Red Deer College performing arts is gearing up for a new season complete with a diverse array of concerts, film and theatre productions.

Orgnizers say there are more than 25 shows running from this September through to May of 2011. Tickets go on sale Sept. 1 via Ticketmaster.

Kicking things off in the theatre studies department is Unity which runs Oct. 7-16 in Studio A. Written by Kevin Kerr, the story focuses on the community of Unity, Saskatchewan as folks await the end of the First World War.

“When a blind soldier returns to town he brings with him a fate that touches all lives and changes them forever,” says a press release. “Friends and neighbours, rumours and compassion collide as strength of character is tested in the devastating face of the Spanish flu. This story is a modern parable for a world that challenges its trust of others and lives in fear of the next big event.”

Chorus of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn, runs Nov. 25 to Dec. 4 on the Arts Centre mainstage. Guy Jones, a young widower seeking distraction from his loneliness, auditions for the local amateur theatre company.

“Playwright Alan Ayckbourn has created an incredible cast of characters, from the power hungry-control freak director, his desperate housewife, to the resident vamp. Throw in a real estate scam, an excess of indiscretions, and you have one of the funniest British comedies ever penned.”

RENT runs Feb. 10-19 on the Arts Centre mainstage, with curtain at 7:30 p.m.

“Set in New York’s East Village in the 1980s, RENT tells the unforgettable story of a year in the lives of seven young artists learning to survive, falling in love, finding their voices and trying to pay the RENT.”

Ghost Sonata, by August Strindberg and translated by Carl R. Mueller, runs April 12-17 in Studio A. “An old man who, with the help of a young student, seeks to rescue his daughter from a house inhabited by vampires, ghosts, and mummies all tied to each other by their past indiscretions.”

On the music front, RDC features its popular Concert Series starting with Alberta Arts Day Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. on the Arts Centre mainstage.

Symphonic Winds follows with Oh Canada on Oct. 28. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage. Audiences will enjoy concert band tunes of Malcolm Bell, Howard Cable, Michael Colgrass, Cheryl Cooney, Vernon Murgatroyd, Val Sherman, and many other Canadian Composers.

The Rotary Seniors Concert runs Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage as well. To reserve a free ticket and transportation please contact the Golden Circle at 403-343-6074.

Heating up the stage as well is Jazz in the Studio Dec. 7-8 at 7:30 p.m. in Studio A, and bolstering community Christmas spirit is the traditional favourite Sounds of the Season Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage.

Looking into the new year, pianist Ruston Vuori presents Flight of Fantasy Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. on the Arts Centre mainstage.

Spanning more than a century of piano composition, the program will feature Schubert’s majestic Wanderer Fantasy alongside innovative works by Bach, Mozart, and Chopin.

Classical guitarist Shannon Frizzell presents Music for Voice , Flute and Guitar Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Margaret Parsons Theatre. The repertoire runs the gamut from the baroque to the modern era by composers from Italy, Britain, and America.

The RDC Percussion Ensemble presents An Evening of Percussion March 5 at 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage, and the Dale Wheeler Piano Recital (Strings, Reeds and Keys) runs March 6 at 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage as well.

Wheeler is joined by cellist Janet Kuschak and oboist Melody McKnight in a richly varied chamber music program. “From the passionate romanticism of Schumann and the neo-classicism of Poulenc to the Spanish exoticism of de Falla this recital will have something for everyone.”

Next up for the Symphonic Winds is A Night at the Movies March 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage.

For complete details about the season of performing arts at Red Deer College, check out www.rdc.ab.ca/showtime.