Ellie Livingston

In this article I will not be reviewing the work I saw nor will I be critiquing, I will simply be putting my experience into words. For those of you who could not I attend I hope that you can live vicariously though me, and for those of you who were lucky enough to be in the house that night I hope that I can in some way put all of the emotions you felt into words since I know it is surprisingly difficult to explain what we experienced that evening.

"What do you do with a BA in English? What is my life going to be? Four years of college and plenty of knowledge has earned me this useless degree. I can't pay the bill yet, cause I've got no skills yet. The world is a big scary place. But somehow I can't shake, the feeling I might make, a difference to the human race!" These relatable and extremely insightful lyrics are the first lines in the musical Avenue Q, which can now be seen at The Sioux Empire Community Theatre in downtown Sioux Falls, and it is sung by a puppet. Throughout the show I was struck with just how relatable these puppets were. I am certain that it is because of the talent of the puppeteers.

As the walls of the set came down one by one, the walls that the family built around themselves and their hearts also came down. Sometimes it takes heartbreak to make families glue themselves back together. It was wonderful to see that take place in this script. I hope to see other works from Woods, I have a feeling he has a lot of lines left in him.

I had the chance to catch SDSU's production of Spamalot on Saturday night Oct. 18th before it closed on Sunday the 19th. The first thing you need to know about this show is that is based on the 1975 movie Monty Python and The Search For the Holy Grail. Monty Python is a British comedy troupe known for its specific form of humor. Monty Python is referenced at just about every level of pop culture, as I am writing this my toddler is watching Sesame Street and a silly puppet is yelling, "Bring out your N!" which is a reference to, "Bring out yer dead!" from none other than Monty Python. Monty Python has a cult like following, to know Monty Python is to love Monty Python in most cases. In order to pull off the musical the cast had a responsibility to not only be familiar with Monty Python but to study it, in detail. This production of Spamalot did not disappoint. It was a wonderful night of theatre. It gave the audience the chance to sit back for two hours and be totally entertained.

I was fortunate enough to see a showing of the National Tour of Next To Normal with Alice Ripley at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle in 2012; I am also a proud USD theatre graduate, so when I took my seat in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre on the campus of The University Of South Dakota, I knew this show had a lot to live up to. Luckily enough for me, it exceeded my expectations in many ways.

Little Shop of Horrors at the Sioux Empire Community Theatre will have you bopping in your seats and singing all the way home.

The fall of 2014 is shaping up to be very exciting for Eastern South Dakota theatre! From musicals to dramas, there seems to be a little bit of everything. To make things easy for you, I have complied a list of upcoming shows and theatre's that I believe you won't want to miss this fall. Mark your calendars!

As I sat in the back of the theatre and watched the audience members leave after seeing Olde Towne Dinner Theatre's production of 2 Across on Friday night I was struck with the happiness radiating from each and every person. After talking to Director and Managing Artistic Director, Andy Heller, that was no accident. "Our goal here at Olde Towne is to send the audience away with a smile on their face and a smile in their heart." Mission accomplished Mr. Heller!