Performance as Passport: Rowan’s 25|26 Marie Rader Series

From the solar system to Mexico, India to Vienna and a Philadelphia finish, Rowan University’s Marie Rader Series promises an expansive journey around the planet with the 2025-2026 season, titled “A World from Home”. The series brings high quality, accessible performing arts engagements to the university community and the Greater Southern New Jersey region with an emphasis on community engagement, artistic integrity and inclusion. Kicking off its 17th season, the series has established itself as a regular host to Grammy-winners, Tony-winners and inspiring performers from a wide range of genres.

“This season invites audiences to explore sacred traditions and consider performance as a passport to the world – a wonderful opportunity for connection, growth and joy for all who attend,” said Debbie Shapiro, Marie Rader Series Artistic Director.

“A World from Home” will feature stunning folk and classical dance, music and crowd-pleasing children’s theatre, highlighting the cultural riches of our beautiful planet – and beyond.

The 2025-2026 Marie Rader Series includes: 

September 20 - The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System
A TheaterWorksUSA Production
Hop on the Magic School Bus for a ride in this musical adaptation based on the original book series published by Scholastic. Guided by Ms. Frizzle, the class must pull together to find their way across the galaxy while learning as much about teamwork as they do about the solar system. Families will love watching their favorite characters from the classic series explore the atmosphere on Mercury, Venus and Mars on this epic, interplanetary field trip. Learn more at go.rowan.edu/magicschoolbus

November 2 - Calpulli Mexican Dance Company: Día de Muertos
Calpulli Mexican Dance Company celebrates the past and present of Mexican-American culture through universal messages of love and hope. In Día de Muertos, a loving couple falls victim to treachery and is separated, seemingly forever. The young woman enters Mictlán- the underworld of Aztec mythology- where the mesmerizing Catrina reigns as queen. Using both folk and classical music and dance, the company explores a love story spanning the boundary between the living and the departed, and offers a new, holiday classic for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Learn more at go.rowan.edu/calpulli. 

January 31 - Ragamala Dance Company: Sacred Earth
Inspired by the ephemeral arts of kolam rice flour ritual, indigenous Warli painting, and the Tamil Sangam literature of India, Ragamala’s stunning Bharatanatyam dancers create a sacred space to honor the divinity in the natural world and the sustenance we derive from it. Featuring a live carnatic music ensemble and stunning dancers, Sacred Earth is Artistic Co-Directors Ranee and Aparna Ramaswamy’s singular vision of the beautiful, fragile relationship between nature and man. Learn more go.rowan.edu/ragamala.

February 28 - Mnozil Brass: Strau$$
The line between the elegant swirl of a Viennese waltz and the easygoing swing of a pop standard is thinner than one might think—just a warm, embracing dance step away. And who better to explore this delightful musical crossover than the seven brass masters of Mnozil Brass? For more than thirty years, these virtuosos have effortlessly waltzed between genres, embracing the grandeur of classical music and the irresistible charm of pop, mixing the sublime with the playful. Strau$$, their latest stage sensation, lays it all bare, honoring a true pioneer who composted hit after hit and revolutionized  music distribution. Every flourish, every secret, every last twist and turn of the waltz’s golden age – until nothing remains but the naked truth. Learn more at go.rowan.edu/mnozilbrass

March 14 – The Philly Pops: Blockbusters in the ‘Burbs
The re(born) Philly Pops believes that orchestra music belongs to everyone. Conducted by newly appointed Music Director, Chris Dragon, YOUR Philly Pops will take the stage to perform some of cinema’s most cherished scores for a performance that will transport audiences to Time Square. Learn more at go.rowan.edu/phillypops

Tickets for the 25|26 Marie Rader Series are on sale now at go.rowan.edu/tickets.  For more information on the Marie Rader Series, visit go.rowan.edu/marieraderseries 

The Marie Rader Presenting Series is made possible in part through generous support from the Henry M. Rowan Family Foundation via the Marie Rader Memorial Fund and through funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.