The Friends of Theatre Gala will be coming to the Wharton Center for Performing Arts from 6 to 8:30 p.m., May 7. This annual event is open to the public and supports the programs and activities of MSU Theatre students such as scholarships, fellowships and scholar residencies.
Guests will be invited onto the stage of the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre to enjoy appetizers, wine and dessert as they mingle with friends, faculty and students and enjoy a performance to highlight the work enabled by the endowment.
This year, the Department of Theatre’s Musical Theatre Touring Company will be joined by award-winning Broadway performer Kyle Taylor Parker, best known for featured roles in the original Broadway cast of “Kinky Boots” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” as well as “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert on NBC.”
The Musical Theatre Touring Company is an opportunity for students with a musical theater minor to gain practical experience, says Alisa Hauser, who co-directs the group along with Dave Wendelberger. Performances are typically in the style of a revue, comprised of well-known numbers from classic Broadway musicals. For the Gala performance, the students and Parker will each perform a short set and collaborate on an opening and finale.
“Our theme for the Gala this year is ‘Hopes and Dreams,’ which is really lovely when you think about it. The students will be exploring the hopes and dreams of the characters they portray, while having the opportunity to perform alongside a Broadway professional who is living their dream,” said Hauser.
Tickets for the 10th Annual Friends of Theatre Gala can be purchased in advance at for $75 per person. $20 of each ticket purchased is tax deductible and helps to fund special projects benefiting MSU Theatre students.