Musical Theater Returns to Assumption University
On April 25, with stage lights illuminating Curtis Performance Hall, musical theater returned to Salisbury Street for first time in five years – since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its return, 15 performers in the Greyhound Theater, a club founded and directed by Westin Michaud ’28, staged two productions of the musical “Something Rotten!” before excited audiences.
Michaud, a first-year student who has been involved in theater since the sixth grade, was motivated to bring the art form back to campus. With the help of John Roper ’25 and professor of practice in music Peter Clemente, he did just that.
Nick Dulling ’25 and Tori Richardson ’25 in Something Rotten!
After getting the green light from Clemente to begin the program, Michaud began to scout interested students. Within weeks they received 55 responses to a sign-up form – a stirring indication of the strong interest in reviving the tradition.
From there, an executive team also formed, with Michaud as president, Roper as vice president, Trish Tricoche ’28 as secretary, Nick Dulling ’25 as treasurer, Lucas Audette ’26, and Clemente as the official faculty advisor. Reese MacDonald ’27 and her father designed and built the set, and Michaud stepped into the role of costumer.
“Something Rotten!”, created by John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick, features two fictional brothers’ attempts to create the world’s first musical while competing with their more successful contemporary, William Shakespeare. That Greyhound Theater staged their campus revival just two days after the Bard of Avon’s birthday on April 23 wasn’t deliberate – but to Michaud, it feels like kismet.
“It was a coincidence, but I think it was fate,” Michaud said. “It turned out to be a perfect fit, because it’s a musical about starting a musical…when we were starting a musical theater program. It was a perfect show on top of the fact that we had a really fitting cast for it.”
The group has no plans to slow down after this academic year, with Michaud noting that there are already plans in the works for both fall and spring productions next year.
“Our plan is to have a musical every spring, and a play, or sometimes multiple plays, in the fall,” said Michaud. “This way, we can still have theater in the fall, but the expense is much less, allowing us to still put on a musical in the spring with a robust budget.”
Nick Dulling ’25 performs as Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!
In terms of next year’s spring musical, Michaud and the team have not yet committed to a specific production but are thinking strategically in terms of casting and the potential group of students involved.
“I want to prioritize seniors in casting when it comes to main characters, without going too far,” Michaud said. “It’s about ensuring that when people are graduating, they get to go out with a bang.”
For the fall 2025 semester, Michaud said the plan is for two smaller shows to be performed at the end of the semester – overall, the goal is for anyone on campus interested in theater to join and be a part of the new club.
“This club will give everyone who is interested in theater at Assumption an opportunity to participate,” said Michaud. “It will also hopefully bring more people interested in theater, and by extension music, to Assumption. Ultimately, the goal is to give people opportunities to engage in their creativity.”