2016-2017 looks to be a dramatic year on College Hill.

In the coming academic year, the Lafayette Theater Department is putting on four shows as part of their season. The season’s theme is “Braving the Elements.”

Earlier this week, the Theater Department held auditions for the first play of the season, Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon’s “The Secret Garden,” a Tony award-winning 1991 stage musical adaptation of the classic novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Auditions were held primarily for students, though five parts, roles for four children and a senior citizen, were reserved for participation by members of the local community.

The show is directed by theater professor Mary Jo Lodge, with musical direction by Tom DiGiovanni ’96 and will play on Oct. 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30.

The second half of the first semester will feature a stage rendition of the Dr. Seuss classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The production, directed by Michael O’Neill, will use stage puppets to recapture the magic and family-friendly atmosphere of the original story and the renowned cartoon adaptation. On Dec. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, the Grinch will try to steal Christmas on College Hill.

Looking forward, the Theater Department’s spring semester will contain a rendition of “I Hate Hamlet,” a comedy-drama about a television actor who is persuaded to play Hamlet by the disembodied ghost of legendary stage actor John Barrymore and is forced to choose between the worlds he finds himself in. The show, directed by O’Neill, will play on Feb. 24, 25, 26, as well as March 2, 3, and 4.

Finally, the 2016-2017 season will conclude with “The Metamorphoses.” Based on the eponymous works of Ovid, and directed by theater professor Suzanne Westfall, the play will seek to capture the magic of Greek mythology and storytelling and transport it to the Lafayette campus. It will play on Apr. 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29.