MSU theater program announces 06-07 schedule of events

Contact: Sammy McDavid

STARKVILLE, Miss.--In preparation for a Tennessee Williams festival appearance in Massachusetts, a group of Mississippi State student thespians will present portions of their scheduled performances Sept. 22 at a special university program.

"Theatre: MSU" members are among four collegiate ensembles* invited to be part of the first Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival on Cape Cod Sept. 28-Oct. 1. Their presentations will be taken from the Columbus-born playwright's "The Unsatisfactory Supper" and "Twenty-seven Wagons Filled with Cotton."

The local premiere begins at 7:30 p.m. in the ground-floor McComas Hall laboratory theater. General admission is $5.

The MSU communication department's other scheduled theatrical events of the 2006-07 school year include (by dates):

--Oct. 19-21, a Maurice Valency adaptation of Jean Giraudoux's satirical comedy, "The Madwoman of Chaillot." General admission for the 7:30 p.m. McComas main-stage performances is $10; $5 for senior citizens, MSU students and employees.

--Nov. 16, "The Emperor's Nightingale," a children's fairy tale by Dan Totheron. Main stage, 7:30 p.m.: $2 tickets for children under 12 years; $5, all others.

--Feb. 22-24, a Black History Month special presentation of "From Okra to Greens: A different kind of love story" by Ntozake Shange. Lab theater, 7:30 p.m.: $5 for all.

--April 12-14, Steve Martin's adaptation of "The Underpants," a 1910 German comedy by Carl Sternheim. Main stage, 7:30 p.m.: $10 general admission; $5, seniors, MSU students and employees.

--April 25-27, MSU Student Showcase (series of written and directed one-act plays). Lab theater, 7 p.m.: $5 all.

In addition to the regular schedule, three other staged events are scheduled during the fall semester for McComas' main auditorium. They include:

--Sept. 29 and 30, Southeastern Comedy Arts Festival. A series of improvisational groups in a competition sponsored by the local affiliate of the Southeastern Comedy Arts Alliance. MSU's Lab Rats Comedy Improv Troupe--formerly Runnin' with Scissors--is host. General admission is $5 for each event, with specific times to be announced later. (For more, contact director@labratscomedy.com.)

--Nov. 1-4, state competition of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Students from Mississippi universities and colleges featured in a variety of productions. (For more, visit www.kennedy-center.org.)

--Dec. 1 and 2, North Mississippi High School Drama Festival. Held at MSU for more than four decades, the festival is co-sponsored by Theatre: MSU and the Mississippi Theatre Association. (For more information, visit www.mta-online.org.)

For more information on the 2006-07 schedule and related programs, contact Jo Durst at 662-325-3203 or theatremsu@comm.msstate.edu.

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*Other groups will be representing the University of the South and Bennington and Boston colleges.