GROUPS of 10 or more receive 20% discount on CTE Productions- automatically applied to order. We would love to make your group's experience unique and memorable- please contact Theatre.Arts@cwu.edu to find out more about backstage tours, workshops, visits with designers, production teams and cast.

2019-20 Season

FALL 2019

Stupid F***ing Bird, by Aaron Posner  

November 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 @ 7:30PM, November 24 @ 2PM

In this irreverent, contemporary, and very funny remix of Chekhov’s The Seagull, Aaron Posner stages a timeless battle between young and old, past and present, in search of the true meaning of it all. Charles MacArthur Award winner for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical, this play will tickle, tantalize, and incite you to consider how art, love, and revolution fuel your own pursuit of happiness.

Milo Smith Tower Theatre

Mature Audiences: Some material unsuitable for children under 17

Includes language and situations some patrons may consider offensive.

Tickets: CWU students w/ID $8, Alumni/Seniors/non-CWU students $12, Adults $15

Holiday Inn, by Irving Berlin

December 5, 6, 7 @ 7:30PM, December 8 @ 2PM

Don’t miss out on this Holiday classic. Based on the film (Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire), this joyous musical features thrilling dance numbers, laugh-out-loud comedy and a parade of hit Irving Berlin songs, including "Blue Skies," "Easter Parade," "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Heat Wave," "White Christmas," "Be Careful, It's My Heart," "Cheek to Cheek," "Shaking the Blues Away" and many more! HOLIDAY INN tells the story of Jim, who leaves the bright lights of show business behind to settle down on his farmhouse in Connecticut… but life just isn’t the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim’s luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim’s best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to be his new dance partner in Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love?

McConnell Auditorium

Family Friendly: Families of all ages can enjoy this production together. 

Children should be able to sit next to their parent quietly for at least 1 hour.

Tickets: CWU students w/ID $8, Alumni/Seniors/non-CWU students $12/17, Adults $15/20

From the Ghostlight Lab Series

An experimental performance space for students and faculty to explore diverse, new, innovative theater and perspectives, bolstering our mainstage season.

And A Child Shall Lead, a Staged Reading

October 18 & 19 @ 7:30PM, October 20^th @ 2PM

This is the heroic and true story of children coming of age in Terezin, the "Jewish city" established by the Nazis near Prague as a way station before the death camps. In the face of unspeakable horror, these children use their determination and creativity to build lives filled with hope and beauty -- playing, studying, making art, and writing an underground newspaper -- all at the peril of being executed. Their actual poems and stories are woven into a fast-paced drama, evoking the universality of children caught in the insanity of war.

The Lab, McConnell 119

Parental Guidance: Parents may consider some material unsuitable for their youngest children. May include situations, language, or actions that may startle some patrons.

Tickets: TBA

WINTER 2020

Short Works Festival 

February 6, 7 &8 @7:30PM, December 9 @2PM

This perennial favorite features a number of short works written, directed, designed, acted and produced by the amazing students of CWU Theatre Arts. Students have so many amazing ideas about theatre that simply do not fit in conventional formats. Come see what these ambitious artists find relevant to our world today.

McConnell Auditorium

Mature Audiences: Some material unsuitable for children under 17

Includes language and situations some patrons may consider offensive.

Tickets: CWU students w/ID $8, Alumni/Seniors/non-CWU students $12, Adults $15

The Wolves, by Sarah DeLappe 

March 5, 6, 12, 13 & 14 @ 7:30PM March 7 & 15 @2PM

New York Times Critic’s Pick, and Pulitzer Prize Finalist, The Wolves reveals a high school girls' soccer team warming up to face the large and small challenges of adult life.

As the team warms up for their game, they chatter about sex, menstrual periods, the Khmer Rouge, their parents, snake-handling, the b-word and other matters both profound (to them) and silly (to us).

“The Wolves is a delightful meditation on society, sex, and soccer…DeLappe’s dialogue is hilarious and idiosyncratic, moving swiftly from gross-out humor to pain […] She offers us ninety minutes in a smart, sympathetic, female world. It’s a patch of Astroturf I would gladly set foot on again.” – The Village Voice

Milo Smith Tower Theatre

Parental Guidance: Parents may consider some material unsuitable for their youngest children. May include situations, language, or actions that may startle some patrons.

Tickets: CWU students w/ID $8, Alumni/Seniors/non-CWU students $12, Adults $15

SPRING 2020

Into The Woods, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine. 

May 8, 9, 14, 15 & 16 @ 7:30PM, May 10 & 17 @ 2PM

Join us for a very intimate (Tower Theatre) production of Sondheim’s masterpiece, Into the Woods. Everyone's favorite storybook characters brought together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece... and a rare modern classic. The Tony Award-winning book and score are both enchanting and touching.

Milo Smith Tower Theatre

Parental Guidance: Parents may consider some material unsuitable for their youngest children. May include situations, language, or actions that may startle some patrons.

Tickets: CWU students w/ID $8, Alumni/Seniors/non-CWU students $12/$17, Adults $15/$20

HELP SUPPORT THEATRE ARTS

Did you know that ticket sales and donations account for only 30% of the cost of producing plays at Central Theatre Ensemble?

We are so pleased to have you in the audience, and hope you will consider supporting our mission of preparing students for the professional world and enriching our community. Here are 3 easy ways to support:

• A cash donation box is located in our foyer during the run of the shows
• Go to Donate Now and make sure to;
  • Select “*Other (enter in comment box)” when asked to designate fund
  • Enter “Theatre Arts” in the comment box
• Contact Lori LaFleur 509-963-1193

Thank you for your patronage and support.