Performing Arts Open House Takes Place Oct. 30

10/23/2015 

High school students who envision their futures on stage soon will be able to see how the SUNY Cortland spotlight can take them there.

The College’s current crop of talent will be put front and center as part of an Open House for prospective musical theatre majors on Friday, Oct. 30 — an event that’s part of a larger admissions effort to offer a more intimate campus visit experience for students interested in specific majors. 

Prospective students will have the opportunity to experience life as a SUNY Cortland performer during the day, then at night attend the College’s opening performance of “Hair,” the popular Broadway rock musical about 1960s counterculture. Students and their families will receive free admission to the show.

Traditionally, SUNY Cortland hosts two larger fall Open House events on Columbus Day and Veterans Day, when most high school students have the day off from school. This year, the College’s Admissions Office has added smaller events for students exploring specific majors. An Open House for students interested in the natural sciences will be held Friday, Nov. 20.

“This is a way for prospective students and their families to learn a little more about who we are, the amazing work that our students and faculty accomplish and the new facilities we have to offer,” said Deena Conley, associate professor and chair of the College’s Performing Arts Department. “It’s meant to be informal and informative at the same time.”

Open House visitors will hear from faculty members and current students about the individual attention and sense of community to be discovered at SUNY Cortland. They’ll learn about the training that the College offers in theatre, music and dance, as well as the many opportunities to shine in major musicals, classic and contemporary plays, student-directed works and other types of performances. They’re opportunities that have propelled musical theatre alumni to roles in national tours and on Broadway.

Prospective students also will enjoy a guided tour of the Dowd Fine Arts Center, which received a major $22 million renovation in 2014. That project brought an acoustics upgrade, a contemporary lighting system and a new seating arrangement to the 477-seat Dowd Fine Arts Center Theatre in addition to a renovated recital hall, lab theatre, dance studio and rehearsal rooms. The cast of “Hair” also will perform a special number during the afternoon. 

Conley also noted that student auditions for SUNY Cortland’s program will take place in New York City for the first time this December and February, in addition to auditions held on campus.

“Hair” will be staged for three evening performances at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30; Friday, Nov. 6; and Saturday, Nov. 7. Two Sunday matinee performances take place at 2 p.m. on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8, as well as a 2 p.m. matinee show on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Tickets may be purchased in advance online at cortland.edu/boxoffice or at the Dowd Fine Arts Center box office one hour prior to each performance. Ticket prices are $9 for all students and children, $16 for SUNY Cortland faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $19 for general admission. Audience members who wear a hippie costume to the Halloween performance will receive a special treat from the cast.

For more information or to register for the Open House, contact the College’s Admissions Office at 607-753-4711.