Snow College Theatre
Theatre is the art and craft of play production. It includes the study of dramatic literature and theory, theatre history, acting, set design, lighting design, costume design and film. In addition to the scholarly exploration of these subjects, the theatre program emphasizes the practical application of knowledge gained and skills learned through annual performances before live audiences.
Theatre also explores the historical, cultural and social milieu that produced significant works of dramatic literature.
Students who complete an emphasis in theatre at Snow College will be expected to demonstrate that they
- know the historical and cultural development of western dramatic literature and tradition;
- know the characteristics of significant literary schools from classism to Shakespeare;
- are able to criticize significant great works in terms of the period in which they were written;
- are able to perform the basic duties of a stage technician;
- are able to perform a variety of roles from tragic, comic and musical theatre;
- feel or appreciate the literary and humanistic significance of drama;
- feel or appreciate significant works of drama from a variety of schools and authors;
- feel or appreciate the visual and oral elements of theatre.
Student Opportunities
Upcoming Theatre Productions:
October 4-6 & 11-13, 2018
Measure for Measure
Measure for Measure is one of Shakespeare’s most vivid explorations of society and thought-provoking comedies. Vincentio, Duke of Vienna, dismayed by his city’s decline into depravity and decadence, removes himself and appoints the puritanical Angelo to rule in his stead and correct the mess of his passive rule. Angelo empowered, rigidly follows the letter of law to root out immorality but sweeps up a young man Claudio and then makes him an example, condemning him to death. Can Claudio’s sister, the novice nun Isabella, convince the cold Angelo to feel mercy? Do her words inspire empathy… or something else entirely?
Shakespeare is remarkable for many reasons; notably, his work is timeless yet timely. Many of his plays reverberate issues and topics of today from well over 400 years ago. Measure for Measure is exceptional in this regard. In this dark comedy dilemmas abound and struggles manifest, reflecting an even greater truth: easy answers are rarely the solution to big problems.
November 2-3 & 7-10, 2018
Glass Menagerie
Amanda Wingfield is a faded, tragic remnant of Southern gentility who lives in poverty in a dingy St. Louis apartment with her son, Tom, and her daughter, Laura. Amanda strives to give meaning and direction to her life and the lives of her children, though her methods are ineffective and irritating. Tom is driven nearly to distraction by his mother's nagging and seeks escape in alcohol and movies. Laura also lives in her illusions. She is crippled, and this defect, intensified by her mother's anxiety to see her married, has driven her more and more into herself. A drama of great tenderness, charm and beauty, Tennessee Williams’ endearing and melancholic The Glass Menagerie is one of the most famous plays of the modern theatre.
December 5-8, 2018
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, adapted by Milinda Weeks
A Christmas tradition. As miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge falls asleep in his dingy quarters on Christmas Eve, three ghosts appear, each revealing to Scrooge the wrong doings of his life and what will happen if he continues in his evil ways. He is racked with fear and remorse and sets out on Christmas Day to bless with his newfound generosity all those whom he has neglected and abused.
February 28 & March 1-2, 7-9, 2019
The Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterwork is a timeless story of seduction and despair. Phantom of the Opera is the musical all others are measured against. The timeless story, the unforgettable score, and an undeniable obsession that could never die.
The Phantom of the Opera tells the story of a masked figure who lurks beneath the catacombs of the Paris Opera House, exercising a reign of terror over all who inhabit it. He falls madly in love with an innocent young soprano, Christine, and devotes himself to creating a new star by nurturing her extraordinary talents by employing all of the devious methods at his command.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s enthralling score includes “Think of Me,” “Angel of Music,” “‘Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You,” “Masquerade” and the title song, "The Phantom of the Opera".
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics by Charles Hart
Additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe; Book by Richard Stilgoe & Andrew Lloyd Webber; Based on the novel Le Fantome de ‘l’Opéra by Gaston Leroux
April 17-20, 2019
Our Town
Considered by many to be the greatest American play, Our Town tells the story of Emily and George, two unremarkable teenagers growing up in a small New Hampshire town, Govers Corners, at the turn of the last century. Love and marriage, birth and death. Seen from a distance they’re just the rhythm of everyday life: but when you’re caught up in the middle and they’re happening to you, they’re the whole world. Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning small town epic of human existence remains as theatrically fresh and as topical as ever.
To celebrate the commitment of the city of Ephraim and our theatre, Our Town will be cast from both the Snow College and members of the surrounding community. Embracing our own town with this plain-speaking and honest play, we invite you and your imagination to take a journey with us back home.