Author: Stacy Salters

The next University Staff Senate meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 via Zoom. All USS meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

The School of Performing Arts presents “Pippin,” a musical production based on the book by Roger O. Hirson with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, in Wilner Auditorium. It will run at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday Feb. 23 to Saturday, Feb. 25 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26.

Tickets are $10 for children and students, $18 for faculty and staff, and $20 for adults. WSU students can get one ticket at no charge with their Shocker ID.

Pippin is about a young person struggling with mental health issues and contemplating suicide. After an overdose, they hallucinate a story with characters in their “real world” becoming characters in a dream. This young person becomes “Pippin,” the heir to the Frankish throne. In the hallucination and the dream is the quest to find meaning in life.

For more information, contact the box office at 316-978-3233.

The next University Staff Senate meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Jan. 17 via Zoom. All USS meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

The next University Staff Senate meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Dec. 13, via Zoom. All USS meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

The next University Staff Senate meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. November 15 in RSC 142 (Harvest Room). All USS meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

The performances of “Stupid F##king Bird” by the School of Performing Arts have been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The next University Staff Senate meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in the Santa Fe Trail Room (RSC 233). All USS meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

The Wichita State University School of Performing Arts will present “Happy Wright,” winner of the Bela Kiralyfalvi National Student Playwriting Competition, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-8 at Welsbacher Theatre at the WSU Hughes Metroplex, 5015 East 29th St. North. 

Loosely inspired by Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days,” the show is a portrait of anxiety, bravery, and the help we can give each other when we try. “Happy Wright” is a strange person, this much we can say for certain. They love aviation, poetry, and weekends. But when you step into Happy’s mind, you will see it is plagued with questions. These questions make the world very confusing.

Tickets are $10 for general admission. WSU students get one free ticket with a WSU ID thanks to the support of the WSU Student Government for College of Fine Arts performances. Buy tickets at the Box Office 316-978-3233 

Playwright Straton Rushing, who is currently an MFA dramatic writing candidate at Arizona State University, is excited to join us at WSU for the premiere of “Happy Wright.”  Find out more about Straton.

The Wichita State University National Playwriting Competition was created in 1974 by Dr. Bela Kiralyfalvi,  who was a theatre professor and director of the School of Performing Arts until his retirement in 2003.

Wichita State’s School of Performing Arts musical theatre program will debut “The Fox Sisters” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at the Welsbacher Theatre. The production includes music by Anthony De Angelis, lyrics by Christyn Budzyna and a book by Jessica Penzias. New WSU musical theatre faculty member Richard Biever will direct, and Garrett Welch will serve as music director and pianist.  

“The Fox Sisters” tells the story of Katie and Maggie Fox, who convince the world they can speak to the dead and accidentally found a new religion. Based on a true story from the 1800s, this new musical has a haunting, ethereal score and will leave the audience wondering — if you believe something, can you make it real? 

This production is made possible by the generous support of the Jo Zakas Legacy Foundation to fund the Musical Theatre Incubator Program, which was created to fund a staged reading of one new musical each year. The program includes bringing the authors to Wichita to collaborate with students. 

This event is free to Wichita State students who present their WSU ID.

The next University Staff Senate (USS) meeting is schedule for 3:30 p.m. today, Sept. 20, via Zoom. All USS meetings are open to the Wichita State campus community.

Staff members can also learn more about University Staff Senate Meetings, access meeting Zoom links and previous meeting minutes at the Staff Senate Meetings, Agendas and Minutes webpage.