NSU Presents Red Noses

TAHLEQUAH The Northeastern State University College of Liberal Arts, Department of Performing Arts, NSU Theatre Company will present Red Noses on April 11- 14 at 8 p.m. in the Shawnee Street Theatre.

The show, written by the late Peter Barnes, is a bawdy comedy about a monk who receives a calling to spread redemption through laughter during the Black Death in France in the mid-fourteenth century. First performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1985, Red Noses is an exploration into the nature of humanity and the response of humankind to devastation.

Red Noses is directed by Dr. J. Nick Dickert, assistant professor of Theater, who has updated the production to a post-apocalyptic setting with highly visual design elements. The play follows Father Flote, played by sophomore theatre major Callie Harris of Tahlequah, and a misfit band of performers as they try to provide comfort to those afflicted by the plague. Illustrating the devastating effect of the plague on the population of Europe, Red Noses introduces a community torn apart by despair. Flote and his zany band of clowns, which includes a blind juggler, a stuttering stand-up comedian, and a lusty wanton nun, meet a variety of unforgettable characters along their journey including a couple of stilt-walking gold merchants, prostitutes from the Whores Guild, corpse-pilferers, scavengers, lepers, flagellants, and even Pope Clement VI.

The excitement around the building on a day-to-day basis as we near opening is contagious, said Dickert. Were utilizing almost every resource and person we have in our program for the show. With a cast of over 20 students and even more joining us to build the sets and costumes, it has been remarkable to see this script really jump to life.

Tickets are $5. For more information, or to reserve tickets, call 918- 444-2798.