State Fair Community College is bringing a stage adaptation of the movie that invented the modern zombie genre to the Thompson O’Sullivan Studio Theatre. Night of the Living Dead is showing February 23-26, and March 2-5. 

The play is a tribute to the 1968 film by George A. Romero. Recognizable moments from the movie, such as the cemetery, a lone farmhouse, six petrified strangers, and hordes of flesh-eating zombies are included in the play.

An Interview With SFCC's Night of the Living Dead Director Eric Yazell

"It's just a fun, fun play," said director Eric Yazell, "and it's the only one (Night of the Living Dead stage adaptation) that has been authorized by George Romero. It's the only official Night of the Living Dead."

Yazell says that the first act of the play is a comedic look at what happened in the movie, while the second act starts to veer into new territory. "In the second act it just goes really crazy, because they start talking about alternative endings to the movie. There's all kinds of crazy alterations of what happens." Yazell says that it is not necessary for audience members to be familiar with the original movie. "If you've seen it, great. If you haven't, I think it's fun for both."

"I'm most excited about our first performance," said actor Ethan Yazell. "We've been kind of pulling it all together. There are a lot of technical aspects and sound aspects...we're doing it on a different type of stage. We're doing it on an alley with the audience on both sides. It's just a really fun challenge."

Connor Marshall, another actor in Night of the Living Dead, says that one unique aspect of the SFCC production is that it is all in grey scale, in an effort to re-create the look of the original black-and-white film. "The whole thing is like totally black-and-white." Actors and sets have been painted in black, white and grey.

An Interview With the Night of the Living Dead Cast

Regular performances of Night of the Living Dead will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23-25 and March 2-4; admission is $6. Tickets are $15 for a Feb. 25 dinner theatre in the Yeater Center lobby; dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. The dinner theatre menu is available by calling the Box Office at (660) 596-7387 from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

SFCC students and employees receive free admission, and cost of the dinner theatre for them is $10. Special group rates are available for both regular performances and dinner theatre.

A matinée will be presented at 2 p.m. Feb. 26. Anyone 60 or older will be admitted free.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.sfccmo.edu/thearts, by calling the Box Office or emailing tickets@sfccmo.edu. Wheelchair seating is available upon request.

More From AM 1050 KSIS