By Joshua Robison Jambar Contributor
In anticipation of a curtain-and-hair-raising season for University Theatre at Youngstown State University, October will commence with a series of murder mystery and dark comedy productions for 2026-27.
The department will produce four shows this year, including playwright Don Nigro’s “Ravenscroft,” composer Galen Blum’s “Clue: The Musical,” author Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” and a cabaret performance of villain songs from various musicals.
This season’s shows will have murder mystery and dark comedy themes. Joseph Carucci, director of the Dana School of Music and University Theatre, said a theme makes the season more exciting for audiences.
“Maintaining the same feel gives a little bit more cohesion to the season, and it gives us a little bit of hype behind it,” Carucci said.
Todd Dicken, senior lecturer and director of “Ravenscroft,” said he looks forward to the results of having a single theme.
“Let’s have a season that actually has a theme of the killer season, and let’s see how far we can push it,” Dicken said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how the audience responds to it.”
“Ravenscroft” will be the first performance by University Theatre and debuts Oct. 2. Written by Nigro, an Ohio native, Dicken said producing “Ravenscroft” honors the playwright.
“Being able to do that and pay homage to an Ohio playwright that had done fairly well, that a lot of people still in this area don’t know much about, I thought that makes [this season] kind of special,” Dicken said.
Dicken said the costume design in “Ravenscroft” is inspired by the work of artist Edward Gorey. The actors will be wearing costumes that look as if they are drawn by hand.
Daniel Klimczak, visiting lecturer, is set to direct “Clue: The Musical” in November and the cabaret performance in April 2027. Klimczak said he’s familiar with “Clue: The Musical” and the board game of the same name.
“I have a lot of memories playing the board game of Clue as a kid … and I’ve done ‘Clue: The Musical’ before,” Klimczak said. “I love this [musical]. I think that it has so much room for character. It has so much room for so much comedy. It is a ridiculously funny script.”
Christie’s “And Then There Were None” traditionally takes place in the late 1930s on an island off the coast of Devon, England. In YSU’s production, Katherine Garlick, resident costume designer, and Dicken said they considered altering the setting to take place in the 1980s.
Garlick said the story encompasses the materialistic culture of the 1980s, and she feels a period shift for the play is appropriate.
“It just feels like such a natural match for [“And Then There Were None”] because it is very focused on this very elite and callous class of people,” Garlick said. “You think about [characters such as] Gordon Gekko, you think about all the yuppies and how much of the ‘80s focused on material wealth … and these really cutthroat approaches to it.”
Garlick also said period shifting is a common practice among playwrights and doesn’t believe it will change the integrity of the story.
Tickets for University Theatre productions can be bought online or by calling 330-941-3105. Students with a valid student ID can get tickets for free.