THE PROM Will Be Performed by The Cal State Fullerton Department of Theatre and Dance

The Cal State Fullerton Department of Theatre and Dance will open their fall performance season with “The Prom,” showing October 10 through 19 in the Little Theatre on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. Winner of the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Best Musical “The Prom” is written by Tony nominee Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin, with lyrics by Chad Beguelin and music by Tony, Emmy and Drama Desk nominee Matthew Sklar. It is directed by Sarah Ripper with musical direction by Jennifer Schniepp and choreography by Courtney Ozovek and Amber Depuy.
 

For most high school students in the U.S., prom is a glitter-filled, fancy-dress dance tradition. But what if you were disinvited for being gay? Musical theatre will save the day when four Broadway has-beens rush into a small town in Indiana to help Emma get the prom she deserves—and the spotlight they crave. We are proud to present “The Prom” as a joyful celebration of love and universal acceptance during LGBTQ+ History Month.

Since “The Prom” premiered on Broadway in 2018, there have been many high school and college productions of the show because of its queer representation and inclusive messaging. Although it has notable predecessors in LGBTQ+ representation on Broadway – “The Birdcage,” “Fun Home,” “Kinky Boots,” and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” – “The Prom” was the first to center on a same-sex relationship between two young adults. During its Broadway run, a musical number from the production was performed during the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, which included the event’s first-ever staged same-sex kiss, causing some controversy. While the CSUF production honors inclusivity, when the show originally toured it was sometimes billed as “a Broadway hit” without alluding to the same-sex relationship and homophobia central to the story.

“The Prom” runs October 10–19, 2024 with performances Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 pm, and Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8 pm in Clayes Performing Arts Center’s Little Theatre at Cal State Fullerton. ASL interpretation will be available for the 10/17 performance. Talkbacks are scheduled after the 8 pm performance on 10/11, and after the 2 pm performance on 10/19. Come dressed to impress in your prom best at any of the performances!

General Admission tickets are $24 ($22 Titan Discount) and are available online or by calling (657-278-3371) or visiting the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office, 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Friday. CSUF studentsreceive one complimentary ticket per production. Please be advised of the use of flashing lights, fog, and haze in this production. The musical also includes discussions of teen suicide, bullying, homophobia, and anti-rural biases.

Join us later this month for Gabriel Garcia Lorca’s “Blood Wedding.” Set in a mythical version of the Spanish countryside, “Blood Wedding” is the tale of two families tragically intertwined by a generational cycle of murder and revenge. General Admission tickets for “Blood Wedding” are $14 ($12 Titan Discount) and are available by calling (657) 278-3371, 12-4 pm, Tuesday through Friday at the Clayes Performing Arts Center Box Office or online. CSUF students receive one complimentary ticket per production.

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