Department of Drama Presents 'Dance Nation'
The continues the 2022/2023 season with the 2017 Susan Blackburn Prize-winning play 鈥淒ance Nation鈥 by Clare Barron. Directed by Katherine McGerr and choreographed by Felipe Panam谩, the play takes audiences on an emotional and powerful journey of one team鈥檚 quest to a national dance competition. Performances will be held Friday, March 24, through Sunday, April 2, in the Storch Theater at the 性视界 Stage / SU Drama Complex, 820 East Genesee St. Tickets are available through the 性视界 Stage Box Office at or by phone at 315.443.3275.
鈥淭his is a play about 13-year-old girls. It鈥檚 also a play about women, ambition and desire,鈥 says Barron. Set in the pressure cooker milieu of an impending competition, Barron uses the comedic drama of a Liverpool, Ohio dance team to expose their rivalries, competitiveness, support and joy, and to reveal not only their sensitivities and insecurities but their fierce undeniable power. 鈥淒ance Nation鈥 has been called a refreshingly unorthodox play that conveys the joy and abandon of dancing, while addressing the changes to the body and mind of its characters as they peer over the precipice toward adulthood.
McGerr, alongside the production team and various consultants, wanted to channel the energy and spirit of the play into the rehearsal room and cultivated a space that encouraged collaboration and throws a 鈥測ay party!鈥 whenever a mistake is made 鈥 a mistake that will inevitably lead to growth. Much like this play whose enemy is self-judgment, those in the rehearsal room are encouraged to grow, play and embrace their individuality.
Above all else, 鈥淒ance Nation鈥 poses the question, 鈥淲hat am I going to do with all this power?鈥 encouraging adolescents and adults alike to take the stage and use their microphones as conduits for the cosmos.听
鈥淒ance Nation鈥澨By Clare Barron
- Directed by Katherine McGerr
- Choreographed by Felipe Panam谩
- Scenic design by Angel Lam
- Costume design by Sofia Pizer
- Lighting design by Mairead Cummins
- Sound design by Kevin O鈥機onnor
- Fight choreography by Alec Barbour
- Intimacy choreography by Yvonne Perry
- Voice/Verse coaching by Holly Thuma
- Dramaturgy by Wesley Tipton
- Stage manager: Jess DeLucia
Cast
- Kailee Brandt Amina
- Olivia Busche Zuzu
- Emily Castillo-Langley Vanessa/Moms
- Avaana Harvey Connie
- Sofia Leche Ashlee
- Adelaide Lobenthal Sofia
- Rachel Mondschein Minda
- Kobi Oliver God Mic
- Alex Russ Luke
- Isaiah Tucker Dance Teacher Pat
- Emma Waterhouse Maeve
Understudies
- For Ashlee 鈥 Gwendalyn Rose Diaz
- For Maeve 鈥 Paide Kenneally
- For Connie 鈥 Lizzie Khan
- For Vanessa / Moms 鈥 Julia Kolinski
- For Sofia 鈥 Malvi Lucchini
- For Zuzu 鈥 Gillian Stoltz
- For Dance Teacher Pat 鈥 Truman Tinius
- For Luke 鈥 Axel Vera
- For Amina 鈥 Bella Zonderman
Performances
- Friday, March 24, 8 p.m. (Preview)
- Saturday, March 25, 8 p.m. (Opening)
- Sunday, March 26, 2 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 29, 8 p.m.
- Thursday, March 30, 8 p.m.
- Friday, March 31, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, April 1, 2 p.m. (Open captioned)
- Saturday, April 1, 8 p.m.
- Sunday, April 2, 2 p.m. (ASL interpreted)
Additional Credits
- Dance/Fight/Intimacy Captain: Truman Tinius
- Assistant Directors: Stella Bunch, Anthony Islam
- Assistant Scenic Designer: Evan Hoover
- Assistant Costume Designer: Adeline Livingston
- Assistant Lighting Designer: Maddy Clark
- Assistant Sound Designer: Jay Korter
- Assistant Stage Managers: Rachel Mondschein, Kobi Oliver
- Casting Associate: Carrie DeGraw
- Intimacy Shadow: Willow Funkhouser
- Consultants: Kadesha Adelakun, L.C.S.W.; Adriana Galav谩n, Ph.D.; Emily K. Harrison, Ph.D.
