Kent State University at Stark has announced the theatre performances for the 2011-12 academic year. The upcoming plays will be performed at the Kent State Stark Fine Arts Theatre, 6000 Frank Avenue NW in Jackson Township.

A new online ticketing system is available this season. Tickets may be conveniently purchased by visiting www.stark.kent.edu/theatre. Theatre patrons may continue to obtain reservations and ticket orders through the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office by calling 330-244-3348, Monday – Friday, 1 – 5 p.m.

Plumfield, Iraq
By Barbara Lebow
Nov. 4, 5, 10 and 12 at 8 p.m.
Nov. 6 and 13 at 2:30 p.m.
(American Sign Language interpretation will be provided at the Nov. 6 performance.)
Tickets will be available online and at the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office, beginning on Oct. 24.

This powerful memory drama follows two Plumfield High School seniors who join the Army and are deployed to Iraq. The effects of war on them and their families at home are poignantly examined, as one friend struggles with returning to a normal life while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The audience is pulled into these young soldiers’ emotional experiences on and off the battlefield, poetically moving between past and present, fantasy and reality.

Evil Dead: The Musical
Book and lyrics by George Reinblatt
Music by Frank Cipolla, Christopher Bond, Melissa Morris and George Reinblatt
Feb. 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 8 p.m.
Feb. 19 and 26 at 2:30 p.m.
(American Sign Language interpretation will be provided at the Feb. 19 performance.)
Tickets will be available online and at the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office, beginning on Jan. 30.

Evil Dead: The Musical combines elements of the Evil Dead and Army of Darkness cult classic films for a blood-splattering theatrical experience. The story follows five college kids who get abandoned at a cabin and accidentally unleash an evil force that turns them into demons. Hailed as “The next Rocky Horror Show” by the New York Times, the hero in this campy musical of horror and hilarity must wield his trusty chainsaw to save the day. Limbs are dismembered and demons tell bad jokes while performing uproarious numbers, such as All the Men in my Life Keep Getting Killed by Candarian Demons and What the F#%$ Was That? Viewer discretion is strongly advised due to gratuitous profanity, gore and adult subject matter.

Anton in Show Business
By Jane Martin
April 6, 7, 12, 13 and 14, at 8 p.m.
April 15 at 2:30 p.m. (American Sign Language interpretation will be provided at the April 15 performance.)
Tickets will be available online and at the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office, beginning on March 26.

As three actresses of wildly varied backgrounds pursue their dream of performing in a San Antonio production of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, they take a tumble down the rabbit hole and into the strange wonderland of theatre. This satirical, backstage comedy conveys the joys, pains and absurdities of “putting on a play,” while poking hilarious fun at American culture.

Directing Kent State Stark’s theatrical productions is Assistant Professor of Theatre and Theatre Director Brian Newberg. Louis Williams is the scenic and lighting designer; Susan Blurton is the costume designer; Ron Jarvis is the sound designer; and the music director for Evil Dead: The Musical is Melissa Fucci.

For additional information about 2011-12 Kent State Stark theatre performances, including audition and production team opportunities, visit www.stark.kent.edu/theatre or call 330-244-5151.