Art Biz with Liz: An Artsy Halloween in Ann Arbor

One of the best things about campus life at the University of Michigan – and living in Ann Arbor in general – is that there is always something going on. On any given weekend, you can see a musical theatre performance by SMTD students or a concert by the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. Halloween weekend is no exception, and if you’re looking for something to do other than attending parties or watching the long-awaited U-M versus MSU football game, there are plenty of arts events to consider.

Whether you visited the haunted bell tower at Lurie Bell Tower or watched one of the horror films offered through Halaloween: An Online Muslim Horror Film Festival, I hope you had a great start to the Halloweekend festivities. Last night, ComCo presented “Wait, That Zombie Is Sexy.” ComCo, or The Comedy Company, is the oldest improv comedy troupe at the University of Michigan, and the event was an affordable, entertaining event for students to attend at $2 a ticket in Angell Hall. For anyone else, the Hill Auditorium hosted the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, which offered a night of magic playing music from Harry Potter. There have been virtual events, too, like today’s virtual Saturday sampler tour at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. The event, “Spooky, Weird, and Magical: Halloween with the Kelsey,” offered audiences to engage with the museum virtually and experience Halloween with headless sculptures, mummies, more.

While Friday has come and gone, tonight you have another chance to see Ripper by Penny Seats Theatre at the Stone Chalet. The performance is conveniently one of the arts events featured on the most recent Passport to the Arts! Of course, there is also plenty of stuff going on this Sunday, Halloween itself. On October 31st at 3:15 pm, the carillon guild will play a variety of pieces for the public at the Burton Memorial Tower. Shortly after that at 4:00 pm, the SMTD University Symphony and Philharmonia Orchestras will present their annual Halloween concert. The Halloween tunes will be made more entertaining by the costumed musicians, and audience members are invited to dress up as well.

For students, also be sure to check out what’s going on in your residential halls and student organizations. Many dormitories are offering activities like open mic nights and Halloween arts and crafts! Whatever you decide to do, have a safe and fun Halloween!

Note: Apologies for the delay in this post; I forget to publish it last night, so everything has been updated to what has already passed and what is yet to happen.