STEPPING UP FOR NEW SEASON

Allen Community College Theatre Director Tony Piazza selects plays based on the talent he has in any given year.

This year’s group of theater students is so talented, he said, that it’s given him the opportunity to produce plays he’s long wanted to do. All three of its major productions will concern the challenging topic of love, because, as Shakespeare says, “The course of true love never did run smooth.”

An abundance of male theater students this year has enabled Piazza to stage the fall musical “Young Frankenstein” and then in the spring, William Shakespeare’s, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

This is Piazza’s 21st year at ACC.

“This is probably my largest class in several years,” Piazza said. “I’ve been fortunate to get some of the best talent available locally. Some of them I recruited. Some just showed up. But they’ve all got talent I can help nourish.”

Several students also have stayed at Allen for a third year, giving the class more experience and continuity.

THE SEASON kicks off Oct. 10-12 with the musical, “Young Frankenstein,” based on the Mel Brooks movie from 1974. Fans will find all the classic scenes and quotes, plus more songs and dance numbers. It’s a comedic take on the classic horror story, as a respected scientist attempts to recreate his grandfather’s famous experiment to reanimate a corpse, while preaching how important it is “to accept our failures, as well as our successes, with quiet dignity and grace.”

Of course, it doesn’t quite work out that way.

Though the movie is likely more familiar to an older generation of today’s students, Piazza expects the bawdy humor to appeal to a wide audience.

Austin Wickwire of Garnett returns to ACC to play Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, with Iola’s Jake Anderson as The Monster. It will utilize new technology to offer animated backdrops.

The play is an example of how actors dictated this year’s production, Piazza said. He initially considered “9 to 5” for the fall musical, but that requires more female leads.

“When I look for a musical, I look for something that’s popular and one I think the audience will be more comfortable with,” Piazza said. “A lot of our plays now come from film, and this has sort of that corny melodrama I think audiences will enjoy.”

ACC will present “Love/Sick” in November, student-directed one-act plays in February, Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in April and “Murder in the House of Horrors” in June as the Allen Summer Youth Theatre production.

“Love/Sick” features a collection of nine humorous takes on love, each with a twist. It’s written by John Cariani, who wrote “Almost Maine,” which ACC performed in 2011. Piazza will use all performing students, which means some parts may be doubled and he’ll add an extra performance night.

“Part of our job is to train these students,” Piazza said. “‘Love/Sick’ will allow some of the younger performers to cut their teeth on a really well-written play.”

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” celebrates ACC’s coming centennial; it was performed by the Iola Junior College in 1923. The magical play is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and a favorite for audiences.

Both “Young Frankenstein” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be performed at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. The Bowlus now offers online tickets that can be purchased at bowluscenter.org.