Middle Tennessee State University

Middle Tennessee State University's Department of Theatre and Dance students are proud to present "Our Town," a play that presents the story of the fictional American town in the early 1900s through the ordinary daily lives of its citizens. "Our Town" runs Thursday, Feb. 27, through Saturday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance on Sunday, March 2, at 2 p.m. at MTSU's Tucker Theatre at 615 Champion Way. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $7 for seniors and $5 for students K-12. They can be purchased online at https://app.arts-people.com/index.php or the Tucker Theatre box office before each performance. Directed by assistant professor Lauren Shouse, "Our Town" was written by Thornton Wilder and was first performed in Princeton, New Jersey, on Jan. 22, 1938. The three-act play was later successful on Broadway and earned the Pulitzer Prize for drama. "Our audience can expect to see a new take on 'Our Town' as we approach this timeless story with a focus on community," Shouse said. "The play asks whether living in the present in every moment is possible. While that is challenging in our daily lives, we hope the play can be a wakeup call to pay more attention to the things that make life worth living." "Our Town" is an exploration of the fictional town Grover's Corners, following different events and moments in the lives of the people who live there between 1901 and 1913. It begins by looking at childhood and adolescence, then marriage into death. The stage manager narrates these events and moments throughout, frequently speaking directly to the audience. The play is mostly performed without a set on a bare stage. The 25-student cast members and crew began working on the production in late November.

Six of Middle Tennessee State University's Chinese Music Ensemble students spread musical and cultural diversity around the country with recent well-received performances at the University of North Georgia-Dahlonega as well as Washington, D.C. Under the direction of founder Mei Han, the ensemble's program contained traditional, contemporary and cross-cultural compositions.

The MTSU community came together last fall to host the "The Judds: Love is Alive - The Final Concert" featuring Wynonna Judd, and now the Blue Raider community can watch the finished product of their hard work and collaboration with the release of the concert TV special at 7 p.m. Central on Saturday, April 29, on CMT. The Nov. 3 live made-for-TV concert event at MTSU's historic Murphy Center involved faculty, alumni and over 50 student workers from the College of Media and Entertainment as well as a group of 45 choral students from the College of Liberal Arts who accompanied Wynonna for the concert finale. Media and entertainment students worked on everything from production and preparation to media coverage and performance for the live red-carpet broadcast, concert and CMT TV special.