The Emporia State theater and art departments are gearing up for a busy school year. Homecoming, in particular, will prove to be a very busy time for the theater department.
The 41st Annual Homecoming Musical has been announced as “All Shook Up” by Joe DiPietro. “All Shook Up” is a jukebox musical romantic comedy inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” features renditions of music from Elvis Presley. The premiere is scheduled for October 10 in Albert Taylor Hall. Performances of “All Shook Up” will run through Oct. 13, with Jim Bartruff, professor of theatre, as stage director.
A performance of Neil LaBute’s play, “Reasons to be Pretty” will premiere Nov. 19 in Frederickson Theatre in Roosevelt Hall. With Mike Koetkemeyer, senior theater major as stage director, performances will run through Nov. 24. “Reasons to be Pretty” is the last in a trilogy of plays written by LaBute that focus on the modern-day obsession and fixation with physical appearance and the hopelessness of romance in the 21st century.
Jamarious Wicker, senior theater major, said the shows for each ESU theater season are put together by a group of volunteer students and teachers a semester before the final selection is announced.
“(The shows) are selected to showcase our talent in the best light as growing entertainers in the theatre community,” Wicker said.
Auditions for both shows will be held next week in Friesen Studio in Roosevelt Hall. Bartruff said auditions for “All Shook Up” will begin with an audition workshop on Tuesday, August 27, and auditions for “Reasons to be Pretty” will begin with an audition workshop on Aug. 28. There will be a theater rally at 4 p.m. this Monday in Bruder Theatre, with information about the shows available to all students.
“Everyone is invited to hear plans for our upcoming season,” Bartruff said.
The Art department is also kicking off the new school year with a campus-wide exhibition. ESU is celebrating its 150th year with an exhibition of 150 historic images and photographs of ESU around campus. Thirty-nine of the 150 images celebrating ESU’s sesquicentennial anniversary will be exhibited in the Eppink Gallery through homecoming week.
In November, the annual Faculty & Emeritus Exhibition will showcase the work of all current and emeritus art department faculty. Both the Eppink and Gilson Memorial galleries will be used for this exhibition. The opening reception will take place November 7 in the Bruder Theater lobby in King Hall.
In addition to ESU’s celebration of its 150th year, the ESU Glass Guild has a lot to celebrate after bringing in a record breaking $9,545 at this year’s Glass Blowout in April and taking on new and exciting projects.
“I’m really excited about glassblowing and stuff that the Glass Guild is going to be doing this year,” said Nic Dikin, sophomore glass major.
One of these projects, ESU’s Children Inspire Glass Project, is an experimental project inspired by the Museum of Glass’s Kids Design Glass program. Aix Emporia children – assisted by ESU faculty and students from various disciplines – explored the creative process utilizing writing, drawing and sculpting to develop their imaginative ideas. This unique exhibition will open March 2014.