(GLASSBORO, NJ) -- Expanding the number of offerings, variety of content, and diversity of artistic voices on stage, the College of Performing Arts at Rowan University announces a dynamic slate of programming as it welcomes public audiences back to in-person performances for the 21|22 season, while maintaining virtual options.
A new Fall Family Pass, which offers a discounted ticket package to four matinees within the world-class Marie Rader Presenting Series line-up, is just one highlight of the College’s upcoming season, and features marionettes, an introduction to the symphony, at-home theatre, and a winter family festival. Other exciting engagements include Axis Dance Company, the nation’s most acclaimed ensemble of disabled and non-disabled performers, four-time Grammy-winning contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, and more.
“The arts remain vital to our healing, well-being, ability to connect and build a better future for us all, and we are thrilled to return to in-person operations,” said Rick Dammers, Dean of the College of Performing Arts. “But we don’t take lightly what we currently know about COVID-19 and we’re prepared for continued flexibility to adapt to a shifting situation.”
Rowan University is requiring masks, regardless of vaccination status, for all indoor public spaces on campus through at least September 30, after which leadership will determine if this mandate should remain or be modified. For the 21|22 season the Performing Arts Box Office is requiring that all tickets be purchased in advance at home, and that a brief health screening be submitted by all audience members, the day they plan to attend a performance. Capacities will be limited in all venues.
The debut of the Fall Family Pass, a single $30 ticket that includes four engaging performance events offered over four months, is designed to welcome new audiences, both young and young at heart, to campus for arts programming for the first time. “We’re eager to further our impact within our campus community, as well as with those beyond it,” said Debbie Shapiro, Director of Community Engagement & Presenting for the College. “We know that children and families are yearning for new ways to find moments of joy, release, and connection during the pandemic.”
World-renowned Cashore Marionettes bring the magic of meticulously crafted marionettes to campus with Simple Gifts, a series of poignant scenes from everyday life set to classical music on September 25. South Jersey’s own Symphony in C offers Musical Adventures on October 2, an interactive and educational concert that gives a glimpse of what it is like to play in an orchestra. Mountain Goat Mountain, an audio theatre experience for families to do at home together, developed by Australia-based interactive project creators Threshold, is available virtually from November 13 – 28. A Winter Family Holiday Festival on December 12 is the final offering within the Fall Family Pass, featuring Rowan students, faculty performers, and guest artists, in a Sunday afternoon program dedicated to togetherness, seasonal traditions, a variety of cultures, and more.
Beyond the family programs, the Marie Rader Presenting Series offers a multi-faceted mix of performance and outreach events, designed to inspire community conversations. Oakland-based Axis Dance Company appears both online and in person this year, starting October 29 with a virtual lecture/demonstration on re-defining dance & disability as part of Rowan’s Access and Inclusion Week, followed by an in-person workshop (February 18) and a live performance (February 19). Symphony in C, one of the leading professional training orchestras in the country, follows up on its fall educational program with a concert of Haydn, Mozart, and Jesse Montgomery (February 27). Chicago-based chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, whose work sits on the cutting edge of modern classical music, conclude the season by connecting with Rowan’s Wind Ensemble for a residency and a public performance (April 29).
The Department of Music will once again fill Wilson Hall with vibrant jazz, classical, choral, orchestral, operatic, brass, contemporary, and baroque ensemble performances featuring faculty and students from September through April. The beloved free Faculty Spotlight Series currently includes the work of cellist Joanne Erwin (September 22), improvisational music from Denis DiBlasio and Kevin Stahl (October 6), saxophone duo Ogni Suono featuring faculty member Noa Even (October 20), the Rowan Jazz Faculty (October 27), violinist Timothy Schwarz and notable invited guests, exploring the musical traditions of Arab and Israeli cultures (January 26), and a Brass Faculty Recital (February 2).
The Department of Theatre & Dance has invited acclaimed Philadelphia-based Theatre artist Walter DeShields as guest director-in-residence for the year, demonstrating a commitment to a wider spectrum of representation of identities in the field. DeShields will be collaborating with faculty member Lane Savadove on adapting Plum Bun, Jessie Redmon Faucet’s 1928 Harlem Renaissance novel about a young African-American woman’s exploration of self-acceptance in the racial landscape of her time, to the Tohill Theater stage for an October 21-24 run. DeShields will also direct Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Our Lady of 121 Street February 24-27. Making Good Trouble, inspired by the late U.S. Representative John Lewis’s call to “Get in good trouble,” will feature two choreographers, each revealing original works based on identical prompts, December 2-5. In April, audiences can look forward to The Fest featuring Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 Chump Street. This evening of vocalists, dancers, and a live DJ precedes the one-act musical, a cautionary tale of an honors student who will do anything to impress the new girl in school.
For the most up-to-date information on box office operations, safety protocols for patrons, directions & parking, accessibility, and full season calendar, visit cpa.rowan.edu/boxoffice. To skip right to browsing events and purchasing tickets for the 21|22 season, visit go.rowan.edu/tickets.
