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South ��ֱ���� State University Theatre and Dance will kick off its 2025-2026 season with the powerful drama “The Diary of Anne Frank.” 

This impassioned drama follows the lives of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl, and her family during the Holocaust as they hide in a concealed storage attic. This show captures the claustrophobic realities of their daily existence — their fear, their hope, their laughter and their grief. 

The show contains mature language and themes. 

The production is directed by Casey Paradies, SDState instructor of theatre. Members of the cast include: Mattisyn McDonnell, Gerrit VonEye, Brooklyn Mauch, Kally Brinkman, Morgan Foote, Israel Caldron, Brody Bisenius, Kirynn Engelbrecht, Chase Thedens, Nathan Dressel, Luke Muntean, Keaton Koski and Zariah Sittig. 

The show dates will be Oct. 16-18 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on campus. 

Tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for senior citizens, military, SDSU employees, non-SDState students and children. SDState students are admitted free with their student ID. Tickets are available for purchase online at sdsutheare.org, at the Performing Arts Center on the SDState campus or by phone at 605-688-6045, from 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 6-7:30 p.m. on performance nights at the theatre. Single and season tickets are available now. 

The new season is titled and centers around the theme of concealment. Other offers this season include: 

‘Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story’ 

“Thrill Me: The Leopold and Loeb Story” is the musical love story of Leopold and Loeb, who committed one of the most infamous and heinous crimes of the 20th century, revealing the series of events in 1924 Chicago that led Leopold and Loeb to be forever remembered as “the thrill killers.” 

This show contains mature language and themes. 

Performance dates are Nov. 20-22 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. at the Fishback Studio Theatre in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center. 

‘A Christmas Celebration’ 

“A Christmas Celebration” is a performance that, no matter who they are or what they believe, may assist audience members in reflecting on their experiences, their responsibilities and their purpose. Displaying the talents of SDState dancers, alumni and community members, “A Christmas Celebration” asks audiences to reflect on their humanness during this holiday season. 

Performance dates are Dec. 5-6 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre. 

Tickets for “A Christmas Celebration” are $16 for adults and $14 for senior citizens, military, SDState employees, non-SDSU students and children. SDState students are admitted free with their student ID. 

Festival of New Plays 

Each night, there will be a different staged reading of a new play, followed by a discussion with the visiting professional playwright. Featured plays include: “This Is Crazy!” by Deb Hiett, “The Care and Feeding of Restless Souls” by Aly Kantor and “I’ll Be Your Villain” by Chelsea Sutton. The festival concludes with short plays written, rehearsed and produced by students over the course of one day. Each ticket purchase is good for all four events — just bring your ticket back each night. 

“This Is Crazy”: Sometimes life throws you a curveball, or, in Laila and Jackson's case, a giant, pointy, mysterious (and possibly intergalactic) thing. Will they be able to hold onto their understanding of how the world works, achieve their hard-earned dreams, and still look their oddball neighbors in the eye again? Life is full of surprises, but this is crazy. 

“I’ll Be Your Villain”: Bennett wants to tell you a story, not of becoming a villain, but of being cast as one without her consent. After her Aunt Jac dies in the garden of a haunted house, Bennett faces betrayal, petty cruelties and the theft of her childhood imagination by those closest to her. All she wants is to play Maisey, the character she created, at the local theme park, but when every door is shut in her face, Bennett takes her revenge. 

“The Care and Feeding of Restless Souls”: Autumn 1920. At the Mary Todd Hotel for Professional Women, residents gather weekly to speak with the dead as they navigate a changing post-war America. When skeptical magician Sullivan Fox tries to pull his girlfriend Annie away from the séances, his interference sparks a reckoning about love, belief and the future of women’s lives. “The Care and Feeding of Restless Spirits” is a drama about how to move on when you’ve fallen in love with your ghosts. 

This show contains mature language and themes. 

Performance dates are Feb. 19-21 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Fishback Studio Theatre. 

‘Sweeney Todd’ 

An unjustly exiled barber returns to 19th century London seeking vengeance against a lecherous judge. 

He lands at a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber shop. His thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into the meat pies that has the people of London lining up ... and the carnage has only just begun. 

This show contains mature language and themes. 

Performance dates are April 16-18 at 7 p.m. and April 19 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre. 

‘Masked: Spring Dance Concert’ 

Through the development of original choreography, students work with the dance ensemble director to imagine how the theme “Masked” inspires dance composition and provides an opportunity for creativity. 

Performance dates are April 24-25 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar Larson Theatre. 

Tickets for “Masked: Spring Dance Concert” are $16 for adults and $14 for senior citizens, military, SDState employees, non-SDState students and children. SDState students are admitted free with their student ID. 

Season subscriptions for SDState Theatre and Dance’s Season of Concealment are available now through Oct. 19. 

The program is part of the School of Performing Arts and performs in Brookings. The mission of SDState Theatre and Dance is to provide a wide variety of expertise in the theater arts through hands-on involvement in the program that inspires students with creativity and helps them grow as artists and individuals. 

For more information, contact Jim Wood, artistic director, at 605-688-4559 or via email.