This weekend, Northwest Missouri State University will raise the curtain on two productions presented by advanced student directors in repertory theater.

Students will present “Defying Gravity,” written by Jane Anderson and directed by Northwest student Andrea Boswell, November 10, 12, 18 and 20 as well as “A Piece of My Heart,” written by Shirley Lauro and directed by Northwest student Allison Nissley, November 11, 13, 17 and 19.

Performances begin at 7:30 pm with the exception of Sunday performances, which begin at 2 pm. All performances are in the Studio Theatre at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts.

“Defying Gravity” centers on the 1986 space shuttle Challenger disaster and Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died with six others when the shuttle unexpectedly exploded. The play weaves the past with the present, drawing parallels between McAuliffe’s grieving daughter, an elderly couple, a NASA mechanic and painter Claude Monet.

“A Piece of My Heart” recently was called “the most enduring play on Vietnam in the nation” by the Vietnam Vets Association. The true drama portrays six women before, during and after their tour in the war-torn nation. Five nurses and a singer booked to entertain the troops struggle to make sense of a war that irrevocably changes them.

Tickets are $8 and may be purchased at the cashiering office on the first floor of the Administration Building, by phone at 660.562.1321, or at the Studio Theatre box office up to one hour before the show.