The theater department will begin its season soon and welcomes students to see the show. The department puts on two shows per semester and this year it kicks off the season with Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah Wilderness.”

“Ah Wilderness” is set in the year 1906 and reflects what it is like to grow up in a small town. The show’s focus is about teenage love and the struggle of growing up.

The show will begin on Sept. 30 and last through Oct. 3, showing at 7:30 P.M. and then coming back on Oct. 8 to Oct. 10 at the same time as the previous performances.

The show will be held at the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre at The Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center.

“This venue is very nice because it provides a close relationship with the audience and allows them to be close to the action,” said Joan St. Germain, Marshall University Theater Department Associate Professor and Costume Designer.

The next show will be Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. This classic story teaches main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, the meaning of life.

The show will take place on Nov. 18 through Nov. 20 at 7:30 P.M. and then again on Nov. 21 at 2 P.M. at The Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

“This is a town and gown production meaning that we will not only use our students, but faculty, alumni, and community members as well,” said Jack Cirillo, MU Theater Program Director.

The show “Mauritius” will kick off next semester’s performances with a tale about two half-sisters who discover a rare book of stamps. The story turns dangerous as the sisters face high-stake collectors.

The show will take place Feb. 17 through Feb. 20 and again on Feb. 25 through Feb. 27 at 7:30 P.M. in the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre.

The last show of the season will be William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, a well-known forbidden love story.

The show will also be held at The Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center on April 20 through April 23 at 7:30 P.M.

The students are 100 percent involved with putting on the productions. Students do the lighting, the props and run the shows themselves.

“Faculty doesn’t run the shows, it’s all done by students so it’s pretty cool,” St. Germain said.

The shows are free to students with a Marshall ID, $20 for the general public and $15 for Marshall faculty and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the Marshall Theatre Box Office.

Kalyn Bordman can be contacted at [email protected].