STEPHENVILLE, Texas — An exciting year is in store for fans of Theatre at Tarleton, with six acclaimed productions planned, beginning with Steel Magnolias at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Theater in Stephenville.
Opening the first day of classes, Steel Magnolias is set in Truvy’s salon in Chinquapin, La. It’s the go-to place for a beauty fix with a hearty side of gossip. Through wit and wisecracks, a hodgepodge group of women form friendships that they’re forced to lean on when tragedy strikes.
The cast includes Tarleton State Associate Professor Prudence Jones and Assistant Professor Tracey Holley, Executive Director of Development Janice Horak, junior Taylor Fambrough, and sophomores Lily Peltz and Riley Pinson.
Behind the scenes, senior Emma Morrow is the stage manager and junior Alexis Mackey the assistant stage manager. Jones is scenic designer, senior Matalynn Thayer costume designer, junior Turner Laxson lighting designer and senior John David Dvorak sound designer. Sophomore Paizlee Haby designed hair and makeup, and her assistant is junior Lance Weikal.
Director Tinamarie Ivey is a cofounder of the nonprofit theater company Sanctuary Stage, producing projects that promote diversity, social justice and awareness. She has taught courses and directed productions at UT Dallas, Oregon State University, Linn-Benton Community College, Humboldt State University and Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre.
Next up, Lizzie opens Thursday, Oct. 5. Andrew Borden and his wife were found murdered in their house during the dog days of summer 1892, and their daughter went on trial. Using a searing rock score and based on the historical record, Lizzie explores the heady and heated days leading up to the murder, Ms. Borden’s controversial acquittal on all charges, and the creation of an American myth.
The curtain rises on Don Nigro’s The Revenant on Friday, Oct. 27, in the Fine Arts Center Workshop Theater. Haggard and Leaf are two gentlemen on a park bench at night in London, and each thinks the other sent a message to meet there. It eventually becomes clear that someone has lured them to this place, leading the pair to try to solve the puzzle of who would wish them harm.
The holiday classic A Christmas Carol opens Wednesday, Nov. 29, in the Fine Arts Center Theater, featuring a new version of Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of a miserly old man who hates Christmas. On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of his partner, Jacob Marley, and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future.
Spring productions begin Thursday, Feb. 22, in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium with Schoolhouse Rock Live! Tom, a schoolteacher nervous about his first day in the classroom, tries to relax by watching TV. Characters representing facets of his personality emerge from the screen and show him how to win over his students with imagination and music.
The academic year winds up with William Shakespeare’s political thriller Julius Caesar, opening Thursday, April 11, in the FAC Auditorium. Concerned that the emperor poses a threat to democracy, revolutionaries make the violent decision to murder him. As the world spins out of control, chaos and superstition lead to civil war.
For ticket information, call 254-968-9634.
Steel Magnolias
FAC Theater
Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 25, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 26, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 27, 2 p.m.
Lizzie
FAC Theater
Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8, 2 p.m.
The Revenant
FAC Workshop Theater
Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.
A Christmas Carol
FAC Theater
Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2, 2 p.m.
Dec. 3, 2 p.m.
Schoolhouse Rock Live!
FAC Auditorium
Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 25, 2 p.m.
Julius Caesar
FAC Theater
April 11, 7:30 p.m.
April 12, 7:30 p.m.
April 13, 2 and 7:30 p.m.
April 14, 2 p.m.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.