Theatre Season

All shows begin at 7:30pm; Tickets are $5
For tickets, visit https://mcphersontheatre.ludus.com

As You Like It

October 2 & 3, 2026
a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It
adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery with music & lyrics by Shaina Taub

Shakespeare’s classic is over 400 years old, yet this adaptation reminds us of its timeless entertainment. Rosalind flies the tyrannical court for the Forest of Arden. This musical adaptation (composed by the Tony-winning author of ‘Suffs’) mixes folk, pop, country and 90’s boy band songs to highlight the importance of community variety. Joining us for this production will be McPherson Community Theatre as well as area schools and our Choir & Musical Theatre alumni network! Come experience this highly ambitious celebration of community.

Rated: G for all general audiences and appropriate for all.

First Nighter’s Opening Night Reception: Celebrate our campus community with our alumni network!

Dr. Cook’s Garden

November 13 & 14, 2026
by Ira Levin

Dr. Cook is the highly celebrated local hero. When his young protégé returns to Cook’s medical practice, Dr. Cook’s love for his clients is called into question. How much care is too much care? Does the young protégé have a responsibility to correct their mentor? This 1968 classic is written by the same author as Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives and A Kiss Before Dying so you know you’re in for some suspense and chills!

Rated PG for dark, thematic elements, suspense and implied violence

First Nighter Meal: Vegetarian Banquet

What the Constitution Means to Me

January 29 & 30, 2027
by Heidi Schreck

One-part memoir, one-part civics lesson and one-part forensics & debate, What the Constitution Means to Me is as hilarious as it is hopeful while it traces the relationship with four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. Now that she’s older, she begins to question if the founding document she loved as a teen is a living document that still loves her as an adult. This Tony-Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist will charm you while it poses questions about your own interaction with our nation’s first document. A relevant & timely new play.

Rated: PG-13 for mature themes, adult concepts & language

First Nighter Meal: American VFW Classics

Drinking Habits

March 5 & 6, 2027
by Tom Smith

The doors are soon to close at the convent of the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing. To help keep the lights on and the bills paid, two nuns secretly make wine for extra funds. Unfortunately, their wine-selling schedule coincides with a visit of reporters from the local paper and a new appointment from the Vatican. Accusations, mistaken identities and old romances bubble-up in this clever farce. Join us for the laughs from this winner of the Robert J Pickering Award for Playwrighting Excellence.

Rated: PG for simulated alcohol consumption and other adult situations.

First Nighter Meal: Hearty Stews from the Convent

Dear Evan Hansen

April 23 & 24, 2027
by Tom Smith

Evan is 17 and struggling with social anxiety. When a classmate dies of suicide, a private letter Evan wrote to himself is mistaken as the boy’s final note. Swept up in the sudden wave of attention, Evan invents a fake friendship with the boy. Evan is drawn deeper into a web of secrets as his popularity soars, but he must face the reality that the price of fitting in is more than he bargained for. Written by the same team that did films ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘La La Land,’ this show is winner of six Tony Awards in 2017 including Best Musical. Come experience our unique staging of this world-famous coming-of-age story exploring mental health, grief, identity, and the power of connection in the digital age.

Rated on the high end of PG-13 for thematic elements, teen/crude language of moderate profanity & excessive explicative name-calling.

First Nighter Meal: Orchard Picnic

And don’t forget our Theatre Awards Gala celebrating the hard-working students in the McPherson College Theatre Department and honoring the 49 years of audience support with the First Nighters Program. April 29, 2027!