The Learned Ladies

By Moliere

Directed by Michael Costello

The plays of Moliere, the famous 17th-century French playwright, remain some of the greatest works of comedy in the history of theatre. Tartuffe, School for Wives, The Miser, and The Imaginary Invalid are all classics, as is our Moliere for the season, The Learned Ladies. Written in 1672, The Learned Ladies deals with intellectuals and artists who meet at salons to discuss the latest in the arts and sciences. Without violating the integrity of the script, this production is moved forward to the time of Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas and the artists of the lost generation in Paris. We affectionately refer to this production as The Marx Brothers in Dada Land. Sticking with the tone of the original, this play will be a zany view of that time. In The Learned Ladies, as in Tartuffe, a bourgeois household is thrown into comic upheaval by an imposter. However, instead of religious fanatics, Moliere takes on social delettantes this time, and again, the result is hilarious.

 To view pictures, please click here.

Main Stage, Theatre Center

September 28-30, October 1,2 at 7:30 p.m.

October 3 at 2:00 p.m.

Patsy Cline...A Little Bit of Heaven

This performance features 21 songs made famous by the legendary Cline, who died in 1963 at the age of 30. The musical selection runs the gamut of such well-known hits as “Crazy” and “Walking After Midnight” to lesser-known gems as “That’s My Desire,” “Imagine That” and “Bill Bailey.” Through the memories of Charlie Thorton and the mesmerizing vocals of Cline, the audience is transported through the years to experience Cline performances in venues as diverse as drive-in theatres to glamorous New Year’s Eve galas in New York City.

Main Stage Theatre Center

Oct. 8 & 9 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 10 2:00 p.m.

Texas State Black Playwright's Workshop

Artistic Director Eugene Lee

This is the second year for our Black Playwright's Workshop, where we take an original script by a black playwright and allow the writer to see how well the script works with actors. The play will be cast and rehearsed with the playwright in residence. This will then culminate in staged readings. Professional playwright-actor and Texas State Distinguished Alumnus, Eugene Lee, is the Artistic Director for the workshop.  The script selected this year:

Peculiar and Sudden Nearness of the Moon
Written by Velina Hasu Houston
Directed by Stephen Gerald

Studio Theatre, Theatre Center

October 22-24 at 7:30 p.m.

October 24 at 2:00 p.m.

A Little Night Music

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Book by Hugh Wheeler

Suggested by the film by Ingmar Bergman

Directed by Chuck Ney

Musical Direction by Cina Crisara

A romantic and beautiful musical, A Little Night Music is all about love and love triangles. It is sophisticated, warm, funny, and utterly charming. "A jewelled music box of a show; lovely to look at, delightful to listen to" (Time Magazine). It includes such hits as "A Weekend in the Country" and "Send in the Clowns." Placed in turn-of-the-century Sweden, the play culminates in a weekend at a country estate, where under the summer night, romance is set right. This is a joint production of the Department of Theatre and Dance and the School of Music.

 To view pictures, please click here.

Main Stage, Theatre Center

November 10-13, 17-20 at 7:30 p.m.

November 14,21 at 2:00 p.m.

Con Mis Manos/With My Hands

By Misael Martinez

Directed by Luis Munoz (Guest Director)

A powerful drama seen at the American College Theatre Festival last year, Con Mis Manos was recommended by the theatre faculty who saw it and loved it. David Gutierrez worships his father, whose favorite pastimes are joking, telling stories, and barbecuing. The Gutierrez family lives a happy, uneventful existence in South Texas until they have to contend with the mother's sudden illness. A poignant family drama, the play offers insights--both humorous and comical-- into the emotional dynamics between the family members. Spanish and English are interwoven in the play, and you'll be amazed at how easy everything is to understand. The guest director for the show in Luis Munoz, a former student of Texas State and the state's University Scholastic League One-Act Play Director.

 To view production info and pictures, please click here.

Main Stage, Theatre Center

February 15-19 at 7:30 p.m.

February 20 at 2:00 p.m.

King Lear

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Debra Charlton

"How sharper than a servant's tooth it is to have a thankless child." Love, betrayal, and madness lie at the center of Shakespeare's dark tale of splintered family relationships. When King Lear decides to abdicate, he sets in motion a game of treachery and deceit. Blinded by the flattery of his two eldest daughters, he relinquishes his kingdom to them, disinheriting his only truthful child, Cordelia. When betrayed by his daughters he trusted, Lear must journey through madness to discover forgiveness, redemption, and reconciliation. Faculty member Michael Costello plays the title role, considered by many to be one of the most challenging parts ever written for an actor. This promises to be a most wonderful evening in the future.

 To view pictures, please click here.

Main Stage, Theatre Center

April 7-9, 14-16 at 7:30 p.m.

April 10, 17 at 2:00 p.m.

Candlestein

Written and Directed by Charles Pascoe

A musical play about cruely to animals and the power of revenge. A mistreated group of farm animals run away from their master and encounter a society of forest animals. One of them is Candlestein, the white raccoon, who has his own reasons for hating the cruel farmer. As always, with a Chuck Pascoe play, this is great fun for children and great fun for adults as well.

Main Stage, Theatre Center

April 26-30 at 7:30 p.m.

May 1 at 2:00 p.m.

Graduate Season

The Shape of Things to Come
Written by Neil LaBute
Directed by Nate Wylie

Tales of the Lost Formicans
Written by Constance Congdon
Directed by Leah Tyson

Marisol
Written by Jose Rivera
Directed by J. Hernandez

The Laramie Project
Written by Moisos Kaufman and Members of Tectonic Theatre Project
Directed by Season M. Ellison
 

The Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Written by Dario Fo
Directed by Jenny Lewis

Three Days of Rain
Written by Richard Greenberg
Directed by Robert Matthew Harrington

Roosters
Written by Milcha Sanchez Scott
Directed by Chris Navarro