Centenary Theatre presents ‘Men on Boats’ November 13-16
The Centenary Theatre Program (CTP) is proud to announce its latest production called Men on Boats. The play will run November 13-16. Centenary alumnae Emma Greer (’25) is directing the play. Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus tells the true story of General John Wesley Powell who led the first government expedition of the Colorado River into the Grand Canyon in 1869. In a fun way, the play follows not only the men’s exploration into the canyon, it follows the exploration of their relationships as they face more and more challenges.
The interesting twist is that Backhaus’ casting notes said that even though ten white men pursued the expedition, the casting should be anything but. In the CTP version, the men on the Powell expedition are being played by a diverse group of women.
“Men on Boats is in many ways a very silly comedy, but it also has a lot of heart in it through the relationships between these characters my actors have worked hard to develop,” said Greer. “I think that audiences will have a lot of fun laughing along! I hope that they leave this production with an appreciation for this historical story and also for the craft of theatre itself.”
Greer went on to say that casting women in traditionally “male” roles is always an interesting opportunity, particularly in historical pieces.
“While now there is a much more robust selection of female-centered works, it still is a very gratifying experience to get to play a male role and get to experience the type of importance that comes with that,” Greer continued. “As a director, it’s fun to figure out where the line between gender expressions lies. In our production, for example, the costumes are traditionally masculine, but the hair and makeup may not be.”
Greer is an experienced director with CTP. Other plays she has directed include Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, and Horse Girls. She is also an experienced actor. Greer graduated Summa Cum Laude from Centenary College in May 2025 with two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in English and the other in Theatre.
“Emma has demonstrated skill as a director. She knows how to do the work of analyzing and taking apart a play to get at its core, visualize that in physical form, and then able to communicate that to a cast of actors and work with them on the practical aspects of storytelling,” said Logan Sledge, Centenary Theatre Department Chair. “I am so excited for audiences to come out and see her latest directorial effort.”
Men on Boats opens on Thursday and runs through Sunday afternoon. Show times are as follows:
· Thursday, November 13 – Saturday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m.
· Sunday, November 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for general admission; $15 for military or senior citizens, and it is free for Centenary students to attend.
Anyone interested in attending the play needs to go to centenary.edu/mlptickets or go straight onto Cur8, our ticketing vendor, at https://cur8.com/21134/project/134564
For more information on the Centenary Theatre Program, please contact Mr. Sledge via email or call 318.869.5720.