STEVENS POINT — The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has a host of events coming up during the next several weeks.
The Campus Community Players present 30 neo-futuristic plays in 60 minutes at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Marshfield in November.
“Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1-3 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Helen Connor Laird Theater, 2000 W. Fifth St., Marshfield. Brad Schmicker of UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield will direct. Free pizza will be served after each show if more than 100 people attend the performance.
General admission tickets are $12 or free for UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield students. Tickets are available at Box Office in the Helen Connor Laird Fine Arts Building, by calling 715-346-6534 or online at http://marshfield.uwc.edu/campus/arts/tickets.
Discover the roles of forest restoration, roots, trapping and woodpeckers in nature through programs at Schmeeckle Reserve.
Taught by UW-Stevens Point students, the free programs meet at the reserve’s Visitor Center, 2419 North Point Drive, Stevens Point, unless otherwise noted. For more information, call 715-346-4992 or go to www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/schmeeckle/. Dress for the weather, as most programs are outdoors.
November programs include:
Life and Death of a Forest: A Schmeeckle Story, Nov. 1, 5-6 p.m. Learn more about the forest restoration project at the reserve’s southern border. Meet at the intersection of Maria Drive and Michigan Avenue.
Know Your Roots, Nov. 8, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Explore the tangled underground world of plants and how roots help plants sense the world around them.
Trapping: Historic Practice, Timeless Value, Nov. 10, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Join Trapper Chris on a journey back to a time when trappers provided for their families, then hear how trapping is still used today.
Wintering Woodpeckers, SNov. 17, 1-2 p.m. Take a walk to look for woodpeckers and discover the clues they leave behind.
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Wausau’s Department of Theatre presents the high-spirited musical comedy “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” featuring a cast of student and community actors including WSAW Sunrise 7 news anchor and producer Sean Caldwell.
Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2-3 and Nov. 8-10. Matinees are offered at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 and 11. The production will be staged at the James F. Veninga Theater, 625 Stewart Ave., Wausau.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” debuted on Broadway in 2005 and centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the bee with the goal of bringing home the title and trophy.
Tickets are $18 for general admission, $15 for senior citizens and other students. UW-Stevens Point at Wausau students are free with a valid student I.D. Tickets will be available for purchase online at http://uwmc.uwc.edu/arts/theatre, by calling 715-261-6290 or at the James F. Veninga Theater Box Office one hour before each performance. A group rate of $10 per ticket is also available, call 715-803-3165 for details.
Discover secrets of the stars in the sky in a show at the Allen F. Blocher Planetarium.
“The Stargazer” will be offered at 2 p.m. Nov. 4, 11 and 18. Open to the public for free, the show is hosted in part by Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Uhura in the original “Star Trek” series, and noted astronomer James Kaler. Look at the life cycle of stars and what astronomers have learned by studying the light from those stars.
On Nov. 5, 12 and 19, the “Night Sky” program is offered at 8 p.m. in the planetarium to look in detail at objects in the current night sky.
Planetarium seating is first come, first served for up to 55 people. Groups of 15 or more can schedule a special showing of any planetarium program by calling 715-346-2208 or completing an online request form at www.uwsp.edu/physastr/plan_obs. There is a cost of $25 per group for these presentations.
The Arthur J. Pejsa Observatory telescope is open for free viewings from 8:30-10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday evenings if the skies are clear and the temperature is above 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
The planetarium and observatory are on the second and fourth floor of the UW-Stevens Point Science Building at the corner of Reserve Street and Fourth Avenue. Parking is available in Lot D behind the building and is free in all university lots after 7 p.m. and on weekends.
The annual Music of the Masters need-based scholarship fundraiser will be held at 6 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Noel Fine Arts Center courtyard. Guests will receive the red-carpet treatment and enjoy movie-inspired music performances by the center’s students, faculty and alumni. The evening will also include hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and desserts, as well as a new 50/50 raffle.
Over the years, the Music of the Masters has generated more than $20,000 for scholarships for families in need from central Wisconsin communities.
Tickets are $50 before Oct. 27, $55 after or $25 with a UW-Stevens Point I.D. Get them at the Aber Suzuki Center, 715-346-3033, from center faculty and board members or online at https://abersuzukicenter.wildapricot.org.
NEW! “Heathers the Musical” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9-10 and Nov. 14-17 in Jenkins Theatre in the Noel Fine Arts Center, 1800 Portage St., Stevens Point. A matinee show will be staged at 2 p.m. Nov. 11. The show is recommended for mature audiences due to adult language and subject matter.
The off-Broadway rock musical is set at Westerberg High School, where a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing trio, each named Heather, are the hottest and meanest girls in Ohio. Another student, Veronica, seems to fit in with them until the mysterious J.D. leads her down a different path.
The black comedy is filled with many funny, satirical moments as well as 80s references, fashion, music and dance. It touches on awkward first love, bullying, teen angst, sexuality and suicide.
Tickets are $23 for adults and seniors and $13 for ages 17 and younger, and are available at the UW-Stevens Point Information and Tickets Office in the Dreyfus University Center concourse, by calling 715-346-4100 or at http://tickets.uwsp.edu. Discounts are available for UW-Stevens Point students, faculty and staff.
Tickets are also available for the First Nighters package Nov. 9, which includes dinner before the performance (www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/First-Nighters.aspx).
Photos courtesy UWSP.
Feature photo: Cast members rehearse one of the 30 short plays that make up “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” an interactive experience to be staged at UW-Stevens Point at Marshfield Nov. 1-4.
