Vincennes University’s Theatre Program is bringing a cult classic to life this weekend with its production of Little Shop of Horrors at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center.

Performances are scheduled for tonight, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a matinee on Sunday at 2 p.m. Admission is free for VU students, faculty, and staff. Tickets are $12 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, and $5 for students from other schools with a valid ID.

Program Director Kendra Clauser says this production has been years in the making and presented a unique challenge — the famous man-eating plant that grows throughout the show. “The biggest challenge with this show, for anybody who knows it, is the fact that you have to have an increasingly growing plant during the show,” Clauser said. “That was the big challenge for our scenic director, and she’s doing a great job. It looks really good and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Clauser says the production draws students from several academic programs, not just theatre. “Usually we have more theater majors than we do any other major, but this show being a musical, we have behavioral science majors, a communication major, a fire science major, an education major, and even a chemical engineering major,” she said. “So it’s been a great experience to have that kind of diversity in all of the students that have come together.”

The show’s signature plant will feature both a puppeteer and a separate voice actor to bring the character to life. Clauser said there are four versions of the plant used in the show, each larger than the last, and coordination between the puppeteer and the off-stage voice is key. “We have a puppeteer who is maneuvering two of the plants, and the voice is performed from off stage,” Clauser explained. “The puppeteer and the person voicing the plant work together to make the plant come alive — and he’s got that deep, resonant voice that really brings the character to life.”

Clauser describes the musical as a “funny, scary” story with catchy songs and plenty of humor, suitable for audiences middle school age and older.

Tickets are available through the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center box office by calling 812-888-4039.