June 13- 15^th

Junie B. Jones is Not A Crook

Something terrible happened to Junie B. Jones at school today! Someone stole her new furry mittens! So when Junie B. finds a wonderful pen of many colors, she should be allowed to keep it, right? Because finders keepers, losers weepers. And guess what? There's a new boy in kindergarten and he is the handsomest. The only thing is both Grace and Lucille want him to be their boyfriend. Maybe he will love Junie B. when he sees her wonderful pen! It is okay to keep it, right? Junie B. Jones is not a crook . . . or is she? A hilarious and heartfelt tale based on the best-selling book series by Barbara Park.

June 24^th-27^th

Spring Awakening

The winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, told by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater through what Entertainment Weekly called, "the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade," Spring Awakening explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. The landmark musical is an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality and rock and roll that is exhilarating audiences across the nation like no other musical in years. This show is rated R and not suitable for children.

Up with Theatre! Down with Boredom!

The oldest continuously-running summer theatre on the Great Plains was created by Dr. Karl C. Bruder at Emporia State University in 1955. Until 1967, ESU Summer Theatre was presented in Albert Taylor Hall and from 1955-1958 featured an astounding 8 shows in 8 weeks! The usual format for the next 21 years (1959-1979) was 6 shows, and from 1980 until 2020 4 shows was the norm. Over the last three summers, a one show model was used. ESU’s summer theatre gives a preprofessional opportunity to theatre students. Each summer we employ approximately 25 students to create theatre experiences for ESU and the greater Emporia area. For each show, we have the opportunity to serve anywhere from 400 to 1,200 audience participants. It is an invaluable and life changing project for those who work on and off stage.