Everything Nac

As the seasons change and the holidays approach, Stephen F. Austin State University’s Jacks Council on Family Relations is preparing for its annual food drive, Thanksgiving Homebound.

In 2011, the student-led group started Thanksgiving Homebound as a way to help area families during the holidays. Initially, the group fed nine families. That number has now grown to more than 100.

The group of 19 SFA students asks organizations, departments, faculty and staff members, students and members of the Nacogdoches community to donate grocery items that can be used by families in its adopted organizations to prepare Thanksgiving meals. Adopted organizations include Solid Foundation, GETCAP Head Start and The Family Crisis Center of East Texas.

JCFR matches participants with families and sends participants a description of the family and checklist of items to purchase. The checklist includes grocery items such as potatoes, cornbread mix, vegetables and dressing. Participants also are asked to purchase a $25 gift card to help their family purchase perishable items such as meat, butter, milk and/or eggs.

After the food is collected, participants place the items in a storage bin and deliver it to the Education Annex Building, Room 133, on the university’s campus. Deliveries should be made between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Nov. 14 and 15 and between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Nov. 16.

For more information, contact JCFR at sfasujcfr@gmail.com.

Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business students attended a workshop Tuesday with alumnus Jeff Wagner, partner at OneTrust Home Loans, who discussed tips on how to secure employment after graduation.

“In the Rusche College of Business, we believe it is important to augment the student experience with perspectives from outside the campus,” Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business, said. “It is vital to introduce students to professionals who can share their experiences and insight into the corporate world.”

Wagner discussed life hacks and hiring tips. He advised students to surround themselves with highly successful people and those who challenge them. Wagner also encouraged students to separate themselves from the competition and be different.

During an hour-long discussion and Q&A session, Wagner shared interview tips, which included advising the students to research the company before the interview and ask questions as the interview concludes.

He said students should work toward achieving balance in their lives through involvement with charities, exercise, reading and more.

The workshop was presented as part of the college’s Student Success Passport Program, which helps students sharpen their business skills while competing for scholarships.

The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House will host a free screening of the film “Dead Man Walking” at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the art center located at 329 E. Main St. in downtown Nacogdoches.

The screening leads up to the “Faith and Justice: Exploring the Crisis of Empathy” conference hosted by the Organization for Faith, Education and Community scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Keynote speaker for the conference will be Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun, whose biographical account of her relationship with Louisiana State Penitentiary death row inmate Elmo Patrick Sonnier is documented in “Dead Man Walking.” In the film, Prejean is portrayed by actress Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress. Prejean is a leading advocate for abolishing the death penalty.

For additional conference information, visit https://faitheducationcommunity.org. Contact The Cole Art Center at (936) 468-1131.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed, full-length play “Sunset Baby” by Dominique Morisseau at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Directed by Dallas senior Dominique Rider, the play is about a former black revolutionary returning to his home to find a daughter he barely knows and a city that has changed in the past 20 years. The play addresses how generational voids affect people and the implications of revolution, according to Rider.

The cast includes Houston junior Terrance Simon as Damon; Dallas senior Jonee´ Lewis as Nina; and San Antonio senior Kevin Holloway-Harris as Kenyatta.

The production staff includes Jessy Valladares, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, junior, stage manager; Rebekah Webb, Dallas junior, assistant stage manager; Alexis Wicks, Mathis senior, scenic designer; Danika Pettyjohn, Fort Worth senior, costume designer; Brian Steele, Houston junior, lighting designer; Lane Davidson, Denton junior, sound designer; Angel Williams, Beaumont senior, hair and makeup designer; and Hope Kidd, Grand Prairie sophomore, properties manager.

Scott Shattuck is faculty production advisor.

“Sunset Baby’ is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $6. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu. The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

The Wind Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present a concert featuring the music of American composer David Biedenbender at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus.

Biedenbender recently joined the faculty at Michigan State University after teaching at Boise State University.

“He will be here for the concert, and to speak to our classes,” said Fred J. Allen, director of bands and the conductor for the Wind Ensemble. “We will perform two of his compositions on this concert.”

The program will include Biedenbender’s “Dreams in the Dusk,” featuring Nathan Nabb, professor of saxophone at SFA, as soloist.

“This piece showcases both the technical and expressive capabilities of the saxophone,” Allen said.

The band will also perform Biedenbender’s “Stomp,” in which he incorporates jazz elements, said Allen.

The ensemble will also perform pieces by the American composers John Philip Sousa and John Barnes Chance, as well as “Molly on the Shore” by Percy Grainger.

Biedenbender has written music for the concert stage as well as for dance and multimedia collaborations. He has collaborated with and been commissioned by many renowned performers and ensembles, including Alarm Will Sound, the PRISM Saxophone Quartet, the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, the U.S. Navy Band, the Stenhammar String Quartet, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and the Eastman Wind Ensemble, among many others.

Nabb maintains a vibrant and diverse international schedule as a performer, clinician and teacher. He is a regular performer with the St. Louis and Houston symphonies, has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, New World Symphony and IRIS Chamber Orchestra, and is soprano chair of the Oasis Quartet.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

Register to vote during run of ‘Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson’

Those who are not registered to vote in the Nov. 8 general election may do so when they attend the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre’s production of the emo rock musical “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.”

The show is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Oct. 4 through 8, in W.M. Turner Auditorium in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus. Student-conducted voter registration will take place in the Griffith lobby prior to and following each nightly performance, according to Angela Bacarisse, professor of theatre at SFA and the show’s director and choreographer.

The show, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and a book by Alex Timbers, takes a comedic look at the founding of the Democratic Party and portrays Andrew Jackson, America’s seventh president, as an emo rock star. Because of the political theme of the musical, Bacarisse thought having a voter registration drive during the event was a logical addition to the show’s atmosphere.

“The production itself is about the political process,” Bacarisse said. “I was trying to think of a lobby display that would engage students, and then realized we had the ability to set up a registration table because some of our theatre students have taken the initiative to be part of the electoral process.”

The voter registration initiative is designed to promote civic responsibility among students, Bacarisse said.

“Many will not vote because it is too hard to go home that day, or they will forget, or get too busy,” she said. “This will make it easy for them to vote where they are.”

Two theatre majors who have been trained and certified to register voters will man the table. Both have been active in politics on the local and state level, and one attended one of the national conventions this past summer. The voter registration table will not display any specific party information or affiliation.

“We chose this musical in part to coincide with the height of the political season, and it is completely appropriate that we do everything we can to increase opportunities for as many people as possible to participate in the electoral process,” said Dr. Richard Jones, interim director of the School of Theatre. “Whereas this campaign is aimed specifically at university students, we hope to attract older adults, as well. I’m grateful to, and proud of, the students who will be working at the registration table; their passion, their optimism, and their pragmatism are all good signs for the future.”

Additionally, the “State of the Union” exhibition, curated by SFA art students, is showing Oct. 4 through Nov. 5 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches. The exhibition focuses on social and political themes, including political campaigns, environmental concerns, education, immigration, human rights, trade, globalization and other contemporary concerns, according to Lauren Selden, associate professor of art and whose students participated in curating the exhibition. The show includes the work of artists from across the U.S. and Mexico. An opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at The Cole Art Center.

Single tickets to “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” are $15 for adult, $10 for senior and $7.50 for student/youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.theatre.sfasu.edu. The show is recommended for mature audiences. A content advisory may be viewed at www.theatre.sfasu.edu.

Admission to the art exhibition, which is sponsored in part by the Friends of the Visual Arts and Nacogdoches Junior Forum, is free. Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. Gallery hours are 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.