Theater major or not, there’s no reason to stop belting those high Cs and reciting those monologues just because you’ve left the show choirs and improv troupes of high school behind. With New York City as the marked center of the theater world, it is no surprise that Columbia is a hub of extracurricular activity for theater-lovers and performers. The member organizations of the Columbia University Performing Arts League provide an outlet for performers, directors, writers, producers and technicians of all levels of experience.
Columbia Musical Theater Society
If musicals are your cup of tea, then CMTS would like to get to know you. Devoted strictly to musicals, CMTS produces at least two shows per semester—usually one set in Roone Arledge Auditorium and the other intimately situated in the Lerner Black Box. Based on the book of the same name, The Secret Garden and its classical-style score will take over Roone while Bat Boy: The Musical takes flight in the Black Box. New this semester, CMTS will also present New Voices: A Showcase of Student Composers. Auditions will take place Sept. 8-10 and production team interviews for those who prefer behind-the-scenes work are on Sept. 11.
For more information visit columbia.edu/cu/cmts/ or find them on Facebook.
New and Original Material Authored and Directed by Students
Named for their exclusive dedication to original student material (rather than any association with a wandering tribe), NOMADS provides an experimental but safe venue for undergraduate playwrights and directors to hone their craft while simultaneously allowing actors to develop characters shaped according to their strengths. This fall, NOMADS seeks to create a full-length play. Play submission to nomads.columbia@gmail.com is due by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 8. That same day from 6-8 p.m., NOMADS will hold interviews for director and producer in Lerner Party Space. Auditions for actors will take place Sept. 15-17 in Hamilton Hall.
King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe
Though not reflected in name, KCST is most famous for their nomadic spring productions that host drifting audiences across campus, staging scenes at various Columbia landmarks like Low Steps or the Schermerhorn courtyard. But the fall ushers in multiple productions of Shakespearean and non-Shakespearean (but still classical) works. A story of betrayal and jealousy on campus (and no, not the Gossip Girl episode they taped at “Yale”), Othello nabs the Shakespearean spot and Edward Albee’s The American Dream and The Zoo Story will accompany it. A traditional theater troupe, KCST is a community endeavor embracing all who wish to join and all members (current cast members or not) can participate in Sunday rehearsals. Auditions for this band of players take place Sept. 14-16 from 8-11 p.m. in Hamilton.
Columbia University Players
A far cry from Shakespeare, CUP provides a venue for quality in straight theater. After a successful run of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame and Sarah Ruhl’s Euridyce last spring, CUP ventures on to new challenges with Electra and Dirty Hands. While delving into the scripts of these renowned works, CUP takes the liberty to experiment with their play space and presentation in order to aspire to a unique take on standard material. CUP estimates that auditions will take place during the first week of classes.
Yet still, other organizations like the Black Theater Ensemble and LateNite Theater hover around the theater community to provide a diverse spectrum of theatrical opportunities.
For more information contact lalonde.alexandra@gmail.com.
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