Auditions for this semester’s theatre productions kicked off on Aug. 19, with callbacks and castings wrapping up this week.

Building off of successful shows from last year such as “Legally Blonde: The Musical” and “Arabian Nights” the stage is set for a successful semester for the theatre department.

The newly casted theatre students are embracing three main stage productions this semester: “Bacchae”, “The Wedding Singer” and “Failure: A Love Story”.

Hunter Hendrickson, a junior BFA acting major, will take on the role of Pentheus, the King of Thebes, in the tragedy “Bacchae,” which is the first production of the semester, running from Sept. 25 through Oct. 5 in the Strauss Theatre.

Hendrickson is quick to discuss his role in the Greek tragedy and the exciting opportunities it presents to him.

“I have always been cast as a light-hearted or comedic character in past plays,” Hendrickson said. “Getting to play an antagonist, a villain, in “Bacchae,” is stretching me to a new direction, and that is what is most exciting for me.”

Next to lift the curtains is “The Wedding Singer,” which is set to take the stage from Oct. 23 through Nov. 2 in the Corbett Theatre. The film-turned-musical is equally impressive as a film as it is a musical.

Starring in “The Wedding Singer,” will be NKU theatre veterans Noah Berry and Katy Miller.

“People will go into the show expecting [Sandler’s] character and I have to give them a hint of that but also something new and exciting,” Berry, a senior BFA musical theatre major, said. “It’s equally challenging as it is exciting.”

Closing out the fall season is “Failure: A Love Story.” This comedy about a family of failures runs Nov. 20 through Dec. 7 in the Corbett Theatre.

For sophomore cast members Melissa Cathcart and Gretchen Priddy, “Failure” offers an opportunity to take their respective principal roles and run with them.

Cathcart says that passion is central to the success of NKU’s theater program.

“No matter what age or grade, we are all passionate about what we do,” Cathcart, a BFA musical theater major, said. “Our program has proven many times in the past that our shows lead to good results.”

Ticket prices for all shows are $8 for current NKU students and $14 for general admission adults.