September 19, 2019
Get tickets now for SIU’s 2019-20 SIU Theater productions
CARBONDALE, Ill. — A comedic look at 1980s horror flicks, a classic Harper Lee story, a Pulitzer prize-winning drama and a musical to beat all musicals are all part of the 2019-20 season lineup for Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Department of Theater. To wrap up the season, there will also be a special free production, as part of the Big Muddy New Play Festival, featuring student works.
The casts and details
The performances come courtesy of the SIU Department of Theater, and with the exception of the final event, take place in McLeod Theater, housed in SIU’s Communications Building.
The cast for each is comprised of talented SIU students and community members. The productions give the performers a chance to hone their craft and perform before live audiences.
The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. for Thursday through Saturday productions and at 2 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Patrons aren’t admitted after the shows begin.
‘Evil Dead – the Musical’
Based on a George Reinblatt book, “Evil Dead – the Musical” is the tale of five college students who, while spending the weekend in an abandoned cabin in the woods, accidentally unleash an evil terror.
Directed by J. Thomas Kidd, the musical is a comedic look at the 1980s horror movie genre, complete with characters and demons singing and dancing to songs written specifically for the musical by Christopher Bond, Frank Cipolla, Melissa Morris and Reinblatt.
Performances will be Oct. 17-20 and 24-27; all dates are at 7:30 p.m. except for matinees at 2 pm. Oct. 20 and 27.
‘To Kill a Mockingbird'
This presentation of the classic Harper Lee story focuses on the special relationship the fictional Alabama attorney Atticus Finch has with his children and the lessons he teaches them, especially when their world turns upside down when Atticus takes on the racially charged case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white girl, in Maycombe, Alabama. The play is directed by Segun Ojewuyi.
The play is set for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5-7 and 2 p.m. Dec. 8. There will also be a special 10 a.m. matinee performance on Dec. 5.
‘The Musical of Musicals’
This unique presentation is virtually five musicals in one, as it’s five versions of the same basic storyline, told through the unique styles of five different songsters: (Richard) Rogers and (Oscar) Hammerstein, Jerry Herman, (John) Kander and (Fred) Ebb, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The performance connects the work of these musical theater songwriters, reimagining them side-by-side. Joann Bogart and Eric Rockwell are the writers and the musical’s director is Darryl Clark.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. March 20-22 and 2 p.m. March 23.
‘Sweat’
Directed by Ojewuyi, the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning Lynn Nottage drama “Sweat” depicts the collapse of the American working class in the new millennium, revealing how people, when bogged down by poverty and hopelessness, can sink into the depths of misery. In exploring the ramifications of human anger, the play also illuminates the power of forgiveness and redemption.
“Sweat” performances are set for 7:30 p.m. April 23-25 and 2 p.m. on April 26.
Tickets now on sale
Tickets are available now, either for the entire season or for individual performances.
- Series tickets are $64 for adults or $24 for students or people ages 17 and younger.
- Individual performance tickets are $18 for adults or $6 for students/children.
There is a $2 convenience fee for tickets purchased online or via telephone.
You can purchase season or individual tickets in several ways:
- By calling 877-SALUKIS (877/725-8547).
- Online at events.siu.edu.
- In person Monday through Friday at the SIU Arena (8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or McLeod Theater (noon-4:30 p.m.) box offices.
- By mail to: SIU Ticket Office, Lingle Hall-Mail Code 6620, 1490 Douglas Drive, Carbondale, IL 62901.
Big Muddy New Play Festival is free
The Big Muddy New Play Festival returns March 26-29 at the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater. This free festival features entertaining readings and new productions by both undergraduate and graduate playwrights.
A guest commentator will lead “talkbacks” on each play, allowing the writers to get valuable input on their work. The presentations, set for 7:30 p.m. March 26-28 and 2 p.m. March 29, 2010, are open to the public at no cost.
For more information about the McLeod Theater productions, visit cola.siu.edu/theater/productions.