Musical Theatre opens season with Zombie Prom

Oct. 23, 2025 — DENTON — The TWU Musical Theatre program embarks on its first full season of productions when Zombie Prom takes the stage at Margo Jones Performance Hall Oct. 30-Nov. 1.

Musical Theatre, the Division of Music’s newest undergraduate degree, took its first steps last fall when it debuted with Out of the Blue. But in 2025-26, the program will do a full slate of shows under the guidance of first-year artistic manager Julio Agustin Matos Jr.

“The challenge is that everything is new,” Matos said. “The degree is new, many of the people are new. Coming in and producing an audience-ready production, we all know what our roles are, but getting to know each other and learn how the other people work, just getting everyone in place. We've got all the music components but don't have the theater parts. It's just getting all the people in place.”

The hurdles differ from those faced by a for-profit theatrical company, where the focus is exclusively on attracting and satisfying patrons.

“Part of what we want to do is make sure that the season answers the important questions of producing theatre in the academy, which is different from community theater or in regional theater because we have to satisfy the students first,” Matos said. “It's about the students. What challenges do they need to experience? What have they done in the past that we don't need to repeat? They did a new musical last year and a musical revue, and now we're doing a contemporary musical comedy. What else do we plan? Do we do a more traditional golden age musical? A dance musical? Something that's a little more of a challenge, a dramatic piece? Those are the questions that we need to ask ourselves.”

The search for answers begins with Zombie Prom, an off-Broadway show with music by Dana P. Rowe and book and lyrics by John Dempsey. The show was chosen to coincide with Denton’s 31 Days of Halloween. Zombie Prom will run four shows at Margo Jones, 7:30 p.m. performances Oct. 30-31 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. shows on Nov. 1. Visiting Lecturer Melissa Hall is the stage and music director. 

“The piece is 1950’s style,” Matos said. “If you think Grease, it's that style, except add a zombie.”

Imagine a living dead John Travolta who sings and dances.

Zombie Prom is set at a high school near a nuclear power plant. Rebel bad boy Jonny and good girl Toffee fall in love, but Toffee's parents forbid her from seeing Jonny. She breaks up with him, and Jonny hurls himself into the nuclear power plant, causing an explosion.

Jonny returns from the dead as a zombie now. In other words, if you’re looking for a musical version of Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero’s 1968 film that gave birth to the living dead/walking dead/flesh-eating ghoul genre, you’re out of luck.

“It's family friendly,” Matos said. “It's got a zombie, but it's meant for kids and adults. It's silly fun.”

Musical Theatre will follow Zombie Prom with a 20-minute production at the Circle of Light holiday festival Dec. 4. In the spring, Musical Theatre will collaborate with the Theatre Division in a devised musical called Love and Loss. The musical season will conclude with a showcase called What's Up Broadway?

It didn’t take long for a crossover between Musical Theatre and Theatre to develop. Actors from Redbud Theater have appeared at Margo Jones, and vice versa, and Matos sees that relationship expanding.

“We want it to happen with Dance as well,” he said. “I've gotten to meet several of the Dance faculty members and a couple of the graduate students. Eventually we might invite the graduate students to choreograph something over here. Zombie Prom is being choreographed by Alaina Hooker, a Theatre major who has musical theatre and dance background.

The production is made possible in part by a donation from Nancy and Ted Paup and Laura Estrada, helping to pay for royalties, designers and costumes.

“We're excited about this new program,” Matos said. “They accepted three students last year and we had two students this year. We’re actively inviting students and hoping to get about nine transfers. I'm working with a lot of two-year colleges in the area, and then have a class of between 12 and up to 18 first-year students.

“It's challenging, but it's a fun experience coming in here every day. Sometimes it's silly fun and sometimes it's a little bit scary fun.”

Zombie Prom

Performances
Oct. 30-31, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 1, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets
$10 for adults, including TWU faculty and staff
$5 for students and senior citizens
Free for children under 12

Principals: 
Toffee - Jessie Lucas
Jonny Warner - Carter Outon
Delilah Strict - Rachel Mareth
Eddie Flagrante - Colin Nguyen
Candy - Kelicia Zapata
Coco - Alaina Hooker
Ginger - Maryah Turner
Joey - Jerred Quirk
Josh - Andrew Hauenstein
Jake - Cody Leveck

Ensemble:
Copy Boy, Motorwise Gasoline Boy - Josue Garcia
Toffee’s Mother, Secretary, Make-up Lady - Madison Gray
Toffee’s Father, Copy Boy, Motorwise Gasoline Guy - Lucas Hostettler
Secretary, Ramona Merengue - Sofia Ramirez

Understudies:
Toffee - Sofia Ramirez
Jonny Warner/Josh/Jake - Jarred Quirk
Delelah Strict - Maryah Turner
Eddie Flagrante - Lucas Hostettler
Candy/Coco/Ginger - Madison Gray