±«Óătv

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±«Óătv Theatre announces 2021-2022 season

BOLIVAR, Mo. – ±«Óătv Theatre is excited to announce its 2021-22 season that features the theme: “Onward.”

“While audiences are still being asked to mask for the performances, we are very excited to be able to have the actors unmasked this season,” said Jonathan Wehmeyer, director of theatre and assistant professor of theatre at ±«Óătv. 

Each of the productions highlights a different opportunity for students and audience members alike.

±«Óătv Theatre will open the season with “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery at 7 p.m., Sept. 23-25 in the Davis-Newport Theater on the Bolivar campus. The production is adapted by Monica Flory and directed by Rebecca Rankin, assistant professor of theatre at ±«Óătv. 

“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with playwright Monica Flory on ‘The Little Prince’ to adapt this work for our unique cast,” Wehmeyer said. “A moving story about a boy and the characters who teach him life lessons will use a variety of puppetry styles including classical Marionette, double-rod hand puppets and shadow puppets. 

±«Óătv Theatre 2021-2022 season poster“We are thrilled to create an imaginative world of expression through puppetry.”

The remainder of the schedule includes:

  • Nov. 11-13 – “As it is in Heaven,” by Arlene Hutton, at 7 p.m. A young woman in a 19th Century Shaker community sees angels during her prayer time. However, why would God speak to someone so young and so new to the community? Did she just hallucinate? Is she lying to get attention? Questions, fear and anger abound in this beautiful production, directed by Matt Bender, that utilizes movement and traditional Shaker hymns to discuss how we communicate with God and each other.
  • March 10-13 – “The Pirates of Penzance,” music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W.S. Gilbert, at 7 p.m. March 10-12 with a matinee at 2 p.m. March 13. Singing pirates and swashbuckling fun! The classic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan and directed by Jonathan Wehmeyer, is full of laughs, fun, heart and wonderful music. Accidentally raised by pirates, the hero of the story must choose between his pirate family and his newfound love. This imaginative production will once again bring the ±«Óătv Music and Theatre programs together in collaboration.
  • April 28-30 – “On the Verge,” by Eric Overmyer, at 7 p.m. Three Victorian women, experience explorers, set out in 1888 to discover new lands. Instead, they discover where what the left behind and what lies beyond meet. This production is directed by ±«Óătv Theatre student Ryan Lee in his mainstage directing debut.

Tickets range in price from $4-$10 and may be purchased at the Box Office in Jester Learning and Performance Center from 1-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, over the phone at (417) 328-1691 or online at www.sbuniv.edu/theatre.

For more information, contact Wehmeyer at (417) 328-1954 or jwhemeyer@±«Óătvniv.edu.

*Published: 9-3-2021