MARSHALL – For the hoi polloi, season five of “Downton Abbey” starts Jan. 4, but the hoity toity few in Marshall (anyone who picks up a free ticket) can watch the first episode tonight.

Pioneer Public Television and Southwest Minnesota State University Theater are presenting a premiere of the first episode at 7 p.m. today in the Fine Arts Theatre at SMSU. The event is free and open to the public, and a limited number of tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis at various locations within the community.

“Downton Abbey” is a television program created by Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes. For the past four years, the series has attracted a growing base of fans who tune in to watch the aristocratic Crawley family navigate a rapidly changing world in England during the 1920s, said a Pioneer Public TV news release.

The show has inspired a nationwide interest in Edwardian era clothing and fashion. SMSU Theater Professor Sheila Tabaka, an internationally-recognized costume designer, will curate a lobby display of period costumes and related items from the theater department’s costume collection. Period-inspired jewelry designed by SMSU’s Art Professor Dr. Pat Brace also will be on display. Laura Guza-Antony, co-owner of Coco Avenue, will contribute to the lobby display with mannequins adorned with fashions inspired by “Downton Abbey.”

Not only will “Downton” fans be able to see the first episode before anyone else, they will see some fashions from Tabaka’s private vintage collection that very few others see.

“Only students from my costume construction class see these,” she said. “These clothes are so fragile – they’re almost 100 years old – that they are disintegrating. There is so much beading. The threads can’t handle the weight.”

Some of the fashions that will be displayed tonight are clothes that were part of the costume department at SMSU before Tabaka’s time, and others are treasured clothes from her grandmother.

SMSU theater students will wear costumes inspired by the fashions featured in the TV series.

Tabaka said having a “Downton Abbey” premiere at SMSU is a “great way to get the community out here, and it’s great for the students – something different. ‘Downton Abbey’ is an example of what they are being trained to do.”

Audience members are encouraged to dress up for an informal “fashion show” that will take place as part of the evening festivities. A reception will follow the show in the theater lobby. Refreshments will feature desserts created by SMSU’s Student Hospitality Opportunities Club.

“We are delighted to be a part of the ‘Downton Abbey’ season 5 sneak preview,” said Dr. Jan Loft, dean of the SMSU College of Arts, Letters and Sciences. “‘Downton Abbey’ has captured the hearts of so many people. We have laughed and grieved with the Crawley family and have watched them transition from the Edwardian world to a world filled with social changes, a ‘shaking of the ground’ they stand on, to paraphrase Mr. Carson. And of course everyone wants to hear the next scathing zinger from Lady Violet!”

Tabaka, a fan of the show, said the costumes on “Downton Abbey” are evidence of “really good research” on the era. Not only are the costumes beautiful, but they are a way of conveying further nuances about the character. For example, Tabaka said, the characters’ clothes change with the time except for Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Maggie Smith, generally wears the same clothes from one season to the next because she has no need for the latest fashions. In addition, Tabaka looked at the poster showing the season five cast and noted that the actors are wearing muted earth tones but one of the characters is wearing a bright color, which could be a hint of something bad happening to her.

For those who can’t make the premiere on Friday, the “Downton Abbey” program will be broadcast at 9 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4, over the air on Pioneer Public TV or on Charter Channel 6 and WOW Channel 98 in Marshall.

The event is free, but seating is limited. Tickets to the event are available at the SMSU Visitor’s Information Desk in Founder’s Hall, and the Fine Arts and Communication Department Office in Fine Arts 207, Borch’s, Coco Avenue and at the Marshall Area Fine Arts Council. For more information, contact Pioneer’s Community Relations Representative Nicole Zempel at 320-289-2622 or visit the SMSU Theater homepage, or call the theater program at 507-537-7103.

In addition to the SMSU premiere, Pioneer Public Television has scheduled two more, Dec. 11 at the Morris Theater in Morris and Dec. 18 at Luther Haven in Montevideo.