Attention freshmen performing artists!

Calling all artsy freshpeople and returning students alike! Bwog wants to take a moment to draw your attention to one of our weekly features, Where Art Thou? Every Wednesday, we post a guide to theater and arts happenings in the Columbia community that week. The “Columbia community” doesn’t mean only Morningside Heights—let us know what kind of super hip stuff you’re up to all over the city! If you would like your event featured in Where Art Thou?, email us at events@bwog.com.

To start things off, below are descriptions of various groups from the CUPAL (Columbia University Performing Arts League) guide to arts groups on campus. See the full guide (PDF) for more information, including audition dates. CUPAL is a great resource for performers and enthusiasts! Visit their website year-round for information about auditions, writing submissions, production and design team interviews, performances, and other CUPAL events. If your group is not part of CUPAL, but you would like your group’s information listed here, please email us at tips@bwog.com.

Black Theater Ensemble

The Black Theatre Ensemble is one of Columbia’s newest theatre groups. Our mission statement provides that we produce plays written by minority playwrights, with a focus on the socio-cultural experience of peoples of color in the United States through the lens of various artistic mediums. That being said, we strive to serve Columbia’s community in its entirety, and look forward to further diversifying our subject matter and actor pool this year! If you’re interested in non-conventional theatre and non-conventional subject matter, BTE is the place for you!

Contact: cu.blacktheatre@gmail.com

Columbia’s Artist Society

Columbia’s Artist Society hosts free weekly figure drawing sessions for any Columbia-affiliated individual interested in visual arts.  The figure drawing sessions are Fridays and Saturdays will be in 501 Dodge Hall. Artist Society provides free models, snacks, and art supplies.  You can walk in and walk out whenever you’d like.  The first Friday Night Sketch will be Friday, September 16th!

Columbia Ballet Collaborative

The Columbia Ballet Collaborative (CBC), founded in 2007 by five professional dancers enrolled at Columbia University, is comprised of students from all of the University’s undergraduate colleges, and affiliates, some of whom are current or former professional dancers. CBC holds auditions to select students to perform in our biannual performances that include works by both professional and student choreographers.

CBC offers free weekly ballet classes to the Columbia University Community at Barnard’s Marion Streng Studio, and holds auditions at the beginning of every semester for our Fall and Spring Performances.

Auditions:

Saturday, September 10th

11a.m.- 2p.m.

(Streng Studio, Barnard College)

Performance Dates:

Technical Rehearsal: Thursday, November 17th

Performances: November 18th-20th

Contact: columbia.ballet.collaborative@gmail.com

Columbia Musical Theatre Society

The Columbia Musical Theatre Society’s mission is to bring musical theatre to the Columbia University community, to provide opportunities for Columbia students of all schools, majors, and backgrounds to participate in theatre both onstage and behind-the-scenes, and to strive for the highest quality of artistic excellence.

Upcoming Shows:
Side Show: November 30, 7:30 pm & December 2, 8 pm
Zombie Prom: December 8-10, 8 pm

Auditions:
September 12-14, 8 pm-11 pm

Contact: Alex Hare, alh2140@columbia.edu

Columbia University Players

CU Players (CUP) is Columbia’s premier student-run theater group on campus. CU Players offers many opportunities to join the Columbia theater community and is always looking for students of all talent levels to join. Past seasons have included: Black Comedy, The Pillowman, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, ‘night, Mother and Melancholy Play. This fall CU Players will be presenting Sakuntala and the Ring of Recollection and a series of student selected “Chase Scenes.” If you are interested in acting or directing this fall at Columbia, CU Players is the club to join.

Upcoming Shows:
Sakuntala and the Ring of Recollection: Nov 11-12
Chase Scenes: October 14-15

Director Interviews:
Chase Scenes: September 7-8: 8pm-10pm

Auditions:
Sakuntala: September 7-8: 9pm-11pm
Chase Scenes: September 12-13: 8pm-11pm

Contact: CUPlayers@gmail.com

Columbia University Wind Ensemble

Formed in 1999, the Wind Ensemble (CUWE) has grown from a small group of 15 to its current roster of nearly 60 musicians.  Members hail from many of the different schools at Columbia University, as well as from the greater Columbia community. Since its inception, the Wind Ensemble has continued to gain recognition for its high level of musicianship and its unbridled enthusiasm for the performing arts. Collaboration is a core value, leading the ensemble to take part in a wide variety of joint programs and performances with the Yale Concert Band, MIT Concert Band, the Queens College Wind Ensemble, the Harvard Wind Ensemble, and most recently, the Dartmouth Wind Symphony.  In 2009, the Wind Ensemble has produced two new programs: the Columbia Festival of Winds, an all-day concert promoting wind band performances, and Making Music Matter, a free music-education program at P.S. 125 funded in part by the Festival.

Audition: September 10-11 by appointment

Contact: Hannah Waldrip mhw2130@barnard.edu

King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe

King’s Crown Shakespeare Troupe is more than just a student group. It’s a theater family! Our status as a “Troupe” means we hang out and have fun beyond our productions, strengthening our community and the quality of our shows. In the fall, we put up two indoor productions utilizing many theater spaces on campus. In the spring, we have our trademark Spring Show that stages a Shakespeare play throughout Columbia’s campus. All who audition for the Spring Show are cast. Also, we have weekly troupe wide rehearsals in Wien lounge that include bagels, OJ, theater games, and workshops.  Keep an eye out for many KCST events throughout the semester including movie screenings, monologue readings, and general debauchery!

Upcoming Shows:
Hamlet: October 27-29
Alice in Wonderland: November 10-12

Auditions:
Hamlet: September 6-8, 8pm-11pm.
Callbacks on Friday, September 9
Alice in Wonderland: September 13-15, 8pm-11pm
Callbacks: Friday, September 16

Contact: Brian LaPerche, kcst.eboard@gmail.com

Latenite

Latenite Theatre is a Columbia University performing arts group that produces an anthology of short student-written plays every semester. In the past few years we’ve grown immensely and our performances always prove to be a ton of fun for everyone involved, both audience and actors. We offer our playwrights the opportunity to see their work on stage, giving them freedom to experiment, to take artistic risks, and above all, to have fun in a non-competitive artistic environment.

Upcoming Shows: Fall Anthology: October 20-22

Play Submissions Due: September 8th at 11:59pm
Director Auditions: Email contact@latenitetheatre.com
Actor Auditions: September 14 & 15

Contact: contact@latenitetheatre.com, and visit our website: www.latenitetheatre.com

New and Original Material Authored and Directed by Students

NOMADS (New and Original Material Authored and Directed by Students) gives a home to the creation of unique, experimental and provocative original work by artists from across the Columbia University community. Combining full-scale theatrical projects with multi-media installations, dance, music, playwriting workshops and ‘live artwork’, we provide a safe, professional and exciting space where any member of our community can develop their creative ideas – however wild, wacky or wondrous – from page to stage (or any other venue we can find!). NOMADS: Wander No More.

Full-Length Play Submissions: Due September 11th

Contact: nomads.columbia@gmail.com

Orchesis: a dance group

Orchesis is Columbia’s largest performing arts group.  We are completely student-run, featuring original student choreography performed by dancers from all kinds of backgrounds.  We do all styles of dance and we take all levels of dancers. Everyone who auditions gets cast!

Upcoming Shows: November 18, 8pm & November 20, 2pm

Dancer Auditions:
Last names A-M: September 10, 9am – 12pm
Last names N-Z: September 11, 9am – 12pm
MaMa Project Auditions: September 17, 10am – 12pm
Studio 1, Basement Barnard Hall

Contact: ColumbiaOrchesis@gmail.com

The Varsity Show

The Varsity Show is Columbia’s oldest performing arts tradition, and stands out as one of the most popular undergraduate events. The Varsity Show has gone through many changes over its 117 year history, and now exists as an annual student written musical about life on campus. This Spring semester production is created by the following individuals and teams, who are selected between Fall and early Spring:

Director, Choreographer, Writers, Composers, Producers, Art Director, Production Team, Design Team, Publicity Team, Actors

More information about participating in The Varsity Show will be available later in the Fall. Creative Team interviews will take place in October.

Contact: Fiona and Martin (Producers, V117) at varsity@columbia.edu

XMAS!

A secular spectacular, XMAS! is an originally written holiday inspired musical, entirely student produced, conceived and performed.  This musical comedy production parodies the holiday season at the end of the fall semester.  Performers, designers, production team members and carolers welcome!

Contact: xmas.columbia@gmail.com

CUPAL Special Project

CUPAL sponsors one “Special Project” per semester.  These projects can include theatrical, musical, or dance performances, multi-media events, festivals, and fundraisers.  While the criteria for a Special Project are deliberately loose in order to allow for individual creativity, CUPAL maintains the following preferences in keeping with its mission and objectives: productions appropriate to the Lerner Black Box Theatre, workshop style processes, projects that do not fall under the auspices of established performing arts organizations.

Upcoming Shows this Fall: Upstanding
First week of November

Youngling via Wikimedia Commons