Season tickets for the University of Central Missouri’s 2024-2025 theater and dance season are on sale now through October 3.

This year’s season’s theme is “Perfectly Marvelous” and includes four main stage productions and the New Play Festival. Season tickets are $80 for the general public, $60 for faculty, staff and seniors, and $40 for non-UCM students and children ages 5 and up. These prices include five shows for the price of four. UCM students receive free admission to all UCM theater and dance productions upon presentation of their UCM student ID. Tickets are also free for military personnel, veterans and their families upon presentation of a military ID.

The 2024-2025 season begins October 3-6 at the Highlander Theatre with She Kills Monsters, directed by Dr. Aaron Scully. She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans, who leaves her Ohio home after the death of her teenage sister Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she is catapulted on a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the fantasy world that was her sister’s haven. In this dramatic comedy, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a tribute to the geek and warrior in all of us.

Next up is the New Play Festival, directed by Dr. Aaron Scully, which will take place at the Nickerson Black Box Theater from October 31 to November 3. During the festival, numerous new plays by UCM students, faculty, and guest artists will be premiered. Audiences will experience original and exciting stories from the imaginations of UCM theater and dance students.

The fall semester concludes with “Amahl & The Night Visitors,” which centers on a disabled shepherd boy named Amahl, his mother, and his miraculous encounter with the Three Kings on their way to the newborn baby Jesus. Performed at the Highlander Theater November 20-23, this timeless one-act Christmas opera explores themes of faith, kindness, and generosity through the lyrical genius of Gian Carlo Menotti. This production is a collaboration with the UCM Music Department and will be directed by Lecturer Jenise Cook, with musical direction provided by Lecturer David Adams of UCM Voice. Special guest artists, StoneLion Puppet Theater, will perform alongside the student cast, adding a never-before-seen puppet spectacle.

To kick off the Perfectly Marvelous season in spring 2025, UCM Theatre and Dance will present a children’s show called “Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat,” directed by Jenise Cook, from February 27 to March 2 at the Highlander Theatre. Based on the book by Dr. Seuss, this show is a whimsical adventure filled with playful rhymes and beloved characters. UCM Theatre and Dance is producing the show in honor of National Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2.

Closing out the season at the Highlander Theatre, April 11-13 and 17-19, is the popular Kander & Ebb musical “Cabaret,” produced in collaboration with the UCM Division of Music. Set in the late 1920s and accompanied by the obscene songs of a nightclub host as ironic commentary, “Cabaret” explores the dark, heady and turbulent lives of Berliners and expats as Germany slowly gives in to the emerging Third Reich. The production is directed by Dr. Aaron Scully and choreographed by Ashley Miller-Scully, with musical direction by UCM graduate Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles.

Be part of the entire “Perfectly Marvelous” season and purchase season tickets by calling 660-543-8811, emailing [email protected], or stopping by the Martin Building, Room 113 on the UCM campus Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. For online tickets, visit ucmboxoffice.universitytickets.com.

For those who do not wish to have season tickets but would like to see the show at an even lower price, UCM Theatre and Dance offers a pay-what-you-can option ($1 minimum) for each Sunday matinee of each show. These tickets can be purchased at the box office or online. Online tickets include a service/processing fee. For the hearing impaired, ASL interpreters are present at one performance of each production.

In addition, anyone who would like to support UCM Theatre and Dance through a donation is encouraged to become a member of the UCM Theatre and Dance Foundation. Benefits may include tax reductions, season tickets, preferred seating, special events, and the donor’s name in every theatre program for the entire season. Those interested can call 660-543-4020 or visit ucmfoundation.org/give/theatre and select the Department of Theatre and Dance Fund.

For more information, contact [email protected] or 660-543-8811.