A Guide to Theater for Culture Shock Weekend

Lydia Harada

Behind-the-scenes photo from “Flyin’ West,” courtesy of the Conservatory of Theater Arts.

Want a night of entertainment, but don’t want to stay up late, pay for overpriced food, or get overwhelmed by the crowds at Culture Shock? The world of theater at Purchase buzzes with life in the spring – including senior projects, stalwart clubs, and even a production in the heart of New York City.

“The Drag: A Homosexual Comedy in Three Acts”

Location: CMFT 2043

Dates: Apr. 30 – May 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Senior Producers: Eli Bettman, Hope Lowery, Arin Deutsch, Novalie Nguyen

Mae West’s campy, queer satire shocked and scandalized audiences when it was first performed in 1927. “The Drag” follows Rolly Kingsbury (Eva Howard), an heir in a loveless marriage, whose double life as a gay man leads to grisly farce. Both a classic 1920s love triangle and an ahead-of-its-time comedy, the play has rarely been produced since its initial run was shut down by the authorities.

“Anna Christie”

Location: CMFT 0061 Performance Theatre

Remaining Dates: May 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer-winning drama comes to life as one of two repertory shows for BFA Acting Company 51. Satine Sorensen plays Anna Christie, a young woman, who reunites with her estranged father, barge captain Chris Christopherson (Owen Larson/Noah Baisch), and tries to hide her turbulent past from her lover, stoker Mat Burke (Laszlo Bringer).

“Flyin’ West”

Location: CMFT 0061 Performance Theatre 

Remaining Dates: May 1 at 7:30 p.m., May 2 at 1:30 p.m. 

The second junior rep show, Pearl Cleage’s 1993 play tells the story of four African-American women in 1898, who leave the dangerous South for the opportunity to own property in the all-Black town of Nicodemus, Kansas. Ashley Fermin leads as the pioneer Sophie Washington, who shares her farmhouse with her family: sisters Fannie (Laila De La Rosa) and Minnie (Ari Jackson), and elder neighbor Ms. Leah (Lauren Woodburn). 

“Clayton Sherman 1953”

Location: Humanities Theatre

Date: May 2 at 3:30 p.m.

Senior Producer: Ben Koeberle

For one day only, catch a staged reading of the debut play by theater and performance senior Benjamin Koeberle. It follows the life of Clayton Sherman (Koeberle), a closeted man in mid-20th century America: from growing up in the Depression, to the bond he makes with a soldier he fights alongside in World War II, to his trials and failures to fit in with the “American dream” lifestyle of the 1950s.

Crescendos: Time Periods

Location: Southside

Date: May 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Purchase’s long-running show choir returns with their final show of the year, a dive through classic songs and show tunes throughout the decades. Come for the Cranberries, “Chess” and “The Great Gatsby;” stay for Sam Cooke, “Merrily We Roll Along” and “Next to Normal.”

“The Experiment,” Live from New York

Location: The Tank (312 W 36 St. in Manhattan)

Dates: May 1 & 2, 7:30 p.m.

On April 17 and 18, Purchase audiences were treated to the premiere of “The Experiment,” by senior playwriting and literature major Zoë Byszynski. Now, Off-Off-Broadway venue The Tank, known for fostering new works, hosts this surreal story about a barbecue that goes completely off the rails – even before preteen Eye (Harlee Grodis) can complete a demon-summoning rite.