VALDOSTA — Season memberships are available for the 2017-18 season of Valdosta State University Theatre & Dance.

Season tickets are available online at www.valdosta.edu/comarts, according to information from VSU Theatre. The VSU Theatre box office opens Aug. 28, by calling (229) 333-5973.

“The VSU Theatre & Dance season is a vital component of our mission: to provide students with performance, production and management opportunities as the indispensable laboratories of their course of study,” according to a VSU press release.

All theatres are located in the VSU Fine Arts Building, corner of Oak and Brookwood.

THE SEASON

“I and You” by playwright Lauren Gunderson. Synopsis: “One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s ‘Leaves of Grass,’ an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months, but she is as sardonic as Anthony is popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. ‘I and You’ is an ode to youth, life, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.” – From Playscripts.com. Run dates: Sept. 14-20, Lab Theatre.

“Connect/Kinect: The Annual Dance Concert.” Synopsis: “From the Oxford Dictionary: Connect: to bring together; to relate. Kinesics: body movement and gesture as non-verbal communication. In the 2017-18 iteration of the Annual Dance Concert, the VSU Repertory Dancers will explore how we kinect; how dance and movement can bring us together and help us relate to one another. Run dates: Oct. 12-15, Sawyer Theatre.

“The Imaginary Invalid” by Moliere. Synopsis: “‘The Imaginary Invalid’ is widely regarded as one of Moliere’s comic masterpieces. In the play, Argan, a fearful but miserly hypochondriac, divides his time between summoning doctors to care for his ills and trying not to settle the resultant bills. He resolves to marry his daughter, Angélique, to a medical student, hoping to acquire unlimited access to gratis consultation. Argan’s household soon joins Angélique’s plan to teach her gullible father a lesson and marry the love of her life.” – Adapted from NYU School of Medicine. Run dates: Nov. 9-15, Sawyer Theatre.

“Planets View from the Hubble Space Telescope.” The show will be an original dance presentation for young audiences, according to VSU. It is also the annual children’s show where VSU students and faculty travel to area schools to introduce theatre to children. Synopsis: “Our good friend, Hubble, short for the Hubble Space Telescope, will narrate the distinctive aspects of each planet as seen through his lens, along with “The Planets” music composed by Gustav Holst. … This performance is created with the Georgia Performance Standards for Fine Arts Education as its central focus.” Run dates: Public shows Feb. 2-3. Sawyer Theatre. For tour information or to book a tour date for February or March, contact Jacque Wheeler (229) 333-5820.

“Book of Days” by Lanford Wilson. Synopsis: “Acclaimed by Frank Rich as ‘a writer who illuminates the deepest dramas of American life with poetry and compassion,’ Lanford Wilson is one of the most esteemed contemporary American playwrights of our time. Nowhere is this more evident than in his latest play, ‘Book of Days,’ winner of the the Best Play Award from the American Theater Critics Association in 1998. ‘Book of Days’ is set in a small town dominated by a cheese plant, a fundamentalist church and a community theater. When the owner of the cheese plant dies mysteriously in a hunting accident, Ruth, his bookkeeper, suspects murder. Cast as Joan of Arc in a local production of George Bernard Shaw’s “St. Joan,” Ruth takes on the attributes of her fictional character and launches into a one-woman campaign to see justice done.” — From books.google.com. NOTE: Production contains mature language and themes. Run dates: Feb. 22-28. Lab Theatre.

“All Shook Up.” The show is inspired by and features the songs of Elvis Presley. Synopsis: “It’s 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy that’ll have you jumping out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as ‘Heartbreak Hotel,’ ‘Jailhouse Rock” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” — Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Run dates: April 5-11. Sawyer Theatre.

 

SCHOLARSHIP SHOWS

“Rhyme & Reason: 19th Annual Cabaret Fundraiser.” Synopsis: “Enjoy a delicious meal and musical theatre entertainment as you support the Golden Circle Scholarship & Support Fund. The evening’s entertainment will feature rhythm and rhyme from Musical Theatre.” Run date: Sunday, Nov. 19, Magnolia Room, VSU University Center. Tickets for the Cabaret fundraiser will be available in October.

“Sleeping Beauty Ballet.” Synopsis: “Continuing the tradition with the Valdosta School of Ballet, this year’s ‘Princess Ballet’ is ‘Sleeping Beauty.’ This production will be fun for everyone as this classic tale is told in dance, featuring musical excerpts by Tchaikovsky and other composers, a beautiful ballerina, a charming prince and an evil fairy.” Run dates: Jan. 20, 21. Mathis City Auditorium. Tickets will be available at local outlets in early January.

“Dancing with the Valdosta Stars.” Synopsis: “A unique collaborative fundraiser between VSU’s Music Department and Theatre & Dance Area was the talk of the town … together these degree programs are presenting an encore event this year. Come enjoy the efforts of a new group of local stars and their experts as they present a variety of ballroom dance styles and seek your “votes” the evening’s big prize, the Audience Favorite Award. Run date: April 14. VSU Student Union Grand Ballroom.

Seventh Annual Emerging Artists Series. Synopsis: “VSU Theatre and Dance continues the Emerging Artists tradition. Audiences, who so enjoy watching our student artists develop their talents, can enjoy a performance or two of alternating programs. One program features our students graduating from the musical theatre program, the other performance includes students in the performance track of our degree program. Each performance of the showcase will spotlight our outstanding students” Run dates: April 19-22. Sawyer Theatre.