The 2009-2010 Mainstage Series presented by Ball State University's Department of Theatre and Dance features two contemporary plays, two musicals, and two original dance concerts. All of these productions are staged by our talented student performers and faculty directors and designers in the 410-seat University Theatre, located behind Emens Auditorium, across the plaza south of Bracken Library. Season subscriptions and individual tickets are available for these productions (see Mainstage Series Tickets). This season's schedule:

Hair
Lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni
Music by Galt MacDermot
September 24-26, September 29-30, October1-3 at 7:30pm
September 27 at 2:30pm
Directed by Karen Kessler
Musical direction by Alex Kocoshis
Choreography by Christie Zimmerman

In Vietnam-era America, two young men set out to burn their draft cards in an act of defiance and protest. What emerges from their rebellion is one of the most ground-breaking musical theatre experiences of all time, a rock-opera journey into the heart and spirit of the revolutionary 1960's. Featuring timeless hits such as "Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In". Hair Promises to speak to a new generation of Americans struggling to find their way into the next decade.

Noises Off
By Michael Frayn
November 12-14, 18-21 at 7:30pm
November 15 at 2:30pm
Directed by Bill Jenkins

Join us for a glimpse behind the scenes as the hilarious farce Noises Off reveals the frustrations of an acting company trying to produce, or perhaps salvage, a production of a screwball comedy called Nothing On. Hilarity ensues as our actors play actors playing actors in this tremendously funny look inside the trysts and triumphs of live theatre!

Steppin' Out with Gershwin on a Cole Winter's Night
Ball State Dance Theatre
December 10-12 at 7:30pm
December 13 at 2:30 p.m.  
Artistic Director: Audra Sokol

"It's De-Lovely", "Rhapsody in Blue," "So In Love," "Anything Goes," and "I Got Rhythm" are just some of George Gershwin and Cole Porter classics that have made their way into the hearts of music and dance lovers worldwide. Come experience the works of these American geniuses with an eclectic blend of dance featuring choreography from the talented faculty of Ball State Dance Theatre alond with renowned guest artists. Join us as we pay tribute to Gershwin and Porter in an all-new concert just in time for the holidays!

Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
February 11-13, 17-20 at 7:30pm
February 14 at 2:30 p.m.  
Directed by Wendy Mortimer and Drew Vidal

To what extremes will one man go to achieve the ultimate power? As the valiant Macbeth returns from stifiling a bloody rebellion against the Scottish crown, he comes face-to-face with his own fate as three strange witches predict his ascension to the throne. Confronted with his new supremacy, steeped in the slaughter of friends and enemies alike, Macbeth must decide how deep he will descend in order to fulfill this mysterious but inevitable prophecy.

My Fair Lady
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
March 25-27, 30-April 3 at 7:30pm
March 28 and April 3 at 2:30 p.m.   
Directed by Michael O'Hara
Musical Direction by Robert Kvam, dean of the College of Fine Arts
Choreography by Jules Shumate

Based on George Bernard Shaw's classic Pygmalion, My Fair Lady follows the remarkable journey of Eliza Doolittle from cockney flower girl to "proper" English lady, with a little help from the irascible Professor Henry Higgins, played by Harold Mortimer, associate professor of musical theatre. Higgins gets more than he bargained for in the feisty Eliza-as she grows more independant and confident, he discovers a "life force" he cannot ignore. Filled with classic songs such as "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and "On the Street Where You Live," My Fair Lady is sure to delight audiences of all ages!

An Evening with the Arts
Ball State Dance Theatre
April 28-May 1 at 7:30pm
Artistic Director: Audra Sokol

Celebrate spring as Ball State Dance Theatre explores the poetic languages of the body that emerge when dance intersects with painting, sculpture, literature, and other fine arts. Varying styles of dance come together in an unforgettable concert featuring new works choreographed by our talented faculty and guest artists.