COMEDY, SATIRE, DRAMA FILL UNIVERSITY THEATER SEASON

When the lights go up on the 1991-92 University Theater season at Southeast Missouri State University, audiences will be dazzled by a variety of comedy, satire, drama and children's theater.

"We have a good mixture so students can learn and audiences can enjoy the different types of plays," said Dennis Seyer, director of theater at Southeast.

The first production of the season, "Baby With The Bathwater" will open Oct. 4 and will continue Oct. 5 and 9-12 at 8 p.m. in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre.

Seyer said "Baby With The Bathwater" is an adult comedy and satire about the trials and tribulations of modern parenting.

The play is written by Christopher Durang and will be directed by Donald Schulte, who is returning to Southeast's faculty after a two-year academic leave.

The box office will be open for ticket sales for "Baby With The Bathwater" starting Monday.

The second production, T.S. Elliot's drama, "Murder in the Cathedral," will be performed in historic Old St. Vincent's Church in downtown Cape Girardeau.

"Most of the play takes place in the Cathedral of Canterbury," said Seyer, "and St. Vincent's church is a religious, cultural center with an English, Gothic Revival Style."

This drama, directed by Robert Dillon, Jr. of the university theater staff, is set in England in 1170 and gives a historical view of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket's death at the church altar.

Seyer said performing a show at a place other than a theater is not new to Southeast.

"We've given presentations out on tour and performed in basements, parks and gymnasiums," he said. "We have also presented dinner theaters."

The first performance of the Spring semester will be Neil Simon's "Chapter Two", which will run Feb. 21, 22 and 26-29 in Forrest H. Rose Theatre at 8 p.m.

The play is set in Manhattan and is also directed by Dillon. It is a semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about love, life, marriage and remarriage.

"It's semi-autobiographical because Simon's first wife died of cancer and he was confronted with the same problems as the character in the play," said Seyer. "They both have to face reality and go on with life."

The last production of the season will be the children's theater production of "Cinderella," April 7-11 at Rose Theatre.

Performance times will be announced at a later date, but there will be a "family night" performance in addition to several day-time matinees for area school children, Seyer said.

"Cinderella" will be adapted and directed by guest director Don Garner. Garner is a professional stage and screen actor and has appeared in feature films, television and Broadway road shows, such as "I Love Lucy", "Father Knows Best" and "My Darling Clementine" with Henry Fonda.

He was also the director of theater at Fontbonne College for more than 20 years. He is now a free-lance actor and director in the St. Louis area.

Garner has specialized in adapting and directing children's theater for more than 30 years. At Southeast, he adapted and directed "Jack and the Beanstalk" in 1988 and "Hansel & Gretel" in 1990.

"Normally we try to do children's theater and gear it toward children of all ages," Seyer said. "We usually pick a classic fairy tale that children know."

Seyer said that people come to the theater and experience each play differently and on different levels.

"Theater, like most art, is personal," Seyer said. "People see the work and relate to it depending on their own experiences and background."

Admission for students, faculty, staff and senior citizens is $3. Admission for non-students is $5. The children's theater ticket price is $1.50.

Tickets for university theater productions may be purchased at the university box office, Forrest H. Rose Theatre, at the corner of Pacific and Normal Streets. Tickets are sold up to two weeks prior to opening night of each show.

In addition to the plays, the University Players' annual Christmas Benefit Show is Dec. 5. "Student Showcase," a selection of student-directed scenes chosen from the best plays of the past and present, will be presented April 29-30 in the Lab Theater, Room 104 of the Grauel Language Arts Building on the Southeast campus.