Photo Gallery: ACT’s ‘Chicago’ Becomes Campus Blockbuster



Leading up to the production, “Chicago” was all the buzz on campus and quickly became a blockbuster: tickets to the Alternate College Theatre (ACT) production sold out in just three days. This highly anticipated and well-known musical, directed by Christine Freije ’13 and coproduced by Erik Schneider ’16 and Tim Rice ’16, was seen by more than 900 students, faculty, staff, and alumni over five performances during Winter Homecoming weekend, becoming the most popular ACT production in over a decade.

From directing and designing to producing and performing, the production was entirely student run through ACT, one of the largest and oldest student groups at the College. “Chicago” was a challenging choice, demanding everything to be bigger than typical ACT productions, says Freije, who returned to campus to direct the musical. With 17 people in the cast, an extensive backstage crew, and a fairly complicated set with many moving components, Freije and her team had big ambitions for the final product— and they did not disappoint.

“The amount of work that every individual put into these productions was incredible, and the show quality proves it time and again,” says Diana Hurtado ’17, who played Velma Kelly in the production. “The fact that we broke records and got to be part of ACT history as such a successful production still feels like a dream.”

Read more about the production of “Chicago”

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