Marshall Theatre's New Season Starts Wednesday With "Saturday, Sunday, Monday"

From Sunday's Herald-Dispatch, here's a story by Paul Sebert about Marshall University's theatre seasons, which starts on Wednesday:

Marshall University's Theatre Department is kicking off its new season with Saturday, Sunday, Monday, a comedy/drama about a family gathering in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The show will run at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, Oct. 6 to 9, at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center on the university's Huntington campus. Other productions this season include The Good Doctor: A Comedy With Music, an adaptation of Anton Chekov's short stories by acclaimed playwright Neil Simon, from Nov. 10 to 13; and Jack Cirillo's one man performance of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol from Dec. 2 to 4.

These productions are a long way from the program's roots, which began in the university's speech program. The department moved to the newly formed College of Fine Arts in the early 1980s and now offers bachelor's degrees in two areas: Production and performance.

Plays, like Saturday, Sunday, Monday are carefully chosen to provide valuable experiences for the students.

"It's a long process," Samuel Kincaid, project coordinator for the Marshall University Theatre Department, said.

"The faculty gets together and decides which plays they will do for the next school year. We need to consider things like how big the cast is going to be and what the cost is to produce the show. The students usually know what we will be doing by next fall. We try to choose a lot ensemble shows so the students have as many chances to perform as possible."

Saturday, Sunday, Monday was written by Eduardo de Filippo and is about family tensions related to preparations for a Sunday dinner in Brooklyn N.Y., in 1985. The show will provide acting opportunities and behind-the-scenes work.

"There are usually about 12 to 18 people working backstage on any given show," Kincaid said. "We have a crew consisting of everything from construction to stage management to lighting. Once rehearsals begin, theater majors start putting in 14-hour days, while stage crew works on the set three days a week. It's long hours, and some very hard work goes into these shows."

General admission to the plays are $20, while tickets for faculty and senior citizens go for $15. Children under 12 can attend for $5. Tickets to A Christmas Carol cost $12.

A season ticket package is available for $72 includes tickets to all four season productions and a copy of the book "Working: People Talk About What they Do All Day" by Studs Terkel. For more information, you can stop by the Ticket Office at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center or call 304-696-2787.