“A musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical” and how to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Studio Series A covered both of these topics and the opening night went off without a hitch. The Lab Theatre in Gordon Wilson Hall had a nearly full house, with people coming in up until the last minute. The audience chattered until the lights began to dim, and only the stage was left illuminated.

The first show inside of the studio series, “[title of show],” was a musical about two friends who want to write a musical for an upcoming festival, with hopes their masterpiece will make it to Broadway. The characters combined humor, fears of failure, curse words and the occasional fourth-wall break that had the audience laughing non-stop.

Two of the actors reached out to audience members mid-performance, taking selfies and signing show programs while still maintaining character. Kicklines, head-banging and saying “Die, Vampire, Die,” were only a few of the things the show had to offer.

Taylor Boulier, an attendee of the show, gave her input on the humorous production during the 15-minute intermission.

“It was beautifully placed comedy,” Boulier said. “It was so many different elements and so cool and surprising. It was an all-around feel-good, fun, relaxing show.”

But the studio series didn’t end there. After the brief intermission, the second show, “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse,” told the whole story in its name. Two narrators walk the audience through the various options of surviving a zombie apocalypse with the help of four “survivors.”

The survival tips ranged from sacrificing the weak, to kung fu, to romancing the zombies. Each “tip” was acted out by the four survivors who used these various tricks to survive, while the narrators sat above the scene watching it unfold.

“10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” was full of humor and jabs at various aspects of society that had several members of the audience cackling.

Bryson Fluty, another attendee of the show, went to the showing to support friends, but quickly began to like what the series had to offer, especially the tip on wooing zombies as a last resort.

“It was really enjoyable,” Fluty said after the studio series had ended and people began filing out of the theatre. “I haven’t really came to many of the plays, but I might check some more out.”

Studio Series A had a run time of two nights, but the work and preparation that went into the production lasted months. According to Scott Stroot, the faculty directing advisor for the production, the process for choosing the shows began in October 2018. Once the shows were chosen, various behind-the-scene activities began in December and only picked up speed from there.

“Theatre is a social art form,” Stroot said in an email. “Even the simplest production requires collaborative efforts of a whole lot of talented folks, working together in various ways and configurations over time.”

Studio Series A wrapped up on Tuesday night and, as Stroot said, they would “tear it all down and do it again!”

Features reporter Taylor Metcalf can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected].