onStage at Connecticut College - world-class performances within reach
For more than a century, Connecticut College has had a professional guest artists series, and we continue that tradition this year with six performances by ensembles or solo artists in our onStage at Connecticut College series. As we search for artists each season, we look for performances that are unlike any that can be seen elsewhere in our region. Our series is eclectic and innovative. We look for performances and artists that can be thought-provoking, engaging, entertaining and inspiring.
We are excited to announce our 2024-2025 season! Take a look at the performances below so you don't miss any of these unique experiences, and join our mailing and email lists so you never miss an update on the college’s arts offerings!
We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming performance!
Lecture: “August Wilson in Waterford, 1982-2002”
Herman D. Farrell, III
Charles Chu Room, Charles E. Shain Library
Monday, February 3, 2025 4:30 p.m.
Herman D. Farrell, III is a University Research Professor at the University of Kentucky. Co-writer of the award winning (Peabody Award, NAACP Image Award) HBO film Boycott about Martin Luther King, Jr. His plays include world-premieres at The Flea, Lincoln Center Director’s Lab, New York International Fringe Festival, Echo Theater, National recognition: New Dramatists, the National Endowment for the Arts, O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and MacDowell Colony. He is currently President of the Eugene O’Neill Society and is at work on Way of Life: A Biography of Lloyd Richards.
The lecture will explore August Wilson’s place in the American theater and Wilson’s connections with New London and the O’Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. This lecture will provide audience members with a greater appreciation of August Wilson and insight into The Acting Company’s performance of Wilson’s Two Trains Running on Friday, February 7.
Free Admission (General Admission)
The Acting Company presents
August Wilson’s "Two Trains Running"
Athey Center, Palmer Auditorium
Friday, February 7, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Launching the careers of noted actors like Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Jeffrey Wright and others, The Acting Company builds a discerning audience for the theater by playing exceptional productions in small towns and major cities. Their latest production is August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, the story of a diner owner in 1969 Pittsburgh who must decide to allow the government to take over his building or sell the property to a ruthless businessman. This Tony® winning play is full of vivid characters and celebrates the spirit and resilience of the people who make our country great even when faced with overwhelming odds.
This performance is one-night only!
This performance is funded in part by the New England States Touring program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program and the six New England state arts agencies.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $28; Seniors: $25; Students: $14; CC FACULTY / STAFF: $25; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)
Panel Discussion: “Two Trains Running Discussed”
Connecticut College Faculty & Community Guests
Charles Chu Room, Charles E. Shain Library
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 7:00 p.m.
During this panel discussion scholars from a variety of disciplines will respond and react to The Acting Company’s performance of Wilson’s Two Trains Running as it relates to issues of urban renewal, the African-American experience and the similarities that were and are being faced in New London. The panelist will include Hubert Cook, Assistant Professor of English, whose work focuses on affect, emotion, and performativity in late nineteenth and early twentieth century African American and Caribbean literature; Daniel Moak, Associate Professor of Government, whose interests are in American politics, race and ethnic politics, public policy and public law; and other guests to be announced.
Free Admission (General Admission)
Regina Carter Quintet
"Gone in a Phrase of Air"
Athey Center, Palmer Auditorium
Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
For GRAMMY® nominated artist Regina Carter, the violin isn't simply an improvisational vehicle; it’s a passport to unexpected realms. In her newest project, Gone In A Phrase Of Air, Carter explores areas across America where countless numbers of people – most often African Americans, immigrants and the disadvantaged – were displaced without financial support or regard for their well-being, all in the name of urban renewal. Inspired by this plight emerging in her hometown of Detroit since the early 1950s, Carter will perform original music as well as music of that time, and the concert experience will include visual art elements, poetry and spoken word.
Tickets go on sale Monday, August 5, 2024
Tickets: $28; Seniors: $25; Students: $14; CC FACULTY / STAFF: $25; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)