Family Weekend to Include Magician, Play

Cottey College’s upcoming annual Family Weekend will include several events that are open to the public. Among them are a script-in-hand theatrical performance of First Fruits at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 22, in the Missouri Recital Hall inside the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts. On Saturday, September 23, Cottey will also welcome magician Derek Hughes to the stage at 8 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Center for the Arts.

Delta Psi Omega, the student national theater honor society, will present a script-in-hand performance of the play First Fruits, which centers on College founder Virginia Alice Cottey and her journey of building Cottey into what it is now. Join us as we venture into the life of a strong, independent woman who made her dreams a reality. This production is presented free of charge.

On Saturday evening, magician Derek Hughes will dazzle audiences with his unique sleight-of-hand. The live performances of celebrated conjurer “Stand Up Magician” Derek Hughes have been lauded by audiences and critics alike, with the New York Times calling him “thoroughly entertaining.” Hughes has performed his magic on MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, and the CW’s “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.” He’s a consulting producer on TRUtv’s hit magic series “The Carbonaro Effect” and was a finalist on season 10 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Tickets for Derek Hughes are $5 for adults and $4 for those under age 18 or over age 62 and will be available at the door the night of the performance.

The Center for the Arts is on the northeast corner of Austin and Tower streets in Nevada, Missouri.