Spring student theater productions coming to the stage

By Eric Devlin
Arts & Culture
Students in the West End Student Theatre at Pottstown rehearse a scene from "Constellations" at Pottstown Campus. At Blue Bell Campus, students in the The Drama Club at Blue Bell rehearse a scene from "The Government Inspector.” Photos by Diane VanDyke and Eric Devlin.

Students in the West End Student Theatre at Pottstown rehearse a scene from "Constellations" at Pottstown Campus. At Blue Bell Campus, students in the The Drama Club at Blue Bell rehearse a scene from "The Government Inspector.” Photos by Diane VanDyke and Eric Devlin.

Spring has sprung and that means live student theater is coming back to the stage once again at Montgomery County Community College.

Join MCCC students at our Pottstown and Blue Bell campuses for two fantastic spring performances this semester.

MCCC Theatre Arts & West End Student Theatre at Pottstown presents “Constellations” by Nick Payne and directed by Theater Arts Assistant Professor Tim Gallagher. The curtain rises Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m.; Friday, April 8, at 12:30 and 7 p.m.; and Saturday, April 9, at 7 p.m. Performances will take place in North Hall, room 228 at the Pottstown Campus. Free parking is available at MCCC’s South Hall building, 101 College Drive. Tickets on sale now and open to the community. Please be aware this play contains some adult language.

Then MCCC Theatre Arts and The Drama Club at Blue Bell presents “The Government Inspector” by Nikolai Gogol, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by David Pica. Performances begin Thursday, April 21, at 7 p.m.; Friday, April 22, at 12:30 and 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m. Performances will take place in the Science Center, room 107 at the Blue Bell Campus. Tickets are on sale now and open to the community.

At Pottstown, “Constellations” is described as a “spellbinding, romantic journey begins with a simple encounter between two people. But what happens next defies the boundaries of the world we think we know— delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.”

Gallagher described the show as a “trip through the multiverse.”

“Not quite [Marvel’s] ‘Doctor Strange,’” he said, “but more String Theory.”

The show involves two characters and looks at their journey through the lens of multiple universes and the infinite possibilities of where their lives could go together, he said.

“Sometimes it’s positive; sometimes negative,” said Gallagher. “Sometimes they end up together; sometimes not. It’s a fascinating philosophical discussion about how many versions of us are out in the world and how our choices affect the possibilities of which way we might go in life.”

Then at the Blue Bell Campus, “The Government Inspector” is a show sure to leave audiences howling with laughter.

Student rehearse "The Government Inspector."“When the locals in a small Russian hamlet learn that an undercover government inspector is coming for a surprise visit, an unfortunate case of mistaken identity sends the whole village spiraling into a world of panic and greed. Witty, smart and wildly satirical, this timely and spirited adaptation exposes the corruption of a provincial town with biting hilarity.”

Gallagher described the show as a laugh riot and compared it to “Parks and Recreation” or “The Office” in its style of comedy.

“It’s a fun farce of a play,” he said. “It really speaks to the buffoonery of some small-town leaders There can be some comical characters who run small towns, and this show looks at it through the lens of corruption.”

The show was originally set in a Russian town, however for the Blue Bell performances, it takes place in America in 1976. The Bicentennial setting will play an important role in holding a mirror to our own current way of life.

“It’s a really fun escape,” said Gallagher of the show. “But also, it’s a fun escape that looks at who we are but still allows us to escape into some hilarity.”

For tickets and other information about each of these upcoming performances, visit the spring theater landing page.