It’s October, and that means, among other things, it’s time for monsters. EMU Theatre has your scary show needs covered with its annual 10-minute play festival “Horrorshow.”

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This is the sixth annual presentation of the horror-themed event, and, like the undead coming back from the grave, three of the six plays return for encore performances – Dean Bevan’s “The Grim Reaper,” as well as “Blood Ties” and “The Further Tragedy of Rome(r)o and Juliet” by Andy Stowers.

Nick Stock, who is co-producing the event for EMU, directing “Rome(r)o,” and acting in two of the other plays says there is something for every fan of horror theater.

“Of the six shows, three are comedies, one is an introspective, one-man show, one is very serious and straightforward, and the other goes in a lot of different directions and can’t really be described,” he says. “Audiences should expect to be surprised.”

The idea for a macabre play festival happened by accident. EMU had been holding a fall play festival for years. Six years ago, they got an unusually high number of submissions with a Halloween theme. So the experimental theater group decided to make that their theme.
It’s become a tradition now, and that, along with celebrating the troupe’s 15th anniversary, is one of the reasons Emu decided to bring back some its “greatest hits” to mix with fresh new material.

“We wanted to give new life to some of our more successful plays from the past,” Stock says, but he maintains EMU is about finding opportunities for area playwrights to have their material staged, noting, “It’s always pleasing to do someone’s work for the first time.”

EMU has always seen itself as an incubator of local talent, and the success of past Horrorshows has raised the group’s profile. That’s raised standards in the selection committee.

“We’re trying to move towards being more selective,” Stock says of the submissions the group receives for its festivals. “We look at things and decide whether they are ready for an audience or need to go back to workshop.”

As for this year’s faire, Stock cautions “Horrorshow VI” is intended for mature audiences.

“It’s totally an 18-and-over show,” he says. “Mostly for language, but there is also quite a bit of gore. People sitting in the front row should wear slickers or bring tarps” due to what he described as “explosive gore.”

Monsters and horror come around every October. With EMU’s continued growth, one imagines Lawrence artists and audiences will get to enjoy them for the foreseeable future.

“Horrorshow VI” runs in the black box theater at the Lawrence Arts Center October 19, 20, 26, 27, and a special performance on October 31. Curtain is 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $6 at the door.