Theatre springs to life

By Carson Lemon
Staff Reporter

The Performing Arts program at Lansing Community College puts on over 30 musical, dance, and theatre performances a year. For the 2026 spring semester, the program plans to put two full theatre productions on: The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon and 1984.

The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon will run from Feb. 20 - 28, 2026, and has been described as fast-paced and funny, suitable for young and mature audiences alike. The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon screenplay was originally written by Don Zolidas and will be directed by Blake Bowen. The production offers free admission to the community while it runs in the Black Box Theatre located on the first floor of the Gannon Building on LCC’s Downtown Campus.

The LCC website clues the reader into the premise of the production: “The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are turned on their heads in this fast-paced, rollicking ride as two narrators and several actors attempt to combine all 209 stories ranging from classics like Snow White, Cinderella, and Hansel and Gretel to more bizarre, obscure stories like The Devil's Grandmother and The Girl Without Hands.”

Following the Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon, the next production from the LCC Performing Arts department will begin in April. A theatrical version of Orwell’s iconic novel, 1984, will run from Apr. 10 - 18 and is targeted toward a more mature audience. The production will also offer free admission to the community while it runs in the Dart Auditorium located next to the Mackinaw Building on LCC’s Downtown Campus. The 1984 screenplay was adapted for stage by Nick Hern from George Orwell’s original novel, 1984, and will be directed by Paige Tufford.

The description of the production posted on the LCC website introduces the play as, “A still-resonant vision of the tolls of living under totalitarianism. Constructed almost entirely from dialogue taken from the original novel, this bold and powerful dramatization restores the blazing heart of Orwell's work: a doomed love story, with the lovers at its center.”

Auditions for the production of 1984 will take place on Jan. 29 and 30 from 6 - 8 p.m. Auditions will be comprised of cold readings from the script; students may attend either audition and are not required to attend both.

Performing Arts Coordinator and Theatre Faculty Paige Tufford encourages students to do some reading before auditioning for the play. “1984 is an iconic novel, so most students may be familiar with the story,” Tufford said. “If not, I would suggest doing a little research to read a synopsis of the play. There is a lot of information out there about Orwell and this novel.”

Additionally, Tufford has a message for students curious about performing. “Come audition! If a student is interested in performing anywhere, the more they audition, the more comfortable they'll feel about that process,” Tufford said. “It can be nerve-wracking to audition, and a lot of seasoned actors still get nervous about auditioning—so it isn't uncommon.”

Students, staff, and community members looking to learn more about the upcoming productions from the Performing Arts department can check the Upcoming Performances webpage on the LCC website. Additionally, students looking for more details about the audition process for the production of 1984 can check the Auditions webpage posted on the LCC website.