The Black Hills State University Theatre Department has been hard at work with their Summer Stage season.

The department opened the season on June 5 with a female version of “The Odd Couple,” which will continue to run through June 8.

Summer stage roles are open to alumni as well as current students. This year four alumni are a part of the company. All of them have been a part of summer stage in the past and are excited to be back.

Theo Schmidt, back for his third year of summer stage, said he could not think of a better way to spend his summer.

Although acting is an important part of summer stage, the company shows its talents in many other ways as well. Building sets, lighting and costume design, and makeup is all part of the job. The cast and crew work through the season learning lines and making the scenery in addition to composing dance routines and music for their upcoming children’s musical.

Since the season was changed this year, from July to June, the company has had to work quickly preparing for all the shows. This includes learning all of their lines in time for the shows and teaching the children in the musical what they will need to know for their performances.

Despite it being put together in a shorter period of time than usual, the community still enjoyed the first show, “The Odd Couple.” The audience responded to the farcical performance with a standing ovation after the performance on June 6.

BHSU student Katrina Schrader said that she was very impressed with how well the show was put together despite how fast it was put up.

“It was very witty at times and some of the puns tickled my funny bone,” said Schrader. “The set was very, very well done.”

The Summer Stage will finish their performances of “The Odd Couple” on Sunday at 2:30 and will return to the stage June 12-15 and 19-22 for their performance of the classic musical, “Oliver,” and again June 26-29 for their final show, “Moon Over Buffalo.”