The theater group at Mississippi State University is preparing for another season in the spotlight.
The fall season is set to begin Oct. 14, when MSU Theatre will present Somerset Maugham”s “A Constant Wife” on the main stage in McComas Hall. Jo Durst, a theatre instructor in the Communication Department at MSU, will direct the play.
“A Constant Wife” is a comedy which follows the marriage and fidelity of a surgeon and his wife. While the original was set in 1920s England, MSU Theatre will perform a rendition set in 1950s Charleston, S.C.
“It”s a romantic comedy, a comedy of manners, and it”s dealing with marital fidelity with a wonderful twist in the middle,” Durst said. “The fashions themselves are worth coming out to see.”
The play is open to all ages. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, 15 and 16. General admission tickets cost $10, while students get in for $5.
Durst also is working on a program dubbed “The Telling Project,” which will allow five of the university”s veterans to share their experiences with the audience. The veterans worked with script writers to document their tours of duty and will go on stage Nov. 12-14 in Lee Hall”s Bettersworth Auditorium.
“It has been very fascinating working with them,” Durst said.
The performances on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 begin at 7 p.m., while the show on Nov. 14 begins at 2 p.m. Admission is free.
The third performance this fall by MSU Theatre will be a joint collaboration with the Department of Music on Mozart”s “The Magic Flute.” Dr. Donna Clevinger, a professor of theatre in the Communication Department, will direct the musical about a prince and a princess, and their trials with courage, knowledge, love and the gift of a magical flute.
The Theatre MSU group will perform the musical, which Clevinger described as “an opera for children,” for students in the Starkville and Columbus school districts Nov. 15-19 on the main stage in McComas Hall. A performance for the public will be held Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. General admission costs $10 for the Nov. 21 performance, while students get in for $5.
“Most people think of opera as very grand, very pompous, but this isn”t going to be like that at all,” Clevinger said. “It”s very engaging.”
Clevinger and Durst are encouraging the public to attend the shows at Mississippi State and view the talents of the MSU Theatre group.
“We are excited about it,” Durst said. “Our students are exceptionally talented, dedicated and are very hard-working. They approach theater with a professional attitude that astounds us at times.”
The MSU Communication Department also is hosting the North Mississippi High School Drama Festival Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 in McComas Hall.
General admission season tickets for MSU Theatre group events are available for $40. Student season tickets cost $20.
To purchase tickets, visit www.comm.msstate. edu.
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