BROOKINGS – State University Theatre and Dance opens its fall 2020 season at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 with “Reflections: Theatre+Dance at the Garden” at McCrory Gardens.
Additional performances are set for 2 and 6 p.m., Sept. 26 and 27. While the performances are free, tickets are required to attend. Tickets are only available by ordering online at the SUT ticketing website, sdstate.tix.com.
Tickets will not be available at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center box office or on-site before each performance. In addition, there will be no will call areas. Patrons should use the print-at-home option or save their tickets to a mobile device. If interested, patrons can donate to the program when ordering tickets. All contributions to the program are tax deductible.
The performances, which feature 46 students, will be held in five separate gardens and the audience will walk to each garden. The 2 p.m. Sept. 27 performance has been designated as accessible, seating will be available as all performances will be held at one site.
The “Reflections: Theatre+Dance at the Garden” project is a collaborative, student-devised performance experience. Initially, students were asked to walk through McCrory Gardens and reflect on their experiences and feelings in response to how the pandemic has affected them. After sharing those thoughts with their peers, students with similar or aligned responses worked together in one of five groups. Each group has a faculty mentor who assisted in the creation of five performance pieces, each intended for a specific site at McCrory Gardens. The titles and mentor for each piece are:
• “Vulnerability and Change,” W. James Wood;
• “Connections and Navigation,” Corey Shelsta;
• “Rebirth and Harmony,” Melissa Hauschild-Mork;
• “Hope and Resilience,” J.D. Ackman; and
• “Loneliness and Re-creation.” Billy Wilburn.
Social distancing and other public safety considerations will be observed at all performances. The performers will wear masks, and patrons are strongly encouraged to also do so.
For more information or assistance, call the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center Box Office at 605-688-6045 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sept. 21-25.
State University Theatre and Dance’s second production of the fall 2020 semester will be “The Living” by Anthony Clarvoe. Performances will take place Nov. 19-22 in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center Proscenium Theatre. “The Living” takes place during the London plague of 1665.
