Support the arts with Columbia’s spring season
Courtesy of Columbia Theatre
Directors, producers, cast and crew at the Columbia pose for a group photo during dress rehearsal.
The Columbia Theatre is welcoming another blooming spring season beginning Jan. 20 and running through May 4. The Columbia will be debuting a multitude of competitions, plays and festivals for the Hammond community.
James Winter, director and producer, said, “It will be a busy spring at the Columbia. There’s so much going on!”
This spring will provide an eventful season at the Columbia. Kickstarting the season will be the 61st Annual Miss Southeastern Competition on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m.
The Columbia is partnering with Southeastern Theatre to stage William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” running March 10-18. The production has been cast and is currently underway.
For the March 11 performance of “Romeo and Juliet,” the Columbia will be hosting a special dinner for the first 40 people who add this option to their ticket when purchasing it through their box office number or website linked at the bottom. The dinner will be catered by Chef Ryan Haigler and drinks will be provided by Red, White and Brew. Members of the cast will come to chat with the dinner guests as well.
Lauren Price, a junior communication major at Southeastern, said, “I am currently in the main stage collaboration of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ as the Nurse. I am so excited and honored to be a part of this show, because it has been a dream show of mine ever since I was young. This opportunity to work with an amazing cast, crew and production company was one I could not miss.”
Winter said he is most excited about the debut of “Romeo and Juliet” this season. “We’ve got an incredible cast and design team working on it. If you have seen a ‘Columbia Original’ before, you know we always add unique elements to our productions, and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ will not disappoint on that front.”
There will be two festivals being held this season. The Bill Evans Jazz Festival will perform from March 29-April 1. The second-annual “Northshore Arts in Bloom Festival” will be held from April 28 to the 30. There will be a showing of “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” on May the 4th, keeping the Star Wars Day tradition at the Columbia alive.
In addition to all of these events, the theatre will showcase productions by Hammond East Side Magnet School and Southeastern’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega. APO will be debuting their show “The Squirrels.”
Miguel Garcia, Benvolio in “Romeo and Juliet” said, “My favorite part of the Columbia is the people. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. Not to mention, they are all super talented too.”
This July, the Columbia will be providing its first-ever summer theater camps for ages 10-17. Attendees will get to study acting and stage combat with the Associate Director, Ben Norman, resident playwright, Tommy Jamerson and Winter.
For more information about the Columbia and upcoming shows visit https://www.columbiatheatre.org/
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Kaitlyn is a Communications major with a concentration in Strategic Comm and a minor in English. She is a senior and will be graduating in Spring 2023....
