PORTSMOUTH- The Shawnee State University Musical Theatre Program continues to be a great success for the institution, where students exploring performing arts careers can flourish through classes around music, acting, and dance. They also continue to be a great catalyst for community arts, where community members get affordable, great displays of talent.

With the school year starting fresh, a new season has been announced. They will showcase three shows this year, featuring Songs for a New World, She Loves Me, and The Cottage.

While the program has had success, the department was hit hard by Covid, according to SSU’s Summer Logan.

“The SSU Musical Theatre Program was hit hard by COVID, we weren’t able to perform for almost two years,” Logan explained. “We are steadily rebuilding the program and chose this season for flexibility. We were looking for a well-rounded series of productions that have a flexible cast, and storylines that can be conceptualized.”

To keep momentum going, Logan and staff have been working through the summer to prepare for expansions in the educational opportunities for students.

“It’s going really well,” Logan said. “We have a wonderful group of new and returning performers who are excited to get back to the classroom and the stage. This summer, we’ve been working on expanding our educational offerings and opportunities, those offerings are still working through the development stages but hopefully will be on the books soon. I am so excited about the energy of our students this year. I think our entire season is fabulous and I can’t wait to tackle each show with our program!”

Musical Theatre International (MTI) explained Songs for a New World by saying, “It’s about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back. These are the stories and characters of today, the Songs for a New World. The first musical from Tony Award winner, Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County), this moving collection of powerful songs examines life, love and the choices that we make.

“Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge, 57 stories above Fifth Avenue, to meet a startling array of characters that range from a young man who has determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.”

Concerning She Loves Me, MTI says, “Set in a 1930s European perfumery, we meet shop clerks, Amalia and Georg, who, more often than not, don’t see eye to eye. After both respond to a ‘lonely hearts advertisement’ in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters that they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. Join Amalia and Georg to discover the identity of their true loves… and all the twists and turns along the way!

“She Loves Me showcases a small but strong ensemble cast playing a range of memorable characters of all ages – and each with their moment to shine. As the New York Times wrote, “This musical is remarkably generous to all its performers: a half-dozen supporting characters are given showstoppers, too.” An ideal Christmas or Valentine’s Day show, this heart-warming story will be adored by your entire audience.”

Dramatists, which owns the rights to The Cottage, explained the story by saying, “Sylvia and Beau find themselves in an English countryside cottage for their yearly rendezvous, and Sylvia knows this time it will be the beginning of their new life together. But when Beau demurs on a shared future, and their spouses arrive at the cottage, she realizes that this home-away-from-home is a refuge for determining a new path forward. With a tip of the hat to Noël Coward and sex comedies of the past, The Cottage offers a perfect showcase for six actors with endless laughs, hilarious twists, daring physical comedy, and a happy ending for lovers everywhere.”

All tickets may be purchased in person or online through the McKinley Box Office at www.VRCFA.com.

“We set out to create a well-rounded season, our first show, Songs for a New World, will be contemporary and heavily concept-driven; we want it to be an immersive experience,” Logan said. “In February, we’re producing a classic “Golden Age” musical, She Loves Me, that is heartwarming, feel-good entertainment. Our final offering for the season is The Cottage, a play that has recently left Broadway, and is described as a ‘ridiculously funny romantic comedy.’”