CU theater groups hope to plant progressive spring calendar

Nothing says springtime in New York City like a heady dose of nontraditional theater, and Columbia’s performance groups are seeking to rise to the occasion.

In addition to the anticipated 116th Varsity Show in May, member organizations of the Columbia University Performing Arts League (CUPAL) hope to make the coming semester a unique one for novice and veteran theatergoers alike.

For those unfamiliar with the spectacle that is the King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe spring show, now is the time to get acquainted. Each year, the troupe produces a massive outdoor Shakespeare production featuring action that roams throughout Columbia’s natural stage—the campus itself. The fact that everyone who auditions is guaranteed a role just adds to the craziness—the size of the cast is limited only by the number of people who try out—and the same goes for this year’s production of “Measure for Measure,” directed by Allie Lalonde.

In addition, this semester will herald the fifth incarnation of KCST’s Egg and Peacock Festival, a manic 24-hour period that encompasses the writing, directing, and performing of eight original student plays. Though the festival is typically a caffeine-soaked day, it serves as a valuable reminder that theater is one of life’s greatest natural stimulants.

The Columbia University Players, fiercely dedicated to a performance schedule free of musicals and Shakespeare, will produce two exciting comedies this season: “Grandma Sylvia’s Funeral” and “The Pillowman.” The former, written by Glenn Wein and Amy Lord Blumsack, is, according to the production notes, an “interactive comedy” in which “actors and audience members will mingle and interact before the house opens, during the intermission, and after the curtain falls.” Set at the funeral of an elderly matriarch, this unusual play explores the complex dynamic of a grieving family, and fully immerses the audience in the theatrical experience. The second CUP production is an award-winning black comedy by Martin McDonagh, famous for his Oscar-nominated screenplay for the film “In Bruges.” The story is one of an imprisoned writer whose fictional tales bear more than a passing resemblance to the grisly child murders occurring in his town. As in all of his works, however, McDonagh approaches this dark subject matter with a riotous sense of humor and a keen eye for the absurd.

This semester, New and Original Material Authored and Directed by Students (NOMADS) will continue its tradition of honoring cutting-edge student pieces with “Wordplay, A Festival of New Work.” Having commissioned four hour-long plays from student playwrights, the organization will recruit directors and actors to put on a festival of staged readings, complete with post-show talkbacks and performances from student dance, music, and comedy groups. A week later, NOMADS will produce the first-ever performance in the Diana Center’s black box theater with “The Leap of Ersatz!” a mixed-media piece that uses both visual and performing arts to convey the tumultuous unconscious of a poet searching for meaning in nature.

These are just some of the productions afforded to Columbia students this semester, alongside those being produced at such venues as Riverside Church, a mere block away form campus. The best part? It doesn’t cost a gazillion dollars to get the best seat in the house.