NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed, full-length play "This is Our Youth" by Kenneth Lonergan at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.
Houston senior theatre student Jason Trevino is the director. He describes the play as the story of "three pot-smoking teenagers" who, in 1982, "resoundingly reject the 1960s ideals of their affluent parents."
"In hilarious and bittersweet detail, 'Youth' follows 48 turbulent hours in the lives of three very lost souls at the dawn of the Reagan era," he explained. The play is recommended for mature audiences.
Lonergan is perhaps best known as the Academy Award-winning writer and director of the 2016 movie "Manchester by the Sea." Other well-known screenplays include "Analyze This" (1999) and Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002).
The cast includes Needville sophomore Alex Duty as Warren; Jacksonville junior James Burns as Dennis; and Grand Prairie sophomore Hope Kidd as Jessica.
The production staff includes Reagan Moore, Richmond junior, stage manager; Bobby Britton, Angleton senior, assistant director; Taylor Dobbs, Baytown senior, scenic designer; Rachel Bollinger, Austin junior, costume designer; Jessica Benson, Chandler junior, lighting designer; Wyatt Gaubatz, Needville freshman, sound designer; Courtney Satterfield, Hutton junior, assistant stage manager; and Danika Pettyjohn, Fort Worth senior, properties master.
Trevino is a Bachelor of Fine Arts acting/directing candidate. "This is Our Youth" is his third directing project at SFA. Following this semester, Trevino hopes to undertake an internship at a regional theatre to complete the requirements for his degree.
Faculty production advisor is Scott Shattuck.
Tickets are $6. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu. The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.