by Pete Rosenbery
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s McLeod Theater stage will showcase the theatrical and musical talents of students while offering a wide spectrum of entertainment and emotion during the School of Theater and Dance’s 2024-2025 season.
Rehearsal is underway for the season opening SIU School of Theater and Dance production “The Lightning Thief — Percy Jackson Musical” next week, as Ron Naversen, an emeritus theater professor, works on the set. The production features the introduction of Archie’s Belgian White Ale, honoring the department’s founding chair, Archibald “Archie” McLeod. (Photo by Amihere Benson;
The season begins with “The Lightning Thief — The Percy Jackson Musical” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10-12 and 2 p.m. Oct. 13. Directed by Angela Shultz, an assistant professor of practice in the School of Music, the musical is adapted from the best-selling book of the same name by Rick Riordan and features an original rock score.
“Last year, we had nice success with ‘Ride the Cyclone,’” said H.D. Motyl, School of Theater and Dance director, noting the musical was geared toward a younger audience. “We wanted to put on another show that reaches a young audience, which also exposes them to theater. Part of our mission is to educate not just our students but others in the community about theater. If we can get young people exposed to these shows, if they read the book, then they see the story come alive in the musical.”
The season’s other productions are:
- 5-8 — “A Christmas Carol,” directed by Kesiena Obue, a third-year Master of Fine Arts student in theater directing. Relying on an adaptation by the late Darwin Payne, a longtime scenic design professor at SIU, Obue, who was assigned “A Christmas Carol” for her thesis, has set the production in 1920s Cairo, Illinois. There will be a special 10 a.m. matinee of “A Christmas Carol” for area high school students on Dec. 5. The production is in collaboration with SIU Press, which holds the rights to the adaptation.
- 14-16 — “Phoenix-Spring 2025 Dance Concert,” directed by Darryl K. Clark, an associate professor in musical theater dance, will be a montage of performances choreographed by faculty and performed by students.
- 27-March 2 — “Big Muddy Play Festival” will be a celebration of works by student playwrights, including a featured performance of a thesis play by Aleksei Ellis, a Master of Fine Arts student in theater, along with full-length reading of plays by students in the playwriting program.
- April 24-27 — “Urinetown: The Musical” is a Tony Award-winning satirical comedy musical, directed by Matthew Williams, an assistant professor of performance and movement.
All of the performances except the “Big Muddy Play Festival” will be in McLeod Theater in the Communications Building, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday; the “Big Muddy Play Festival” will be in the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater.
Motyl said the varied performances this season will highlight different facets of the theater and dance programs. He noted the collective strength between the School of Theater and Dance and the SIU School of Music.
“All of our musicals are collaborations with our colleagues in the School of Music. We simply couldn’t do this without them,” he said. “They have the musicians and musical directors. We have performers, the non-musical assets. They have the musical assets that we rely on.”
Season, single tickets available
Four-show season tickets — for all productions but “Big Muddy Play Festival” — are available online and at the McLeod Theater Box Office. The subscription series is $90 for adults, $60 for senior citizens and $35 for students 17 and under or with a college ID. Individual tickets are $25 for adults, 21 and older, $20 for senior citizens 55 and older, $10 for students 13-21 years old, and $8 for children 12 and younger Tickets can be purchased by phone at 618-453-5741 or in person at the night of the performance. The McLeod Theater Box Office will be open 10 days before a show opens from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and one hour before each performance.
New beer honors theater department’s roots
Beer and wine from SIU Carbondale’s Fermentation Science Institute, in collaboration with Ravinia Brewing Co., will be served in the lobby before performances and during intermission for each of the performances, except for the Big Muddy Play Festival.
This theatrical production will also bring the introduction of a School of Theater and Dance-labeled beer, which Motyl said is the first branded beer of its kind on campus. Archie’s Belgian White Ale honors Archibald “Archie” McLeod, founding chair of SIU’s then-Department of Theater in 1955. The label was designed by Nate Krummel with SIU’s University Communications and Marketing, using the commedia del arte figure Mezzetino created by Ron Naversen, an emeritus theater professor. The School of Theater and Dance collaborated with the Fermentation Science Institute and Ravinia Brewing Company.