Missouri State University’s Tent Theatre opens the 2026 season with the zany classic, “Around the World in 80 Days.”
Assistant Professor Karen Sabo of the Department of Theatre and Dance makes her Tent Theatre directorial debut with Mark Brown’s adaptation of the beloved Jules Verne novel.
Performances are June 18-20 and 22-26 at the John Goodman Amphitheatre (JGA).
All show times are 8 p.m.
Ticket information
Individual, group, and season tickets are now on sale. Patrons can purchase by mail, calling the box office at 417-836-7678 or 1-888-476-7849, or buying online.
On show days, Tent Theatre patrons can pick up their tickets at the will-call kiosk. It is located next to the Amphitheatre and opens at 6:30 p.m.
Visit TentTheatre.MissouriState.edu for further event information.
Sabo enjoys Tent directorial debut
Sabo has directed numerous productions at Missouri State, including “Airness” and “Mr. Burns.” This is her first time, however, to direct a Tent production. It is also her first-ever outdoor production.
“I’m excited!” Sabo said about the opportunity. “I acted in a production of this play about 25 years ago. I had the best time. It was one of my favorite shows I’ve done, so I’m just thrilled to be able to live in this fun theatrical race again.”
New collaborations
One enjoyable aspect of directing a Tent production has been working with a new crew of actors and designers, Sabo noted.
“I love working with my fabulous colleagues, Anna Hunt (props) and Eryn BrooksBrewer (costumes),” she said. “But Tre Brazeal (lights), Jeff McLaughlin (set and projections) and Levi Manners (sound) are designers that I’m just getting to know. We’re all having a marvelous time working together.”
Meanwhile, blocking the initial stages of the production on paper “felt like directing traffic in mid-town Manhattan at rush hour,” Sabo said. She looks forward to seeing how those initial visions transpire on the stage.
“It’ll be good to see what planning actually works with live actors and what we’ll all need to invent in rehearsals,” Sabo noted. “I love the collaboration part of directing.”
Enjoys hybrid nature of directing and teaching
Sabo also enjoys the hybrid nature of directing in educational settings. “This is a fun blend of having some students involved in the process, along with a couple of more experienced professionals,” she said.
Typically, theatre department shows have longer rehearsal processes, according to Sabo. Those schedules include night rehearsals to accommodate classes during the day.
“Tent shows, and most other professional processes, have a short, full-time schedule,” Sabo added. “It’s great for students to get to experience that, and for me to practice that as well so I don’t get rusty with getting a show up quickly.”
“I’ll love seeing my students bring their skills along to a rehearsal process that looks very different from educational ones,” she added.
Zany fun, but also a story of personal growth
As both a director and a teacher, Sabo says it is important that her students learn to look for both assets and potential deficits within a script.
“I think a great asset of ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ is that the whole show is a race, so that dramatic element of a time constraint heightens the dramatic tension and propels the action forward. It should be a fun, fast-moving show,” she explained.
That fast-paced storyline can also be a potential pitfall, Sabo cautioned.
“The ‘busy-ness’ of the show could displace the fact of the characters’ growth,” she explained. “We all learn and grow from travel and from allowing our experiences in foreign places to affect us. The personal changes the characters experience is an important layer of depth that could get lost amidst the aspect of racing and of moving suitcases around.”
“I’ll work hard to make sure that aspect emerges strongly,” Sabo said. “Telling human stories in an impactful way is a crucial part of what has made Tent Theatre an institution here in Springfield.”
Reynolds College blog posts are human researched, written and reviewed unless otherwise indicated.
Discover more from Reynolds College Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.