Balcony Theatre Archives - Reynolds College Blog

“Back Story” opens theatre and dance 2026-27 season

September 14, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance opens its 2026-2027 production season with “Back Story” Sept. 24-28.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 24-26 and Sept. 28 and 2 p.m. matinees Sept. 26-27. All performances will be held in the Balcony Theatre in Craig Hall.

Directed by Dr. Kurt Heinlein, the play explores the lives of two siblings and the “unshakable devotion and hardships” they share. Heinlein is a professor of theatre and coordinator of the BFA Acting for Stage and Screen program.

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Story stems from collaborative writing project

Heinlein described “Back Story” as an exploration of the lives of a brother and sister, Ethan and Ainsley Belcher. Those lives, he noted, are “riddled with sibling rivalry, sacrifice, misadventures, and dreams deferred.”

According to Heinlein, the play originated from a short story of the same name by Joan Ackerman. To build from that original story, Ackerman invited nearly 20 playwrights to collaborate on the play’s script by contributing monologues and scenes.

“Each one offers a unique author’s perspective while dramatizing different moments from within the original short story,” Heinlein explained.

“Rent” opens Spring 2025 Theatre and Dance production schedule

January 23, 2025 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance continues its 2024-25 “Connection” series with the production of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent.”

Evening showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21-22, 24 and Feb. 26-March 1. Matinee showtimes are 2:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and March 2.

Directed by Dr. Kurt Heinlein, all performances will be held in the Craig Hall Balcony Theatre.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for students/seniors. Special advance rates are available for students with an MSU ID.

A special group rate is available for 10 or more. Call 417-836-7678 for details.

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Department of Theatre and Dance announces 2023-2024 season “Illumination”

August 28, 2023 by Reynolds College

Theatre illuminates the range of ideas and emotions that shape us as individuals and define us as a society. The productions of Missouri State University’s Theatre and Dance 2023-2024 season shed light on our shared human experience.

Imagine young Will’s inspiration for Romeo and Juliet in the dramatic comedy “Shakespeare In Love”
Follow the ricochet of ideas in “Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind: 30 plays in 60 minutes”
Cheer as a trio of underpaid office workers stage a madcap corporate coup in “9 to 5: The Musical”
Enter a world where cartoon characters become mythic figures in “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play”
Tag along with five lost people on their journey of inner discovery in “Circle Mirror Transformation”
Untangle myriad motives and clues to solve the case in “A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical”
Be inspired by the amazing human machine in “Spring Dance Concert: Movement Mechanized”