YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Bill Johnson, president of Youngstown State University, will appear in the theater department’s season opener, the comedy “Arsenic and Old Lace.”
Johnson is scheduled to appear in all performances, although that could change if something more important comes up.
The show will be performed Oct. 3-5 and 10-12 in YSU’s Ford Theater, located on the lower level of Bliss Hall. Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., with the Sunday matinee performances starting at 2 p.m. Individual or season tickets can be purchased HERE.
As audiences are introduced to theater critic Mortimer Brewster, who arrives home to announce his engagement, they will discover that Mortimer’s spinster aunts have a secret: They poison lonely old men as acts of mercy. Further complications will arise as Mortimer must also deal with a brother who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt, and another murderous brother who returns home following plastic surgery to hide from the police.
Between grappling with family loyalty and obeying the law, it will be a miracle if Mortimer makes it to his own wedding.
The student cast includes Eric Ballard Jr., Emma Barborak, Chloe Camacho, Natalie Ciccone, Samantha Cox, Noah Dudai, Nicholas Figiel, Crystal Faith Fisher, Lincoln Hall, Lex McCaughtry, Anthony Mudryk, Benjamin Podnar, Helena Snyder, Jessica Sprague, Adriana Rosario and Ilse Zijlstra.
The staff for this play includes senior lecturer Todd Dicken as director; associate professor Katherine Garlick as costume designer; Jonathan Zelezniak as lighting supervisor; and Gunnar Carwile as scenic carpenter.
Parking is available in the Wick Avenue deck (M30) for a $5 fee payable in cash only.
Pictured at top: Appearing in a scene from YSU Theatre’s production of “Arsenic and Old Lace” are Adriana Rosario, Natalie Ciccone, YSU President Bill Johnson and Noah Dudai.