Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present “Ride the Cyclone” beginning Nov. 13 through Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Malone Hall Blackbox Theatre.
The show will be directed by 2010 alum Brett Warnke, who currently works in film and television production as a designer and set decorator and co-runs an antique business in New York City.
Warnke returned to TROY this semester to teach and direct and said that it has been a great experience.
“As a student, I was in the very first production in the black box, so it has been very comforting to have the chance to create in a space with so much personal history for me,” he said. “Additionally, getting to know the current students has been incredible. Times may have changed, but Troy Theatre and Dance remains a very safe space for young artists, and that feels more important now than ever before.”
He shared that because he attended TROY, he had the opportunity to explore the different areas of theatre.
“The department encouraged me to try as many different things as possible,” Warnke said. “I came to TROY wanting to act, and while I was here I was given the opportunity to design and direct, which has been valuable in most areas in my life even beyond theatre.”
“Ride the Cyclone,” a popular musical with music, book and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, features the story of a handful of high school choir members who are forced to reexamine their lives following a tragic roller coaster accident. Together, they begin to realize that maybe there’s more to each of them than what meets the eye.
“I hope audiences enjoy the show and appreciate the hard work these students have put into this show,” Warnke said. “TROY has a wonderful group of young theatre artists and spending a semester working closely with so many of them has been very rewarding.”
Tickets are $5 for general admission. You can purchase them online at www.troy.edu/theatreanddance. Seating is limited. For more information contact the Department of Theatre and Dance by calling 334-808-6142 or emailing theatreanddance@troy.edu.
