USI Theatre wraps up 2016-2017 season with "Little Women"

University of Southern Indiana Theatre will end the 2016-2017 season April 20-23 with Little Women, the recent Broadway musical version of the Louisa May Alcott classic 19th century novel, with book by Allan Knee, music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and directed by Elliot Wasserman, professor of Theatre and chair of the Performing Arts Department.

Co-produced with New Harmony Theatre, which operates under a contract with the Actors Equity Association, the professional union of actors and stage managers, the production will feature two veteran professional actors in the cast-Licia Watson and Hal Davis-and union stage manager Erin Joy Swank.

Little Women is based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel. It focuses on the four March sisters-brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo; romantic Meg; pretentious Amy; and kind-hearted Beth-and their beloved mother, Marmee-at home in Concord, Massachusetts, while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. Intercut with the vignettes in which their lives unfold are several recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio.

Wasserman will be accompanied by a design team consisting of: Paul Weimer, set design; Shan Jensen, costume design; Eric Cope, lighting design; and USI student Fred Kelley, sound design. The cast includes Austin Tenbarge as Professor Bhaer; Jacelyn Stewart as Jo; Licia Watson as Marmee; Ashleigh Dulik as Aunt March; Morgan Book as Meg; Katie Jones as Amy; Maggie Browne as Beth; Sarai Dinkens-Agalaba as Mrs. Kirk; Nick Smith; Allen Harbold as Mr. Brooke; Trevor Purkiser as Braxton; and Hal Davis as Mr. Laurence.

Tickets are $12 for USI students, $18 for adults, $15 for USI employees, and $16 for seniors (60+) and non-USI students. Shows start at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 2 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit USI.edu/theatre  or call the box office at 812-465-1668. Follow this and future productions on Facebook at USITheatre and on Twitter @TheatreUSI for updates and photos.