SFA senior theatre student to direct ‘Nine’

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the one-act play “Nine” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 6, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Written by Jane Shepard, “Nine” will be directed by Lewisville senior theatre major Marie Phillips. The play is about two women who are chained to a room by unseen forces. Exercise and discussing their memories help them get through the day. As they hang on to life, they explore truth, bonds and hope, according to Phillips.

The two-member cast features Grand Prairie senior Hope Kidd and Nacogdoches sophomore Alli Beck.

The production staff includes Gabriel Peñaloza-Hernandez, Austin senior, stage manager; Lexie Lundy, Malakoff freshman, scenic designer; Jessica Griffin, Brownsboro sophomore, costume designer; Mia Lindemann, Prosper junior, lighting designer; Skyler Moore, Plano senior, sound designer; Eryn English, Beaumont senior, makeup designer; and Kathleen McNamara, Irving sophomore, properties master.

Phillips is the treasurer of SFA’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society, a past member of the Student Production Advisory Committee, and a player in Improv Strikes Back, the School of Theatre’s improvisation troupe. While at SFA, she has been involved in more than a dozen shows, either as an actor, designer, dramaturg or director. Her minor is in anthropology.

Dr. Slade Billew is faculty production advisor for “Nine.” The play is recommended for mature audiences.

Tickets are $4. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.