Performing Arts Production Archives

November 2018
Director: Andy Head
Photo Gallery

RIT College of Liberal Arts and NTID Performing Arts presents Cabaret.  

Willkommen to the Kit Kat Klub! In this secret haven of a club, the music is loud, the dances are flashy, and the party rages on. The club's newest headliner, Sally Bowles, meets American writer Cliff Bradshaw and their lives become entwined. But as the power of the Nazi Party spreads, and Germany grows more unstable, how will the club and its patrons fare? "Cabaret" is the well-loved musical sensation that opened on Broadway in 1966 and won 8 Tony Awards that year. So leave your troubles outside, because life is beautiful at the cabaret. 

Showtimes:
November 30, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
December 1, 2018 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
December 1, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
December 2, 2018 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

February 2019
Director: Nicole Cruz
Photo Gallery

Using inspiration found in children's stories and poetry books, this family friendly dance production addresses issues and challenges that we all face, such as bullying, fear, death, racial differences, gender identity, dreams, and equality. The production combines music, American Sign Language, and poetry with dance to express these themes. 

Showtimes:
February 21, 2019 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
February 22, 2019 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
February 23, 2019 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
February 23, 2019 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
February 24, 2019 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

April 2019
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty
Photo Gallery

This sensational drama features Troy Maxson, a former star of the Negro Baseball League who now works as a garbage man in 1957 Pittsburgh. Excluded as a black man from the major leagues during his prime, Troy’s bitterness takes its toll on his relationships with his wife and his son, who now wants his own chance to play ball.

Showtimes:
April 11, 2019 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 12, 2019 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 13, 2019 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 14, 2019 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

September 2017
Director: Aaron Kelstone

Showtimes:
September 9, 2017 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm

November 2017
Director: Thomas Warfield and Nicole Hood Cruz
Photo Gallery

The Story of Beauty and the Beast (French: La Belle et la Bete) is a traditional fairy tale written by French novalist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villenueve and published in 1740. An arrogant young prince and his castle's servants fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress, who turns him into the hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle enters the Beast's castle after he imprisons her father Maurice. With the help of his enchanted servants, Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation. This story of transformation and enduring happiness is a tale as old as time, now freshly told through the non-verbal expressions in a variety of dance styles, sign language and melody to discover inner beauty as pure love.

Showtimes:
November 9, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 10, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 11, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 12, 2017 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

November 2017
Director: Fred Beam

Sunshine 2.0 presents "Life on Earth", a new interactive play about a team of scientists from far, far away who must save the Earth from being destroyed by an evil blob!

Friday, November 17, 2017
7:30pm to 8:45pm
Robert F Panara Theatre
LBJ Building, RIT Campus

$5.00 - Seniors (60+)/Students/Children
$10.00 - RIT Faculty/Staff/Alumni
$12.00 - General Public

Sunshine 2.0 performance involve a range of skits and short plays involving sign-mime, dance, gestures, ASL poetry, songs, and story telling. All performances are presented in sign language and spoken English to provide full audience access.

March 2018
Director: Luane Davis Haggerty
Photo Gallery

Written by Raymond Luczak

With his exciting and new original play AGENCY, Raymond Luczak wonders what sort of things could happen in a Deaf advertising agency. Lots, as it turns out. Jerilee battles to save her Deaf agency against a hearing conglomerate while dealing with sexual harassment. Terence and Ava, two young interns, learn a lot more than they'd anticipated. Rhonda is steaming mad at being passed over again for that long-overdue promotion. And just what the heck is going on with Mary, Jerilee's secretive assistant? AGENCY uses humor to explore many issues that involve diversity, audism, and working together.

Showtimes:
March 1, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
March 2, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
March 3, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
March 4, 2018 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

June 2018
Director: Jim Orr

Poster

NTID Performing Arts Department's production of The Wonderful World of Oz will be staged in June-July 2018 as part of NTID's 50^th - Anniversary reunion celebration. The June-July performances will be a fundraising effort to support NTID’s performing arts activities. All performances will be in the Robert F. Panara Theatre on the RIT/NTID campus.

Adapted and directed by RIT/NTID alumnus and former performing arts faculty Jim Orr, the production provides a fully-accessible American Sign Language/spoken-English rendition of L. Frank Baum's classic tale of adventure and discovery. Set design is by alumnus Ethan Sinnott.

The production is co-sponsored by MSM Productions, Ltd. Special keepsake playbills will be distributed to attendees at both April and June performances.

Matthew S. Moore, alumnus and president of MSM Productions, Ltd., and founder and chairperson of the NTID Performing Arts Advisory Committee, is providing sponsorship and in-kind support for this production. 

"This is a major milestone for our theater program,” said Moore. “NTID has produced many exciting plays during its first 50 years. In the next 50 years we will be doing more large-scale productions where students and community members will have an opportunity to participate."

Tickets are $35, because this production is a benefit that will help raise money for the theater renovation program.

Panara Theatre, the 1510 Theatre, and the Dance Lab are badly in need of repairs and upgrades.

Your contribution will go a long way toward supporting a program that has nourished the spirits of thousands of RIT/NTID students!

Showtimes:
June 28, 2018 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
June 29, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
June 30, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
July 1, 2018 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Previous Showtimes:
April 19-21, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 22, 2018 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
April 27-28, 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April Poster

October 2016
Directed and Written by Aaron Kelstone

A gentleman named is Zak who dream of taking off on a bus, following the FREEWAY to find a better place with no barriers, no restrictions, and no one to tell you that you can't.  Zak's friend, T-Bone and other friends think his dream is foolish. Who is right or wrong? Or, are there better tales to dream?

Showtimes:
October 6, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
October 7, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
October 8, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
October 9, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

1510 Lab Theatre, first floor of Lyndon Baines Johnson Building (NTID)

October 2016
Director: Nicole Hood and Thomas Warfield

Poster

DanceTales is a semester production of the NTID Performing Arts Program bringing multicultural stories and folklore from around the world as inspiration for a variety of dances which include styles of jazz, ballet, hip-hop, tap, modern dance, folk dance and multiple ethnic and cultural dances, as well as original generated visual projection and animation. Dance groups and clubs from the RIT campus will join together in presenting this visually engaging dance interpretations of storytelling. Don't miss the opportunity to experience this thrilling dance show!

Showtimes:
October 27, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
October 28, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
October 29, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
October 30, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Robert F. Panara Theatre

November 2016
Director: Andy Head

What happens when you give seven popular playwrights each a Sonnet and tell them to make a new play out of it? The Acting Company of New York City asked this question for their 25th Anniversary Season and Love's Fire was the resulting answer. As distinctive as the playwrights themselves, these seven one-acts range from black comedy to musical monologue to epic Greek drama. With contributing writers like Tony Kushner and Wendy Wasserstein, Love's Fire proves that Shakespeare is still an inspiring, relevant, and creative force in the world today.

Presented by the College of Liberal Arts in conjunction with RIT Celebrates Shakespeare, Love's Fire performs

Showtimes:
November 10, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 11, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 12, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 13, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

1510 Lab Theatre, first floor of Lyndon Baines Johnson Building (NTID)
FREE ADMISSION
Limited seating, First Come-First Served
No Reservations
Information: Run time about two hours within a 10-minute intermission
Please arrive one hour prior to show time to get the ticket at the door.

November 2016
Director: V. Anton and A. VanNostrand

NTID Performing Arts is proud to welcome RIT Players to present their show called "The Addams Family"! This family fun musical explores the chaos that ensues when Wednesday Addams, an apathetic and emotionless teen residing in the middle of central park with her crossbow and iconic clan, haphazardly falls in love with her polar opposite- a cheery boy named Lucas from Ohio. In her pursuit of Lucas, Wednesday insists that her parents host a dinner to meet his family at the Addams Family mansion. The catch? Wednesday and Lucas are already engaged, and when Wedneday tells her father, he becomes trapped between lying to his beloved wife and keeping a secret for his little girl. When the Ohioans and Addams meet for what is supposed to be a normal night, it turns out to be anything but.

Showtimes:
November 18, 2016 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
November 19, 2016 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
November 20, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Place: Robert F. Panara Theatre

December 2016
Director: Fred Beam

NTID Performing Arts presents An Evening with Sunshine 2.0,  a professional traveling theatre troupe offers performances and activities that highlight the growing fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEM.) education and other general educational topics through Arts. 

Showtimes:
December 10, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

February 2017
Director: John Basinger

Poster

National Theatre of the Deaf presents "THE KING",  is a play based upon Shakespeare's King Lear, but focuses on Lear alone. In it only one character is seen on stage, a drifter, played by Patrick Graybill, who has hit upon Lear's story as a way to express himself. All the other figures are represented as phantoms or objects that the drifter happens across. Though the drifter remains a mystery, Lear's story is presented directly, and these two tormented men, Lear and the Drifter, seem to become one. 

Produced by Betty Beekman
Directed by John Basinger
Conceived & Adadpted/Voiced by John Basinger
Performed by Patrick Graybill

Showtimes:
February 4, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm
February 5, 2017 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm

Robert F. Panara Theatre

February 2017
Director: Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner

Poster

Join us for a tribute to Joe Flaherty through poetry.

Peter Cook & Kenny Lerner present a hauntingly beautiful and fascinating combination of American Sign Language (ASL), Spoken English, movement, visual theater, and extraordinary poetry. Peter is one of the pioneers of modern ASL Poetry. Peter & Kenny have been at the center of this radical cultural movement since it began in the early 1980s.

Performing worldwide for over 30 years, they have helped to establish a new artistic form with Deaf ASL poet Peter Cook presenting three dimensional imagery while collaborator Kenny Lerner’s spoken words allow the hearing in the audience to literally see the ASL image and become lost in the movement.

The Flying Words Project has performed at various venues, including Manhattan Theater Club, NYC, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the International Poetry Festival, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Harvard University, as well as the Cork Midsummer Festival in Cork, Ireland, and the Poetry Day Festival in Riga, Latvia.

Currently, Kenny Lerner is a senior lecturer for the NTID Liberal Arts team at RIT and Peter Cook is associate professor and chairperson for the ASL Department at Columbia College Chicago.

Showtimes:
February 11, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

March 2017

We the Deaf People presents ASL Comedy Show with Facebook Stars. Four live shows starring Deaf Facebook Stars at Panara Theatre (LBJ Building)

Thursday, March 2 at 7pm to 10pm
Friday, March 3 at 7pm to 10pm - Voice Interpreted**
Saturday, March 4 at 1pm to 3pm (Kids only) - CANCELED
Saturday, March 4 at 7pm to 10pm

This is a fundraiser for We the Deaf People.

March 2017
Director: Joseph Fox
Photo Gallery

by Dana Proulx

This extremely adaptable comedy shows the other side of several familiar fairy tales when two of their biggest villains, the Big Bad Wolf and the Wicked Witch, are brought to trial. Both the Wolf and the Witch have been frolicking from fairy tale to fairy tale wreaking havoc as they try to prevent the general public from living happily ever after. Hear the personal accounts of what happened, told in testimonies and flashback sequences, from characters such as Snow White, Dorothy, Sleeping Beauty, the Three Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood and many others, including the Witch and the Wolf themselves, as each trial unfolds. The audience is the jury, so each trial has two endings depending on the verdict.     

Showtimes:
March 30, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
March 31, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 1, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 2, 2017 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

April 2017
Director: Melanie Blood

An improv acting company arrives at the Panara Theatre to tell an old fairy tale, with a narrator and musician who keep the story more or less on track. King Silvio is in despair because his son Tartaglia is suffering from terminal hypochondria and has fallen into a deep depression. He calls upon the clown Truffaldino to cheer up the prince. Meanwhile the prince's cousin princess Clarice, and Leandro, a treacherous minister, are plotting his death so Clarice can become Queen; they enlist the help of the Witch Fata Morgana. the Witch curses the prince to die “for the love of three oranges!” In act two, Tartaglia sets out on a quest to find his three beloved oranges, over his father’s objections, and coerces Truffaldino to attend him. The great wizard Celio, Fata Morgana’s nemesis comes to the prince’s aid. The prince finally arrives at the Witch Creonta’s castle; Creonta is holding the three oranges, really three enchanted princesses, prisoner. Truffaldino and Targtaglia break the spell on the princesses, but fail to do so as instructed, so two are carried off; Tartaglia falls immediately in love with the remaining Orange/Princess, Ninetta. Meanwhile Fata Morgana plots for her servant to marry the Prince, then betray him, clearing the way for Clarice to take the throne. In act three, the Witch turns Ninetta into a dove and substitutes her servant Smeraldina. The King forces the Prince to make good on his promise to marry her anyway. Fata Morgana thinks she has won, but Celio arrives to challenge her to a magical duel, which he wins. He turns Ninetta back into a princess, punishes the the other conspirators, and we have a happy ending for Prince Tartaglia and Princess Ninetta. Along the way there is much silliness with the actors questioning the story, interacting with the audience, and creating crazy comic effects.

This show is rated PG. There are some mild sexual content and mild language. 

Showtimes:
April 27, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 28, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 29, 2017 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 30, 2017 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

May 2017

Sean Berdy, best known for his portrayal of the "Deaf James Dean" character, Emmett, on "Switched at Birth," motivates audiences by using his own compelling life story as an example of what one can achieve if they never stop believing in themselves and refuse to let others define their limitations.

Guests will also be treated to a very special musical performance and afterwards, a chance to meet Sean and take a picture to commemorate the event.

Interpreting services will be provided so all students, faculty, and members of the community are encouraged to come and enjoy the evening with Sean!

Showtimes:
May 2, 2017 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

Season Poster

Productions:
Sean Forbes, Seasons, Annual Holiday Show, Ailey II, Godspell, The Crucifer of BLood, Vis Viva, Marie's Story, The Rocky Horror Show, The Nutcracker, Tribes, Brick City Singers, RIT Eight Beats Measure.

October 2015

Poster

Deaf hip-hop artist and Rochester Institute of Technology graduate Sean Forbes returns to RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf to perform his show “Deaf and Loud” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 in Panara Theatre. Tickets for the concert are $10 and can be purchased beginning Monday at the NTID Box Office.

In addition to performing hip-hop, Forbes—a 2008 graduate of RIT’s College of Applied Science and Technology—is an accomplished drummer, songwriter and communicator. His debut album, Perfect Imperfection, contains 12 American Sign Language music videos that are coupled with his original songs. He has been featured on CNN, National Public Radio and the Ovation Network series, Motor City Rising, and articles about him have published in Spin,New York Post and The Washington Post, among others. He has performed hundreds of live shows for both deaf and hearing audiences and has achieved viral success on YouTube.

Forbes is also the founder of D-PAN, the Deaf Performing Artists Network, which has created videos produced in American Sign Language that interpret songs such as Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful, John Mayer’s Waiting on the World to Change, and others. He has opened for the nationally known rap artist Ludacris.

In a 2011 interview for NTID’s Focus magazine, Forbes discussed how his time at RIT/NTID helped him make in-roads in the competitive music industry. “Everything in life is about connections,” he explained. “Without networking with people, I wouldn’t be doing what I love. I learned at RIT that those who are successful believed in themselves, showed up, made a difference and succeeded. I had to pave my own path in order to be successful. There wasn’t anyone in the music business that I could really look up to, but by believing in myself, I knew what I had to do in order to be successful.”

He also encouraged young, deaf students to believe in themselves. “If you believe that you have a skill that you can be successful with, go for it,” he said. “I just knew I had it in me to make music, and I had to chase after that dream. The world is run by those who show up. And I’m showing up.”

The concert is sponsored by NTID Performing Arts.

Want more information about Sean Forbes? Please visit his website at www.deafandloud.com

Showtimes:
October 9, 2015 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm

November 2015
Director: Thomas Warfield

NTID/RIT Dance Company presents Seasons - Change and Reflections.

There is a rhythm to the seasons… an ebb and flow, a coming and going that brings something new to experience while rekindling the past that gave growth.  In our dance production ‘Seasons’ we have tried to capture the inevitable changes - like the Fall shades of color slowly fading providing a premonition of Winter; and the beautiful starkness of Winter forced to relent to the soft green, growing beginnings of Spring; and then a Spring unfolding into the longer vibrant light of Summer exuberance! These dances – Ballet, Modern Dance, Jazz, Tango, Hip-Hop and Tap converge in an array of color and sound enhanced by visual video projection, costumes, lighting & set designs, and live music to present a broad experience within the diversity of movement expression. This is one of the first collaborations for the nearly 30 year old RIT/NTID Dance company (comprised of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing dancers) with other performance groups on campus including: Vis Viva Dance Company, Velocity Urban Dance Crew, Tango Dance Club, Eight Beat Measure and the RIT String Quartet. Don’t miss this unique performance of dance and visual theatre.

**November 5^th and 6^th Special Encore International Hip-Hop Violinist - Svet

Showtimes:
November 5, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 6, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 7, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 8, 2015 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

November 2015
Director: David Munnell

by Richard O’Brien

Now in it’s 40^th year, The Rocky Horror Show, has developed a vast fan culture while continuing to draw new audiences with its campy style, its unabashed celebration of outcasts and underdogs, and its playful parody of pop culture.  The story follows Brad and Janet, two “normal” all-American white bread kids who on the night of their engagement stumble upon a mysterious “castle” when their car breaks down on a stormy night.  In need of shelter and a phone to get help, the hapless couple is welcomed inside by a creepy butler and maid.  They soon are introduced to Frank-n-Furter, the Master of Ceremonies – ceremonies both titillating and terrifying – and find themselves trapped in an alien world of mad experiments, gender confusion, and sexual excess that changes their lives (perhaps) forever.

The Theatre Program in the College of Liberal Arts’ Department of Performing Arts and Visual Culture is producing Rocky Horror with a talented cast of RIT students, and an equally talented crew of faculty and professional theatre artists.  Together the production team is creating a unique multi-media production filled with paeans to RIT’s technology-loving culture of gadgets and geekdom.  This production approach along with Rocky Horror’s great score of 50’s inspired rock music and dance, the story’s eccentric characters, and the play’s light-hearted irreverent comedy promises a production sure to please Rocky Horror newbies and its die-hard fans alike.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
NTID’s Robert F. Panara Theatre
All performances are captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Showtimes:
November 19, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 20, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 20, 2015 - 11:45pm to November 21, 2015 - 2:00am
November 21, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
November 22, 2015 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

December 2015

NTID Performing Arts Program welcomes New York State Ballet "The Nutcracker" to NTID!

New York State Ballet will perform its magical rendition of The Nutcracker on Friday, December 11th at 7 pm, Saturday, December 12th at 2 pm and 7 pm and Sunday, December 13th at 2 pm at RIT NTID's Robert F. Panara Theater.  

The ballet company will artistically recreate the classic fairy tale centered on a German family's Christmas Eve celebration - and a dreamland filled with a cast of fanciful characters.  

Featuring stunning live music by the RIT Orchestra, conducted by Michael Ruhling.

Showtimes:
December 11, 2015 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
December 12, 2015 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
December 12, 2015 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm
December 13, 2015 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

February 2016
Director: Jerry Argetsinger

Poster

NTID Performing Arts Program and RIT's College of Liberal Arts Performing Arts present "Tribes"

Billy was born deaf into a hearing family that is intellectual, idiosyncratic and politically incorrect.  He has adapted brilliantly to his family’s unconventional ways, but they have never bothered to return the favor.  All that changes when Billy meets the woman of his dreams; a woman who is not only deaf, but to the horror of his father, one who loves Sign Language and Deaf Culture.  Tribes joins The Miracle Worker and Children of a Lesser God as a seminal play that examines what it means to embrace ones deafness.

“There’s so much going on in TRIBES . . . intellect and sentiment, love and cruelty, witty zingers and biting put-downs.” – The New York Post

“TRIBES made me excited about New York theatre again; I haven’t been this knocked out by a play in a long time.” – NYTheatre.com

Showtimes:
February 4, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
February 5, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
February 6, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
February 7, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

March 2016
Director: Luane Davis Haggerty

Director Luane Davis-Haggerty will mix hearing and Deaf actors in a touring production of the Stephen Schwartz  wildly successful Broadway musical, Godspell. Told in a mix of music, sign/mime, dance and comedy, Godspell presents the gospel of St. Matthew updated to a present-day environmentally "green" New York City. This lively ensemble musical makes its way around a sparsely populated fairy-tale version of the city, re-enacting Biblical parables with great enthusiasm and flamboyance. Godspell features a number of humble hit songs, notably "Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord)," "By My Side," and "Day by Day."

Godspell performance will be located in 1510 Lab Theatre, NTID first floor. 

Free Admission. Note: Very limited seating available. Free tickets are distributed one hour before showtime on a first-come, first-served basis only.

Showtimes:
March 10, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:15pm
March 11, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
March 12, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
March 13, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

May 2016
Director: Jerry Argetsinger

In faraway India, a group of British soldiers steal a Royal Treasure and sign a Blood Oath to protect their secret. Now in England, 30 years later, the men are being murdered. Sherlock Holmes is called in to discover the secret, the curse and the killer in a tale that spans from India, to Baker Street, to the spooky Pondicherry Lodge, to a sinister Opium Den and a boat chase on the Thames that finally lead to the shocking revelation of truth, revenge and guilt.

"A Bloody Marvel! Bright, witty, urbane." -- New York Daily News

"A jolly evening of thrills, laughs and fun." --WABC TV

"One of the most delightful theatre experiences in years." -- Chicago Tribune

Showtimes:
May 5, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 6, 2016 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 6, 2016 - 12:00am to 2:00am
May 8, 2016 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Season Poster
Fall Semester: Twilight Zone, Almost Maine, Annual Holiday Show.
Spring Semester: An Evening with Masquers Drama Club, Hairspray

October 2014
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty and Joseph Fox

The show explores popular culture from the movie "Twilight" through the current fascination with the supernatural, vampires, and nightmares. The popular NTID American Sign Language poetry group "Dangerous Signs" will use published pieces of poetry, original works, dance, music and comedy to illustrate Deaf perspectives on how our imagined fears compare and influence the way we handle our real everyday fears. Accessible to both hearing and Deaf audiences. Location: Lab Theatre 1510 at NTID Cost: Free

Showtimes:
October 2, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
October 3, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
October 4, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
October 5, 2014 - 2:00pm to 4:30pm

November 2014
Director: Jerry Argetsinger

"Almost, Maine" is a magical, funny, heart-warming story of love in the frozen woods of Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky couples find themselves falling in and out of love in unexcepted and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend in this delightful midwinter night's dream.

Showtimes:
November 13, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
November 14, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
November 15, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
November 16, 2014 - 2:00pm to 4:30pm

December 2014
Director: Joseph Fox

A variety show that celebrates the Winter Holidays, we will have RIT/NTID ethic clubs representing a range of cultural traditions, acting students giving us glimpses of scenes from well-known holiday favorites, originally created Sign/Mime performance, dance creations and more. The show will sparkle with fun, music, spectacle, and shared expressions of community. Cost: FREE!

Showtimes:
December 5, 2014 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm
December 5, 2014 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

April 2015
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty

The 1950's are out and change is in the air! HAIRSPRAY, winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, is a family-friendly musical piled bouffant high with laughter, romance, and deliriously tuneful songs. It's 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire--to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network, all without denting her 'do! 

• Music by Marc Shaiman 
• Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman 
• Book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan 
• Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters 
• Dance choreographed by Thomas Warfield

Showtimes:
April 24, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 25, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 26, 2015 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm
April 30, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 1, 2015 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 3, 2015 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

Season Poster (Taming of the Shrew, Annual Holiday Show, Damn Yankees, ...and melodies underheard)

November 2013
Director: Aaron Kelstone and Jerry Argetsinger
Photo Gallery

This production is based on an adaptation by Orson Scott Card and is a raucous physical comedy that will keep a smile on your face and your smart phone in your pocket the entire performance. Come see for yourself!

Showtimes:
November 7, 2013 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
November 8, 2013 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
November 9, 2013 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
November 10, 2013 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

December 2013
Director: Joseph Fox

Robert F. Panara at NTID

Showtimes:
December 6, 2013 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm
December 6, 2013 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm

December 2013
Director: Jack Kelleher

Now in their 25th year of existence, Eight Beat Measure began in 1987 as the RIT Men's Octet. Originally faculty-lead and formed as an extension to the RIT Singers, Eight Beat quickly expanded their horizons and branched into the world of contemporary a cappella, changing their name to Eight Beat Measure to reflect the new attitude, and expanding from only 8 members. The group currently sings a wide variety of music, from hip-hop to pop and doo-wop to metal, so there is something for everyone in their repertoire. They are the Original Bad Boys of RIT A Cappella.

http://8beat.org

Showtimes:
December 14, 2013 - 7:00pm to 11:00pm

February 2014
Director: Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner

Poster

Flying Words Project is an American Sign Language poetry troupe comprised of Deaf Poet Peter Cook and hearing coauthor Kenny Lerner. The goal of Flying Words is probably the same as all other poets, to play with language.  As luck would have it, ASL is a language of moving pictures. So Kenny and Peter juxtapose imagery you can see in creating their work.

The pieces are first written in ASL. When a poem is completed, Peter and Kenny try to figure out how to voice it!  In other words, how to express just enough words and sounds so that hearing members in the audience can see the images for themselves.

"You can't miss Flying Words.  You simply can't. It's one of the most amazing displays of eloquence in motion that you'll ever see..." -Edmonton Bullet

"It is remarkable to think that they are currently influencing the entire course of ASL Poetry through their work." -H-Dirksen L. Bauman,  Deaf Studies, Gallaudet University

Admission is free!

Showtimes:
February 22, 2014 - 7:30pm to 9:00pm

March 2014
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty

Dreams of playing in major league baseball lead an average guy into a deal with the devil - will he get caught up in the razzle dazzle of fame or remember to cherish the life, love and friends he already has? DAMN YANKEES is a musical comedy with heart, full of dance, music, sign and baseball.  Its more fun than humans are allowed to have - a real theatrical homerun!  Accessible to all audiences, young and old, Deaf and hearing.

Showtimes:
March 13, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
March 14, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
March 15, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
March 16, 2014 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

April 2014
Director: Nicholas Shaw

This is a very cute and funny story about Ellie, a little girl who is in her fantasy world along with her imaginary friends seeking to escape real life problems from her stepmother.

Sponsored by Masquers Drama Club. Admission is free. First come and first serve. The show is located in room 1510 - Theatre lab at NTID on the first floor.

Showtimes:
April 5, 2014 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm
April 5, 2014 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm
April 6, 2014 - 2:00pm to 3:30pm

April 2014
Director: David Munnell
Photo Gallery

The 2014 College of Liberal Arts Spring Theatre Production is "The Marriage of Bette and Boo" by Christopher Durang, directed by David Munnell. Faculty, students, and staff are welcome! The production will incorporate ASL shadow interpreters.

For more information, contact David Munnell at dgmgsh@rit.edu. Tickets can be purchased at the Gordon Field House Box Office.

"Christopher Durang, the humorist and satirist, has rarely written anything funnier or more serious than his mordant comedy 'The Marriage of Bette and Boo.' [Durang] has perfected the art of turning bitterness into comedy without losing its edge." - Edith Oliver, The New Yorker

Showtimes:
April 10, 2014 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
April 11, 2014 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
April 12, 2014 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm
April 13, 2014 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

May 2014
Director: Thomas Warfield
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The RIT Orchestra will join Professor Thomas Warfield, the School of Interactive Gaming and Media, and the RIT/NTID Dance Company in a multimedia performance honoring Dr. Robert Panara and inspired by Dr. Panara's own poetry. Most of the pieces performed by the RIT Orchestra will be new to the Rochester community, including the world premiere of a work for orchestra and African drum ensemble composed by Dr. Carl Atkins, RIT Professor of Performing Arts, as well as a composition by RIT student and orchestra violist Justine Maeurer. 

Showtimes:
May 1, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
May 2, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
May 3, 2014 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
May 4, 2014 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

November 2012
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty

by Joseph Kesserling

February 2013
Director: Gerald Argetsinger

by Peter Shaffer

April 2013
Director: Jim Orr

by Roald Dahl

October 2011
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty

by Aaron Kelstone

February 2012
Director: Thomas Warfield

by Thomas Warfield

April 2012
Director: Rohit Crasta

Now in their 22nd year of existence, Eight Beat Measure began in 1987 as the RIT Men's Octet. Originally faculty-lead and formed as an extension to the RIT Singers, Eight Beat quickly expanded their horizons and branched into the world of contemporary a cappella, changing their name to Eight Beat Measure to reflect the new attitude, and expanding from only 8 members. The group currently sings a wide variety of music, from hip-hop to pop and doo-wop to metal, so there is something for everyone in their repertoire.

You can find Eight Beat all over the web. We have regularly updated accounts on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Check us out!

http://8beat.org

Showtimes:
April 14, 2012 - 8:00pm to 10:00pm

April 2012
Director: Aaron Kelstone

The action of the play centers on Tom, his mother Amanda, and his sister Laura. In 1937 they live together in a small apartment in St. Louis. Their father abandoned them years earlier, and Tom is now the family's breadwinner. He works at the Continental Shoemakers warehouse during the day, but he disappears nightly "to the movies." Amanda is a loving mother, but her meddling and nagging are hard to live with for Tom, who is a grown man and who earns the wages that support the entire family. Laura is a frightened and terribly shy girl, with unbelievably weak nerves. She is also slightly lame in one leg, and she seldom leaves the apartment of her own volition. She busies herself caring for her "glass menagerie," a collection of delicate little glass animals.

FREE Admission--NOTE: Very limited seating available.

Showtimes:
April 19, 2012 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 20, 2012 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 21, 2012 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
April 22, 2012 - 2:00pm to 5:00pm

May 2012
Director: Jerry Argetsinger

Prat falls, pie fights, wild chases, side-splitting antics, and all without a spoken word!  As it actually happed during the silent film era, deaf and hearing actors work side-by-side to create a zany, fun-filled show suitable for the entire family.  Join us for an evening of good old-fashioned hilarity as we pay tribute to great comic actors of years gone by.

$5 students/seniors, $7 all others.  For reservations or more information, please send email to ntidtix@rit.edu beginning Monday, April 30, 2012

Showtimes:
May 10, 2012 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 11, 2012 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 12, 2012 - 7:30pm to 9:30pm
May 13, 2012 - 2:00pm to 4:00pm

May 2011
Director: Luane Davis Haggerty
Photo Gallery

Desperate to find money to pay for his floating crap game, Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson a thousand dollars that Sky will not be able to take a local Salvation Army girl, Sarah Brown, to Cuba.

While Sky eventually is able to convince Sarah to join him, Nathan battles with his fiancé of fourteen years, Adelaide. Meanwhile in Cuba, Sky ends up falling in love with Sarah and tries to reform his gambling ways.

When he returns back to New York, he bets all the members of the floating crap game that if he wins his roll of the dice, they will all have to go to church and repent. If he loses, he will give them each a thousand dollars. He ends up winning and all the gamblers end up visiting the mission and repenting their sins.

Showtimes:
May 5, 2011 - 7:30pm
May 6, 2011 - 7:30pm
May 7, 2011 - 7:30pm
May 8, 2011 - 2:00pm

November 2006
Director: Aaron Kelstone
Photo Gallery

by Bernard Bragg/Eugene Bergman

December 2005
Director: Aaron Kelstone
Photo Gallery

by Aristophanes

January 2006
Director: Luane Davis-Haggerty
Photo Gallery

by Luane Davis-Haggerty

February 2006
Director: Bonnie Meath-Lang
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by Arthur Miller

May 2006
Director: Thomas Warfield
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mixed repertoire

February 2001
Director: Bonnie Meath-Lang
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by Bonnie Meath-Lang

November 1977
Director: Marjorie Pratt
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by Lewis Carrol

September 1976
Director: Gerald Argetsinger
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by Gerald Argetsinger

November 1976
Director: Marjorie Pratt
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by Tom Jones

February 1977
Director: P. Gibson Ralph
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by Larry Gelbart, Burt Schevelove

May 1977
Director: P. Gibson Ralph
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by Larry Gelbart, Burt Schevelove

October 1975
Director: Jerome Cushman
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by Jerome Cushman

November 1975
Director: P. Gibson Ralph
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by Ben Jonson

January 1976
Director: Marjorie Pratt
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by Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber

May 1976
Director: Sahomi Tashibana
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by Sensuke Suga

May 1976
Director: Jerome Cushman
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by Howard Richardson, William Berney

October 1974
Director: W. David Hagans
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by William Shakespeare

March 1975
Director: P. Gibson Ralph
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by Aristophanes

April 1975
Director: Jerome Cushman
Photo Gallery

by Jerome Cushman