WKU Department of Theatre and Dance will join with the WKU Department of Music to bring an early Christmas to Bowling Green with productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Gift of the Magi.  These traditional stories will entertain you with delightful musical numbers and warm your heart with classic stories.  Performances will take place November 17th-20th in the Russell Miller Theater located in the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center on the campus of Western Kentucky University.  Performance times are as follows:  Thursday, Friday, & Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm.  Tickets are $13 for Adults and $11 for students.

    Amahl and the Night Visitors is the story of a boy’s selfless act that leads to a miracle which changes his life forever.  This is the perfect opera for the holiday season about hope, forgiveness, and understanding.     The Gift of the Magi is a retelling of the O Henry story of a young married couple celebrating their first holiday together.  It follows their lives in the days leading up to Christmas where they discover that the possessions they own are not the most important things they have in their lives.

     WKU Theatre Professor Scott Stroot, the director of The Gift of the Magi, performed as a singer and dancer in the original production of The Gift of the Magi in 1996 in Boston.  “Being in on the development of new works for the stage is a particularly rewarding sort of work for me,” remarked Professor Stroot, “I consider working on Magi one of the high points of my career in the theatre.”  Now he’ll be bringing his insight of the original production to WKU as he harnesses the enthusiasm of his cast. 

    Amahl and the Night Visitors is being directed by Dr. Wayne Pope of the WKU Department of Music.  He has performed in and directed several productions of Amahl during his career and considers it fulfilling each time.  “It’s always a delightful experience because we can all relate to seeing the world through a child’s eyes,” commented Dr. Pope, “Menotti has brought this Christmas legend to life with his wonderful music and fanciful characters. “

Over fifteen thousand people were entertained by the WKU Department of Theater and Dance last year.   The department has expanded its offerings in the last several years to include 4 Mainstage productions, including at least one musical, 2 Mainstage dance concerts, 3 Student-choreographed dance concerts,  a Children’s Theatre Series of 4 productions, a Studio Series of student-directed works, a Before Broadway Series featuring a staged reading of a new musical, and a Next Stage Series of showcases and works in progress. 

More information about the WKU Department of Theater and Dance can be found at www.wku.edu/theatre-and-dance or by calling the department at 270-745-5845.