Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance
2006-2007 Season

Texas State Black and Latino Playwrights Conference

Sept. 22 - 24

We recieved submissions from across the country for our 4th annual conference. The winning plays are rehearsed with the playwrights, culminating in staged readings.

The Faraway Nearby by Amparo Garcia Crow
Directed by Luis Munoz

Reveals the effects of the Vietnan War in three individuals.

Yo Fredrick! by Gus Edwards
Directed by Stephen Gerald

A rap version of the early life of Frederick Douglas.

Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams 

Directed by Michael Costello
Oct. 3 - 8

In Night of the Iguana, Tennessee Williams reveals the fragility of the human psyche, creating a provocative and lyrical portrait of one man's journey into the 'dark night of the soul'. In an isolated region of 1940s Mexico, T. Lawrence Shannon, a defrocked Episcopal minister, is about to lose what little grasp he has on reality. Emotionally fractured, living on lies, and pursued by personal demons, Shannon arrives at the Costa Verde Hotel in a heated frenzy, looking for sanctuary. Here, in this haven of lost souls, Tennessee Williams brings together four desperate people: Shannon and three compelling women. Two of them will certainly hasten his descent, while the third may hold the key to his salvation. A moving, thought-provoking, and intriguing tale, Night of the Iguana is considered Tennessee William's last major play. This is a chance to see the work of one of America's greatest playwrights.

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The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O'Brien

Directed by Jay Jennings
Nov. 7 - 18

Is everyone ready to do the time warp again? This campy, cult classic immortalized on film is even more enjoyable in a live perfomance. Join Brad and Janet as they stumble into the strange world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, that sweet transvestite who is cooking up his latest creation, Rocky. With memorable songs and dances, Rocky Horror is an audience-participation musical that pays kitschy homage to 1950s sci-fi B-movies with a winking nod at the sexual revolution. For mature audiences.

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Move Over Mrs. Markham by Ray Cooney and John Chapman

Directed by Richard Sodders
February 20-25

This hilarious British sex farce will have you rolling in the aisle. When the Markhams go out for the evening, Mr. Markham's publishing partner decides to rendevous with his lover in the Markhams' flat. The publisher's wife makes the same decision for her lover, as does the Markhams' interior decorator. The Markhams end up not leaving home, and a straight-laced writer of children's books arrives unexpectedly looking for a new publisher. The Markhams find themselves trying to hide all of the amorous adventure while frantically attempting to sign the well-known writer to a big publishing contract. During the course of the action, the Markhams' marriage is almost destroyed, identities of characters are mistaken, the wrong people end up together, and as in all good farces all the doors will be opened and shut multiple times.

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Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Directed by Charles Ney
April 13 - 22

Matchmaking and verbal fireworks take center stage in William Shakespeare's lively comedy Much Ado About Nothing. Set in Messina, the plot centers around two pairs of would-be-lovers. When Hero and Claudio become betrothed, their sparring friends, Beatrice and Benedick, swear never to fall in love. But during preperations for the wedding, Claudio and Hero plot to bring their friends together by making each believe the other is secretly in love with them. The playful mood darkens as a false accusation sets friend against friend. This skillful layering of serious and comic elements makes Much Ado About Nothing one of Shakespeare's most beloved plays.

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Studio Theatre Shows

Frame 312 by Keith Reddin
Directed by Amanda Gass
Oct. 19 - 22

An intriguing protrayal of the decay of a nuclear family and its unusual connections with the Kenney assassination, Frame 312 delves deep into the past and present of a former Life magazine employee whose life was turned upside-down by the tragic events of November 22,1963.

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Rashomon by Fay and Michael Kanin
Directed by Jiraporn "Kelly" Vuthikarn
Oct. 26 - 29

Based on stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa.  In this classic Japanese tale, a samurai has been killed and his wife raped by a notorious bandit.  At the trial, both the participants, as well as eye witnesses, offer different versions of what happened during the course of the crime.  Who is telling the truth, and what really happened?

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