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Multimedia-infused version of 'Cabaret' opens at Collin Theatre Center
Collin College Production of Cabaret
By D. Miles
Collin College’s theater program is known for its cutting-edge and powerful musicals presented in the spring of each year. This year is no exception. A multimedia-infused version of Cabaret is hitting the stage beginning Feb. 28, 2013, at 8 p.m.
Cabaret, the entertainment, not the musical, is typically a very personal experience between the audience and performer. It is often performed in an intimate setting with the audience sitting at tables and enjoying food and beverages. The musical Cabaret at Collin College will recreate this atmosphere with audiences members selected to sit on stage, and completely immersive experience for everyone else.
Cabaret, the musical, with book by Joe Masteroff, Music by John Kander, and Lyrics by Fred Ebb was first performed on Broadway in 1967, and revised on Broadway in 1987 and 1998. According to Director Brad Baker, “The Collin College production will evoke yet a different response from its audience [than previous versions], as this production will invite audiences into a museum-like atmosphere, complete with multimedia images from the Holocaust era.”
The musical takes audiences on a journey to 1929 Berlin where Clifford Bradshaw, an impoverished American writer meets Sally Bowles, a young English girl. Musical numbers, including It Couldn’t Please Me More, Willkommen, Cabaret, Don’t Tell Mama, and Two Ladies, help Clifford tell the story of Sally and the people of Berlin, as they are lead into the arms of the Third Reich.
Cabaret has always excited and polarized audiences. “The original production shocked audiences who expected a thrilling Broadway experience, but who were asked instead to revisit the atrocities committed by the Nazi party in Germany,” Baker said.
A cast of more than 50 actors will bring the Collin College production to life, with a live band and an exciting new state-of-the-art projection system. Craig Erickson, theatre technical director, designed a thrilling new set with projections for this version of Cabaret.
The rest of the production staff is made up of leading designers and directors from across North Texas, including Director Brad Baker, Musical Director Mark Mullino, and Lighting Designer Chris Trevino. Rounding out the production talent is the college’s full-time costume designer, Natalie Leavenworth. According to Leavenworth, her students and assistants have designed over 100 costumes for this production of Cabaret.
Trevino, a former student at Collin College and Graduate of University of Neveda, will illuminate the stage and audience through innovative lighting design creating the illusion of a real cabaret. Trevino comments, “It’s about living the show. It’s about being at a cabaret in pre-Nazi Germany. It has a life of its own, and the design aspects help audiences go deep inside this world which many have never visually experienced.”
See Cabaret live in John Anthony Theatre at Collin College, Feb. 28 – March 10, 2013. Tickets are $15 and available on The Collin Theatre Center website at www.collintheatrecenter.com. Seating is limited, and advance ticket purchases are recommended.
Cabaret, the entertainment, not the musical, is typically a very personal experience between the audience and performer. It is often performed in an intimate setting with the audience sitting at tables and enjoying food and beverages. The musical Cabaret at Collin College will recreate this atmosphere with audiences members selected to sit on stage, and completely immersive experience for everyone else.
Cabaret, the musical, with book by Joe Masteroff, Music by John Kander, and Lyrics by Fred Ebb was first performed on Broadway in 1967, and revised on Broadway in 1987 and 1998. According to Director Brad Baker, “The Collin College production will evoke yet a different response from its audience [than previous versions], as this production will invite audiences into a museum-like atmosphere, complete with multimedia images from the Holocaust era.”
The musical takes audiences on a journey to 1929 Berlin where Clifford Bradshaw, an impoverished American writer meets Sally Bowles, a young English girl. Musical numbers, including It Couldn’t Please Me More, Willkommen, Cabaret, Don’t Tell Mama, and Two Ladies, help Clifford tell the story of Sally and the people of Berlin, as they are lead into the arms of the Third Reich.
Cabaret has always excited and polarized audiences. “The original production shocked audiences who expected a thrilling Broadway experience, but who were asked instead to revisit the atrocities committed by the Nazi party in Germany,” Baker said.
A cast of more than 50 actors will bring the Collin College production to life, with a live band and an exciting new state-of-the-art projection system. Craig Erickson, theatre technical director, designed a thrilling new set with projections for this version of Cabaret.
The rest of the production staff is made up of leading designers and directors from across North Texas, including Director Brad Baker, Musical Director Mark Mullino, and Lighting Designer Chris Trevino. Rounding out the production talent is the college’s full-time costume designer, Natalie Leavenworth. According to Leavenworth, her students and assistants have designed over 100 costumes for this production of Cabaret.
Trevino, a former student at Collin College and Graduate of University of Neveda, will illuminate the stage and audience through innovative lighting design creating the illusion of a real cabaret. Trevino comments, “It’s about living the show. It’s about being at a cabaret in pre-Nazi Germany. It has a life of its own, and the design aspects help audiences go deep inside this world which many have never visually experienced.”
See Cabaret live in John Anthony Theatre at Collin College, Feb. 28 – March 10, 2013. Tickets are $15 and available on The Collin Theatre Center website at www.collintheatrecenter.com. Seating is limited, and advance ticket purchases are recommended.
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