University Theatre opens 58th season

The 58th season of University Theatre opens this week with a production of the romantic comedy, Almost, Maine, and continues with classics like Little Shop of Horrors and The Music Man, as well as Winter and Spring cabarets, and much more.

“We are thrilled to return to the theater to offer our patrons the experience of live performances,” said Stephanie Smith, chair of the YSU Department of Visual & Dramatic Arts. “Our students, faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to bring this season to life, and we encourage patrons to support our productions through a season subscription.”

Season subscriptions are $50 for adults and available for purchase at www.ysu.edu/theatertickets. Discounts are available for members of the YSU Alumni Society, Penguin Club and Regional Chamber, as well as YSU faculty, staff, retirees and non-YSU students. Performances are free for YSU students.

The first production of the season, Almost, Maine, runs two weekends, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 24, 25 and Oct. 1, 2, and 2 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 26 and Oct. 3. Performances are in Spotlight Theater in Bliss Hall on the YSU campus.
Tickets for the production are $16, $8 and free for YSU students. Tickets are available at www.ysu.tix.com. All seats are general admission. Masks are required in all university buildings.

The performance is a series of nine vignettes set in Almost, Maine, a tiny town in far north Maine where, on one cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover, residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. 

The cast includes Elise Vargo, junior Musical Theatre major from Westerville, Ohio; Lexi Denney, senior Theatre major from Canfield, Ohio; Hannah Rosser, senior Musical Theatre major from Austintown, Ohio; Nicolas Wix, senior Theatre major from Salem, Ohio; John Bearss, freshman Computer Science major from Edinburg, Ohio; and Mitchell Sharp, junior Theatre major from Beloit, Ohio.

Additional shows in the mainstage 2021-22 season are:

• Little Shop of Horrors, Oct. 29, 30, 31, Nov. 5, 6 and 7, Ford Theater, Bliss Hall, YSU.
• The Music Man (Concert Version), Feb. 25, 26 and 27, Ford Theater, Bliss Hall, YSU.
• Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years as a Certain School of Magic and Magic, April 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10, Ford Theater, Bliss Hall, YSU.

In addition to the mainstage season, shows with alternate ticketing include:

• Winter Cabaret: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!, Friday, Dec. 10, 6:30 p.m., at the B&O Station Banquet Hall, 530 Mahoning Ave, Youngstown. Tickets are available in advance only at ysu.edu/theatertickets.
• Ten-Minute Plays, Sunday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., Spotlight Theater, Bliss Hall, YSU, free admission; no reservations.
• Festival of New Works, Saturday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m., Spotlight Theater, Bliss Hall, YSU, free admission, no reservations.
• Spring Cabaret: EarthFest! A sonic celebration of spring, Mother Earth, and rock & roll, Friday, April 22, 7 p.m., presented by MTCabarets and the Dana Contemporary Ensemble, location to be determined, tickets available in advance only at ysu.edu/theatertickets

More information at 330-727-7514.

The 2021-2022 season marks the 58th consecutive year of University Theatre’s existence as a theater producing agency on the YSU campus. The mission embraces the study of theatre, dance, and film as a form of artistic expression, but does not lose sight of the fact that it is also an instrument of communication, capable of opening windows to the past, present, and future; examining the workings of modern society, enhancing the awareness of other cultures, and stimulating thinking about moral and ethical issues.