2024–2025 Season
Word from the Director A word from the artistic director
We’ve got an action packed season for the whole family to enjoy, live and onstage!
A Holiday classic movie made into a Broadway musical, A Dr. Seuss kid-friendly Christmas play, a musical based on a popular literature classic, and a frantic madcap comedy!
We’ll start our season in the Patsy Miller Studio Theater with a historical play about the daring female pilots who bombed the Nazis in the dead of night. They were a crucial Soviet asset to winning WWII. The Germans nicknamed them the Nachthexen, or “night witches,” because the whooshing noise their wooden planes made resembled that of a sweeping broom.
On the Knight Hall stage, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn the musical is a delightful singing and dancing spectacle. The beloved film classic comes to the stage in a charming crowd-pleaser featuring one glorious Irving Berlin number after another, each celebrating a different Holiday.
Student written and directed Bathrobes are back, along with Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat. What are Bathrobes you ask? Students write ten minute plays and submit them for consideration as companion pieces to our Christmas production. Four student’s plays were chosen, and they’ll open as the first half of a night of theater. (Congratulations to Andrew Stutz So Many Scrooges, Finley Gustafson Merry Grinchmas Eve, Carter Lambert A Lost Claus, and Savanah Hunter with Mistletoe.)
It’s time to bring a classic piece of literature turned into musical to the Knight Hall in the Spring. Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach the musical, is a sure fire hit for young and older audiences alike. We’re excited to feature a Thursday afternoon Student Matinee on February 27th, at 1pm.
For our final show, we’re excited to bring Jeffrey Hatcher’s madcap comedy The Critic to the black box. This witty and farcical one hour play will have you laughing with delight!
This season has all of your favorites; we do hope that you will enjoy the laughter, tears, spectacle, and pure entertainment from UNW theatre this year!
Jennifer Hunter Artistic Director and Professor of Theatre
Embrace the artist in every student...
At University of Northwestern, we strive to embrace the artist in every student, foster the growth of the individual and bring to light their creative gifts. I believe that we glorify the ultimate Creator when we, in His likeness, create theatre to represent and mirror life. “God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold, loving and sensible.”—II Timothy 1:7
By Rachel Bublitz
by Jennifer Hunter
The women of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment flew in planes made of canvas and wood, and they dropped bombs on Germans every 15 minutes through the night to keep their enemy from sleeping. They were constantly being shuffled and moved to perform new duties; mechanics became navigators, navigators became pilots, and pilots became commanders. But when the time comes, to the sky they must go. Tonight, however, is different than any night they’ve faced before—their enemy has employed a new tactic taking them completely by surprise. Using movement, song and lyrically styled dialogue, we follow these brave women through one fateful evening during the war.
September 5–14, 2024
Patsy Miller Studio Theater
Adults: $21
Students/Seniors: $18
Individual Tickets Available: August 7, 2024
Recommended for Ages 12 & above
Directed
Music and Lyrics by
Irving Berlin
Book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge
Directed by Jennifer
Hunter
Follow the newfound romance of Jim and Linda as they turn a Connecticut farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim’s best friend Ted tries to lure Linda to Hollywood to be his new dance partner, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love?
Based on the classic film, this joyous musical features thrilling dance numbers, laugh-out-loud comedy and a parade of hit Irving Berlin songs, including “Blue Skies,” “Easter Parade,” “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” “Heat Wave,” “White Christmas,” “Be Careful, It’s My Heart,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Shaking the Blues Away” and many more! This year-round romance is sure to delight audiences!
October 31–November 9, 2024
Beverly & John Lord Knight Performance Hall
Premium Seating Adults: $25
Students/Seniors: $22
Recommended for Ages 8 & above
Standard Seating Adults: $21
Students/Seniors: $18
Individual Tickets Available: September 11, 2024
Based on the book by Dr. Seuss
From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that The Cat in the Hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat that they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and the craziest of ideas, he is certainly loads of fun. He turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure... but what will mum find when she gets home...? This is definitely for children of all ages. The festival also includes 4 student-written 10-minute plays. This UNW tradition is a yearly delight for audiences and families of all ages.
Student Written and Directed Bathrobes by Andrew Stutz, Finley Gustafson, Carter Lambert, and Savanah Hunter
December 10–14, 2024
Patsy Miller Studio Theater
Adults: $21
Students/Seniors: $18
Individual Tickets Available: November 6, 2024
Recommended for Ages 4 & above
DR. SEUSS’S THE CAT IN THE HAT is presented through
Play originally produced by the National Theatre of Great Britain Directed by Mitch Geiken
Words and Music by Benj
Pasek
& Justin Paul
Based on the book James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Book by Timothy Allen McDonald
Directed by Jennifer Hunter
When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that results in a tremendous peach... and launches a journey of enormous proportions. Suddenly, James finds himself in the center of the gigantic peach, among human-sized insects with equally oversized personalities, but after it falls from the tree and rolls into the ocean, the group faces hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements. Thanks to James’ quick wit and creative thinking, the residents learn to live and work together as a family. The dangerous voyage is a success, but the adventure takes a whole new twist once they land on the Empire State Building. Critics rave: James and the Giant Peach is a musical “masterpeach!”
February 21–March 1, 2025
Beverly & John Lord Knight Performance Hall
Premium Seating Adults: $25
Students/Seniors: $22
Recommended for Ages 4 & above
Standard Seating Adults: $21
Students/Seniors: $18
Individual Tickets Available: December 11, 2024
School group matinee Thursday, Feb. 27th @ 1 p.m. (visit unwtickets.com for more information)
By Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Hatcher
From comic mastermind Jeffrey Hatcher comes a fresh take on Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 18th-century romp THE CRITIC, a whirlwind comedy about bad theatre, worse playwrights…and, worst of all, the critics. The meta-theatrical frenzy builds throughout, from wacky antics and quick changes to an operatic farce as the company jumps from role to role. Experience a madcap night of life in the theatre with this classic behind-the-scenes comedy.
April 24–May 3, 2025
Patsy Miller Studio Theater
Adults: $21
Students/Seniors: $18
Individual Tickets Available: February 26, 2025
Recommended for Ages 13 & above
Adapted by Jeffrey
Directed by Corey Mills
UNW Dance Theatre
Spring Dance Concert
An evening of concert dance featuring original choreography by dance faculty and Artistic Director, Jolene Konkel, and Co-Director
Sarah Pieper along with select student works performed by University of Northwestern Dance Theatre and special guest artists.
April 10, 2025
Knight Performance Hall
General Admission
$15
Not included in season ticket packages
Join us for one acts directed by students who are enrolled in the advanced directing course.
May 7–10, 2025
Patsy Miller Studio Theater
General Admission
$15
Not included in season ticket packages
Season Tickets
• Save money!
• Choose your seats before tickets go on sale to the general public.
• Have the flexibility to exchange your seats for another performance date up to the performance start time.
• Full-season ticket holders are eligible to purchase up to two buddy passes!
Season tickets can be ordered by phone at 651-631-5151 or in person at the Ticket Office. For ease of ordering, please know which performances you would like to attend when you contact the Ticket Office.
Mainstage Package
4 tickets to both Knight Performance Hall productions (8 tickets total) $120
Amazing deal! Bring your family or friends and watch the mainstage shows together!
Full-Season
Package
Adults: $85 Students/Seniors: $75
One ticket to every show (5 tickets total)
Take in all this season has to offer with guaranteed seats for every production!
Mini-Season Package
Adults: $57
Students/Seniors: $48
One ticket to three shows of your choosing (3 tickets total)
Most flexible package!
UNW Ticket Office
Totino Fine Arts Center 3003 Snelling Ave N. St. Paul, MN 55113
For Group Ticket reservations (10+), visit unwtickets.com or call 651-631-5151.
Scholarships for incoming Theatre Majors and Minors are awarded through a scholarship audition/interview process. The upcoming audition dates for the 2024–2025 season are November 9, 2024 and February 22, 2025. Auditions will be held throughout the day, and students and their guests will be invited to a complimentary 2:30 or 7:30 p.m. performance of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach, respectively.
Students interested in a Theatre scholarship for acting, technical design, or stage management can email theatre@unwsp.edu for more information!
To experience a campus visit, contact Admissions at 651-631-5111 or visit unwsp.edu/admissions
