Arts and Culture

NMUDoIt, a student theater group established early this year at Northern Michigan University, will present its first full-length production—the musical The Last Five Years—at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Nov. 16, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. Tickets are free (donations accepted). Written and composed by Drama Desk winner Jason Robert Brown, The Last Five Years is described as an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their 20s who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

Multi-platinum solo artists Chelsea Cutler and Jeremy Zucker, who released their new album brent iii today, will make a stop at Northern Michigan University on their "Brent Forever: The Tour" on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The Zodiac Trio, a premier violin-clarinet-piano ensemble, will perform as part of Northern Michigan University's Siril Concert Series at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The group will also host two free events earlier in the day, also in Reynolds: a music appreciation presentation at 11 a.m.; and a masterclass at 1 p.m.

For more than two centuries, Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel Frankenstein has remained a favorite within the horror fiction genre. Its tale of a scientist's effort to bring back the dead by carving a new creature from their corpses—only to have his creation turn on him through a series of violent acts—has had an enduring influence on popular culture and spawned many creative adaptations. Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will premiere its version of the stage play, with opening night appropriately on Halloween.

Northern Michigan University's Arts Chorale and University Choir will perform their debut concert of the 2024-25 academic year at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Admission is free.

Aubrey Svoboda, a secondary education music major at Northern Michigan University, will perform her senior recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Her performance will capture her musical journey on trombone throughout her time at Northern. The event is free and open to the public.

The Northern Michigan University Orchestra will present “String Masterworks,” a tour through musical history featuring pioneering pieces that influenced the development of string orchestra. Admission to the event—taking place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Reynolds Recital Hall—is free and open to the public.

Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance and the Masonic Arts, Theatre & Innovation Company (MÄTI) announce a new chapter for "The Rocky Horror Show." After successfully producing this cult classic for the past few years, MÄTI is passing the artistic torch to NMU Theatre and Dance, which will stage the show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 through Saturday, Oct. 26 in Forest Roberts Theatre, with later 10:30 p.m. performances on Friday and Saturday.

Northern Michigan University will host two screenings of "Letters from Brno," an award-winning documentary film that relays a powerful, heart-wrenching story of parental love and unspeakable sacrifice during the Holocaust. They are scheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, and Tuesday, Oct. 8, in Mead Auditorium (2701 Science Building). The film's writer and producer, Karen Kruger, will participate in discussions afterward. She will also lead an interactive workshop for current and future educators at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in the Whitman Commons. All events are free and open to the public.

Northern Michigan University will present the daring and provocative musical Cabaret Oct. 3-5 and 10-12. The play is set in a Berlin nightclub as the 1920s draw to a close. It explores the tumultuous life of the city's natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.