By Alex Greenwood,
August 26, 2024
Season tickets for the University of Central Missouri Theatre and Dance 2024-2025
season are available now through Oct. 3.
The theme for this year’s season is “Perfectly Marvelous,” which includes four mainstage
productions and the New Play Festival. Season tickets are $80 for the general public,
$60 for faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $40 for non-UCM students and children
ages 5 and up. These prices include five shows for the price of four. UCM students
receive free admission to all UCM Theatre and Dance productions upon presenting their
UCM student ID. Tickets are also free for military members, veterans and their families
upon presenting a military ID.
The 2024-2025 season opens Oct. 3-6 in the Highlander Theatre with “She Kills Monsters,”
directed by Dr. Aaron Scully. “She Kills Monsters” tells the story of Agnes Evans
as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister,
Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she is catapulted into
a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was
her sister’s refuge. In this dramatic comedy, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers
an homage to the geek and warrior within us all.
Next up is the New Play Festival, directed by Dr. Aaron Scully, set for Oct. 31-Nov.
3 in the Nickerson Black Box Theater. During the festival, numerous new plays written
by UCM students, faculty, and guest artists will receive premiere staged readings.
Audiences will experience original and exciting stories from the imaginations of UCM
Theatre and Dance students.
The fall semester wraps with “Amahl & The Night Visitors,” centered around a disabled
shepherd boy named Amahl, his mother, and his miraculous encounter with the three
Magi on their way to visit the newborn Christ child. This timeless holiday one-act
opera, running Nov. 20-23 in the Highlander Theatre, explores themes of faith, kindness
and generosity through the lyrical genius of Gian Carlo Menotti. This production is
a collaboration with the UCM Division of Music and is directed by faculty member Jenise
Cook, with musical direction by UCM Voice faculty member David Adams. Special guest
artists, StoneLion Puppet Theatre, will perform alongside the student cast and add
a never-before-seen puppet spectacle.
To open the “Perfectly Marvelous” season in spring 2025, UCM Theatre and Dance will
offer a children's show, “Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat,” directed by Jenise Cook,
from Feb. 27-March 2 in the Highlander Theatre. Based on the book by Dr. Seuss, this
show is a whimsical adventure filled with playful rhymes and beloved characters. UCM
Theatre and Dance is producing the show in honor of National Read Across America Day
and Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2.
Closing out the season on April 11-13 and 17-19 at the Highlander Theatre is the popular
Kander & Ebb musical, “Cabaret,” produced in conjunction with the UCM Division of
Music. Set in the late 1920s, with a nightclub emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary,
“Cabaret” explores the dark, heady and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates
as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. The production is directed by
Dr. Aaron Scully and choreographed by Ashley Miller-Scully, with music direction by
UCM alumnus Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles.
Be a part of the entire “Perfectly Marvelous” season and purchase season tickets by
calling 660-543-8811, emailing boxoffice@ucmo.edu or stopping by Martin Building,
Room 113 on the UCM campus between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Online
tickets can be found at ucmboxoffice.universitytickets.com.
For those who may not be interested in season tickets but want to see the show for
an even lower price, UCM Theatre and Dance provides a Pay-What-You-Can option (minimum
$1) for every Sunday matinee for each show. These tickets may be purchased at the
box office or online. Online tickets include a service/handling fee. For the hearing
impaired, ASL interpreters are present at one performance of every production.
Additionally, anyone who wants to support UCM Theatre and Dance through a donation
is encouraged to become a UCM Theatre and Dance Foundation member. Benefits can include
a tax deduction, season tickets, preferred seating, special events, and the donor’s
name in every playbill for the entire season. Interested individuals can call 660-543-4020
or visit ucmfoundation.org/give/theatre and select the Department of Theatre and Dance Fund.
For more information, contact boxoffice@ucmo.edu or 660-543-8811.