Meadows Theatre sure knows how to put on a show, or three.

Tuesday night marked the beginning of the fall repertory shows and the line up of the three shows on the bill is sure to please.

These shows are dedicated to presenting relevant, recent works in a student-focused environment. The three chosen for this run are “Melancholy Play” by Sarah Ruhl, “In Arabia We’d All Be Kings” by Stephen Adly  Guirgis and “The Secretaries” by The Five Lesbian Brothers.

“Melancholy Play”, directed by senior Joel Heinrich, kicked off the two-week run of alternating shows last night.

This play tells the story of Tilly and the way she makes the people in her life feel. SMU junor Janielle Kastner, who plays Tilly, said that the three plays are all very different but they blend together as an intriguing exploration of humanity.

 “All these plays have been written in the past 10 years, if not the past five years because we want to capture this moment right now,” Kastner said.

“‘Melancholy Play’ fits in this niche that’s made, by wanting to show you what it really means to be a human, but also not trying to be naturalistic in that.”  

The play is in essence about the necessary relationship between joy and pain, and the cast successfully explores every way in which a theater experience can force you to examine your own emotions as the audience.

“For me, ‘Melancholy Play’ is about that feeling you have when you [have] an entire day accomplishing so much, and you realize you’ve gone the whole day without connecting with a human being once,” Kastner said. “It’s about rediscovering that feeling of connecting, of actually living in that moment.”

The cast of this show has managed to create believability in even the most ridiculous elements, which make this show enjoyable, while it tugs at your heart.

And this is only the first of the three shows.

Tonight “In Arabia, We’d All Be Kings” opens, which is a story of New York City and Times Square before it was “Disneyfied.”  

The story might be considered slightly darker than “Melancholy Play.”

“The Secretaries” is the third show and expected to produce the most laughter.

This show focuses on women, and through the uproarious use of satire,  the struggles, triumphs and downfalls of all things female are scrutinized.

All three of these plays will be bringing life to the Margo Jones Theater in Meadows for the next two weeks. Call the box office and buy your tickets today.