Fright Theater

“Independent theatre all the way up your ass” is the MySpace headline for Lawrence’s E.M.U. Theatre. Anyone who’s seen an E.M.U. production can attest to the troupe’s master cleansing powers. Four independent local scripts make up the fiber of the company’s new production, Horrorshow, an alternately comedic and dramatic Halloween show involving sinners, monsters, military vets and zombies. With original scripts by Dean Bevan, Dave Hoover, Honey Hallock and Jeff Sorrells, Horrorshow invites audience members to question their sanity more profoundly than might be possible trouncing around The Edge of Hell. “We’re trying to scare people, but in a different way,” says E.M.U.’s Liza Pehrson. The troupe’s extended family of scholars and postgrads hope that the ambitious show acts as a stepping stone to a dedicated rehearsal and storage space — two luxuries E.M.U. has never enjoyed in its 10-year history. Show support by attending tonight’s debut performance at 8 in the basement of the Lawrence Arts Center (940 New Hampshire, 785-843-2787). There are encore performances Saturday at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets cost $6 for the adult-oriented production, which returns from the dead next weekend. For details, see myspace.com/emutheatre_ks.

Fri., Oct. 19, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 20, 7 & 10 p.m.; Fri., Oct. 26, 8 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 27, 7 & 10 p.m., 2007