A well known satirical comedian will return to the John R. Emens Auditorium stage for the first time since 2008 this weekend.
Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and his sidekicks Achmed the Dead Terrorist, Walter and Peanut will perform at 5 p.m. Sunday at Emens.
In an email, Dunham said he is looking forward to the show. He said he remembered the audience from his previous two shows at Ball State.
"As I recall, the audiences were great. We're looking forward to coming back," he said.
Director of Emens Auditorium Robert Myers said Dunham's last shows sold out, likely a reason for Dunham's return to the venue.
"He knows the building, too, so that might be a reason for returning," he said.
Though Dunham won't be surprised by his surroundings, he said he has new things in store for his audience.
"We've got a bunch of new material and a new character," Dunham said. "It's going to be a fun show."
Myers said he has concerns about the show taking place during the summer, though.
"They wanted to come back on this date," he said. "I discouraged it, because most of our students and faculty won't be around, but they were set on coming."
The situation is different than most since prominent acts normally visit during the school year.
"It's always great to have a high profile act come, but we don't have much of a track record in summer," Myers said.
During the summer, Emens normally hosts conferences, dance recitals and lesser-known acts. Myers said bringing a well known act during summer was not intentional and delayed some schedules for Emens employees.
"I've got some staff that wanted to take a week off before the academic year started up, and now they'll have to push that back," he said.
Myers said his personal vacation was pushed back, but understands it's part of the job.
"It impacted my family's plans, but that goes with the territory," he said. "That's the event business."
Increasing summer program is not a focus for Emens, Myers explained, but the Music for All Symposium will take place during the last week of June every year.
Myers said increasing summer programming is not intentional, though.
He offered other options for puppet fans who aren't in town during the summer.
"On Sept. 27, ‘Stuffed and Unstrung' will be in Emens," Myers said. "It's an improv show with puppets. It's definitely geared toward students."
Dunham said his show may not be a great place to bring children.
"Parents should know that the language in our live shows can be racier than in our DVD's and specials," he said. "There is some adult content that may not be appropriate for younger kids."
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