Baldwin Wallace Music Theatre program (BWMT) is gearing up for the next academic year with a bigger production lineup, new collaborations with professional theaters, more regular masterclasses and more. (Photo courtesy Baldwin Wallace University. Used with permission)Baldwin Wallace University
BEREA, Ohio — Baldwin Wallace University’s nationally recognized Music Theatre program (BWMT) has unveiled its 2025-26 season. The lineup is the first under the program’s new leadership team of incoming music theater director Jenn Hemphill, recently hired music director Richard Biever and longtime dance director Greg Daniels.
The trio is taking over for program director Victoria Bussert, who is leaving at the end of the academic year to head up the new musical theater program at Oberlin College.
The mainstage season kicks off this fall with the crowd-pleasing musical “9 to 5,” running Nov. 13-23 at the Kleist Center for Art & Drama. Susan Draus, the music director for the original Broadway production of “Good Vibrations,” will serve as guest music supervisor.
In January, the program heads to Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” set for Jan. 22-26, 2026, at Near West Theatre’s Black Box Theater. The quirky comedy marks the start of a new collaboration between the university and Near West Theatre.
In the spring, BWMT teams up with Playhouse Square to present the first fully staged production of “Star Machine,” an original musical comedy written by conservatory students (and brothers) Gideon and Hank Temple. Performances will take place April 24-26, 2026 at the Helen Theater in Cleveland’s downtown theater district.
New to the annual schedule is a fall staged reading, beginning this year with “Assassins,” set for Sept. 5-7 at the Kleist Center. The program’s partnership with Cleveland Play House is also being expanded, giving students more opportunities to audition for CPH productions.
The 2025-26 academic year will conclude with the Senior Showcase in New York City, a tradition Bussert began more than 25 years ago. Over the years, the event has helped launch the Broadway and touring careers of more than 100 BWMT alumni.
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