The first show of the season, a contemporary tragedy, is entitled "Sainte-Carmen of the Main," and is an award-winning Canadian play written by Michael Tremblay and translated by John Van Buren. It uses the form of Greek tragedy to tell the story of Carmen, an American-style country music idol in the rundown entertainment district of Montreal, Canada. After Carmen takes a sojourn to Nashville, Tenn., where she learns to yodel, she returns to Montreal to teach truth to the Main's inhabitants. Performance dates are scheduled for 8 p.m. Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 3-5 and at 2 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre. This play is recommended for mature audiences.

The November show, "Don't Dress for Dinner," written by French playwright Marc Camoletti with an English adaptation by Robin Hawden, is a boulevard comedy in the tradition of Georges Feydeau. A fast-paced bedroom farce in the truest sense, "Don't Dress for Dinner" tells the story of Bernard, a cheating husband caught in a hilarious web of deceit among his wife, his best friend and his mistress. To add to the mayhem, Bernard hires a cordon bleu cook to prepare gourmet delights for the evening meal. Side-splitting situations ensue when the cook is mistaken for the mistress and the mistress is unable to cook. The evening's escapades will have audiences rolling with laughter. Performance dates are scheduled for 8 p.m. Nov. 8-9 and Nov. 14-16 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 17 in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre.

The fall dance concert, entitled "Zaum: Beyond Significance," is a "contemporary ballet in one act in the Cubo-futurist style." This concert is an original choreographic work by Paul and Josephine Zmolek, members of the Southeast dance faculty, and has been described by them as "a contemporary ballet in one act inspired by the revolutionary arts of the early 20th century". This dance performance also has an original musical score composed especially for this work by Robert Fruehwald of the Department of Music. Performances will be in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre at 8 p.m. Dec. 6-7.

The spring semester begins on a light note with the musical comedy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." Acclaimed as Broadway's greatest farce, it is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written. "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year-old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The show has a hysterical, perfectly constructed book by Larry Gelbart (of MASH fame) and Burt Shevelove, and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, one of Broadway's great contemporary composers. This musical is definitely a crowd-pleaser. Performances are slated for 8 p.m. Feb. 25-28 and March 1 and 2 p.m. March 2 in the Forrest H. Rose Theatre.

A dramatic offering, "The Diviners" by James Leonard, relates the story of a disturbed young man and his friendship with a disenchanted preacher in southern Indiana in the early 1930s. Variety describes the play as "a splendid drama by a playwright . . . . with poetic as well as human feelings." Performances are scheduled for 8 p.m. April 30 and May 1-3 and at 2 p.m. May 4 in Forrest H. Rose Theatre.

The final event of the 2002-2003 season is the spring dance concert entitled "SiteWorks" and will consist of student choreographed works that will be presented at various sites on campus, downtown, the River Campus, and locations in the University service region. Specific times and locations will be announced at a later date.

Tickets for all productions are on sale at the Performing Arts Box Office at the Forrest H. Rose Theatre, located at the corner of Pacific and Normal, starting on Monday, Sept. 16. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets may be purchased in person or ordered by telephone at (573) 651-2265. All seats are reserved. Secure your tickets early. Visa or MasterCard are accepted.

For additional information, visit http://www6.semo.edu/theatreanddance.