KAYLA DRAKE | Multimedia Producer

The student production line-up for 2019-20 includes the popular “Little Shop of Horrors,” but is eliminating the annual “A Christmas Carol,” which ran for over 20 years.

A total of five productions are slated for next school year: “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Silent Sky,” “Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play,” and “Cabaret.”

Theater professor, Emily Jones, said all of the stories are worthwhile to tell.

“I have to say, for the first time in a long time, I’m really excited about every single one of the shows,” Jones said in an email.

Even though the traditional “A Christmas Carol” has become the program’s way of giving back, the theater department decided to not show it this next year because audience attendance has been declining, juxtaposed with a growing department, according to Jones.  

“The answer was to remove Carol from the season, and in its place, provide a new title each year for the students to approach with a fresh perspective,” Jones said.

Out of all the productions, Jones said typically the musicals like “Cabaret” or “Mr. Burns,” attract the largest audiences, but “Little Shop of Horrors” could also be a contender for the biggest crowd.

Jones said students will have to innovate for the large scale titles.

“The challenge can be in creating a character that isn’t just an imitation of the characters in the movie or a past production they’ve seen, but something real and authentic to them,” Jones said.

In all, this season is going to tackle Shakespeare with the “Merry Wives of Windsor,” and modern plays like “Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play,” which debuted in 2012 and is set in a post-apocalyptic world and channels inspiration from “The Simpsons.”

All of the shows will either be in the J. Scheidegger Center’s Black Box Theater or main Lindenwood Theater. Contact the Box Office at (636) 949-4433 or [email protected] for ticket details.