Three comedy shows to provide run-up to River Campus Summer Arts Festival

Three comedy shows will lead up to the annual Summer Arts Festival on June 17 at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus: "Dear Edwina Jr.," "Greater Tuna" and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

This is an ambitious lineup, but, said Rhonda Weller-Stilson, it's also a formula that's been successful for the department in the past.

Last year, Weller-Stilson said, the department put on three shows, "Always ... Patsy Cline," "Honk! Jr." and "Steel Magnolias." The theme was Southern, and all three were funny and sad, she said.

"Because we had shows that made audiences tear up, we opted to go with very funny comedies this summer," Weller-Stilson said.

"Dear Edwina Jr." is a children's musical written as a show within a show, director Hilary Peterson said. Edwina Spoonapple, played by Sienna Hahn, dishes out advice to her friends in her weekly "Advice-a-Palooza."

Ellen Carr, as William Barfee, rehearses "Magic Foot," with the ensemble during a scene from "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," on Tuesday at the River Campus.Fred Lynch

Giovanni Mayfield-Wubbena plays Edwina's sort-of love interest, Scott.

The show takes place in a garage, Peterson said, so the props and set design reflect that.

"It's a little stripped-down, but you don't want a big, elaborate setup for a kids' show," Peterson said.

That also draws the focus to the kids themselves, she said.

"The show's about, of and for them," she said.

Ellen Carr, as William Barfee, rehearses "Magic Foot," with contest judges Abigail Alsmeyer and Christopher Albertson, during a scene from "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," on Tuesday at the River Campus.Fred Lynch

Peterson said the cast of 20 children ages 10 to 15 was a lot of energy to direct, but in many ways, that served the show well.

Kids are learning machines, Peterson said.

"They have the ability to learn everything I put in front of them," she said, from lines to blocking to music.

Bailey Schnurbush is the show's musical director, a first for the summer kids' show, but there are reasons for that.

"There's a lot of heavy singing," Peterson said.

Schnurbush, a music-education major at Southeast, said she's been having a lot of fun teaching different parts to the actors.

"They're really talented," Schnurbush said.

Peterson said since there is no orchestra, the cast will sing with tracks played on the sound system, and it's been good for the actors to have the consistency of recorded tracks.

"It's a great show," she said, and "because of their energy, they're just having fun with it."

Tickets are $12 for the performances at 7:30 p.m. June 16 and 2 p.m. June 18. Performances at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. June 17 are free. The play will be in the Bedell Performance Hall.

"Greater Tuna" is a play about Tuna, Texas, and two men play all the roles of its citizens, including young girls and senior citizens.

"We chose this particular play because it is a comedy set in a small town," Weller-Stilson said. "This show has been quite popular in summer stock theaters all over the country, and audiences laugh out loud."

The two actors playing every role in this show are Kyle VanPool, an alum from the Conservatory of Theatre and Dance, and Bart Williams, assistant professor in the Conservatory.

"Both men are a bit older than our college students, and that adds to the hilarity of the play," Weller-Stilson said.

The show is directed by Mac McIntosh.

Tickets are $20 for performances at 7:30 p.m. June 16, 17, 21, 22 and 25, and 2 p.m. June 25 in the Rust Flexible Theatre.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," directed by Kenneth Stilson, is a quirky story centered on the fictional Putnam Valley Middle School's spelling bee. Six adolescents compete in the bee, run by three grown-ups, and four audience members are called up to participate.

Tickets are $20 for performances at 7:30 p.m. June 15, 20, 23, 24, 27 and 28, and at 2 p.m. June 18 and 24 in Rust Flexible Theatre at the Southeast River Campus.

While the show performances begin Wednesday, the festival itself will be next Saturday, June 17, and Weller-Stilson called it "a celebration of art, dance, music and theater."

Show tickets are available online at www.rivercampus.org or by calling (573) 651-2265.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

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