The 2015-2016 school year marks the 50th year of East Noble theatre and the 48th year of working with a legendary director, Mr. Craig Munk. This theatre season is one that is bittersweet. Graduating is a large class of students who have grown up in the theatre. Many of those seniors have even taken leading roles in the first show. Furthermore, East Noble theatre will be saying good-bye to 48-year director Mr. Munk, who has essentially built and developed the theatre program at East Noble.

This season consists of eight total shows. Raise a Ruckus, which takes place at the Apple Festival, celebrated its 30th year. The advanced theatre arts class once again wrote an original piece to compete with in the theatre regionals competition. This show, entitled Legacy, paid tribute to Mr. Munk and the legacy of theatre that he will be leaving behind. Unfortunately, the competition piece placed 6th at regionals, and it needed to be in the top three to advance to state. However, the students and East Noble theatre supporters were more than proud of the show.

Regular season shows for the 2015-2016 East Noble Theatre season are Mary Poppins, Aristocats, The Nerd, and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying.

Mary Poppins, one of the most popular Disney movies of all time, will be the holiday show this season. Mary Poppins has completed over 2,500 shows on Broadway and has been nominated for nine Olivier awards and seven Tony Awards. East Noble theatre will take you back to 1910 England. Seniors Lydia Tremaine and Daniel Kane, Mary Poppins and Bert respectively, use tactical magic and common sense in efforts to teach young Jane and Michael Banks (McKinley Bolen and Nolan Ogle), as well as the rest of their family, to truly value each other once again. Captivating story-telling, songs, and dance numbers are sure to make for an unforgettable experience in the theatre. Performance dates and times for this show are December 3, 4, 5, 11, and 12 at 7:00 PM and December 6 and 13 at 2:00 PM. On Saturday, December 12 East Noble Theatre will also put on their annual Breakfast with Santa.

The next show follows just a month and a half later. The children’s theatre directors Lydia Tremaine and Daniel Kane will be directing the Disney classic Aristocats. Madame’s butler, Edgar, kidnaps Duchess and kittens Marie, Berlioz, and Toulouse and abandons them in the Parisian countryside. Thankfully, Thomas O’Malley and his group of alley cats come to their rescue. This show will feature lively songs and dance numbers that kids are sure to love. Performance dates and times for this show are January 29 and 30 at 7:00 PM and January 30 at 2:00 PM.

For an Evening of Theatre, director Bob Avery will be directing potentially his final show at East Noble. This year’s show, The Nerd, was written by Larry Shue, who also wrote last year’s Evening of tTheatre show, The Foreigner. This play features a small cast, but the plot is packed with jokes and surprises that will make for a very enjoyable show. Willum Cubbert often reminds his friends and family of the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a GI that saved Cubbert’s life in Vietnam. Willum wrote Rick a message saying that as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you.” Willum was more than delighted when Rick showed up unexpectedly at his apartment during his 34th birthday party. However, Willum soon found out that Rick was a hopeless “nerd,” creating problems wherever he went. This plot, full of hilarities and surprises, will leave you wanting another Evening of Theatre. Performance dates and times are February 25 and 26 at 7:00 PM and February 28 at 2:00 PM.

East Noble will be wrapping up the regular season with How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying. This show was the first that Mr. Munk directed at East Noble, and it will be his last. This Tony Award-winning musical follows the rise of J. Pierrepont Finch and his climb up the corporate ladder. We see Finch tackling things we would expect in the business world, such as office parties, backstabbing co-workers, and, of course, true love. This musical is jam-packed with tunes that will keep your feet tapping away long after you’ve left the Cole Auditorium. Performance dates and times are April 28, 29, and 30 at 7:00 PM and May 1 at 2:00 PM.

Mr. Munk will then wrap up his final season of East Noble Theatre with the 50th anniversary show in June. This show will attribute to the history of the theatre, featuring show snippets, songs, and dance numbers from past shows. The cast will consist not only of current East Noble students but of those who have participated in shows in the past. The 50th anniversary show will be a wonderful way to commemorate not only the history of East Noble Theatre but the legacy that Director Craig Munk will leave behind.

More information on the shows, performance dates and times, and the theatre as a whole can be found at http://www.eastnobletheatre.net/the-season.html.