Press release submitted by Augustana College

Rock Island, Ill. – During the next two weekends, Augustana students will present the cult classic, Bat Boy: The Musical, described by The New York Times as "a jaggedly imaginative mix of skewering humor and energetic glee." The unusual storyline is based on a 1992 Weekly World News article about a half-boy, half-bat named Bat Boy.

Augustana's theatre arts department and Opera@Augustana have joined together to deliver six performances of Bat Boy: The Musical in Potter Theatre, inside Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts (3701 7th Ave.) between April 27 and May 6.

Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming wrote the story and book on which Bat Boy: The Musical is based, and Laurence O'Keefe wrote the music and lyrics. It was premiered at Actors Gang Theatre in 1997 and has become a cult classic. Off-Broadway productions around the world have increased its popularity.

Kathryn Martin, an Augustana senior theatre arts and communication studies major from Clinton, Iowa, plays Meredith, the mother of Bat Boy's eventual love interest. "It has been a very interesting experience," Martin said. "It has been a lot of fun and a great musical to end my senior year with. It has also been a great opportunity to do different styles of music and dance in one show."

Dramaturg Jacqui Schmidt, a senior English and theatre arts major from Algonquin, Ill., will give a pre-performance talk on Sunday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m., and Friday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m., in Larson Hall, inside Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts. A dramaturg typically explores the context of the story and assists with adapting it to the stage.

Bat Boy: The Musical often is seen as a fluff musical, without any academic context. The pre-performance talk will use William Shakespeare's play The Tempest as one way to bring academic context to the production. In addition to the similarities between characters, the talk will present the blurring distinctions between human and beast.

This musical contains offbeat, adult content and is recommended for high school students and older.

Showtimes and ticket information

Fri., April 27 & Sat., April 28 – 7:30 p.m.

Sun., April 28 – 1:30 p.m.

Fri., May 4 & Sat., May 5 – 7:30 p.m.

Sun., May 6 – 1:30 p.m.

General Admission – $14 Students & Seniors (60+) – $12

Purchase tickets online at augustana.edu/tickets or call (309) 794-7306