Don’t miss this emotional and dynamic piece on February 22nd and 24th! More ticket information coming soon!

Check out these behind the scenes photos from Man, the Creature rehearsal!
Don’t miss out, you can come see this fantastic show February 23rd and 24th. More ticket information is coming soon!

The Independent Artist Series is proud to announce the 2019 festival lineup! This year, IAS will be featuring four diverse pieces of live performance, three of which are world premiers.
You can find information about the shows below.

Stay tuned for interviews, pictures, behind-the-scenes updates, show times and more!

Ceremonials
Devised by Rachel Brandenburg, Maia Aoibheil, Kashia Ellis-Taylor, Laura Smith, and Charlotte Snee & directed by Rachel Brandenburg

Having been shut out of her Catholic religion, accused of witchcraft, and on her way to trial, a young woman convenes with a coven of witches. They perform a ritual “mass,” blending liturgical elements from Catholicism with witchcraft, telling stories from their trials in order to find new hope and freedom from their ashes.

Internal Affairs 
Written and directed by Caleb Russell

Internal Affairs follows the story of John who suffers from depression, and begins to have
dreams about a friend in college years ago. Over time, the dreams (seemingly good) help him get out of his depression,  until he starts to become obsessed with them, trying to
sleep whenever he can. This play address how non-tangible things like emotions, religious
beliefs, love, dreams, aspirations, etc. can have a profound impact on us, even if no
one else will ever truly understand them.

Man, the Creature 
Written by Mackenzie Kirkman & Directed by Maddie Mitchell

Showing snapshots from Dostoevsky’s four years in prison, this story distorts itself from the
truth of his life that it is based on, creating instead the character of Goryanchinkov who
endures the prison for Dostoevsky. This piece moves forward thematically, exploring the
strength of the human spirit even in the most difficult circumstances.

21 Chump Street 
Written by Lin Manuel Miranda
Directed by Kyle Carson and Holly West, Choreography by Michelle Guiot, & Music direction by Joseph Ivan.

21 Chump Street  is a cautionary tale of a high school honors student who falls for a cute
transfer girl. He goes to great lengths to oblige her request for marijuana in the hopes of
winning her affection – only to find out that his crush is actually an undercover cop planted in the school to find drug dealers. 21 Chump Street discusses the ramifications of peer
pressure, conformity and drug use in our schools with a message that will stay with teenagers
long after they leave the theater. (RNH.com)

I first discovered Almost an Evening when I was a senior in undergrad by accident in a bookstore. I bought it without reading it because it was the only play in the section that wasn’t Shakespeare or Death of a Salesman. I would later host a table reading of sorts with my friends during a hurricane when we had nothing else to do but eat pretzels and wait for the storm to pass and school to continue. In this way Almost an Evening launched to the top of my “if I could direct another show” list and became the natural first choice when I applied to the Independent Artist Series.

I had some reservations at first, if you didn’t notice on the poster this play come with a lot of warning labels; there’s a gun, three deaths, lots of swearing, and quite a few adult topics. But art is like that sometimes. Not everything is pleasant and unaffecting. Some art is gross or even potentially offensive. Ethan Coen isn’t being lewd for no reason he’s doing it to make you laugh, and then think about why you laughed. Then maybe laugh because you’re thinking about really silly things like a spy in a sauna.

When my friends and I read this play we climbed on my furniture, jumped from chairs and hung from my balcony trying to figure out how weird we could make it. While there’s no balconies to hang from in Hiestand 100 it’s definitely gonna get weird so, please, only sit in the front row if you’re ready. And with that happy warning aside, I hope you enjoy the show as much as I did when I first read it years ago.

Mackenzie Kirkman
Graduate Student ‘19

Tickets for Almost an Evening are available here. Tickets are free, but seating is limited.

Take a look at some of the moments from the rehearsal process of “Almost an Evening” then come join us on Friday & Saturday, February 23rd & 24th at 8:00pm in HIS 100 to see the actors in action! Tickets available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/almost-an-evening-tickets-43032295755

Join us on Friday & Saturday, February 23rd and 24th, at 8pm in Hiestand Hall 100 for “Almost an Evening”!

The cast and crew are hard at work and look forward to showing you what they’ve been doing all semester!

Tickets available here

Welcome to our website!

The Miami University Independent Artist Series provides an outlet for the creative work of students and encourages an experimentation with theatrical form. The series is modeled after the “storefront” theatre movement and is produced entirely by students who serve as directors, designers, technicians, performers, stage managers and marketers.

Join us for some exciting work by young new voices in the theatre!