After 15 years, “Children of Eden” — a musical told through narratives from the Book of Genesis — will return to Kent State’s E. Turner Stump Theatre in November.

The opening of the play is Nov. 2, and it will run through Nov. 11.

The two-act musical focuses on the relationship between parents and their children, said Joni Koneval, the marketing associate at the School of Theatre and Dance.

“It’s based on the Book of Genesis from the Bible, but the musical itself is more about the kind of themes about children and parents and about kind of growing up,” Koneval said. “It’s about moving on and learning, and has a lot of heart to it.”

Students and staff at the school are getting ready to rehearse the play about the story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and Noah and the Flood.

When the musical first appeared at Kent State, it was reimagined from the original musical that premiered in London. The university’s version caught the eye of the composer, Stephen Schwartz.

“Stephen Swartz, who is the composer and who also composed ‘Wicked,’ somehow he saw our production,” Koneval said. “I don’t think he was here, but I think he might have seen a video recording of it. So, he was interested in the concept of how it was produced here and another regional theater produced a similar version.”

More more information about the musical, visit the School of Theatre and Dance website.

Alissa Reyes is the music and dance reporter. Contact her at [email protected].