Celebrating the first 15 years of the Musical Theatre program, Missouri State University will present FOOTNOTES, a joint showcase of graduating students and alumni on Sunday, March 6, 2011 at 9:30 pm at Joe's Pub in New York.
The cast includes Kyle Dean Massey (next to normal), Kendra Kassebaum (Wicked) and Andrew C. Call (American Idiot), as well as Jeffrey James Binney (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Dale Hensley (La Cage Aux Folles), Hollie Howard (Hairspray), Antuan Raimone (In the Heights) and Nicole Van Giesen (The Wild Party). The evening spotlights alumni instrumental in developing the musical theatre degree, as well as recent graduates and a handful of graduating seniors. It will also feature a selection from the revue Broadway Bombs, conceived and performed by MSU alums Jessica Ryan, Avery Ragsdale and Jermaine Blackwell.
The showcase is directed by Nathan Tysen (The Burnt Part Boys, Fugitive Songs), the first graduate of the BFA Musical Theatre degree. The event is produced by MSU.
Established in 1996, the BFA in Musical Theatre at Missouri State (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) is an interdisciplinary program between the departments of Theatre & Dance and Music. Alumni from the program have found success on and off Broadway and in regional theatres across the country.
"In the early 90s there was a lot of interest in musical theatre around campus," says Michael Casey, MSU's Musical Theatre Coordinator. "But students had to, in essence, design their own curriculum by taking electives beyond their course of study. So, because of outstanding talents like Deidre Goodwin, Michelle Potterf, Kendra Kassebaum, Greg Roderick, Hollie Howard and Nicole Van Giesen, we wrote a BFA Musical Theatre curriculum. This showcase celebrates not only graduates of that program, but also those who inspired its origin."
"We hope this showcase will raise MSU's profile in New York City as an exemplary musical theatre training program," says Nathan Tysen. "The evening features a diverse group of performers and material, all bound together by the training we received at this little known school tucked away in southwest Missouri. We can all cite MSU as the springboard for our careers. That is our mutual footnote."
Tickets are $10 and available now at www.joespub.com. Joe's Pub is located at 425 Layfayette Street in New York.
Photo Credit: Monica Simoes
