Take a close look at the 2016-2017 McPherson College theatre season, and a particular detail may jump out that speaks to the quality of the shows.

Every single script was written by a Tony Award winner – the most prestigious award in the realm of theatre.

The season will include “Well” by Lisa Kron, “Blithe Spirit” by Noël Coward, “Godspell” with music by Stephen Schwartz and book by John-Michael Tebelak, “for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf” by Ntozake Shange, “Barefoot in the Park” by Neil Simon, and the Kansas premiere of “Love and Information” by Caryl Churchill.

Dr. Rick Tyler, professor of speech and theatre, and Jd. Bowman, associate professor of theatre, said the lineup is notable not only because of the prestige of the shows’ creators, but also because of a unifying theme of “family.”

“When we look at the theme of ‘family,’ we are also looking at our own participation in a family structure,” Bowman said. “How do we each play our own part in our ‘families’?”

“Godspell,” for example, talks about spiritual families. “Well” and “Love and Information” look at how individuals contribute to the definition of family, and “for colored girls…” considers how to define family.

To see all the shows, experience a special a student-produced dinner before each performance that is themed to the production, and to receive advance notice of other performance events through the year, theatergoers will want to consider a First Nighter’s Membership.

A membership costs $75 for an individual, $150 for a double membership and $225 for a family membership and provides critical support for high-quality performances at McPherson College.

Kicking off the season is “Well” showing in Mingenback Theatre Sept. 8-10. The play premiered in 2004 Off-Broadway with the playwright – Lisa Kron – portraying herself in a story about her mother’s chronic illness and issues of health on a personal and community level. The work breaks the conventions of theater, with the performers frequently breaking out of character to comment on the play itself. Of course, the college’s performance will go to a new level of “meta” art because an actor will be playing Kron, playing herself.

Up next is the college’s Homecoming production of “Blithe Spirit” in Brown Auditorium Oct. 7-8 and 14-15. The classic comedy from the 1940s follows Charles Condomine – a novelist who invites a medium to conduct a séance at his home, hoping to gather material for his next book. The attempt goes better – and worse – than Charles had planned, as the séance successfully summons his deceased first wife. She, in turn, attempts to wreck his marriage to his second wife, Ruth, who can’t see the ghost.

The only musical on the season’s lineup is the popular retelling of the Gospel of Matthew – “Godspell” showing in Mingenback Theatre Nov. 17-19. First performed in 1971, the MC performance will use the 2011 Broadway revival book, for which Stephen Schwartz revisited the work – creating new arrangements, making some changes to lyrics, and reworking instrumentation and musical keys. Songs range from deeply emotional ballads to a silly softshoe number to sultry nightclub blues. The casting scheme is also unique – with only the part of Jesus remaining constant. Apart from that, one actor starts by portraying John the Baptist and turns to become Judas Iscariot by the end and everyone else is part of an ensemble.

The first performance of 2017 will be “for colored girls..” in Mingenback Theatre on Feb. 2-4, and should prove an interesting challenge – not only for the actors but also for audiences. The cast calls for seven African-American women who are identified in the play only by the colors of the rainbow that they wear – Red, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Brown, Green and Orange. Rather than a traditional plot, the performance is in the form of “Choreopoetry” – a blending of poetry, dance and music. The poems’ subjects are challenging and difficult – including rape, abortion and domestic violence. The original 1976 production on Broadway received the Tony Award for Best Play and was adapted into a book, a television movie, and a theatrical film.

Contrasting that heavier material will be a wild and bawdy comedy – Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” showing in Brown Auditorium on March 10-11. A favorite with audiences for decades, the show was nominated for three Tony Awards in 1964 when it premiered. The quintessential “bedroom farce,” the play follows Corie and Paul Bratter – a newlywed couple in New York City just moving into their first apartment. Corie is a free spirit who tries – to comedic effect – to get her more straight-laced husband to loosen up… to traipse shoeless through the park.

The final performance will be a special treat for Kansas audiences, as it’s the first production of the unique “Love and Information” in the state. Showing in Mingenback Theatre April 20-22, it’s unlikely this show will be seen anywhere else afterward, either – at least, not in the same way as on the McPherson College stage. That’s by design. Caryl Churchill wrote “Love and Information” so that there are five sections, each consisting of multiple scenes that may be performed in any order, which opens up tremendous flexibility by allowing the scenes within each section to be re-arranged however a particular director desires. Churchill also includes a number of short vignettes that may be dropped into the play at any point… or not used at all. The arrangement of these vignettes can dramatically change their meaning. The ensemble cast portrays more than 100 different characters – often of vague gender and with the potential for actors to play multiple characters… or for multiple actors to play the same character. In scenes that rarely extend more than a few minuses, the work explores flawed and beautiful relationships and personal communication.

All shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to all shows cost $5 for adults and $3.50 for children ages high school and younger as well as seniors. Reservations may be made by contacting the theatre box office at 620-242-0444 or at [email protected].

See Performing Arts event calendar.

A mysterious fishing tackle box, eyes that are truly windows to the soul, and an unusual number of tentacles are some of the highlights of the final McPherson College senior exhibition now on display.

The annual senior exhibitions are an opportunity for graduating MC seniors in visual arts to show their work from across their college career. Currently about 150 pieces are on display from Jasmine Regehr. McPherson, Kan.; Michael Ramos, Sachse, Texas; Bailley McKinley, Derby, Kan.; Ste’fon Walker, Mendenhall, Miss.; Nathan Holthus, McPherson, Kan.; and Melicia Foster, McPherson, Kan.

Regehr included a number of works in the exhibition that tended to feature squid-like tentacles emerging from objects that truly shouldn’t have them – an owl, a songbird, a clay pot. She majored in both the studio and graphic design tracks at in the department and said that learning about graphic design has proven a challenge for her. She tends to prefer a brush in hand, she said, and found herself more perfectionistic when doing graphic art. She also notices art more in the everyday.

“I find that I’m a lot more aware of everything in my surroundings,” she said. “It’s a completely new feeling to be aware of all the creative ideas that are out there, as well as the ones that are waiting to be discovered.”

Walker, who is displaying multiple examples of his sharp, clean graphic design, said he developed during his education and will continue to do so.

“As a graphic designer, I am in a constant state of growth,” he said. “I am growing as an artist and also as a person.”

One wall of the exhibition hall may appear to be staring back at the observer, thanks to a number of large charcoal drawings by Ramos. Each is an extreme view of an eye, with some scene reflected in its center.

“I am very fascinated by the human eye and it amazes me how something so small can survey a world that is so large,” he said. “The iris captures everything a person goes through. Imagine being able to look in a person’s eye and see exactly what that person has seen and been through.

He said the interpretation of each piece is up to the viewer.

“Some may see tragedy. Some may see love. Some may see fear,” he said, “but it all is based on what the viewer is thinking and feeling.”

The section for Bailley McKinley’s art includes a variety of ceramic pieces but is dominated by three huge oil paintings – each a portrait completed in a different monochrome scheme. McKinley said each painting depicts a different individual she knows in real life, who encountered and influenced each other like the ripples on a pond.

“Every time we interact with each other, our ripples are transformed,” she said. “I believe these interactions change the course of our journey that lies ahead.”

The senior exhibition will continue through May 15 in Friendship Hall on the McPherson College campus, and will include with a public reception for the seniors on Friday, May 13, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Lovers of great band music will have the opportunity to hear a free POPS concert on May 2, featuring the McPherson College Concert Band, McPherson College Jazz Band and the McPherson County Jazz Horn Quartet.

Kyle Hopkins, director of bands at McPherson College, said that the opportunity to perform for the community was always a privilege. In particular, the jazz band is a relatively new addition to the college’s co-curricular offerings.

“The band program is going through a dynamic ‘boom period’ and our jazz band represents that growth, energy and excitement,” Hopkins said. “These students give up their lunch breaks on Wednesdays and Fridays to come together and play some great jazz music.”

The outdoor concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Lakeside Park Band Shell in McPherson at 510 Lakeside Drive. Due to the weather the performance will be in Brown Auditorium on the McPherson College campus, 1600 E. Euclid St.The concert is free and open to the public, and Hopkins said they are particularly excited to have a special guest out of Lindsborg, Kan. – the McPherson County Jazz Horn Quartet.

Selections will include a mix of band and jazz band music such as Don Menza’s “Beulah Witch” played by the jazz band and John Philip Sousa’s “Sabre and Spur” and Carl Strommen’s “Prairiesong” played by the concert band.