Idaho State University School of Performing Arts announces 2015-2016 theatrical lineup; season tickets on sale

POCATELLO – Idaho State University School of Performing Arts has announced its 2015-2016 theatrical season, scheduled to begin on Sept. 25. The season will feature five plays ranging from classical musical theatre in “Guys and Dolls” to drama and tragedy in “The Glass Menagerie.”

Season tickets are available for four productions at $50 with an additional $5 to include the children’s Readers Theatre “Miss Nelson is Missing.” Prices for individual tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children under 18 and $7 for students. Tickets for individual shows will also be available at the Stephens Performing Arts Center Box Office at 282-3595. To purchase season tickets call 282-6452.

• “The Glass Menagerie” – Sept. 25 and 26 and Oct. 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. Rogers Black Box Theatre

“The Glass Menagerie” is set as a four-character play by Tennessee Williams. Amanda Wingfield, a faded Southern belle, fiercely clings to her two children: Tom, an aspiring poet, and Laura, his painfully shy sister. Amanda wants nothing more than what’s best for her children. At Amanda’s request, Tom brings home a gentleman caller to meet his sister. What follows is an encounter that becomes one of the most compelling and heartbreaking stories ever told. Williams’ classic and deeply personal “memory play” is a touching and profound tale of love and loss, illusion and escape.

• “School for Wives” – Nov. 6, 7, 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.

Beverly B. Bistline Thrust Theatre.

“School for Wives” combines Molière’s caustic observations about love, marriage and desire into a delightful physical comedy. The farce tells the story of Arnolphe, who believes he has shrewdly concocted the perfect plan to woo a much younger woman to be his wife. Naturally, all of Arnolphe’s scheming is rendered useless, revealing
that youth and innocence are no assurance of marital bliss.

• “Miss Nelson is Missing” – Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 30 at 2:00 p.m.

Rogers Black Box Theatre

Based on the popular book by Harry Allard and James Marshall “Miss Nelson is Missing” is a fun and frolicking Readers Theatre for children telling the story of Miss Nelson who cannot control her crazy classroom because she’s just too nice. But when she disappears, her replacement is the mean, detention-loving, recess-canceling, homework-overloading substitute teacher Viola Swamp! With the “Big Test” approaching, students suddenly realize how much they miss sweet Miss Nelson and they’ll do anything to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

• “Guys and Dolls” – Feb. 16 and 27, March 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Beverly B. Bistline Thrust Theatre.

“Guys and Dolls” is considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy. It features one of the greatest scores ever written by the legendary Frank Loesser, masterfully witty book and lyrics by Joe Swerling and comedy legend Abe Burrows, and the glorious Damon Runyon’s comic book world of 1950s New York City. “Guys and Dolls” revolves around Nathan Detroit, the organizer of the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York, who bets fellow gambler Sky Masterson that he can’t make the next girl he sees fall in love with him. The next girl he sees happens to be Miss Sarah Brown, a pure-at-heart Salvation Army-type reformer, and the stage is set for a hilarious evening of complications. It’s the era of gamblers, gangsters, and sassy showgirls. Loesser’s toe-tapping score, including fan-favorites such as “Luck Be a Lady,” “Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat” and “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” is the perfect music to complement Runyon’s colorful characters.

• “Waiting for Godot” – April 15, 16, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 at 2 p.m. Rogers Black Box Theatre

“Waiting for Godot” is the 20th-century masterpiece by playwright Samuel Beckett. Perhaps the original “play about nothing” (and about everything!), Godot presents an abstracted reality – a metaphor of life and existence – as two “tramps” pass the time while awaiting the arrival of the mysterious Godot. “Waiting for Godot” remains a favorite of audiences and actors worldwide, with recent star-studded London and Broadway productions. In “Waiting for Godot,” Beckett created a brilliant, penetrating, and utterly timeless work that is simultaneously witty and thought-provoking.

Cutline information: A scene from last year’s production of “James and the Giant Peach.”