Southeast Missouri State University's Conservatory of Theatre & Dance will present a production of Lanford Wilson's play "Fifth of July", opening Thursday, Oct. 12, at the River Campus in Cape Girardeau.

Wilson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright from Missouri, and "Fifth of July" is the third play in his trilogy about the Talley family who live on a rural farm outside Lebanon, Missouri.

Kenn Stilson, professor and chairman of SEMO's Dobbins Conservatory of Theatre & Dance, said the play is set in 1977 and centers around Ken Talley, a paraplegic who lost his legs during the Vietnam War.

Stilson said some of Talley's old friends from high school and college come to visit over the Fourth of July weekend and old feelings of betrayal resurface. He said Talley has lost his passion for teaching and is thinking of selling the family home, but the story is ultimately about the renewal and rebirth that can come from death and despair.

Jonathan Reynolds, a senior and a fine arts major at SEMO, is directing the play. Stilson, the faculty mentor of the production, called Reynolds a "smart and talented young man."

"He's doing a great job and we're very proud of the students in this production," Stilson said.

Stilson said they choose two plays each year to be student directed by seniors. He said, as a professional training program, they try to find plays that present a challenge for their students.

"Our students want to do this for a living," Stilson said. "They want to become professional actors and directors, and we picked 'Fifth of July' because it provides that opportunity for them to create three-dimensional characters in a complex world."

Wilson stands as a sort of patron saint for the Dobbins Conservatory, which is the home of the annual Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival. Stilson is the festival's executive director and he called Wilson one of Missouri's greatest playwrights.

The 2024 festival will take place from Sunday, May 26, to Saturday, June 1, and will feature staged readings of five full-length plays and 10 short plays, as well as workshops and seminars on playwriting and new play development.

"Fifth of July" will run at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 14, in the Rust Flexible Theatre at 518 S. Fountain St. in Cape Girardeau.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the River Campus box office at (573) 651-2289 or online at rivercampus@semo.edu.