For the first time in several years, a student will direct a production for the 2014-2015 Missouri Western State University Theatre Season when senior Christian Allison brings “Three Days of Rain” to the stage Feb. 13-21 in the Kemper Recital Hall inside Spratt Hall on the Missouri Western campus. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Feb. 15. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for MWSU faculty and staff, $6 for students and free for current Missouri Western students with a valid ID. Tickets are available online at mwsutix.com or by phone at 816-271-4452.

“I’m excited for people to see the work we’ve done,” said Allison, a senior theatre and video major from Milan, Missouri.

“Three Days of Rain,” written by Richard Greenberg, is almost like two plays in one, Allison said. In Act One, a brother, sister and childhood friend meet at an apartment where 35 years earlier, the fathers of the three characters lived and designed the great house that would make them famous. In Act Two, we travel back to 1960 and meet the parents at the same age their children are in Act One.

“After I read it, I knew this was a play I wanted to direct,” Allison said. “It’s really relatable, and something about it gripped me. It’s a story about understanding your past and trying not to judge where you came from.”

Finding and selecting the play was just the first step for Allison, who was selected to direct the production last spring after submitting a “prompt book,” a copy of the script with blocking, character notes, a director’s statement and plans for the set. Previously, he was stage manager for Missouri Western productions of “Sweeney Todd” and “Arsenic and Old Lace,” assistant stage manager for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “A Christmas Carol” and assistant director for “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.”

Cast members are:

  • Walker/Ned Janeway – Riley Bayer, senior theatre and video major from Savannah, Missouri
  • Nan/Lina Janeway – Kira Williams, junior theatre and cinema major from St. Joseph
  • Pip/Theo Wexler – Brian Duskey, senior theatre and video major from Norton, Ohio

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.