A look into the most recent event of the Rozsa Presenting series, Dinosaur World Live
On Feb. 24, Dinosaur World Live came to the Rozsa for a one night only event as part of the yearly Rozsa Presenting series. As stated by the university on its events webpage, “Outside it may feel like an ice age, but inside the Rozsa long extinct creatures are taking over! DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE, winner of the prestigious 2024 Olivier Award for Best Family Entertainment, comes to Houghton, MI as part of their third major tour of the United States.”
The show follows Miranda, a young girl living on an island off the coast of Argentina, which she has named Dinosaur World. She brought a multitude of different dinosaur friends to the theater for the audience, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor, and Segnosaurus. The dinosaurs themselves are to-scale puppets operated by the tour’s crew. While the show was aimed primarily at children, there was a mix of elementary-aged children and college students in attendance.
Kiersten Birondo, the Executive Director of the Rozsa and an Alumna of Tech, was asked about her role in the Rozsa. She responded, “I work with everybody here on our staff, and I am kind of responsible for looking at the overall picture of what we’re doing.” On top of that, Birondo is also in charge of the theme of each Presenting Series. “The theme for this [series] was really just about ‘who have we been and where are we going?’” She explained how The Nutcracker has been a tradition at the Rozsa for years, but this year they brought in a new company than in the past. Step Afrika has also performed at the Rozsa before, however, this year the Evolution Tour is performing a new version of it.
When it comes to Dinosaur World specifically, Birondo was very upfront with her reasoning for bringing the show. “I heard the phrase ‘dinosaur world’ and I knew how much I wanted to see that, and at every single age of my life, I would have wanted to see that.” She also spoke about how it was an experience for all ages. “I just knew that this was something that was going to be incredibly exciting for families, and what an awesome first introduction for kids… this is a great date night for college students. This is a great friends’ night out. It just was such an incredible work and experience for so many people, and it just seemed like it fit perfectly for our campus.”
Birondo finished the interview by saying, “The shared experience is incredible, and I want that night for people, but then knowing it’s a memory that is one of those magical things that you got to experience and that you got to share with people that you care about, love it.”
To see the rest of this year’s Presenting series, head to mtu.edu/rozsa/events-and-programs/explore-by-series/rozsa-presenting-series/
