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Performing arts, Mitchell College

Performing Arts

Performing Arts

Whether your passion is musical theatre, straight drama, comedy, choral music, dance (contemporary or traditional), cheerleading, or solo vocal and instrumental instruction or performance, at Mitchell College you can find your voice.

Participation in every Mitchell performing arts program is open to all Thames and Mitchell students, regardless of major. For many students involvement in our program is their first performance experience, and it is where they discover their passion.

Our home city of New London is steeped in the tradition of performing arts. Right in our own backyard is the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, called the “launchpad of American theater,” and the Garde Arts Center, which hosts hundreds of theatrical and concert performances each year.

Upcoming Performances

Performing arts, Mitchell College

Spring Musical

Thursday, April 11:  7:00pm
Friday, April 12: 7:00pm
Saturday. April 13: 2:00pm and 7:00pm

Location: Clarke Center Stage

Students: $5
Mitchell College Alumni: $5
Faculty/Staff: $10
Public General Admission: $15

Tired of politics in the 21st Century? Come join the Mitchell College Players as we turn back the time machine to an imaginary presidential election in the 1930s in Of Thee I Sing, written by George and Ira Gershwin. The old adage is true: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Past Performances

Winter Play: It’s a Wonderful Life, November 2023

Performing arts, Mitchell College

Fall Dance/Cheer Showcase, November 2023

Performing arts, Mitchell College

Fall Weekend Cabaret, October 2023

Performing arts, Mitchell College

Spring Dance/Cheer Showcase, April 2023

Performing arts, Mitchell College

Select Chorus Spring Concert, April 2023

Performing arts, Mitchell College

Spring Musical: The Fantasticks, May 2023

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Performing arts, Mitchell College
Mitchell College Players

Each year, the Mitchell College Players stage a fall play and spring musical in addition to other performances such as cabaret, improv comedy, and one acts. Auditions are open to all Mitchell and Thames students and roles are available both on and back stage. Recent past performances include Romantic Fools, The 25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee, GodspellLegally BlondeThe Importance of Being Earnest, Almost, Maine and Vietnam 101: The War on Campus.

Spring 2022

The Mitchell College Players are beyond excited to be able to welcome audiences back to the Clarke Center auditorium for live, in-person performances from the Clarke stage!

Learn More

To learn more about the program or auditions, contact Jonathan Babbitt at babbitt_j@mitchell.edu or 401-864-9009.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Auditions for Theatre Seasons
Watch for information about upcoming auditions here! No prior acting experience is required, and auditions are open to all Mitchell College and Thames students. Students must audition for theatre roles each semester. 
Performing arts, Mitchell College
Mitchell College Select Chorus

This group, numbering 16 to 20 voices, is a curricular, all-auditioned ensemble and maintains a rigorous rehearsal schedule of two two-hour sessions per week, with additional individual coaching in Voice and Theory throughout each semester. The Select Chorus performs for College functions throughout the academic year and serves as an additional facet of the College’s public face by performing off-campus for recruiting events, alumni and development efforts, and community activities in southeastern Connecticut.

We begin our fifth year with a strong group of returning singers, and are eager and excited to meet all the singers of the incoming class! Our repertoire includes works by Mozart, Vaughan Williams, two brand-new settings by our own Select Chorus Director Jonathan Babbitt, folk songs, popular arrangements, music from Asia and Africa, and more.

Learn More

To learn more about the program or auditions, contact Jonathan Babbitt at babbitt_j@mitchell.edu or 860-701-7987.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Auditions for Select Chorus

Watch for information about upcoming auditions here! No prior singing/choral experience is required, and auditions are open to all Mitchell College and Thames students.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Dance/Cheer

The Mitchell College Dance/Cheer Team welcomes all incoming and returning Mariners, whether they have no experience in dance, a passing interest in dance, some experience in dance, or years of experience in dance! The ensemble presents a Showcase during each semester, offers cheerleading at select home basketball contests, and provides dancers for the spring musical when appropriate. Performances are choreographed to take into account the proficiency levels of all dancers!

All interested prospective members are invited to learn more about the program by contacting:

Jonathan Babbitt at babbitt_j@mitchell.edu or 401-864-9009.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Auditions for Dance/Cheer

Watch for information about upcoming auditions here! No prior formal dance/cheer experience is required, and auditions are open to all Mitchell College and Thames students.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Lessons & Ensembles

On-Campus Private Lessons

Mitchell is pleased to offer private lessons in voice and instruments through the College. Drawing upon the highly-trained pool of professional instrumental and vocal performers from throughout New London County and beyond, we offer private on-campus instruction in voice, piano, winds, strings, organ, brasses and percussion, while providing rigorous structure and accountability through the office of the Coordinator of Applied Music Studies.

Ensembles

The College is also coordinates the creation and coaching of instrumental ensembles of any sort, from rock and jazz to classical trios, quartets, chamber groups and pep bands. Opportunities for performance abound, and include college athletic events, gatherings and assemblies, and off-campus outreach events in the local community.

Contact

Contact Jonathan Babbitt at babbitt_j@mitchell.edu or 860-701-7987

Performing arts, Mitchell College
About the Director

Jonathan Babbitt, M.M.

Jonathan Babbitt, Assistant Professor, Performing Arts, Director of Choral Activities, Coordinator of Applied Music Studies and Director, Mitchell College Players, earned his bachelor’s and master’s at Yale and Yale School of Music where he directed the Yale Freshman Chorus and was associate director of the Yale Glee Club. His numerous years of experience as a teacher, clinician, conductor, recitalist, adjudicator and composer contribute greatly to the performing arts landscape at Mitchell College. Visit Jono’s bio to learn more.

Contact

Contact Jonathan Babbitt at babbitt_j@mitchell.edu or 860-701-7987

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Performing Arts Internships

When he first started as a Thames at Mitchell College student, Max Pevna would’ve never guessed that two summers later, he’d be a full-time communications major at Mitchell, performing Shakespeare at an outdoor amphitheater alongside one of the most adventurous classical theater companies in New England. Thanks to his Integrative Career Development (ICD) summer internship with Flock Theatre, Max gained a full range of experiences in the world of theater production as he helped Flock prepare for three weekends of Shakespeare’s King Henry IV, Part I. Read Max’s story.

“It’s a good way to make a lot of friends and kind of come out of your shell because you can’t just be your normal, quiet self – you have to open up as a different character and all that. You don’t know unless you try it.”

Learn more about Internships

To learn more about internships and career experiences through Integrative Career Development at Mitchell College, visit mitchell.edu/icd.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
The Red Barn Performance Space

Completed in 2018, the Red Barn at Mitchell College offers a dramatic and innovative venue for Mitchell College performances. With state-of-the-art lighting and sound, black-out window capability for theater performances, a nine-foot Baldwin concert grand piano, resonant acoustics and a theatre-style seating capacity of 150-225, the Red Barn adds a fabulous, flexible space for student and community theatre and concert performances.

 

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Boredom is not an option.

The local arts/music/theater scene is alive and thriving

New London and southeastern Connecticut might be thought of as a sleeping giant when it comes to the arts. For art, Mitchell students have quick access to the Hygienic Gallery and Lyman Allen Gallery. The Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme is a fun half day excursion and step back in time. For theater buffs, students can see a local performance at the Garde Arts Center or Eugene O’Neill Theater. Great theater options a short drive away include Ivoryton Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals, both on the Connecticut River. Concerts at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods are readily accessible, and the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Lyme offers a full repertoire of cultural and performing arts experiences.

And of course, Mitchell is about 2 hours from NYC and 2 hours from Boston for near limitless big city entertainment, both accessible by train.

Performing arts, Mitchell College
Performing arts, Mitchell College

CONTACT

Jonathan Babbitt, M.M.
Assistant Professor, Performing Arts, Director of Choral Activities, Coordinator of Applied Music Studies, Director, Mitchell College Players

babbitt_j@mitchell.edu
Phone: 860-701-7987

Performing arts, Mitchell College