Arts and Culture

At the end of World War I, American soldiers—mostly from Michigan—were deployed to join the Northern Russian Expeditionary Force for a vaguely defined mission. They found themselves embroiled in a civil war, battling Bolshevik revolutionaries for months after the Armistice ended fighting in France. A new play inspired by these men, known as the Polar Bears for enduring harsh winter conditions, will have its world premiere May 9-11 at Northern Michigan University. The idea for Ghost Soldiers by Keli Crawford-Truckey stemmed from a war-time journal bound by leather from the boot of a dead Bolshevik soldier. It was kept by the grandfather of NMU employees Dan and Paul Truckey.

Northern Michigan University's open mind improvisational ensemble, under the direction of Patrick Booth, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public. 

Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance will present “Anything Goes” April 11-13 and 18-20 in Forest Roberts Theatre. The Golden Age musical is set in the 1930s aboard the ocean liner S.S. American. It is directed and choreographed by assistant professor Kristen Beth Ludwig, who was an ensemble member and understudy for the lead role of Reno Sweeney in the 2011 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival at the Roundabout Theatre. She is now sharing her qualified insights with students involved in NMU's production.

High school students interested in attending the Northern Michigan University Theatre & Dance Wildcat Performing Arts Academy's summer musical theater intensive can register through April 15, or possibly later if space is still available. It is scheduled for June 23-30. Two additional summer intensives in dance and theatrical design/production will both be offered July 20-27. All require audition/placement video submissions to apply. 

Northern Michigan University's annual Jazz Festival will open and close with performances by guest pianist and composer Ellen Rowe and the NMU Jazz Band and Jazz Combo. The opening concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 5, in Reynolds Recital Hall. The closing concert is a repeat performance at the same time and location on Friday, April 6.

Actor Eric Roberts, star of “Intent Unknown,” the first screenplay by Northern Michigan University alumna Beth Rondeau Deacon, delivers a video message to NMU. The shoutout is timed with today's campus visit by Deacon and director/producer Terence Gordon. They are screening the film and conducting a casting call for NMU students for the upcoming sequel and another project on a prominent female pilot. Deacon is also the author of “Seven Doors In: One Teacher's Mission within Prison Walls,” which has been optioned by a prominent production company for a streaming series. View the video here. Read more about the visit by Deacon and Gordon here.

Northern Michigan University's DeVos Art Museum will host a family night from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21. The event will feature a guided look at the museum's exhibitions and an activity in which participants can paint a Munising Ware-inspired plate to take home. The event is free of charge and suitable for all ages; supplies and guidance will be provided.

Michael Blaustein, a headlining comedian and actor who co-hosts the popular podcast called “Stiff Socks,” will visit Northern Michigan University on Thursday, March 14. Doors to Jamrich 1100 open at 6:30 and the show—recommended for 18 years and older—begins at 7. The opening act is comedian Kase Raso.

James A. Strain, professor of percussion at Northern Michigan University, will present a faculty recital featuring the music of Clair Omar Musser at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, in Reynolds Recital Hall. Musser, considered the founder of the modern concert marimba, was instrumental in the development, design, promotion and early pedagogy for the instrument.