Get ready for fabulous

The New Mexico State University Theatre Department’s 2023-24 season opens Sept. 22 with a performance of “Carmela Full of Wishes,” a play adapted by New York Times bestselling author Matt de la Peña from the children’s picture book he wrote with Christian Robinson. The NMSU production will be directed by Theatre Department instructor Monika Mojica.

The Theatre Department will offer free matinee performances of “Carmela” for local students “to share the art of theatre with young community members,” Department Head Wil Kilroy said.

The NMSU theatre season will also include:

• “As You Like It,” by William Shakespeare, directed by Theatre Department associate professor Larissa Lury. Shakespeare likely wrote the play in 1599 and its first production was probably in 1603. Rosalind, accompanied by her cousin, Celia, flees persecution in her uncle’s French court and finds love and safety in Arden Forest. The play runs Nov. 3-12.
• The staged reading of a new play will be presented Feb. 16-17, 2024, during the theatre department’s High Desert Play Development Workshop. The program was started in 2005 to solicit new plays from emerging playwrights across the country. Two plays are selected, workshopped for a week and presented to the public.
• “The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy,” will be performed April 19-28. The book is by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. Music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa. The show will be directed by Theatre Department assistant professor Lisa Hermanson. The story is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams and featured in the 1964-66 television show on ABC. The 2010 Broadway production was nominated for two Tony awards.

“We are also pleased to have new faculty and staff joining us and contributing to all of our productions including a scenic and lighting designer, a costume designer and technical director,” Kilroy said. “From Shakespeare to musical comedy to a brand-new play we are bringing diverse opportunities to both our students and our audiences, supporting our mission of sharing quality theatre with our community.”

All shows are performed at the ASNMSU Center for the Arts, 1000 E. University Ave.

Tickets to each show are $16-$21. Season tickets are $45.

For tickets, visit theatre.nmsu.edu. Click on “Performances and Events” and “Ticketing & Box Office.” You can purchase tickets by phone at 575-646-4515. The NMSU Theatre Department box office is open 3-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-5 p.m. Friday and one hour before each performance