MCCC’s Award-Winning Academic Theatre and Dance Company Presents the Hip-Hop Production ‘The Shadow Men’ at Kelsey Theatre April 14-16
3/31/2023
“The Shadow Men,” an original dance theatre production inspired by 19 artworks and interviews with local Trenton artist Tamara Torres, will be performed by Mercer County Community College’s award-winning Academic Theatre and Dance Company at Kelsey Theatre April 14 -16. Tickets are on sale at www.KelseyTheatre.org.
Inspired by the parts of Torres’s life story (what she is willing to reveal) and her artwork, the MCCC Academic Theatre and Dance Company draws inspiration to work through topics such as feminism, mental health awareness and racial inequality to create a haunting and thrilling production.
Combining the best ingredients of theatre and dance, the show features a blend of hip-hop, tango, contemporary dance, high drama, thrilling stunts, jump scares and cross dressing to tackle the hard-hitting and pervasive topics surrounding Torres’s life and art.
“This production is going to be the theatrical event of the season in Mercer County,” said Jody Gazenbeek-Person, coordinator of the theatre and dance program at MCCC. “The Kelsey has never staged an event like this before.”
Gazenbeek-Person continued, “The really beautiful thing about this show is that it reveals to the audience how to enter into and get more out of any work of art at the deepest possible level. It's a wondrous adventure to step inside a painting, and it is my sincere belief that this production will be talked about for years to come. The audience is in for quite the magical adventure.”
MCCC’s Academic Theatre and Dance student ensemble includes: Hannah Kay Aquirre, Cole Chulamanis and Ludnie Lubin of Hamilton; Lisbeth Burgo of Lawrence Township; Benjamin Fogg and Jerée Moët Phillips of Ewing; Gigi Garcia, Jackson Jules, Valmiki Rajan, Trinity Miller and Brianna Gonzalez of Trenton; Michael Havardansky of Princeton; Melissa Bari Hemel of Hightstown; Mackenzie Kohlmayer of Yardville; Nlijah Muhammad of Burlington Township; Shayna Ryan of Allentown, Jordan Shutz of Chesterfield; and Arianna Silva of West Windsor.
The show is a collaborative effort with portions directed by Jody Gazenbeek-Person from Newark and Deena Jile’s Shu’aib of Trenton and includes dance scenes choreographed by Gazenbeek-Person, Theresa Flim and Jennifer Gladney of Lawrenceville, and Jill Molinaro of Monmouth County. The show is produced by Gazenbeek-Person and Kelsey Theatre Artistic Director Kitty Getlik, and stage managed by Nancy Mitrocsak.
Performance Dates
Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m.*
Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.*
Sunday, April 16 at 2 p.m.*
*Livestream will also be available for these dates. Please call Kelsey Theatre for ticket information.
Tickets
Tickets for “The Shadow Men" are $22 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale at kelsey.mccc.edu or by calling 609-570-3333 or email boxoff@mccc.edu. The show will also be livestreamed for residents who cannot make it to the theatre as well as in countries around the world including England, Argentina, Vietnam, Dubai, Kenya and Ghana. For more information about livestreaming tickets please visit www.kelseytheatre.com.
Kelsey Theatre is located on the MCCC campus at 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor Township. The theater is wheelchair accessible and free parking is available next to the building. Assisted listening devices are available upon request. For a complete listing of events, visit the Kelsey website at Kelsey.mccc.edu.
For more information about the Academic Theatre and Dance program at MCCC please visit https://www.mccc.edu/pdf/program-brochure_dancetheatre.pdf.
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This performance is made possible in part by the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission through funding from the Mercer County Board of Chosen Commissioners and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
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MCCC's Academic Theatre and Dance Company's “THE SHADOW MEN” will take place April 14, 15 and 16 at MCCC’s Kelsey Theatre located at 1200 Old Trenton Road in West Windsor. Tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for students, seniors and children. Tickets may be purchased at 609-570-3333, online at Kelsey.mccc.edu or by visiting the Kelsey Theatre Box Office. Pictured above, Dancers create a montage. From left: Melissa Bari, Shayna Ryan, Ariana Sylva, Jerée Moët Phillips. (Photo credit: Marcy Roberts/MCCC)
The ensemble rehearsing dance moves. Pictured from left (front row): Mackenzie Kohlmayer, Jackson Jules, Melissa Bari, Shayna Ryan. (Second row): Cole Chulamanis, Trinity Miller, Jerée Moët Phillips. (Back row): Benjamin Fogg, Valmiki Rajan, Jordan Shutz. (Photo credit: Marcy Roberts/MCCC)
For those who cannot make it to the theatre, MCCC's Academic Theatre and Dance Company's “The Shadow Men” will also be livestreamed. For the latest link information please check the Kelsey Theatre website at www.kelseytheatre.org close to the date of the performance or call (609) 570-3333. Pictured from left: Mackenzie Kohlmayer, Jackson Jules (at top against wall), Cole Chulamanis, Ben Fogg, Jordan Shutz and Trinity Miller. (Photo credit: Steven Schreiber/MCCC)