaps helping to blur the boundaries between the disciplines of dance and theatre,” Fitzgerald said.

Guests interested in dance also have the chance to see several dance concerts this season, including Fall Forward!, a dance showcase featuring new works that explore an exciting range of aesthetics, movement styles and new media platforms that redefine dance and live performance. Emerging Artists and Transition Projects put a spotlight on student work, and SpringDanceFest highlights some of the best pieces from the year.

Two theatre productions in the fall, Jennifer Haley’s “The Nether” and Herberger Institute Professor Michael Rohd’s “The Compass,” tackle sci-fi stories set in the near future. “The Compass” puts a teenager in serious trouble after she consults a decision-making app that tells users what they would do in any situation. The audience acts as the jury in this inventive work that promises a different ending each night.

The last two theatre productions of the season are Pulitzer Prize-winning “The Flick” and “By the Way, Meet Vera Stark,” both set within the film industry. The first follows the lives of three employees at an old movie theatre, and the second tells the story of an African American actress in 1930s Hollywood.

Film lovers should also check out the two Senior Film Showcases, one at the end of each semester. Audiences have the opportunity to screen a series of films selected by ASU film faculty and industry professionals. Produced by graduating student filmmakers, these works include short films and documentaries as well as cinematography and editing reels.

Purchase tickets at filmdancetheatre.asu.edu/events. In addition to these events, the School of Film, Dance and Theatre also presents a range of other performances and events, from student productions and faculty work to workshops and performances by guest artists. Some of those include the Performance in the Borderlands series, Sol Motion series, Scholarship Series and FilmSpark events. Visit filmdancetheatre.asu.edu for more information.

Fall 2017 schedule

Fall Forward!
7:30 p.m. Sept. 15–16; 2 p.m. Sept. 17
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse 
Fall Forward!, the kick-off event of the School of Film, Dance and Theatre’s 2017-2018 season, features new works created by ASU faculty and guests. Artists explore an exciting range of aesthetics, movement styles and new media platforms that redefine dance and live performance.

The Nether
Written by Jennifer Haley
Directed by William Partlan
7:30 p.m. Oct. 13–14, 19–21; 2 p.m. Oct. 15, 22
Lyceum Theatre
Welcome to the Nether — a network of virtual reality realms. Plug in. Choose an identity. Indulge your every whim. In this near-future, sci-fi thriller, a young detective faces off against the creator of a virtual world that offers a disturbing brand of entertainment. “The Nether” is a tense interrogation of the darkest corners of the human imagination. (Contains unsettling content and mature themes.)

The Compass
Written and Directed by Michael Rohd
7:30 p.m. Nov. 11, 16–18; 2 p.m. Nov. 12, 19 
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse
A teenager finds herself in serious trouble after she consults a decision-making app that tells users what they would do in any situation. Should she be held responsible? Did the app make her do it? Do her motivations matter? You’re the jury in this inventive, near-future work of science fiction.

Emerging Artists I
7:30 p.m. Nov. 17–18; 2 p.m. Nov. 19
Margaret Gisolo Dance Studio Theatre
Featuring Michelle Marji and Rebecca Witt
The Emerging Artists series presents thesis and capstone projects created by MFA and BFA candidates in dance. Students investigate personal stories and thought-provoking issues through live performance, film and interactive media.  

Fall Senior Film Showcase
7 p.m. Dec. 1
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse
Film faculty and industry professionals present a curated series of films produced by graduating student filmmakers. The culmination of more than a year’s work, these works include short films and documentaries as well as cinematography and editing reels.

Spring 2018 schedule

Transition Projects I
7:30 p.m. Jan. 26–27; 2 p.m. Jan. 28
Margaret Gisolo Dance Studio Theatre
BFA candidates present an eclectic evening of work, showcasing the culmination of their undergraduate artistic experiences. Spanning the aesthetics of postmodern, urban and hybrid dance styles, this show features original pieces made for the stage, alternative spaces and film. 

Six Stories Tall
Written by Marco Ramirez
Directed by Chris Weise
Choreographed by Melissa Britt
7:30 p.m. Feb. 9–10, 15–17; 2 p.m. Feb. 11, 18
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse
“Six Stories Tall” is a vibrant collection of hip-hop fairy tales, from mermaids and monsters to Batman and a world painted purple. This production celebrates urban culture through dance, music and storytelling.

The Flick
Written by Annie Baker
7:30 p.m. Feb. 16–17, 22–24; 2 p.m. Feb. 18, 25
Nelson Fine Arts Center 133
Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “The Flick” peers behind the scenes of a rundown Massachusetts movie theatre where three employees struggle with friendship, heartbreak and betrayal. “The Flick” is a hilarious and moving parable for our times.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark
Written by Lynn Nottage
7:30 p.m. April 13–14, 19–21; 2 p.m. April 15, 22
Lyceum Theatre
Vera Stark, an African-American maid and aspiring actress in 1930s Hollywood, sets out to land a role in a southern epic alongside her white starlet employer. Several years and several films later, Stark disappears, leaving scholars to debate her legacy, mine old interview footage for clues and examine her tangled relationships behind-the-scenes of the film that made her famous. Discover Stark’s story in this comedy that takes an irreverent look at race in Hollywood.

SpringDanceFest
7:30 p.m. April 20–21; 2 p.m. April 22
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse
SpringDanceFest showcases the breadth of creativity in the dance program, featuring student choreographers and performers in some of the most innovative work of the 2017-2018 season. The concert also includes pieces created by faculty, visiting artists and alumni.

Spring Senior Film Showcase
7 p.m., April 27
Paul V. Galvin Playhouse
Film faculty and industry professionals present a curated series of films produced by graduating student filmmakers. The culmination of more than a year’s work, these works include short films and documentaries as well as cinematography and editing reels.