Missouri State University’s Tent Theatre opens the 2025 season with its production of “Serenade: Summer Nights of Swing and Song.”

Performances are June 12-14 and 18-21 at the John Goodman Amphitheatre. All show times are 8 p.m.

Professor Sarah Wiggin from the Department of Theatre and Dance is the show’s director.

Ticket information

Individual, group and season tickets are now on sale. They can be purchased by mail, calling the box office at 417-836-7678 or 1-888-476-7849 or online at MissouriStateTix.com.

On show days, Tent Theatre patrons can pick up their tickets at the will-call kiosk next to the Amphitheatre between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Food and drink concessions will be available, and patrons will have access to restrooms in Hill Hall, just north of Craig Hall.

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“Las Vegas flair” brings timeless tunes to life

Multiple vocalists, backed by Missouri State’s “Serenade” Jazz Orchestra, will bring to life classic tunes immortalized by Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald, along with contemporary hits from Natalie Cole, Michael Bublé, Harry Connick Jr. and others.

“I am loving working with the ‘Serenade’ jazz orchestra,” Wiggin said. “They are really elevating the performance of the jazz concert, and the vocalists are very enthusiastic about collaborating with them. It’s magical.”

Conducted and directed by Dr. Jason Hausback of the Department of Music, the jazz orchestra includes Missouri State students, alumni and guest artists. Heather Luellen of the theatre and dance department is the show’s music coordinator.

Recent graduate John Vincent Horton a featured performer

Spring 2025 BFA Musical Theatre graduate John Vincent Horton returns to Tent Theatre this year as a featured vocalist in “Serenade.”

“Most of the tunes you’re going to hear me singing are the Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin classics,” Horton said.

To prepare for his role, Horton listens to several styles of jazz to determine how he can deliver a unique performance while honoring the original material.

“I’ve been working on embodying the smooth and coolness of the classic crooner movement by watching performances of Frank, Dean, Sammy Davis Jr. and Andy Williams,” he said.

Already a Tent veteran

Horton is no stranger to the Tent experience. He appeared in the 2024 production of “Mystic Pizza,” also directed by Wiggin. In addition, he was cast in the 2023 Tent productions of “Anything Goes” and “The Prom.”

As an undergraduate, Horton worked with Wiggin in campus productions of “Shakespeare in Love” and “Dreamland.” Wiggin also taught Horton throughout his entire undergraduate career at Missouri State and selected him to be her teaching assistant for her Acting Studio II course.

“John is a consummate professional,” Wiggin said. “I’m thrilled to work with him again as director.”

This season’s two-week rehearsal time brings added pressures, though, Horton admitted. In contrast, campus productions typically had five to six weeks to prepare.

During a campus production, students are “learning rehearsal habits and how to be professional in the room,” Horton explained. “With Tent, you have to come in ready to go from Day 1. There’s a lot of before-rehearsal prep in order to move efficiently in the room.”

Like Wiggin, Horton is excited to perform with the Jazz Ensemble, and he hopes audiences feel the same way.

“I’m hoping this show can take them away from their stress for a little bit and give them a jazzy tune to hum when they leave,” he said. “We’ve got an incredible cast of vocalists and a band that is second to none. Audiences are guaranteed to go home singing along to a song or two.”

Building an impressive résumé

This year’s Tent experience just adds to Horton’s already impressive résumé. He plans to pursue a career as an actor, writer or director for stage, film or both.

“I always thought, coming into school, that acting was the only path for me, but as I’ve gone through my training, it’s opened my eyes to the possibilities of other things within the field that I’m equally as passionate about,” he said. “Acting is still something I’m pursuing, but I’m no longer closed minded to the idea of doing other things around it.”

“I’m very lucky I ended up at Missouri State,” he added. “I feel like I got some of the best training in the country.”

Major renovations can’t dampen excitement for season

Horton, Wiggin and their Tent Theatre casts and crews found themselves confronting some unique production problems this season.

Currently, Missouri State is building the new Judith Enyeart Reynolds Performing Arts Complex and conducting major renovations in nearby Craig Hall. With a target completion date of early 2026, the project is supported by the largest one-time private donation in the university’s history.

Wiggin described the response from the Tent community as “all hands on deck.”

“We had to rethink the kind of shows we could share with our Tent audience, since we couldn’t have typical scenery or build costumes,” Wiggins explained. “It is definitely an outside the box kind of season for us — and still fantastic.”

Creative problem-solving keeps production schedule smooth

To address the situation, this year’s Tent productions are using an LED video wall to replicate scenic backdrops. The team relocated the costume shop to another spot on campus.

For Horton, the construction activity has complicated, but not necessarily hindered, rehearsals.

“I do miss the annex and Craig for the summer, but I’m super excited to eventually come back and see the new facilities,” he said. “I think they’ll help the [theatre and dance] program immensely.”

“They seem to be going with the flow,” Wiggin said of her “Serenade” cast and crew. “They understand why everything is different this year and the great gift the new building will be for us.”

“I’m sure we’ll keep problem solving over the season,” she added, “but theatre people are very good at that!”

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