Connecting NC State courses with the arts
We’ve made it easy for you to connect the academic courses you teach with events offered through NC State’s art programs, including performances, art exhibitions, music concerts, art making workshops, and theatre productions. Browse the arts programs and corresponding thematic and course connections below, and contact Amy Sawyers-Williams with any engagement ideas or questions: acsawyer@ncsu.edu.
What We Grew Up With
Nov. 2-5
Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre
By KIRAN SOMA
Directed by Usha Bajpai

Winner of the 2023 Creative Artist Award in Theatre. Set in the United States post 9/11, What We Grew Up With follows an immigrant family and their experiences navigating racism, xenophobia, and estrangement.
Read more about the play here.
Class Connections:
- ARS 351 / ARS 494 Arts, Ideas And Values / Special Topics
- HI 345 American Popular Culture
- HON 347 Freedom and the Self
- MUS 103 Theory and Musicianship I
- MUS 120 Introduction to Music Theory
- MUS 150 Vocal Techniques
- PHI 221 Contemporary Moral Issues
- PSY 311 Social Psychology
- PSY 416 Psychology of Emotion
- SOC 212 Race in America
Contact Amy Sawyers-Williams, arts outreach & engagement, to set up a connection (e.g. offer extra credit for your students who attend an event)! ; acsawyer@ncsu.edu
PAST SHOWS
Urintown
Feb. 23-26
Stewart Theatre

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides that he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!
This Meta-Theatre piece pokes fun at capitalism, populism, bureaucracy and musical theatre itself! This show boasts plenty of opportunities for physical comedy, dance, and dark comedy.
Read more about the play here.
Class Connections:
- ARS 351 / ARS 494 Arts, Ideas And Values / Special Topics
- FLE 401 Advanced Oral Communication in English for International Students
- HI 345 American Popular Culture
- HON 347 Freedom and the Self
- MUS 103 Theory and Musicianship I
- MUS 120 Introduction to Music Theory
- MUS 150 Vocal Techniques
- PHI 221 Contemporary Moral Issues
- PRT 200 Health, Wellness and the Pursuit of Happiness
- PRT 238 Diversity and Inclusion in Recreation and Sport
- PSY 311 Social Psychology
- PSY 416 Psychology of Emotion
- THE 103 Introduction to the Theater
- THE 203 Theory and Practice of Acting
Muse
Mar. 30-Apr. 2
Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre
Written by GAVEN BELL
Directed by Mia Self
Winner of the 2022 Arts NC State Creative Artist Award

This 2022 Creative Artist Award-winning one-act play is a contemporary rendition of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth exploring the relationship between art and science as Finn, a microbiologist, grieves the loss of Eurydice, the artist no longer by his side.
Read more about the play here.
Class Connections:
- ARS 351 / ARS 494 Arts, Ideas And Values / Special Topics
- FLE 401 Advanced Oral Communication in English for International Students
- HI 345 American Popular Culture
- HON 347 Freedom and the Self
- MUS 103 Theory and Musicianship I
- MUS 120 Introduction to Music Theory
- MUS 150 Vocal Techniques
- PHI 221 Contemporary Moral Issues
- PRT 200 Health, Wellness and the Pursuit of Happiness
- PRT 238 Diversity and Inclusion in Recreation and Sport
- PSY 416 Psychology of Emotion
- THE 103 Introduction to the Theater
- THE 203 Theory and Practice of Acting