Tanner Hostetter named to cast and crew of BSC Theatre musical production of "Chicago"

2017 Mar 23

Bismarck State College Theatre Arts program offers a musical spectacular April 5-9 with "Chicago" - Kander and Ebb's Broadway smash musical, a jazzy, boozy satire on celebrity, the media and justice!

The cast and crew includes Tanner Hostetter of Huff, N.D., as Followspot Operator and Video Producer. Hostetter's past theatre experience includes "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead," "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," and "Legally Blonde: The Musical" at BSC and the Let's Dance Studio productions of "The Christmas Carol" and "The Lion King." .

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Sidney J. Lee Auditorium, Schafer Hall.

"'Chicago' has long been one of my favorite musicals, and it is a dream to get to direct it. That it seems to have brand new resonance today, as we struggle through making sense of the mediation and theatricalization of our own lives, is a happy accident," said BSC Theatre Arts Director Danny Devlin.

"Chicago" the musical is based on the 1926 play, "Chicago," written by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, inspired by actual criminals and crimes she reported on. Set in the legendary city during the 20s, "Chicago" tells the story of two rival vaudevillian murderesses in the slammer for murder. Nightclub star Velma is serving time for killing her husband and sister after finding the two together. Roxie, a driven chorus girl, has been tossed in the joint for killing her boyfriend when he decided their affair was over - without consulting her first!" Not one to rest on her laurels, Velma enlists the help of prison matron Mama Morton and slick lawyer Billy Flynn, who turn Velma's incarceration into a murder-of-the-week media frenzy, thus preparing the world for a splashy showbiz comeback. But Roxie's got a few tricks of her own...

"Audiences can expect the premiere musical theatre event in the Bismarck-Mandan area of the year, featuring some of the finest talent the area has to offer. They can expect some truly spectacular choreography in the vein of Bob Fosse. They can expect to hear some of the greatest songs ever composed by Fred Ebb and John Kander," said Devlin.

Among the Kander and Ebb classics are Broadway standards like "All That Jazz," "Cell Block Tango," "We Both Reached for the Gun," and "Mister Cellophane."

"I'm thrilled to work with the BSC students and faculty on this show, and it's always such a blessing to see how deep our talent is in this city and at this school. From working with amazing production team members to getting down to the nitty-gritty of acting with our students, the process of watching young artists grow is always so gratifying," Devlin says. "We have very strong leads cast in this show, and a nice mixture of actors I've worked with before and newcomers to the SJL, including phenomenal talent from local high schools."

Admission is $12 adults ($5 with BSC I.D.). Reserved seat tickets can be purchased in advance online at bsctheatre.com, by calling the box office at 224-5677 or visiting the BSC Campus Information Center in the Student Union on campus. Tickets also can be purchased on performance days at the box office in Schafer Hall.