SDSU Theatre and Dance to open season of discovery with Disney’s ‘Newsies’

Stop the presses! South Dakota State University Theatre and Dance will kick off its 2023-24 season with the musical “Newsies.”

This Disney film turned Tony-winning Broadway hit inspires everyone to fight for what's right and seize the day. Set in turn-of-the-century New York City, “Newsies” is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band of teenaged “newsies.” When titans of publishing raise distribution prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what's right.

Show times are Oct. 19-21 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on the SDSU campus.

Tickets for “Newsies” are $24 for adults and $20 for senior citizens, military, SDSU employees and non-SDSU students and children. SDSU students are admitted free with their student ID.

Tickets are available for purchase online, at the Performing Arts Center or by phone at 605-688-6045 from noon-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 6-7:30 p.m. on performance nights at the center. Season and individual tickets are available for purchase now.

The new SDSU Theatre and Dance season is titled and centers around the theme of “Discovery.”  Other offerings at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center this season include: 
 
Festival of News Plays featuring ‘The 24 Hour Plays’

The Festival of News Plays featuring “The 24 Hour Plays” celebrates the work of emerging playwrights while offering opportunities for students and the audience to engage in the development of new works. Three professional playwrights will engage with SDSU through a staged reading of their works and a public discussion with the playwright following each reading. The festival will conclude with “The 24 Hour Plays.” As an added value to patrons, they can attend all events with one ticket purchase. Seating will be general admission. Patrons should bring their ticket back each night for admission.

• “The Dead Woman” by Chelsea Sutton – Thursday, Nov. 16 – Fishback Studio Theatre. A dead woman is lying in the garbage outside a convenience store as time expands and the past and future become intertwined in the dead woman’s blood. 
• “Snowblind” by Laura King – Friday, Nov. 17 – Fishback Studio Theatre. As a snowstorm builds outside, a group of recovering addicts at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting struggle to face their addictions. 
• “Little Egypt” by Amy Tofte – Saturday, Nov. 18 – Fishback Studio Theatre. A fortune hunter and her bodyguard uncover the final resting place of the Holy Grail hidden in a small town in Middle America. But as they attempt to extract the grail from the four fierce women charged to protect it, the two outsiders uncover the fundamental ideals that divide them. 
• “The 24 Hour Plays” – Sunday, Nov. 19 – Oscar Larson Theatre. Teams of students will write, rehearse and present original plays crafted completely within a 24-hour period. 

‘A Christmas Celebration’ 

The Christmas story is one that, no matter who a person is or what they believe, may assist everyone in reflecting on their experiences, responsibilities and purpose. Displaying the talents of SDSU dancers, alums and community members, “A Christmas Celebration” asks audiences to reflect on their humanness during this holiday season. 

While celebrating a Christmas story, the story of a birth that changed the world, may this performance inspire audience members to pause and return to their own story, inspiring new beginnings.

Performance dates are Dec. 1-2 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre. 
 
‘The Escape Thingy’

“The Escape Thingy” was one of the featured plays during last year's Festival of New Plays. SDSU Theatre and Dance is excited to bring playwright Deb Hiett back to campus for this fully-staged production.

Two very different couples meet in an escape room game night, each needing very different types of escape. The clock is literally ticking as they attempt to solve the puzzles, distinguish facts from alternative facts, and weigh the risks of unlocking the door to the dangerous world outside.

This show may contain explicit language.

Performance dates are Feb. 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Fishback Studio Theatre.
  
Spring Dance Concert: Vantage Points

Spring Dance Concert: Vantage Points allows students the opportunity to develop creative process, choreographic talents, leadership and communication skills, and artistic and technical abilities. Choreographers, through the development of original choreography, work with the dance ensemble director to develop work that communicates with intention and purpose.

Choreographers are free to imagine how the theme “vantage points” inspires dance composition and provides opportunity for creativity and intellectual discourse. Artists will explore how perspective alters observation, perception, understanding and appreciation through a variety of contexts.

Performance dates are March 22-23 at 7:30 p.m. and March 24 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre.
  
‘James and the Giant Peach’

In this delightful stage adaptation of the classic children's tale, Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach” is faithfully told by James himself, along with the insect characters—Miss Spider, Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird, and Earthworm. Children and adults alike will smile with delight as James and his friends tell the story of how they came to live in the giant peach stone in Central Park, New York.

Performance dates are April 18-20 at 7:30 p.m. and April 21 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre.

SDSU Theatre and Dance season tickets are available now with two different subscription options, both offering 15% off regular ticket prices. Season subscriptions will be available through Oct. 22. Prices range from $69-$103 for season ticket options; from $20-$24 for single show tickets; and from $14-$16 for dance concerts. Tickets are free for SDSU students with ID.

SDSU Theatre and Dance is part of the School of Performing Arts and performs in Brookings. The mission of Theatre and Dance is to provide a wide variety of expertise in the theater arts through hands-on involvement in the program that inspires students with creativity and helps them grow as artists and individuals. For more information, contact Jim Wood, artistic director of SDSU Theatre and Dance, at 605-688-4559 or email Jim Wood.