Emporia State University

The third production of ESU Summer Theatre's 60th Anniversary season is "Too Many Cooks," a sidesplitting farce sure to have audiences laughing loud and long. Written by the Canadian writing team of Marsha Kash and Douglas E. Hughes, the production will be presented in the Karl C. Bruder Theatre, July 9-12, 2014.

The popular comedy hit "Nunsense" will run in the Karl C. Bruder Theatre at Emporia State University from June 25-28. The second production of the 60th anniversary season of summer theatre, "Nunsense" has been presented at ESU twice before and this year marks its 30th anniversary as an international theatre sensation.

In the summer of 2014, ESU Theatre celebrates its 60th consecutive season of summer theatre. That first season was put together by Karl Bruder and featured 8 productions--one each week for eight weeks. The 60th season follows the more recent tradition of producing 4 shows in eight weeks. Kicking off the new season is a revival of Blithe Spirit, first presented as a part of the first summer season in 1955.

Emporia State University Theatre presents Boeing Boeing, a French farce adapted for the English-speaking stage.

Emporia State University Theatre will present Uncle Vanya, Chekhov's classic tragicomedy.

The second show of the season, Neil LaBute's "reasons to be pretty," is a love story about the impossibility of love that targets America's obsession with physical beauty.

Joe DiPietro's All Shook Up! kicks off the 100th season of theater at Emporia State University. A musical comedy by the writer of "Memphis" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," "All Shook Up!" is built around hit songs made famous by Elvis Presley. Borrowing some familiar plot devices from Shakespeare, the score highlights classics like "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender," "Don't Be Cruel," "Can't Help Falling in Love" and the title song.

"Still Life with Iris," written by Steven Dietz, is the first recipient of the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays Award. This fantastical adventure takes flight on a little girl's search for her home. It remains one of the most popular productions presented by Kansas City's Coterie Theatre.

Emporia State University Theatre presents Tom Smith's "Drinking Habits," a farce that is second to "nun." Winner of the 2004 Robert J. Pickering Award for Excellence in playwriting, this zany farce is sure to have audiences rolling in the aisles.

Emporia State Theatre presents the romantic comedy "Maybe Baby, It's You" written by Charlie Shanian and Shari Simpson as the second show of the 2013 summer season. This series of eleven vignettes about the search for a soul mate is sure to warm the hearts of lovers everywhere. Audiences will see stories that cover every aspect of the search for love. Transitions between scenes will be recordings of actual people talking about their search for love.

When Emporia State University Theatre presents its 40th annual Homecoming Scholarship Musical, area residents will be involved in the gala production of "Guys & Dolls," which is based upon stories and characters created by Manhattan, Kan., native Damon Runyon. Born into the family of a newspaperman, Runyon was born in Kansas, raised in Colorado and made his mark on the streets of Broadway in New York City. Composer Frank Loesser brought "Guys and Dolls" to Broadway in the middle of the Eisenhower years where it has become one of the most treasured shows of Broadway's Golden Age. Featuring a memorable score and equally memorable characters, "Guys and Dolls" has been revived several times on Broadway (most recently in 2009). It is also a celebrated MGM musical that starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra as the high rollers Sky Masterson and Nathan Detroit. Desperate to find money to pay for his floating crap game, Nathan Detroit bets Sky Masterson $1,000 that Sky will not be able to take a local Salvation Army girl, Sarah, to Cuba. While Sky courts Sarah, Nathan battles with his fiancA(C) of 14 years, Adelaide while still trying to put together his illegal crap game under the watchful eye of Lt. Brannigan. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

The 59th annual season of Emporia State Summer Theatre opens June. 12.

When Emporia State University Theatre opens its 2013 spring production on Feb. 27, area residents will be involved in the presentation of "Dancing at Lughnasa." Written by the renowned Irish playwright Brian Friel, "Dancing at Lughnasa" is the story of five unmarried sisters living in a small village in Ireland. Set in 1936, the play is portrayed through the memories of 7-year-old Michael, the illegitimate son of Chris and Gerry. Now grown, Michael tells the story of his mother and his four aunts: Kate, Maggie, Agnes and Rose. Michael recalls the return of his elderly uncle, Father Jack, from a 25-year mission trip in a Ugandan leper colony. We meet the characters during the festival of Lughnasa (pronounced LOO-nuh-suh), a celebration of a pagan god of the harvest. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its final show of the 2012 season, area residents will be involved in the production of "U:Bug:Me," a children's musical by Jeremiah Clay Neal. Life isn't easy when you are a bug and Pico the housefly knows this only too well. His best friend is mad at him, his girlfriend, a caterpillar, is going through changes and an enormous horsefly is terrorizing him. A clever new musical for the whole family, this production is under the direction of Jim and Lindy Bartruff. Emporia State theater alum Ben Williams will design the set. His wife, Susan Williams, also an Emporia State theater alum, will design the costumes. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its its third show on July 1, area residents will be involved in the production of "Leaving Iowa," a comedy by Tim Clue and Spike Manton. "Leaving Iowa" is the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer, who returns home to finally take his father's ashes to his childhood home. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place. This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don's memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Don's existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at the center of the United States. "Leaving Iowa" is a postcard to anyone who has ever found themselves revisiting fond memories of his or her youth. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its second show on June 27, area residents will be involved in the production of "The Fox on the Fairway." Written by Ken Ludwig, "The Fox on the Fairway" is the playwright's tribute to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s. Audiences will enjoy the hilarious romp that pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy denizens of a private country club. Filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors and over-the-top romantic shenanigans, it is a furiously paced comedy. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

Twenty Emporia State University students attended the Region V annual meeting of the Kennedy Center American Theatre Festival at Iowa State University Jan. 15 through 21. Nearly 1,600 students and faculty from more than 50 colleges and universities in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota attended the festival. Attending from this area were:

Area residents are involved with the Emporia State University Theatre production of "The Ladies Man," a new adaptation of Georges Feydeau's bedroom farce. The playwright Charles Morey provides a script loosely and freely translated from Feydeau's "Tailler Pour Dames." In the play, Dr. Molineaux is impotent, but his wife, Yvonne, thinks his lack of performance must be due to his infidelity. The doctor, recently married to his beautiful, young wife, cannot admit his problem, however, and lies about it, arousing her suspicions further. That one lie sets off a chain of misunderstandings involving everyone from his servants, Etienne and Marie, to his patients Bassinet, Gustav and Suzanne Aubin and of course, to his mother-in-law. "The Ladies Man," directed by Teresa Mitchell, is sure to please all audiences, but may contain some material not suitable for children under the age of 10. Containing the much-loved theatrical elements audiences have come to associate with farce, this show is balanced with hilarious, yet believable human beings, who are, as in life, a bit messy and unpredictable. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its 58th season on June 13, area residents will be involved in the production of "Dearly Beloved," a comedy for all ages by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. The three Futrelle Sisters are throwing a wedding. But nothing is working out, and now the bride and her groom are missing. As they try to figure out a way to salvage the wedding, they reunite their old singing group "The Sermonettes." Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

Area residents are involved with the Emporia State University Theatre production of "Eurydice," a modern retelling of the classic ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The myth is the source of the famous C.W. Gluck Opera "OrphA(C)e et Eurydice" and the Jacques Offenbach operetta "Orpheus in the Underworld." In this version the myth is retold to us from Eurydice's perspective. Orpheus adored Eurydice but soon after they wed she died. Orpheus was so bereft that the gods took pity on him giving him the chance to rescue her from the Underworld aEUR" but only if he did so without glancing back at her. The play centers on Eurydice's choice to return to earth with Orpheus or to stay in Hades with her father, a character created by Ruhl. Ruhl made several changes to the original myth's storyline. The most noticeable of these changes was that in the myth Orpheus succumbed to his desires and looked back at Eurydice. In this version Eurydice calls out to Orpheus who looks back, causing Eurydice to remain in the land of the dead with her father. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University Theatre presents its annual Homecoming Scholarship Musical, area residents will be involved in the gala production of "Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat." Originally written as a pop cantata for a school performance over 40 years ago, "Joseph and the Amazing TechnicolorA(R) Dreamcoat" made its Broadway debut in 1982 and has since become an international phenomenon. With lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, it is the first collaboration between the two who went on to collaborate on "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Evita" and "By Jeeves." "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" is based on the Old Testament story of Joseph. A narrator tells the story of the dreamer Joseph, his jealous brothers and his coat of many colors. ESU's production involves 28 student actors and more than 30 student technicians, crew members and backstage workers. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre presents its final production of the season on July 20, area residents , will be involved in the production of "The Monster Under the Bed." Written by Kevin Dyer, "Monster" tells the story of Ben, a young boy with a BIG problem. His mom is acting grumpy, his best friend Vince has stolen his precious binoculars and his dad is far, far away aEUR" oh, and there's a monster under the bed. But when Ben swaps places with the under-bed monster, Ben's life aEUR" and his school aEUR" is turned inside out, and upside down. This funny and thrilling play for children about friendship and facing up to fear is told through an ensemble cast. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its third show on July 6, area residents will be involved in the production of Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park." On of America's favorite comedies, "Barefoot in the Park" tells the story of newlyweds Corie and Paul home from their honeymoon and beginning married life in a tiny walk-up apartment in New York City in 1964. Paul is a little up tight and Corie a spontaneous free spirit. As they adjust to married life, they have to contend with a lack of heat, a leaky skylight, several flights of stairs, an odd neighbor, and Corie's well-meaning mother. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its second show on June 22, area residents will be involved in the production of "Daddy's Dyin' Who's Got the Will?" The comedy by Del Shores is set in a small Texas town and concerns "the reunion of a family gathered to await the death of their patriarch who has recently suffered a stroke." In essence, though, it is not the story of the impending demise of the father or of the search for his will, but of a rebirth of the spirit of the family. Without becoming ponderous, losing its sense of humor or pandering to clichA(C)s, the story mixes funny moments, tense moments and touching moments with characters you grow to care about. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

When Emporia State University's Summer Theatre opens its 57th season on June 8, area residents will be involved in the production of "I Love to Tell the Story." Written by Director of Theatre Jim Bartruff, "I Love to Tell the Story" is about a retired couple, George and Ruth, doing a radio show in the parlor of their rural Nebraska home. They mix a little storytelling with some earnest hymn singing. When their long-time sponsor dies, they are forced to make some changes to their program. So, with the help of the family next door, they transform their local show into a long-running radio hit. Those from this area in the production and their roles are:

"Dream Park in Eighties City" is a spring dance show being presented at Emporia State University. Students from this area involved in the production are: