The Shackouls Honors College presents its performance of Plautus’s Greek play, “The Brothers Menaechmus,” Thursday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the courtyard of Zacharias Village or, in the event of rain, in Griffis Hall.
This interactive play, in conjunction with the honors college’s second annual “Classical Week” will be the first outdoor play Mississippi State University has seen in several years. Admission is free; however, donations are accepted and will go toward the honors college and its programs.
Audience members are encouraged to bring a blanket and arrive around 5 p.m. because there will be live entertainment and an art exhibit before the play. On Thursday evening, there will be free food provided, and on Friday audience members can bring a picnic to eat during the play. 
Director of the play, Donna Clevinger, Ph.D. senior faculty fellow for the Shackouls Honor College and professor of communication, said this year the honors college wants to do something a little different. 
“This year, the play that we chose is a comedy, which is different from anything we have done in the past,” Clevinger said. “When we decided to conduct the play outdoors, it seemed the best fit to have it be a comedy.”
Clevinger has incorporated her theatre management class to help out with the management aspect of the play. One of her students, Colin Baylot, senior communication major with concentrations in theatre and broadcasting, is part of the publicity and marketing team associated with the play. He said another thing different about the play is that, besides Clevinger’s theatre management class, it is not associated with the theatre department, but with the honors college.
“Working with the honors college has been a good experience. They have been very helpful and are great about getting us anything we need,” Baylot said.
Becca Horton, senior communication major with concentrations in theatre and journalism, is also a member of the publicity and marketing team. She said the hardest part of being a part of this play is that the management of the play is completely student-led. 
“Dr. Clevinger wants us to get experience for the real world. We want it to be the best it can be, which is a lot of pressure, but it is also a great experience,” Horton said.
The cast is made up of students with different majors, including engineering to psychology. However, every member of the cast is also a member of the honors college.
Cast member Bailey Brotherton, freshman psychology and philosophy major, said she decided to try out for the play as a way to get more involved during her freshman year at MSU. 
“I was very involved in community theatre at home and am very interested in the classics,” Brotherton said. “I also wanted to be able to meet new people within the honors college.”
The schedule for the actors and management team is rigorous, as the cast has had practice almost every day for about two and a half hours each day. 
Michael Waldrop, junior political science major, plays the character Messenio in the play. He said as the only junior in a cast of freshmen, he has seen a change in many of the other cast members as they realize the importance of managing their time wisely in order to get all of their homework done. 
“In the first couple rehearsals, I was the only one who sat quietly to the side reading a book whenever I was not on stage. However, as the semester has been picking up, I have noticed more people bringing their homework to do while they are at rehearsal,” Waldrop said. 
Clevinger said this play shows the strong interest these students and many like them have in the arts. 
“I have been able to provide a vehicle for artist, musicians, actors that want to be a part of this,” Clevinger said. “I have realized that students from a wide variety of majors do art in their spare time, which is the reason I wanted to be able to provide this outlet for them.”
For more information on the play, visit honors.msstate.edu or call 325-2522.