Looking for a live action theater experience this weekend, right down the road from campus (302 E Pershing St to be exact)? Have no fear for Good People is starting this weekend, and is the first show to kick off season 23! Opening weekend tickets are $22, and can be bought online through SCT’s website, call to order at their box office phone (417.831.8001) or luck out and get there 30 minutes before the show starts to potentially get a $10 student rush ticket! The dates for this show run from September 8-10, 15-17, and 22-24 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm.

Here’s the lowdown on Springfield Contemporary Theatre, it is a non-profit corporation and has been around since 2009. SCT offers volunteer opportunities open to anyone, as well as auditioning for roles in upcoming plays and musicals. Payton Jackson, junior, volunteered this summer as a stage manager for the production Beehive. Jackson had a wonderful experience helping stage manage Beehive and is returning to help stage manage Driving Miss Daisy in late November through early December. Some advice that Jackson shares to students if they are interested in volunteering or acting for SCT is: “If you want to get involved, Do it! SCT is completely volunteer driven. If acting isn’t quite your thing they are always looking for people to help out! Stop by the theatre or send them an email. If acting is more your thing then come audition! SCT is in the middle of their biggest season yet. Check out their Facebook for the upcoming auditions.”

Springfield Contemporary Theatre is known for having local actors/actresses audition for their plays/musicals, but since 2000 SCT has a relationship with Actors’ Equity Association where professional actors/actresses/directors come in under a Special Appearance Contract to help with the shows. Some of these actors that you may recognize are: Lucas Grabeel (if you haven’t seen High School Musical, who are you?), Kyle Dean Massey (seen as Kevin Bicks on Nashville), Dana Powell (seen in Bridesmaids, and plays Pam in Modern Family), Jack Laufer (seen in Masters of Sex, Mad Men, Huff, Cold Case, and CSI), and many more. Jackson mentions looking forward to working with Jack Laufer in Driving Miss Daisy this coming season, “SCT is bringing in Jack Laufer from Los Angles to guest direct this show. Jack is a working actor in LA and has previously worked on shows like Mad Men and Masters of Sex. I’m absolutely honored to be able to work with him and can’t wait to bring the story of this show to life.”

For more information on Springfield Contemporary Theatre check out their Facebook page, their official website (www.springfieldcontemporarytheatre.org), give them a call or stop by! Jackson encourages what a true treasure the theatre is to our Springfield community, “I absolutely love SCT. They are producing theatre that is highly relevant to today, and that is very high quality right here in our own backyard. This theatre company is without a doubt an unknown gem of the queen city.”