Upcoming Shows
Fall Performances 2025
This Fall (2025), JSU Lyric Theatre will present two one-act operas for young audiences! At the end of September (29th and 30th), we travel and perform for local schools, followed by one performance on Campus October 2nd. Both operas were written by Seymour Barab who, still to this day, is one of the most beloved American composers to write for youth!
Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood has delighted audiences across the entire United States and has become one of the most successful Children’s Operas over the last half century. Barab’s clever and musically descriptive score reinforces the importance of telling the truth, school, brushing your teeth, and never speaking to strangers! Will Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother be able to outwit the Wolf, or will they become the Wolf’s appetizer and entrée? This work is a joy for children of all ages… even the child that still resides within the adult!
Barab’s A Game of Chance is set in a coffee shop where three baristas, bored with their hum-drum lives, daydream about the type of lives they would rather have. Little do they know, however, someone has been listening to their conversations. Suddenly, a Representative appears and offers each of them the opportunity to fulfill their dreams; but, at what cost? Who is this Representative? …And what kind of contract did each of them sign? Come to Mason Hall to find out!
What, When and Where
Little Red Riding Hood and A Game of Chance
October 2nd at 7:30 pm
Mason Hall, Room 350
Admission is Free
School Performances
September 29th and 30th
Places and Times TBA
Spring Performances 2026
Please join us at Jacksonville State University for our “Celebration of American Opera” as our Lyric Theatre company presents two One Act operas: Stanley Hollingsworth’s The Mother and Douglas Moore’s Gallantry.
Stanley Hollingsworth’s one act opera, The Mother, is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s tale, The Story of a Mother. This is a fantastical drama of a woman struggling to find her dying son. During her search she interacts with the anthropomorphic characters of Night, Blackthorn, Lake, and eventually, Death. As a protégé of Gian-Carlo Menotti, one can expect Stanley Hollingsworth’s score to be filled with beautiful melodies, a rich harmonic sound palette and vivid orchestrations.
Douglas Moore’s operatic comedy, Gallantry, was written to reflect the spirit of the 1950’s American genre of weekday television serials. Gallantry is a “soap opera” opera that takes place on a live television set complete with commercial breaks! Dr. Gregg must perform surgery on nurse Lola’s sweetheart; however, Dr. Gregg is madly in love with nurse Lola! How will Lola react when she discovers Dr Gregg’s suppressed feelings? Come to Mason Hall on the campus of JSU February 19th through the 22nd to find out!
February 19th through February 22nd
Performances will be in Mason Hall, Room 350