Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The School of Theatre and Dance at Stephen F. Austin State University has an exciting production schedule for the 2023-24 academic year that will, in part, celebrate both the 100th year of SFA and the new theatre and dance performance venues in the renovated Griffith Fine Arts Building.
Cleo House Jr., director of the School of Theatre and Dance, and Heather Samuelson, associate director of the school and associate professor of dance, are looking forward to the opportunities the new facilities will offer theatre/dance students as well as patrons who attend performances.
“The unveiling of the new theatre and dance facilities is an extraordinary moment in our history for our students and faculty alike,” House said. “This state-of-the-art addition is set to ignite a surge of creativity, serving as a catalyst for artistic innovation and expression. I am confident this will not only attract top talent during recruitment, but also provide a nurturing environment for our students to flourish and showcase their talents.
“I am also excited because this development promises to invigorate and expand our audience base, making the performing arts more accessible and engaging,” he added. “Ultimately, the new facilities will transform the working environment for our esteemed faculty, fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of artistic excellence. This exciting chapter marks a remarkable leap forward for our institution and the wider community.”
“The addition of the dance program to the School of Theatre and Dance, within the Micky Elliott College of Fine Arts, is a historic milestone within this centennial year at SFA,” Samuelson said. “Students, faculty and staff anticipate the potential for collaboration, with all programs within the college, and the opportunity for campus exposure and growth. This facility will cultivate a modernization of programs and disciplines allowing for advanced creativity and artistry in presentations. Personally, I look forward to the evolvement of performance art at SFA and what it can provide our students and East Texas community.”
Mainstage shows at SFA offer audience options in weekend matinees for theatre-goers. Mainstage performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Plays are presented in either the Flex Theatre or the Black Box Theatre.
This season’s Mainstage shows include August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” Sept. 28 through Oct. 1; the musical “Once Upon a Mattress” Nov. 2 through 5; “The 39 Steps” Feb. 29 through March 3; and “Real Women Have Curves” by Josefina Lopez April 18 through 21 and April 25 through 28. Student-directed one-act and full-length plays are also offered.
In Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork “The Piano Lesson,” a battle is brewing in the Charles household. At the center lies the family’s prized piano as a symbol of how family dynamics can reach into the souls of the present, revealing startling truths about how we perceive our past and who gets to define our legacy. This show hosts a reunion of SFA theatre students from the ’60s and ’70s.
“Once Upon a Mattress” is the hilarious musical version of the fairy tale "The Princess and the Pea," with music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer. Princess Winnifred is an ungainly, brash girl competing for the hand of Prince Dauntless, whose domineering mother Queen Aggravain has declared he must marry a "true" princess before anyone else in the kingdom can marry. This show hosts a reunion of SFA theatre students from the 2000s. “Once Upon a Mattress” is a collaboration production with the SFA School of Music.
“The 39 Steps” is adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan and from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock. Bored with life, a dull Richard craves “something mindless” when he thinks of the theatre. This play is what he needs: an “absurdly enjoyable, gleefully theatrical riff” on Hitchcock’s witty thriller. Packed with fast-paced chases, schemes, secrets, surprises, suspense and romance, this wacky show celebrates live-stage magic and is a fun feast for classic-movie buffs. This show hosts a reunion of SFA theatre students from the 2010s.
“Real Women Have Curves,” a funny Latina coming-of-age story set in a tiny sewing factory in East Los Angeles, follows five full-figured Mexican-American women as they race to meet a nearly impossible production deadline and talk about their families, loves, dreams and fears. This play by Josefina López celebrates the immigrant experience, body positivity and the wisdom and strength of Latinas. This show hosts a reunion of SFA theatre students from the ’80s and ’90s.
Danceworks Concerts are scheduled for Nov. 9 through 11 for the fall show, and April 11 through 13 for the spring show. Danceworks is the senior choreographic concert in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science in Dance. The performance features choreography based on a wide range of research topics and dance genres chosen by senior choreographers.
The Repertory Dance Company Faculty Concert is Feb. 15 through 17. Choreographic works created by the dance faculty and select guest artists are performed by the Repertory Dance Company. This concert exhibits multiple dance genres and the research interests of the faculty and guest artists. Select choreography from this concert will be presented at the American College Dance Association Conference for adjudication.
Dance concerts are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday with 2 p.m. Saturday matinee performances in the Dance Performance Studio in Griffith Fine Arts Building, and Repertory Dance Company Faculty Concerts will be in Turner Auditorium.
For ticketing information or to purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS, or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice.