MSU gears up for the spring theater season

Looking for something to do this spring semester? The MSU Theatre Department is putting on several productions this semester, and they are a great way for students to take a break from classes. 

Hans Bloedel, a Minnesota State graduate student, is directing “The Language Archives” which runs later this semester. He thinks students will enjoy this show as there are a lot of different characteristics that happen. 

“It’s going to be a really funny story, but also, there are many themes in the show. I want it to be fun and people to laugh,” said Bloedel. “There will be a wide breadth of emotions to experience, and I want to make that accessible to the audience.” 

The play focuses on a professor who attempts to compile a recorded archive of native speakers’ languages before those languages perish.

 Unfortunately, his wife leaves him because he has lost how to express his love for her correctly while he is preoccupied with his language studies. While working with a foreign couple who speak a language that can only be properly spoken while in love with each other, he starts to learn from his blunders. 

Auditions for “The Language Archives” is Jan. 30, and students can find information about it in the Earley Center for Performing Arts. Bloedel encourages students to audition if they are unsure about auditioning. Auditioning for shows is open to anyone interested, not just theater and dance majors.

“I don’t care really what your acting experience is. If you feel like you have something to show, I want to see it. The worst I can say is no,” said Bloedel. “Even if you’re a little apprehensive or have never tried out for this before, that doesn’t matter to me. I would love just sort of to see what you got.” 

Another show that hits the stage in February is “Marisol.” Vladimir Rovinsky, a theater professor at MSU, will be directing it. He describes the show as being a mix of absurdity and magical realism. 

“The story starts with this guardian Angel announcing to Marisol that he cannot be her guardian angel anymore because she’s starting a celestial war. And why? Because the world is dying,” said Rovinsky. “This angel knows the Old God is senile and does not care and needs to be removed for humanity to keep going. So it’s like an epic story, but it’s also very human.” 

Auditions for this show happened toward the end of the 2022 fall semester. 

“We got a very diverse cast. We have some people from, of course, our theater department, and some dancers. So we have some people from other departments and different representation on stage, which is very exciting,” said Rovinsky. “Because of the nature of the show, the audition included a monologue and a little movement workshop. So a lot of consideration went into this production.” 

“Marisol” will run Feb. 16-18 & 23-26.

Some other shows that will be taking place this semester are “At Home at the Zoo,” which begins with Albee’s 2004 play “Homelife,” which reveals Peter and Ann’s rocky marriage, their brutal attempts to communicate and the loneliness within their shared life. The tension rises in the second act when a man named Jerry approaches Peter in Central Park and begins to tell him story after story, probing deeply into Peter’s life and attempting to take the bench for himself. 

The second show happening this semester is “Something Rotten.” This is a musical set in London in 1595. Brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom are desperate to write a hit play but are trapped in the shadow of “The Bard,” the Renaissance rock star. 

When a local astrologer predicts that the future of theater will involve singing, dancing and acting all at once, the brothers set out to write the world’s first musical. But, in the midst of the scandalous excitement of the opening night, the Bottom Brothers realize that success means being true to oneself.

More information on the upcoming shows can be found on the MSU website under the Theatre Arts tab. 

Header Photo: “Marisol” is just one of the plays in the works for Minnesota State’s Theatre Department. Hitting the stage in February, the show plans to incorporate magical realism and a bit of absurdity to keep the audience hooked.

Write to Lauren Viska at lauren.viska@mnsu.edu