ALBANY — The Theatre Program of the University at Albany’s Department of Music and Theatre will  present The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s classic comedy of the battle between the sexes, in a fresh interpretation directed by Ryan Garbayo and featuring a company of over 60 actors, designers and crew members. 

There will be six public performances at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown University at Albany campus from March 6 through 10. The schedule includes shows on Wednesday & Thursday, March 6 & 7 at 8 p.m.; Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m.; Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; and Sunday, March 10 at 3 p.m.  

While Shrew has survived for four centuries, it is performed much less frequently in the 21st century. In this production, gender is flipped on its head with nearly all the roles played by female-identifying students, embodying masculine archetypes — including Petruchio who comes to woo the “waspish” Kate. 

Advance tickets are $17 for the general public and $12 for students, senior citizens and UAlbany faculty-staff.  Tickets purchased on the day of the show are $22 for the general public and $17 for students, seniors and UAlbany faculty-staff.  All tickets must be purchased on-line from the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s site at www.albany.edu/pac/tickets.  Information and assistance can be obtained by contacting the UAlbany Performing Arts Center’s main office at 518-442-3995 or pac@albany.edu

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Area children are invited to audition to dance with New York City Ballet during its Saratoga season, July 9 – 13.

Auditions will be held 10 a.m. Sunday, March 10 at the SPAC School of the Arts (located behind the National Museum of Dance School), 99 South Broadway. Audition check-in on March 10 will commence at 9 a.m. and advance registration is required by Thursday, March 7. 

Auditions are for 24 childrens’ roles in scenes from George Balanchine’s Coppélia, which first premiered at SPAC in 1974. New York City Ballet Children’s Repertory Director Dena Abergel leads the auditions. 

“Bringing scenes from Coppélia back to SPAC, where it first premiered 50 years ago, is a special way to honor the legacy of our beloved New York City Ballet, while also giving local children an unforgettable opportunity to perform on our stage,” said Elizabeth Sobol, President & CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, in a statement.  

Casting for Coppélia includes roles for 24 girls who are 9 to 13 years old between four feet, two inches and five feet, one inches tall. At least two years of ballet training is encouraged. Understudies will also be cast. 

Rehearsals for selected dancers will be held from June 30 to July 12 at the SPAC School of the Arts and at the SPAC amphitheater. 

Scenes from Coppélia will be featured as part of the Swan Lake & Stars and Stripes program on Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 13 at 2 p.m., in addition to opening night’s NYCB On and Off Stage program on Tuesday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. 

Visit spac.org for more details.

ALBANY — The Albany Symphony announced the appointment of David Hyslop as interim executive director. 

Hyslop’s resume includes 58 years in the orchestra industry, acting as the former CEO to the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, as well as the interim executive director for more than 15 musical organizations. He was born in Schenectady. 

Hyslop has spent 32 of his 58-year career as the chief executive officer for three of the nation’s top symphony orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra (1991-2003), St. Louis Symphony (1978-1991), and Oregon Symphony (1972-1978). Since 2004, Hyslop has spearheaded consulting projects throughout the country. His many consulting projects have included executive searches, strategic planning, development feasibility studies for endowment campaigns, and the Wheaton Grand Theater redevelopment and business planning project in Illinois.

SCHENECTADY —The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame announced the opening of the fourth round of Fairgame Arts Grants – a funding opportunity for non-profit arts and cultural organizations in three New York state regions—Capital Region, Catskills and Southern Tier. 

In all, not-for-profit organizations based in 27 counties are eligible to apply for grants from $1,000–$5,000. 

Since 2019, the Arts Grant has been awarded to over 100 non-profit arts and cultural organizations and distributed more than $450,000 in funding. 

The Upstate Theater Coalition for a Fairgame was created in partnership with the State of New York and the casinos in the three gaming regions: Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, Resorts World Catskills, del Lago Resort & Casino and Tioga Downs Casino Resort. Coalition members are: Bardavon Presents (Poughkeepsie), Bethel Woods Center for the Arts (Bethel), Clemens Center (Elmira), Forum Theatre (Binghamton), Palace Performing Arts Center (Albany), Proctors (Schenectady), Rochester Broadway Theatre League’s Auditorium Theatre (Rochester), Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs City Center, State Theatre of Ithaca, Times Union Center (Albany) and Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. 

The deadline for grant applications is 5 p.m. Thursday, March 21. Grant guidelines can be found at afairgame.net. For more information, contact info@afairgame.net.