The University Arts Series opens 2024-2025 season with “Shrek the Musical.” Subscription packages on sale now.

The 2024-2025 University Arts Series features nationally touring performances in the intimate setting of the WVU Canady Creative Arts Center Lyell B Clay Theatre. Subscription packages for the 12-event series are on sale now online through the WVU Event Ticket Center ( am.ticketmaster.com/wvuarts/) and by phone at 304-293-SHOW (7469). 

Subscribers get first access to tickets, choose the events they want to see, and choose their preferred seat location. Subscription packages begin at four events. Ticket prices vary by event and seat location. Pricing information can be found at events.wvu.edu. The last day to purchase a season subscription is Friday, Aug. 23.

Season events include: 

Shrek the Musical / Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
“Shrek the Musical” is based on the DreamWorks animated film. The hilarious fairy tale adventure boasts a cast of vibrant characters and a “shrek-tacular” score that’s perfect for the young and the young at heart. Audiences can expect this all-new original production to feel both familiar and refreshingly new, emphasizing the importance of loving ourselves and one another. Shrek will find himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wise-cracking Donkey and the feisty Princess Fiona who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and more than a dozen fairy tale misfits and you’ve got the kind of mess only the most unlikely hero can overcome.

Tower of Power / Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Tower of Power, led by Detroit-born tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo, has been delivering the best in funk and soul music since 1968. Their “Oakland soul” sound boasts window-rattling grooves and a raucous spirit. Their hits include “You’re Still a Young Man,” “Down to the Nightclub,” “So Very Hard to Go” and “What is Hip.” They have traveled the world singing these hits and backing such legendary artists as Otis Redding, Elton John, the Grateful Dead and countless others.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra / Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
The two-time Grammy Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians. This performance will include Arturo Marquez’s Danzón No. 2, one of the most popular Mexican contemporary classical music compositions as well as Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 64 which will feature Augustin Hadelich on violin. The symphony will also perform Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Opus 45. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck will conduct.

The Book of Mormon / Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
A second performance of the nine-time Tony Award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon” has been scheduled to allow new subscribers to include this performance in their season package. This new date accompanies the Oct. 15 rescheduled date from last season which is sold out. “The Book of Mormon” has become one of the most successful shows in Broadway history since opening March 24, 2011. The New York Times calls it “heaven on Broadway” and proclaims it “a celebration of the privilege of living inside that improbable paradise called a musical comedy.”

Mean Girls / Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
“Mean Girls,” the record-breaking new musical comedy adapted from the hit Paramount Pictures film, features a book by nine-time Emmy Award-winner Tina Fey. The story centers around Cady Heron who may have grown up on an African savanna but finds herself unprepared for the wild and vicious ways of her brand new home in suburban Illinois. This naïve newbie wants to rise to the top of popularity pecking order but she’ll have to take on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. 

Mountain Stage With Kathy Mattea / 3 performances: Jan. 19, Feb. 16, May 4
Mountain Stage With Kathy Mattea features performances by five artists ranging from seasoned legends to emerging newcomers. The genres represented run the gamut from folk, blues and country to indie rock, synth pop, world music and beyond. Each live performance is recorded for air on public radio where it can be heard on nearly 300 stations nationwide and globally via NPR Music. West Virginia native and two-time Grammy winner Kathy Mattea serves as host. Artists for each performance will be announced closer to each event.

Dear Evan Hansen / March 25 at 7:30 p.m.
“Dear Evan Hansen” is the first musical to take a groundbreaking look – from the point of view of both the parents and the young people – at our complex, interconnected, and social media-filled lives. The Washington Post declared it “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history.” Evan Hansen is a high school student who always feels like he’s on the outside looking in. When Hansen finally gets a chance to fit in, what follows is a poignant, funny and powerful musical about how even though it can be hard, we can find each other – and ourselves – along the way. 

Melissa Etheridge / April 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Melissa Etheridge stormed onto the American rock scene in 1988 with the release of her critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. She is known for her confessional lyrics and raspy, smoky vocals. One of America’s favorite female singers for more than two decades her list of hits includes “I’m the Only One,” “Like The Way I Do,” “Come To My Window,” “Bring Me Some Water” and many more. Her University Arts Series performance is part of her I’m Not Broken Tour. 

STOMP / May 13 at 7:30 p.m.
STOMP – explosive, inventive, provocative, witty and utterly unique – is an unforgettable experience for audiences of all ages. The international percussion sensation has earned armfuls of awards and rave reviews and has appeared on numerous national television shows. The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms.

Subscription packages begin at four events and are on sale now online at the WVU Event Ticket Center ( https://am.ticketmaster.com/wvuarts/) and by phone at 304-293-SHOW (304-293-7469). Subscribers choose the events they want to see as well as the seat location they prefer. The subscription deadline is Aug. 23. WVU Student discounts are also available. Any tickets to “The Book of Mormon” remaining after the subscription period will go on sale Sunday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. at ticketmaster.com. All other University Arts Series events will go on sale as single events Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. at the Arts & Entertainment Box Offices in the Mountainlair and Canady Creative Arts Center, by phone at 304-293-SHOW (304-293-7469) and online at ticketmaster.com. /span>

The University Arts Series is produced by WVU Arts & Entertainment. Stay connected with the latest event updates through Facebook, X and Instagram by following @wvuevents.

-WVU A&E-
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