Karen Sabo Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Airness”

April 2, 2026 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Airness” April 9-12 at the Credo Arts Center in Springfield, Missouri.

Directed by Assistant Professor Karen Sabo, the play takes audiences on an adventure into the world of competitive air guitar.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. April 9-11 and 2:30 p.m. April 12. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. MSU students can receive special advance purchase discounts with a Mo State ID.

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Lose yourself in the world of competitive air guitar

“Real-life rocker Nina O’Neal thinks she can easily win an air guitar contest. She knows the songs, she knows the moves and, after all, it’s just pretend. Isn’t it?”

Thus starts the synopsis of Chelsea Marcantel’s play, “Airness.” Audiences follow O’Neal as she immerses herself in a world of misfits, nerds and eccentrics who are laser-focused on attaining the pure and uninhibited joy of rock-n-roll bliss.

“’Airness’ is about adults finding freedom and joy in a sense of play, just like most of us had as kids but many of us lose it while growing up,” said Sabo. “The characters love the sense of being awakened to joy through air guitar. We hope the show will have the same effect on the audience.”

College actress performing during rehearsal — Margot Maple rehearses her role as Nina O’Neal in “Airness.” Nigel Norvell, Izzy Hill and Noah Tuttle are in the background.

Wellness Week celebrates good health and good habits

November 12, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

For the fifth year, the Department of Theatre and Dance has sponsored Wellness Week, a three-day event for its students that provides information on how to maintain their physical, emotional and financial well-being.

Typically scheduled right before fall break each year, the event provides students with opportunities to engage in a wide range of health-related activities. They can also choose to hear from expert speakers on topics ranging from nutrition to digital and social media time management.

“Wellness Week is always one of the highlights of my year,” said Associate Professor Azaria Hogans, Wellness Week committee chair. “Wellness Week is depression prevention, social isolation prevention and, overall, the embodiment of prioritizing student mental health and well-being.”

This year’s Wellness Week committee members were theatre and dance Department Head Dr. Chris Herr, Assistant Professor Nikki Ferry, Assistant Professor Karen Sabo and Artist-in-Residence Kathleen Hains. Among their many tasks, the committee helped organize event activities, scheduled speakers and venue locations and promoted the event on social media. Hogans also handled budgeting and program analytics.

According to those analytics, Hogans said the event garnered over 300 attendance touch points this year.

Students listening to a presentation — A student asks a question during the “Logged in, Stressed Out: Managing Stress and Screen Time” session, conducted by LPCs Chiara Citterio and Katie Harrison of Missouri State’s Counseling Center.

Theatre and Dance opens 2024-25 season with “Eurydice”

September 6, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Celebrating “Connection,” Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance opens its 2024-25 season Sept. 19 with a modern take on the classic Greek myth, “Eurydice.”

“Theatre and Dance connect us with a world of ideas and emotions,” said Mark Templeton, Managing Director. “They broaden our perspective and deepen our understanding of ourselves and others.”

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19-21 and 23 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students/seniors. Special advance rates are available for students with an MSU ID.

All performances are in the Craig Hall Balcony Theatre.

Purchase tickets for “Eurydice”

Sustainability a key factor in production of “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play”

February 26, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

MSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play” Feb. 29-March 4 in Coger Theatre, Craig Hall.

Assistant professor of theatre and dance Karen Sabo directs the play.

Show times are Feb. 29-March 2, 7:30 p.m. and March 3, 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. MSU students can receive special advance purchase discounts with an MSU ID.

A post-apocalyptic play with a quirky pop culture twist

Woman at table with theatrical costume items — Director Karen Sabo with “Mr. Burns'” hands, made from “bendy” tubes.

“Mr. Burns” has been on Karen Sabo’s radar for some time.

“This is a play I’ve been pitching to places for quite a few years because I have wanted to direct it,” she said.

Sabo was intrigued both by the play’s storyline and its backstory.

“The playwright, Anne Washburn, was commissioned to write it about ten years ago by a New York City theatre group called The Civilians, and they asked her to explore what would happen to a pop culture narrative after a breakdown of society,” Sabo explained.

The resulting three-act play explores that “breakdown” by transporting audiences through 75 years in a post-apocalyptic society.

Most of the population has died, nuclear plants are unattended and leaking, and the electric grid is gone in this dreary world.

The survivors seek solace in performance. One of their immediate outlets is to reenact excerpts from the pop culture phenomenon “The Simpsons.”

Spanning generations to celebrate the dramatic impulse

Sabo and her assistant director, senior theater education major RyLea Clark, described “Mr. Burns” as a show that celebrates youth culture, theater history and the human dramatic impulse.

“I think it’s a perfect play to do on college campuses for students because it marries art and entertainment so well, and for all those students taking Intro-to-Theatre-type courses, it incorporates a lot of material they learn, such as about the universal human impulse to dramatize stories,” Sabo said.

“Everyone knows the Simpsons,” said Clark, highlighting the cross-generational relatability of the play’s subject matter.

Sabo’s production team was eager to start working on the creative aspects of the project in part because of that pop culture connection.

“They’re excited to work on the show because it legitimizes an element of pop culture, and that’s really important to the lives of young people,” Sabo said. “I know that TV shows, especially cartoons, can seem like meaningless ephemera, but they’re the stories of our times and represent who we are at this moment.”