FSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance Continues Season Into Spring

Jan 21, 2020 9:55 AM

Frostburg State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will offer three exciting productions during its spring season.

Playwright Matthew Lopez’s first work, “The Whipping Man,” examines a vital, but not-often-spoken-of period in American history, the post-Civil War South, as its denizens struggled to acclimate to the new, emancipated social order. The play is set in April of 1865. The Civil War is over. The slaves have been freed. Men are returning home from war. In one ravaged family home in Richmond, Va., three men sit down to observe Passover. Caleb has just returned to his family home, severely injured in the war. Simon and John, his former slaves, prepare the table with stolen wine, hardtack for matzo and raw collards for bitter herbs. The Seder takes on a new relevance as the men seek to find their way in this new world. Mairzy Yost-Rushton will direct the performances, which will take place in F. Perry Smith Studio Theatre of FSU’s Woodward D. Pealer Performing Arts Center on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28 and 29, and Thursday through Saturday, March 5 to 7, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Feb. 29 at 2 p.m.

In April, the annual Spring Dance Concert will feature a montage of dance styles that celebrate the art and passion of human movement, choreographed and danced by the FSU Dance Company with direction and original choreography by Jamie McGreevy. This event will be held Friday and Saturday, April 17 and 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pealer Center’s Drama Theatre.

The 2019-20 season wraps up with the fast-paced comedy, “Martin and Margaret and the M.I.N.D.S.W.A.P.,” by Mike Long and Amaree Cluff. On the brink of World War II, a genius professor invents the ultimate spy device, a machine that swaps minds. The Nazis want this wonder, but two American heroes are fighting to keep it – and its inventor – out of their hands. In the process, everyone is literally losing their minds and becoming someone else. This family-friendly comedy is full of chase scenes, mistaken identities and the chaos that can only come from a mad-scientist-inspired brain-swapping machine! Performances, directed by Darrell Rushton, will take place in the Drama Theatre on Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, and Thursday through Saturday, May 7 to 9, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on May 2 at 2 p.m.

Individual tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for FSU employees and seniors, and $7 for students. Tickets for all performances are available on FSU’s Theatre and Dance web site.

For information, call the Theatre and Dance box office at 301-687-7462, Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Situated in the mountains of Allegany County, Frostburg State University is one of the 12 institutions of the University System of Maryland. FSU is a comprehensive, residential regional university and serves as an educational and cultural center for Western Maryland. For more information, visit the Frostburg State web site or the FSU Facebook page. Follow FSU on Twitter @frostburgstate.

FSU is committed to making all of its programs, services and activities accessible to persons with disabilities. To request accommodations through the ADA Compliance Office, call 301-687-4102 or use a Voice Relay Operator at 1-800-735-2258.