KENT STATE UNIVERSITY AT STARK ANNOUNCES 2017-18 THEATRE SEASON Three groundbreaking productions featured this academic year NORTH CANTON, OHIO, Aug. 3, 2017 – A man spontaneously transitions into a woman, Jesus Christ makes an appearance on the Home Shopping Network and the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy will be examined this theatre season at Kent State University at Stark. In keeping with its tradition of staging contemporary and thought-provoking plays year after year, Kent State Stark Theatre ups the ante with three cutting-edge productions for the 2017-18 season: Consider the Oyster By David MacGregor Auditions: Sept. 6 & 7 at 6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. Performances: Nov. 10, 11, 17 & 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 12 & 19 (American Sign Language performance) at 2 p.m. Tickets: $10 adults; $7 students under 17 and senior citizens; Kent State students free with current ID. Tickets will be available online and at the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office beginning October 30. After watching his favorite team win the Super Bowl, Gene spontaneously proposes to his longtime girlfriend Marisa, and in the midst of his excitement, breaks his leg. The oyster shell the doctor leaves in Gene’s leg to aid in healing sets off a chain reaction of odd feminine changes in Gene’s physicality, hormones and emotions. Just as an oyster changes from male to female over the course of its life, Gene is changing, too. He begins to question his feelings for his new fiancée, and his relationships with friends and family become awkward and strange. Watch as gender identity and humor explode on stage in comical, yet thought-provoking, ways. Virtual Devotion By Eric Coble Auditions: November 28 & 29 at 6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. Performances: Feb. 23 & 24; March 2 & 3 at 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 25 & March 4 (American Sign Language performance) at 2 p.m. Tickets: $10 adults; $7 students under 17 and senior citizens; Kent State students free with current ID. Tickets will be available online and at the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office beginning February 12. It’s the end of the world as we know it; pollution, terrorism and disease have taken over humanity. Pete, Anne and Ruth attempt to sell their faith to nonbelievers in various, and sometimes violent, ways, as a last-ditch effort to save souls, including their own. Through a series of ironic, laughable and most unfortunate events, all of the characters, including the returned Son of God, Jesus Christ, find one another on the Home Shopping Network selling religious artifacts. But now that they are finally together, is it too late to stop the ensuing Armageddon? 26 Pebbles By Eric Ulloa Auditions: January 30 & 31 at 6 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. Performances: April 13, 14, 20 & 21 at 7:30 p.m.; April 15 & 22 (American Sign Language performance) at 2 p.m. Tickets: $10 adults; $7 students under 17 and senior citizens; Kent State students free with current ID. Tickets will be available online and at the Fine Arts Theatre Box Office beginning April 2. What happened to the people of Newtown, Conn., after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre? Months after the attack, Eric Ulloa held intimate interviews with members of the Newtown community, and created a play that nods to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. This docudrama is a weave of verbatim interview excerpts from many people of Newtown as they recount the ripples that were made in the aftermath of unthinkable tragedy, and the resulting push forward towards healing in their community. ************ Directing Kent State Stark’s theatre productions is Brian Newberg, associate professor of theatre and theatre director with scenic and lighting design by Louis Williams, sound design by Ron Jarvis and costume design by Stephen Ostertag. All upcoming productions will be performed at the Kent State Stark Fine Arts Theatre, 6000 Frank Avenue NW in Jackson Township. For additional information about the 2017-18 Kent State Stark theatre performances, including online ticket sales, box office hours, audition details and production team opportunities, visit www.kent.edu/stark/theatre<http://www.kent.edu/stark/theatre>. The Fine Arts Theatre Box Office phone number is 330-244-3348 and is staffed two weeks before a production opens.