Upcoming MIAC events are sure to dazzle campus this fall

Fall performers top row left to right: Martin Short, Vanessa Williams, Ana Gasteyer and Leslie Odom, Jr. 
Spring performers bottom row left to right: Branford Marsalis, Postmodern Jukebox, the Ten Tenors, David Sedaris and Kelli O’Hara

Fall performers top row left to right: Martin Short, Vanessa Williams, Ana Gasteyer and Leslie Odom, Jr. Spring performers bottom row left to right: Branford Marsalis, Postmodern Jukebox, the Ten Tenors, David Sedaris and Kelli O’Hara

Bella Lee, Staff Writer

Another year at Mercyhurst is off to a great start, which means another full slate of MIAC per-formers are on their way to campus!

This fall, the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts and Culture (MIAC) is bringing in some big names such as Martin Short, Vanessa Williams, Ana Gasteyer and Leslie Odom Jr.

Martin Short, the first of these performers, will be welcomed to the D’Angelo stage on Sept. 23.Best known for his breakout role in “The Three Amigos” as Ned Nederlander and as Jack Frost in the third “Santa Clause” film, Short has accolades across movies, television and theater. Other movie credits include “The Prince of Egypt,” “Treasure Planet” and “Madagascar 3: Eu-rope’s Most Wanted.”

Additionally, Short has had tele-vision roles in “How I Met Your Mother” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schimdt,” and theater roles in “Godspell” and “The Producers.”

Currently, Short is starring alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in the Hulu original “Only Murders in the Building,” which premieres new episodes every Tuesday. The show has al-ready received much acclaim and had the most-viewed comedy premiere in Hulu history. In a career spanning over 35 years, Short is guaranteed to have the audience laughing until they are crying.

Vanessa Williams, coming to Mercyhurst on Oct. 22, has a well-rounded resume as an actress, singer and fashion designer.

She first received fame in 1984 as the first African American woman to win the Miss America crown.

However, two of her most well-known TV roles are as Wilhelmina Slater on “Ugly Betty” and Renee Perry on “Desperate Housewives.

”Williams has earned herself the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture and was nominated three times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Ana Gasteyer, an actress and comedian, will be presenting her show “Sugar and Booze” on Nov. 30. She is most well-known for be-ing a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002, although she has also had roles in “Mean Girls,” “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2,” “Frasier” and “Suburgatory.” More recently, she was on Sea-son 2 of “The Masked Singer” as The Tree.

Gasteyer’s comedic charm is sure to bring something special to the Mercyhurst stage.

A name beloved by many theater fans, Leslie Odom, Jr., rounds out MIAC’s fall performers with a performance from his Christmas tour on Dec. 6.Most will recognize Odom for his role as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton,” but he has also had roles in productions such as “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Central Park” and theater productions like “Rent” and “Dreamgirls.”

Additionally, he has released four albums, including his Christ-mas album, so he will undeniably bring the Christmas spirit with his performance. However, this is not the only thing students and staff alike should be excited about.

The spring semester is just as loaded with amazing performances. The spring series starts out with Branford Marsalis joining the community on Feb. 1, Postmodern Jukebox entertaining the audience on Mar. 16, The Ten Tenors soothing the crowd on Mar. 30, David Sedaris making his return on Apr. 19, and Kelli O’Hara being welcomed on May 5.More information on these performances will come as the spring semester approaches.

Make sure to clear your evenings on those dates as everyone within and outside the Mercyhurst community is ecstatic about these performances.

Students are eligible for one free ticket per performance with your student ID, so be sure to claim one at the box office located in the lobby of the Mary D’Angelo Per-forming Arts Center while you can!