The Crimson White Print Edition - September 21, 2023

culture
Mark your calendars:
Upcoming events in the UA theater and dance programs
3B
Gabriella
Puccio-Johnson
Contributing Writer
A labama’s theater and
dance programs are
looking to maintain a high
level of prestige with the
fall semester’s lineup
of shows.
Every show is unique
and requires hours of
dedication from its
cast members, dancers,
choreographers and crew.
But this talent stretches
beyond the cast and
crew and even includes
the people who run the
programs and market
the shows.
The first event of this
semester is the Broadway
Cabaret on Thursday, Sept.
28. The event is directed
by Matt Davis and will be
held in the District Room
in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Doors will open at 6:30
p.m. for bar purchases and
seating, and the show will
begin at 7:30 p.m.
Broadway fans will love
this event, as the night
will be filled with talented
musical theater students
singing their favorite
songs.
This is the second year
the Broadway Cabaret has
been held, as last year’s
event was a fundraiser for
Courtesy of the Department of Theatre and Dance
Rusty Chorba, a member
of the department who
died. After a successful
show, the program’s
organizers decided to
continue it this year.
The second event of
this semester will be the
annual Alabama Repertory
Dance Theatre show,
which has been held on
campus for nearly three
decades. The show will
occur from Oct. 17-20,
located in the Dance
Theatre in the English
Building. There will
be five choreographed
pieces — two by guest
choreographers and three
by UA faculty members
— each featuring
contemporary dance
and ballet.
Attending the ARDT
show is a great way to
support members of
this campus, as each
dancer is a student at The
University of Alabama.
Additionally, every
year the show changes,
offering something new
and exciting to
its viewers.
Hannah Hall, the
manager of marketing for
the Department of Theatre
and Dance, said that one
of the most impressive
facets of the ARDT event
is the diversity of all
the pieces.
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“The diversity of the
pieces and the quality
is a reason in itself that
students should attend
this show, but also it is a
good culmination of what
we do in the department,”
Hall said. “Especially all
the hard work and passion
that encompasses what
these programs are about.”
Shortly after the
ARDT event, the theater
department will have its
first production of the
semester, “The Rocky
Horror Show.” The show
will take place Oct. 31-
Nov. 5, in the Marian
Gallaway Theatre.
This musical, created
by Richard O’Brien,
features music, lyrics
and a book by the artist.
It playfully pays homage
to the B-grade science
fiction and horror films
of the 1930s through the
early ’60s. At its core, the
story follows a recently
engaged couple who find
themselves caught in a
storm and seek refuge
at the residence of an
eccentric scientist known
as Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Robert Fuson, a third-
year MFA directing
candidate, is the director
of this show. He shared
that he is beyond excited
to bring this show to
campus, because it
Courtesy of the Department of Theatre and Dance
is one of his favorite
productions. He shared
that this show will be a
mature production, as it
covers self-exploration.
“The show has
a lot to do with the
understanding of personal
desire, pleasure, and
experiencing your fullest
self and its authenticity,”
Fuson said.
“The Rocky Horror
Show” is a diverse
production that covers
progressive topics of this
generation. It is a must-
see show that will have its
audience gasping at every
witty line and clever twist.
The last event of the
semester will be the
production of “Julius
Caesar” on Nov. 6. The
show will be directed by
Seth Panitch, the head
of the acting program,
and held at the Allen
Bales Theatre. This show
is highly anticipated by
acting students, as a part
of their degree is to take a
Shakespeare class.
According to Panitch,
this will be a strippeddown,
cut-down, fast-
paced “Caesar,” focusing
tightly on how rapidly the
actors succumb to their
baser instincts. It will
not be a political take on
the script, but a personal
one, which will invite the
audience into a fiercer
connection with the
terrible tragedy.
Panitch is also
interpreting the battle
sequences into visceral
movement and threading
that style throughout
the piece. This will
provide a new perspective
through which to view
the play, even for those
who have seen previous
productions.
Panitch, who has
passionately reimagined
this work, highlighted the
immense dedication the
students have put into
such a titanic production.
“Somewhere just
past the halfway point
of a rehearsal process,
the actors begin to truly
inhabit the world of the
play, and when they
transform into that world,
it allows them a more
personal knowledge of the
action of the play, which
allows them to have a
deep ownership over
their roles,” Panitch said.
“When this happens, I can
back away as a director,
and the play takes on real
life from the framework
I develop as a director.
This new life is always
richer than my single
interpretation of the
world of the play.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 28
Broadway Cabaret
@ District Room
October 17-20
Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre show
@ Dance Theatre in the English Building
October 31-November 5
The Rocky Horror Show
@ Marian Gallaway Theatre
November 6
Julius Caesar
@ Allen Bales Theatre