A musical that examines issues of gender identity, faith, family and relationships during the early AIDS epidemic of the late 1970s and early 1980s kicks off the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Theater and Dance’s 2025-26 season.
The season starts with “Falsettos” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15-18 and 2 p.m. Oct. 19 in the intimate black box setting of the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater, which is in the Communications Building, Room 1045. There will be an opportunity to meet the cast after the Oct. 15 show and a pre-curtain discussion of the show at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in the Dean’s Conference Room.
Directed by Darryl K. Clark, associate professor of musical theater dance, the play tells the fictional story of a Jewish-American family whose husband and father leaves for a gay lover, the ensuing relationships and learning to face their futures with love and dignity.
Clark said it’s rare to see playwright William Finn’s work performed outside New York City, presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals, and he would like to see more theater companies “take the plunge and give space to a story like his.”
“I hope the audience members open their minds and hearts to this exploration of community and family,” Clark said. “I hope they accept the reminder that a pandemic can fall upon our world with little warning and will try to understand as much as they can.”
Rehearsals began in late August.
The cast comprises:
Marvin — Van Leonard, senior, musical theater, Nashville, Tennessee.
Whizzer — Nick Steinberger, junior, theater, West Frankfort, Illinois.
Trina — Edie Balester, senior, musical theater, New Lenox, Illinois.
Mendel — Damaurion Clark, junior, musical theater, Homewood, Illinois.
Jason — Harrison Zimmermann, Carterville, Illinois.
Charlotte — Ameriah Lockett, musical theater, junior, Urbana, Illinois.
Cordelia — Elizabeth Cutherell, musical theater, senior, Katy, Texas.
Patient — Eden Kaszubski, first-year undergraduate, Marion, Illinois.
Clark noted that Zimmermann is a sixth grader at Carterville Intermediate School.
“It is a real novelty having a child play a child. Very exciting,” Clark said.
SIU School of Music performers are Anthony Gray, an associate professor of practice in collaborative piano, on keyboard and Anita Hutton, an accomplished local pianist and retired assistant to the dean in SIU’s College of Liberal Arts, on synthesizer.
Variety of productions on tap
James Reifinger, who is in his first year as director of SIU’s School of Theater and Dance, said he’s excited “in the assortment of the main stage lineup. We have such a range of styles and tones represented.”
“I’m amazed at the variety that is represented in the productions, and I’m impressed with the boldness in selecting a show like ‘Ajax in Iraq.’ I like the way that the main stage productions represent a range of human experiences and people’s perspectives.”
Because of renovations slated for McLeod Theater beginning in spring 2026, the large ensemble of “Anything Goes,” the classic golden age of musical comedy, will be in Shryock Auditorium in late March.
“Shryock Auditorium is so iconic and almost speaks to the era that the musical is in,” Reifinger said.
The season’s other productions are:
Nov. 6-9, McLeod Theater —“Ajax in Iraq,” directed by Omiyẹmi (Artisia) Green, a professor of theater and Africana studies at the College of William & Mary, as guest director. Green also directed the School of Theater and Dance’s production of “Wedding Band” in fall 2023. “Ajax in Iraq” is playwright Ellen McLaughlin’s mashup of parallel narratives of Ajax, an ancient Greek military hero, and A.J., a female American soldier serving in the Iraq War. The play deals with mature themes and subjects, and it is not recommended for children under 13 years old.
Feb. 25-March 1, Moe Theater — “Metamorphoses,” directed by Saina Seraj, a third-year Master of Fine Arts student in theater directing. The production by playwright and director Mary Zimmerman is adapted from the poem by ancient Roman poet Ovid.
March 26-29, Shryock Auditorium — “Anything Goes,” directed by Angela C. Shultz, an assistant professor of practice in the School of Music and director of the Bachelor of Fine Arts musical theater program. The 1930s musical tells the tale romantic complications of two unlikely couples who set sail aboard the SS American, “embark on the road to true love aided by a crew of singing sailors, a comic disguise and something more.”
In addition to the four performances, the School of Theater and Dance will also hold the Big Muddy New Play Festival, April 23-26, which celebrates the works of student playwrights, along with full-length reading of plays by students in the playwrighting program.
Season, single tickets available
Four-show season tickets — for all productions but the Big Muddy New Play Festival — are available online and at the McLeod Theater Box Office. The subscription series is $90 for adults, $70 for senior citizens and $35 for students 17 and under or with college ID. Individual tickets are $25 for adults, 21 and older, $20 for senior citizens 55 and older, $10 for students 13-21 years old, and $8 for children 12 and younger.
Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at 618-453-5741 or in person on the night of the performance. The McLeod Theater Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. and one hour before each performance. Tickets can also be purchased online.
