More About the Marshall Artists Series

If you'd like to know more about the upcoming season of the Marshall Artists Series, you should definitely read this story in the Herald-Dispatch by my pal Dave Lavender. You can also see a photo gallery right here.

Here's the part of the story that theatre fans will focus on:

Booking a series that's equally appealing to the Tri-State community and Marshall students, Penny Watkins, executive director of the Marshall Artists Series, said the new season brings art, culture and fun to the downtown.

"The Marshall Artists Series' 72nd season guarantees to both stretch one's intellectual soul and flip to the other extreme with pure entertainment," Watkins said.

Watkins said the base of the Artists Series is Broadway-built as series patrons have fallen in love with seeing classic, and the latest touring Broadway shows inside the opulent and expanded Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.

Angela Jones, marketing director for the series, said the upsurge in Broadway shows is by request after folks asked for more Broadway shows on a series survey a couple year ago.

The Artists Series has gladly complied.

"That's a pretty big Broadway season this year," Jones said. "I think people love it because we don't get that much of it. I think for so many years it was the same tours out, but now they're taking out these big shows, and different shows out on the road. I also think getting to see a show in the expanded Keith too is a big draw."

Last season, the Artists Series packed the Keith-Albee with Billy Joel's Movin' Out, and the rip-roaring season closer, Hairspray.

This year, there are six big blasts of Broadway, including Nunsense, starring Sally Struthers on Wednesday, Oct. 22, Oliver, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Wizard of Oz (as seen in the photo above), on Tuesday, Dec. 9, Sweeney Todd, on Thursday, Feb. 5, Golda's Balcony, on Saturday, March 7 and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, on Tuesday, April 28.

Jones said the Artists Series is excited about the Broadway shows. For example, Wizard of Oz is a new Broadway touring production of the iconic dream-filled story written by L. Frank Baum.

Add to that new touring productions of new musicals, Sweeney Todd, and Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Jones thinks they've got some nice magnets for Marshall students to get downtown and enjoy the series.

It's shaping up to be yet another outstanding season. Is that great or what?