IRSC Performing Arts Season Kicks Off October 12
Season Tickets Go on Sale July 25 for Returning Subscribers; Aug. 9 for New Subscribers
Series Includes Show Funded by National Endowment for the Arts Award
FORT PIERCE—Indian River State College (IRSC) will kick off its 2023-2024 season of performing arts on Oct. 12 with a show made possible by a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts—the College’s first-ever NEA grant. Season subscription sales start July 25 for returning subscribers.
The show, “The Labyrinth of Love,” is a staging of “Love is the Greatest Labyrinth,” a Spanish-language comedy by the 17th Century Mexican playwright/philosopher/poet Sister Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. In 2022, IRSC received a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts to mount a student-translated English-language adaptation of the play, which is based in Greek mythology.
In it, Prince Theseus learns that escape from the Minotaur’s labyrinth isn’t half as arduous as an escape from King Minos’s hostile court with his love, Princess Phaedra. The action-packed baroque-style comedy blends court intrigue, mistaken identities, sword-fighting, and music sung in the original Spanish. The show opens IRSC’s subscription series on the McAlpin Mainstage from Oct. 12-15.
The seven-show subscription series also includes the musical “Schoolhouse Rock Live! (Rated G, Nov. 16-19); the IRSC Jazz Ensemble and Wind Ensemble concert “Home for the Holidays” (Nov. 30 & Dec. 1); Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist comedy “Rhinoceros” (Feb. 1-4, 2024); the musical comedy “Sweet Charity,” with music by Cy Coleman and book by Neil Simon (March 21-24, 2024); “Curtain Call Classics,” a concert by the IRSC Jazz and Wind ensembles featuring music from the classical, jazz, movie, and Broadway genres (April 4-7); and Noel Coward’s comedy of manners, “Private Lives” (April 25-28). “Private Lives” will be presented on the McAlpin Mainstage and the Outdoor Terrace.
Shows this season will be presented Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Season tickets cost $100. Individual tickets to these shows cost $20 each.
Returning season subscribers may renew their subscriptions beginning July 25. New subscriptions go on sale Aug. 9. Renewal and new subscription order forms may be downloaded at irsc.edu/student-life/arts-and-culture, printed, filled out and returned with payment to the Box Office. Subscriptions also may be ordered by phone by calling 772-462-4750 (toll-free at 1-800-220-9915). Single tickets go on sale Aug. 28 and may be ordered by phone, by email, or in person at the Box Office. Group discounts are available.
In addition to the subscription series, the following shows will be featured at the McAlpin:
- “Tis the Season,” a holiday event featuring a concert performance of “Home for the Holidays” at 2 p.m., followed by an elegant reception from 4-6 p.m., and culminating with a performance of the Hallstrom Planetarium’s classic “Star of Wonder” at either 5:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 2. The cost is $50. Saturday matinee subscribers pay $35.
- “Choreographer’s Notebook: CAMDAM,” a celebration of works choreographed by Ballet Vero Beach, Jan. 12, 2024 at 7 p.m. and Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. The cost is $40 ($30 for season subscribers).
- “The Bard on Broadway: A Shakespearean Cabaret,” featuring song and dance and scenes from the Broadway musicals adapted from the works of Shakespeare, performed by IRSC Performing Arts students and select students from area high schools, June 13-14, 2024 at 7 p.m. and June 15 at 2 p.m. The cost is $20 ($15 for season subscribers).
- Free concerts by the Port St. Lucie Community Band include:
- “A Celebration of America,” paying homage to the rich tapestry of American music and culture, on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.
- “Holiday Joy!,” featuring the magic and the merriment of the holidays, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.
- “A Musical Salute to Broadway and the Movies!,” Feb. 7, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Tickets to these performances go on sale Aug. 28. Individual tickets may be purchased by calling 772-462-4750 (toll-free at 1-800-220-9915), or in person at the McAlpin Fine Arts Center Box Office, which is located at 3209 Virginia Ave. in Fort Pierce. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.