Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will host its annual Wildcat Theatre Follies Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 4-6, in the Panowski Black Box Theatre. The event will showcase a variety of creative performances by freshmen and sophomores in the program, including songs, scenes, monologues and dance pieces.
The show will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, with an additional 1 p.m. Theater for All sensory-friendly matinee on Saturday.
"This is great way to introduce students to the community and their colleagues right away and hit the ground running so they are prepared for the rest of the season and understand how rehearsals work for this department," said Kaitlyn Frotton, who is directing the show with Kristen Ludwig. "The sophomores are given an opportunity to mentor the freshmen, providing them with fast friends they can look up to and who will help guide them through their first year and set them up for success for the rest of their career here."
This year, NMU Theatre and Dance held a bootcamp for 64 freshmen and transfer students, it's largest incoming class ever, said Ludwig. The students arrived from Texas, Alaska, Kentucky, Maryland and Oklahoma, in addition to Great Lakes region states. The Wildcat Theatre Follies also has a new format, with four performances instead of two.
"We are in the Panowski Black Box Theatre, which is set up 'in the round' for a more immersive experience, for the first act," Ludwig said. "The second act takes us out into a tent behind the Black Box, which has been transformed by our tech and design students to embody a reception/party vibe. For all evening performances, there will be a cash bar and open dessert table. This will create a beautiful bookend, both for our season, opening with this freshfolk/sophomore showcase and closing with our senior showcase, and for our students' experience. They get to come in with a bang and leave with a bang!"
Tickets to the Wildcat Theatre Follies are $25 for the general public, $22 for NMU staff, seniors and military, $15 for youth, and $5 for NMU students. They can be purchased in advance at NMU ticket outlets in the Superior Dome or Bookstore, or online at nmu.universitytickets.com.