Stevie and The Real World (world premiere)

ABOUT

MSU Theatre Premieres Original Work Showcasing Diverse Cohort of MFA Graduates 

When Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre announced a call for emerging playwrights of the global majority to write a new play for its diverse cohort of Master of Fine Arts Acting and Design candidates, they received more than 300 submissions.

That call, which went out in summer 2022, has led to the creation of Stevie and the Real World, an original work that the department will present Feb. 9-11 and 14-18 at the Fairchild Theatre in the MSU Auditorium.

From the more than 300 submissions received, the MFA students selected playwright Iraisa Ann Reilly to write the new play. A writer, performer, and educator from New Jersey who is half Cuban and half Irish, Reilly has an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University and a B.A. in Theatre and English from the University of Notre Dame. Her screenplay, La Reina del Bronx, won best screenplay at the Fusion Film Festival and was a semifinalist for the Vail Screenwriting Competition.

For more than a year, Reilly and the actors met each month to discuss themes, issues, and stories of interest to them, which led to a play full of humor, wonder, and puppets.

Stevie and the Real World is a comedic play with puppets that remembers when “the real world” was just a show on MTV. It tells the story of a group of friends who meet for an unorthodox college reunion at the lake house where they spent a weekend retreat in 2008. Summoned by the one member of the group they left behind, they go to the depths of the earth to find Stevie and bring them home. But what is home? And how far can you travel in time without walking out again?

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at WhartonCenter.com, by calling 1-800-WHARTON, or in person at the Wharton Center ticketing office.

Performance Dates: 

Friday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 11, at 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 17, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 18, at 2 p.m.

Ticket Pricing:

General Admission – $20
Seniors and Faculty – $15
Students – $10

Tickets can be picked up on the Farm Lane side of the MSU Auditorium on the day of the show. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the show time and close 5 minutes after to prevent any disruption to the ongoing performance.

For more information on Stevie and the Real World and other MSU productions, visit: https://www.whartoncenter.com/events/category/dept-of-theatre