Southeast Missouri State University announces the River Campus Summer Arts Festival’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors,” opening June 14 as part of its two-week extended season.

“Little Shop of Horrors,” one of the longest running Off-Broadway shows, is a deliciously dark sci-fi comedy musical with a stunning 1960s pop/rock score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Meet Seymour, a meek and dejected floral shop employee who finds an unusual plant, which he adoringly names “Audrey II.” Surprises await as this strange and unusual plant develops a soulful voice, a sailor mouth and a taste for human blood.

Performances of “Little Shop of Horrors” are slated for 7:30 p.m. June 14, 19, 22, 23, 26 and 27; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 17, in the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre at the Southeast River Campus.

The musical is a hilarious show that spoofs audiences’ favorite sci-fi and B-rated horror movies, said Director Michael McIntosh, assistant professor with Southeast’s Conservatory of Theatre and Dance.

“It’s a very funny show that everyone will love,” McIntosh said “We have a great cast and huge special effects. It’s going to be a first-class production that audiences won’t want to miss.”

The company consists of current Southeast Conservatory students and professional faculty and staff. For a listing of the full company, please see below.*

Tickets

Tickets are $20 and are on sale now. They may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265 or online at RiverCampus.org.

River Campus Summer Arts Festival:

The fifth annual community River Campus Summer Arts Festival on June 16 includes live music, dance, theatrical performances, magic, visual arts displays, hands-on family-friendly art expression activities, museum exhibitions, musical instruments and animal petting zoos, creative writing workshops, an arts walk, and other hands-on activities throughout the River Campus. The festival will offer an ambitious season of three shows. In addition to “Little Shop of Horrors,” visitors also may enjoy the whodunit meets spicy spy novel in the melodramatic comedy “The 39 Steps,” and the Broadway musical “Legally Blonde Jr.”

The community festival is free and open to all ages in the entire region. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is sponsored by Drury Hotels, US Bank, the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, Southeast Missouri State University, City of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation, the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau, Rust Communications, KGMO, Ameren Missouri, KBSI, River Radio, Pure Country C106.1, KRCU, Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, SoutheastHEALTH, Legends, Lemonade Grill, Cape Noon Optimist Club, Cape Rotary Club, the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum, Jimmy John’s, Andy’s Frozen Custard, Minglewood Brewery, Pepsi, and the University’s departments of Art, Music and The Conservatory of Theatre and Dance.  Partners include the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Old Town Cape and the United Way of Southeast Missouri.

For more information, visit http://rivercampus.org/event/summer-arts-festival/.

*Full List of Company:

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Michael McIntosh (Director), assistant professor of musical theatre, directing and acting

Jenna Lee Moore (Music Director), assistant professor of theatre – voice

Malachi Marrero (Choreographer), junior dance major of Memphis, Tennessee

Jeffrey Luetkenhaus (Scenic Designer), production manager for the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts

James M. Miller (Costume Designer), guest designer

Christopher Haug (Lighting Designer), technical director and lighting designer for The Conservatory of Theatre and Dance

Mick Keathley (Sound Designer), assistant manager for the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts

CAST:

Brianna Busse (Chiffon), sophomore musical theatre major of Florissant, Missouri

Alexia Buckner (Crystal), junior musical theatre major of Memphis, Tennessee

Diamon Lester (Ronnette), sophomore musical theatre major of Hazelwood, Missouri

Bart Williams (Mushnik), assistant professor of theatre

Abigail Becker (Audrey), junior musical theatre major of Independence, Missouri

Mason Ramsey (Seymour), junior musical theatre major of Festus, Missouri

Andrew Freeland (Orin, Bernstein, Snip, Derelicts, Everyone Else), sophomore musical theatre major of Pikeville, Kentucky

Ries Lundstrom (Audrey II – Puppeteer, Derelicts), sophomore musical theatre major of Granite City, Illinois

Nicholas Kuchem (Audrey II – Voice, Derelicts), junior musical theatre major of Washington, Missouri

Southeast Missouri State University is pleased to announce it has been awarded associate accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

The NASAD Commission awarded the accreditation in April following self-study and peer review processes. The associate accreditation is for four years, with the University’s next full review slated for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“We are absolutely thrilled to receive NASAD accreditation.  This is the fourth and final accreditation in the arts for Southeast,” said Rhonda Weller-Stilson, director of the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “With this last accreditation, we are the only school in Missouri nationally accredited in all four arts areas – music, art, theatre and dance.”

With this announcement, NASAD accredited art programs at Southeast are as follows:

• Bachelor of Arts in art
• Bachelor of Science in art education
• Bachelor of Science in human environmental studies (interior design option)
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in art (ceramics, digital arts, graphic design/illustration, painting, printmaking and sculpture options)
• Master of Arts in human environmental studies (interior design option)
• Master of Arts in secondary education (art option)

NASAD is an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities with about 352 accredited institutional members. It establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials for art and design and art/design-related disciplines, and provides assistance to institutions and individuals engaged in artistic, scholarly, educational and other art/design-related endeavors.

Southeast’s Department of Art offers students the opportunity to hone their talents and prepare for careers through study and hands-on experiences in ceramics, digital art, graphic design, illustration, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Students regularly exhibit their work in the River Campus Art Gallery, the Dobbins Hallway Gallery, the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum and the Catapult Creative House Gallery.

Southeast’s NASAD accredited art and design programs now find themselves among prestigious company, including the New York Film Academy, California State-Fullerton, Syracuse University and Saint John’s University, all NASAD accredited schools.

Southeast’s Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts now holds four major national accreditations. In addition to NASAD, Southeast’s Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). The University’s Department of Music is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Southeast is also a proud member of the esteemed National Association of School of Theatre (NAST).

Other NAST accredited institutions include the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, UCLA and several State University of New York (SUNY) campuses. Among a number of NASD accredited institutions are the Limon Institute and the California Institute of the Arts. Institutions with NASM accreditation include the Eastman School of Music and The Collective, among others.

“We have strived to create programs and curriculum that not only provide an excellent education to our students but also have been verified by professional consultants in each area as appropriately demanding,” Weller-Stilson said. “We set high goals for our students, and this affirms that we are meeting national expectations.

Dexter, Missouri - A Teachers Retirement Tea was hosted in the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter for retiring staff.

Nancy Wright has served the district as a teacher's aide for the past 35 years at T.S. Hill Middle School.

She was hired in 1983 and has worked in the Special Services Department at the middle school level.

Congratulations Mrs. Wright on your retirement!