The thundering applause has finally subsided and the curtains have been drawn. Discordant murmurs can be heard throughout the auditorium as the audience moves slowly toward the doors.

Some stay in the theater with flowers in hand, waiting anxiously for loved ones to appear from backstage while others press ahead, eager to exit the building before the parking situation becomes unbearable.

Down in the green room, an unmistakable energy flows.

The actors and actresses bounce around the room, congratulating each other on a “good show” and complimenting one another on excellent “recoveries” from certain unexpectedly awkward moments during the performance.

Nods of approval and pats on the back from the director are equally distributed to all the cast members – gestures only given after a satisfying night of theater.

These are times anticipated by everyone in the cast, but these carefree celebrations don’t imply closure at all for Iowa State’s troupe of actors.

The end of a show doesn’t signify finality or even provide a sense of security for the following night’s performance. This is probably because the next night’s performance features an entirely different play in an entirely different style, with an entirely different set of lines.

This scenario is a reality for many Iowa State thespians involved in the theater department’s first endeavors of the 1998-1999 theatrical season.

This year’s first two plays, William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and Malcolm Tulip’s “A Poke in the Eye,” are scheduled to be performed in repertory, meaning that the 10 actors who are involved in both productions have quite a few lines to learn.

However, being that the two plays sit on completely opposite ends of the plot spectrum, the actors involved in both plays have more than lines to worry about.

“Macbeth,” a dark tragedy about a man who murders anyone in his way in order to gain a spot on the throne that is “rightfully” his, explores the issue of consequence which occurs inevitably after careless actions.

The storyline of “A Poke in the Eye,” differs from that of “Macbeth” in style, mood and purpose.

Not only does the play use vaudeville methods to present cartoon-esque humor, it uses slapstick and clown techniques to poke fun at the most traditional of theater scenarios, including ones written by Shakespeare himself.

In fact, the set for “Macbeth” will stay on stage for “A Poke in the Eye” in an attempt to create a farce of “Macbeth,” said “Macbeth” director and associate professor of theatre Greg Henry.

Scenery is surely a powerful way of getting a mood across to the audience, but it is really only one of the ways “A Poke in the Eye” plans to achieve its atmosphere of jocularity.

Tulip, guest artist, director of “A Poke in the Eye” and mastermind behind the comedy, created a variety of ways to achieve authentic hilarity by using comedy techniques that aren’t found in most scripts.

Before the student cast of “A Poke in the Eye” went home for the summer, they were given some homework. All the actors were told to create their own languages that would compliment the personalities of their characters.

“If you use your own language, it forces you to make up a character,” Tulip said.

These languages aren’t nearly as complicated as French or German, but Tulip said many characteristics of the different dialects resemble the distinguishable lingo of pig latin.

The phrase “Minneapolis in Minnesota” is pronounced “Many apples miss a nota,” “America” is “La merica,” and the popular tune “Summertime” is sung with the word “Zommernart.”

Tulip said the purpose of this word play is to make the audience laugh, but also make them pay closer attention to the comedy.

“We use some words which sound like English words, but are different. They are completely onomatopoetic words that sound like the action they are describing,” Tulip explained. “Things that go rhythmically also help. It makes the audience watch what the people are doing instead of just listening to what they say.”

Most of the actors’ lines have already been determined, but Tulip said the ending hasn’t been finalized yet. He’s not too worried, though. He’s not the only one responsible for writing the script.

Although Tulip came up with the original idea for the storyline, the rest of the cast helped create the bulk of the play.

The story starts out with an acting company who has just arrived at Fisher Theater from the “old country” but realizes when they arrive that their props, scenery and everything else needed for the performance has been lost along the way.

Tulip said the cast uses the set of “Macbeth” to create a “sequence of comedy routines within the story.”

These comedy routines were created by members of the cast as they began rehearsals. Most of the routines are based on age-old scenarios that, despite their predictability, never seem to lose hilarity.

“If you see a cream pie on stage, you know it’s going to go in the face, but you don’t know how, so you still get excited,” Tulip said.

These types of ideas were used as a foundation for many of the scenes in the show, and as rehearsals progressed, they were garnished with clever extras by the actors.

Kim Hale, senior in performing arts and journalism and mass communication, said the actors in “A Poke in the Eye” knew what they were getting into when they auditioned for the show.

“That’s part of how we were cast: on our ability to work well in a group,” she said.

Although such a situation provides for a unique, educational experience, Hale admits the show has its challenges.

“We’re being playwrights at the same time we’re being actors,” Hale said. “It’s fun to have the opportunity to write our own scripts, but the job of being a playwright and an actor is not always easy.”

Not only has Hale been faced with the challenge of writing and acting in a comedy at the same time, but she, along with 10 others in the cast, has a part in “Macbeth” as well — an experience she said has taught her to be a more well-rounded actor.

“I like the idea of doing two plays at the same time,” Hale explained. “It gives you a little bit of variety as an actor, and it gives you an opportunity to play different characters.”

And Hale has certainly gotten to play two very different characters. In “Macbeth,” she plays the notorious Lady Macbeth, and in “A Poke in the Eye,” she portrays a character who is a “cross between Jackie Kennedy and Sophia Lauren.”

“I play a diva who’s pretty obsessed with herself and thinks she’s God’s gift to performance and song,” Hale mused.

Playing two different roles in two different plays is surely a challenge, though playing a part in a Shakespearean tragedy is a challenge in itself.

Anyone who has had any exposure to Shakespeare knows it’s not easy reading, but Henry said the issues covered in Shakespearean plays are applicable to all human beings, regardless of the time period.

“Although the emotions are big, they’re still human emotions,” Henry said. “It’s not old and foreign and dusty. It’s very real and very urgent.”

Because “Macbeth” covers issues that are in common with most of the population, it’s actually difficult to find people who can’t relate to the play.

Tim Johnson, “Macbeth” cast member and a sophomore in art and design, said the play will be enjoyed by “anyone that can relate to feelings of envy.”

Johnson said the atmosphere and scenery planned for the performance is in correlation with the themes of the show.

“Everything is pretty dark. The scenery itself is pretty basic,” Johnson said. “We have pretty black walls with a red tint to give it a black and bloody feel.”

It is definitely a very bloody play. In keeping with Shakespeare’s wishes, the ISU Theatre performance will involve 10 murders, three witches and a lead character who is definitely not the “good guy.”

However, there are a few things about the this performance that will be different from most, said Carole Horowitz, publicist for ISU Theatre.

“In this play, [Henry] is focusing on the people and what got them into the problem they’re in, rather than the set and the costumes,” Horowitz explained. “It’s not a traditional ‘Macbeth.’ For those people who say ‘I’ve seen that play,’ they haven’t.”

ISU Theatre’s fall repertory begins this weekend and will be showing through the weekend of Oct. 11. “Macbeth” will be performed Sept. 25 and 26 and Oct. 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 27 and Oct. 10 at 2 p.m.

“A Poke in the Eye” will be on Oct. 1, 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 3, 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.