Intimate and powerful evenings of theatre await audiences in this series of studio performances directed by students and faculty. These productions showcase the talents of student actors, directors, and designers in Ball State's Department of Theatre and Dance by utilizing simple, imaginative scenic pieces and costuming and by emphasizing the immediacy of the actor/audience relationship.

All performances are in the Edward S. Strother Studio Theatre (north end of the Arts and Communications Building). Tickets are $8.50 for the general public and $6.50 for students. (Songs for a New World tickets are $10.50 general public/$8.50 students).
The 2008-09 season schedule is:

In the Blood
By Suzan Lori Parks
October 8-12, 14-15 at 7:30pm
October 12 at 2:30 p.m.
Directed by Wendy Mortimer

In the Blood is Suzan-Lori Parks' raw poetic riff on Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter that follows a homeless woman's struggle to raise her five children on the inner city streets. One of today's most acclaimed African-American playwrights, Parks challenges us to confront the complexities of racism and to consider the consequences to the entire community when poverty is allowed to exist.

Songs for a New World
By Jason Robert Brown
October 30-November 1, 4-8 at 7:30pm
November 2 at 2:30 p.m.
Directed by Bill Jenkins
Musical Direction by Harold Mortimer

Songwriter Jason Robert Brown takes you on a lyrical trip through the lives of a startling array of characters, all portrayed in a studio setting by a small ensemble of actors. Fall into these stories and discover how a diverse group of Americans, while seemingly separate, have much more in common than you might think.

An Evening of Beckett
By Samuel Beckett
February 26-28, March 1, 3-5 at 7:30pm
March 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Directed by Jennifer Blackmer

This provocative evening of theatre presents six plays by Samuel Beckett, founding father of the Theatre of the Absurd. Unlike Beckett's longer plays such a Waiting for Godot, these works offer short, intense and provocative image-driven experiences that ask more questions than they answer. "You're on earth. There's no cure for that."

Charlotte's Web
Based on the book by E.B. White
Music and Lyrics by Charles Strouse
Book by Joseph Robinette
April 2-4, 7-11 at 7:30pm
April 5 at 2:30pm

The beloved story of Wilbur the pig and his friend Charlotte the spider is brought to life in the moving musical staged by Ball State's nationally-recognized theatre education program. An engaging story about friendship, growing up and letting go, this intimate studio performance of the timeless E.B. White tale is perfect for the entire family.