Top 2014-2015 College Productions In Connecticut

College theater productions in Connecticut are so well done that they are often indistinguishable from plays and musicals performed on the New York stage – and with good reason. Many of the professors and other professionals who teach and advise drama students in Connecticut work or have worked on and off Broadway. Check out these upcoming performances from Connecticut colleges that are sure to impress.

"In the Heights"
Wesleyan University
45 Wyllys Ave.
Middletown, CT 06459
(860) 685-2000
www.wesleyan.edu

Dates: Nov. 12 – 16, 2014

This year's joint faculty and senior thesis theater offering at Wesleyan is "In the Heights," a play written by the university's own Professor Quiara Alegria Hudes and the winner of the Tony in 2008 for Best Musical. With a story and music as lively as the Washington Heights section of New York where it is set, "In the Heights" requires the collaboration of the university's Music and Theater Departments to do it justice.

"Cloud Nine"
University of Connecticut
802 Bolton Road
Storrs, CT 06260
(860) 486-2113
www.crt.uconn.edu

Dates: Oct. 23 – Nov. 2, 2014

Of the six plays and musicals that the Connecticut Repertory Theater is offering this year, "Cloud Nine," which debuts in late October, may be the most fun. The story begins in colonial Africa of Victorian times and then jumps to late 20^th century London, and is packed with sex, romance and solid British humor – and is definitely not for children. Connecticut Repertory Theater is part of the University of Connecticut at Storr's School of Fine Arts, and its students work not only with faculty but with visiting artists – including actors, directors, choreographers and other professionals on and behind the stage – to produce authentic, polished and quality productions that attract nearly 20,000 theater-goers annually. Also up this year are the classics "Lysistrata" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," as well as more contemporary offerings including "Band of the Black Hand" and "Olives and Blood."

Related: Top Small Theaters in Connecticut

"Arms and the Man"
Quinnipiac University
275 Mount Carmel Ave.
Hamden, CT 06518
(203) 582-3500
www.quinnipiac.edu

Dates: Nov. 13 – 16, 2014

George Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man" is a classic anti-war play, and one which is likely to resonate with audiences as much today as it did when it debuted during the heyday of the British Empire. This student production at Quinnipiac University's Clarice L. Buckman Theater in Hamden will only run for four days and will be directed by one of the university's most prolific and honored directors, Bob Bresnick, who did such a great job in 2013 with Bram Stoker's "Dracula."

"Little Women"
Western Connecticut State University
181 White St.
Danbury, CT 06810
(203) 837-8499
www.wcsu.edu

Dates: Nov. 12 – Dec. 5, 2014

"Little Women" is an American classic, and the students at Western Connecticut State University are putting it on for three weeks in November and December. The university has a tradition of doing big productions on its main stage, often performing grand dramas or lively Broadway-style musicals. "Little Women" gets the longest run of the season this year, and is sure to pack the 600-seat theater.

"The Master and the Margarita"
Yale School of Drama
1156 Chapel St.
New Haven, CT 06505
(203) 432-1234
www.ysd.edu

Dates: Oct. 21 – 25, 2014

Adapted by Edward Kemp from the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, "The Master and the Margarita" is an "epic and passionate" play about censorship, persecution, love and forgiveness – and a giant talking cat. Sara Holdren directs the Yale School of Drama students in this drama about "the power of love, faith and forgiveness" in Stalinist Russia.

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