• Book and Lyrics: Sonya Hayden
• Music: Matthew Lowy
• Directed: Adam Yankowy
• Music Directed: Dave Wendelberger
• Location: Pasant Theatre, Wharton Center for Performing Arts
• Dates: September 19 – 21, 2025

Taking Off! is a 90-minute musical comedy set aboard a turbulent 1967 Panamorama Airlines flight, where an ambitious female mechanic, Amelia Darehart, trades her toolbox for a stewardess uniform—only to discover the role isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Between spilled drinks, a diamond heist gone wrong, and a dream ballet filled with terrible dancers, Amelia navigates love, ambition, and the absurd rules placed on women of the era. With high-flying hijinks and heart, Taking Off! explores the push and pull between freedom and societal expectations—all at 35,000 feet. A unique educational collaboration between Michigan State University Department of Theatre and the Institute for Arts & Creativity at Wharton Center.

Performance Dates

• Friday, September 19, 2025 @ 7:30pm
• Saturday, September 20, 2025 @ 7:30pm
• Sunday, September 21, 2025 @ 2:00pm