Troy Snyder

In July, the Fairmont State University Town & Gown Summer Theatre will present the popular musical “South Pacific,” with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.

Continuing the longstanding tradition of high quality outdoor theatre performances at Prickett’s Fort State Park, Town & Gown Summer Theatre will honor veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces with special ticket prices and special recognition at each performance.

“Town & Gown Summer Theatre is an important educational, as well as entertaining, endeavor. The School of Fine Arts hires students from Fairmont State and other colleges and high school interns, and all learn to work as a team to bring about a successful production,” said Peter Lach, Dean of the School of Fine Arts. “Part of the University’s mission is to strengthen the educational, economic and cultural well-being of our region. The School of Fine Arts is proud to partner with Prickett’s Fort State Park to provide outdoor theatre for North Central West Virginia. We also are proud to salute our nation’s veterans through this summer’s production.”

Jingles, jangles, rhymes, The Hunkitchy Man, The Greedy Old Fat Man, Marigold and more -- you’ll find them all in “Mountain Mother Goose,” an operetta for young audiences.

The production, presented by the Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts, the Town and Gown Youth Company and the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, will be on stage in the Wallman Hall Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 10. Following each performance will be a reception to meet the composer and the cast at the Folklife Center. Tickets are $12 and are available by calling (304) 367-4240.

Strong singers and good spellers are sought for roles in the upcoming Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts production of “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

If you have ever attended a play in Wallman Hall Theatre, you know that Fairmont State University has an active and dedicated Theatre program. During spring break 2012, all that enthusiasm and talent went on tour as part of an outreach program that the Theatre Department participates in every four years, bringing “Hush: An Interview with America” to audiences at Spencer Middle School, Blennerhassett Middle School in Parkersburg and Lewis County High School.

Auditions are planned for the Fairmont State University Town & Gown Theatre production of “Cabaret” based on the book written by Christopher Isherwood. The production will be presented in November at Wallman Hall Theatre.