Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed “A Dollar” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 5, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Directed by senior theatre major Greg Albright of Palestine, playwright David Pinski’s “A Dollar” is about a troupe of traveling players who are tired and penniless and end up arguing over a dollar they find.

“The players, trekking from one town to the next, reach a crossroads at the end of the day and realize they won’t be sleeping in a town that night,” Albright explains. “Cold, exhausted, hungry and completely broke, they despair. In an attempt to cope with their situation, they begin to dance and sing. They then find a dollar lying on the ground, after which chaos and hilarity ensue.”

The cast features Jacksonville sophomore James Burns as The Comedian; Lufkin sophomore Jacob Carr as The Villain; Wichita Falls sophomore Travis Brasher as The Tragedian; Carthage junior Zachary Barlow as The Old Man; Waco freshman Marian Midgett as The Heroine; Rockwall senior Victoria Carew as The Ingénue; Austin sophomore Abigail Junk as The Old Woman; and Houston sophomore John Singleton as The Stranger.

The production staff includes Ashley Mouton, Groves junior, as stage manager; Bekki Stewart, exchange student from Essex, England, scenic designer; TJ Davis, Beaumont junior, costume designer; Emily Rohrman, Grand Saline senior, costume co-designer; Travis Wilson, Katy sophomore, lighting designer; Bruce Moran, Kingwood junior, sound designer; and Gabriel Penaloza-Hernandez, Austin sophomore, hair and makeup designer.

Albright has appeared in several School of Theatre productions, including “Spamalot” and “The Importance of Being Earnest,” and in the SummerStage Festival production of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” as Emperor Plumptoe. He is currently cast as the character Dad in “Bury Me in This,” a new play written by SFA’s playwright-in-residence Jack Heifner that is a part of the School of Theatre’s biennial Festival of New American Plays. Albright has also been in several student productions, including “Void as Man One” and “Stay Carl Stay.” He is the president of Improv Strikes Back, SFA’s improvisational theatre troupe. He plans to pursue his practicum for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree during the upcoming fall and spring semesters.

“A Dollar” is recommended for mature audiences. Faculty production advisor is Scott Shattuck.

The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

Tickets are $4. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.

The Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces jazz bands at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and other jazz greats at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 4, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

“It’s an exciting semester for jazz at SFA,” said Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone and interim director of the Swingin’ Axes for the spring. Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba and euphonium, is interim director of the Swingin’ Aces this semester. Scott and Salas assumed new roles this semester with the reassignment of Dr. Gary Wurtz as interim director of the SFA School of Music.

“Both jazz bands are sounding great and have really exciting new music planned,” Scott said.

The Aces will perform “Just Friends” by John Klenner, arranged by Joe Jackson; “Basic-ally Yours” by Thad Jones; “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, arranged by Mark Taylor; “C-Jam Blues” by Duke Ellington, arranged by Dave Wolpe; and “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” by Louis Alter, arranged by Les Hooper.

The Axes’ program features “Moanin'” by Charles Mingus, arranged by Sy Johnson; “Count Me In” by Count Basie, arranged by Billy Byers; “Point No Point” by Dan Gailey, jazz director at the University of Kansas; “Wrygly” by Maria Schneider; “Got a Grip” by Chris Culver; and “Point of Return” by Paul Ferguson, a fast Latin number composed for the Paul Ferguson big band.

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.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. Tom Cox will present “Breaking New Ground with Conifers for the South.”

Cox and his wife, Evelyn, started the Cox Arboretum and Gardens in 1990 when they purchased an undeveloped 13-acre land parcel in Canton, Georgia. Over the last 25 years, this has evolved into one of the premiere collections of woody taxa in the Southeastern U.S. In 2002 and again in 2014, the arboretum was the host site for the American Conifer Society’s national meeting and is now a frequent stop for gardening enthusiasts as well as those involved in serious plant study.

A pioneer in the evaluation of conifers for adaptability in the Southeast, Cox is recognized as one of the leading authorities on growing conifers in the region. The arboretum received full accreditation in 2012 and is now a site for the preservation of rare and endangered plants from around the world.

Cox is a frequent lecturer on the subject of conifers and other woody plants and is a member of the prestigious International Dendrology Society as well as Botanic Gardens Conservation International. He is a past president of the American Conifer Society and has been published numerous times in both British and U.S. conifer journals. He is the co-author of the 2013 book, “Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the Southeast.” In 2014, his book was recognized by the Georgia Writers Association as first runner-up in the specialty category at its 50th year annual awards banquet.

Cox graduated cum laude and received a bachelor’s degree from The New York Institute of Technology. He received a master’s degree in psychology from Georgia State University.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month at SFA’s Pineywoods Native Plant Center. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are encouraged.

Parking is available at the nearby Raguet Elementary School, 2708 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building.

For more information, call (936) 468-1832 or email grantdamon@sfasu.edu.

SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host its annual Garden Gala Day Spring Plant Sale and Earth Day Celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 2, at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

A wide variety of hard-to-find, “Texas tough” plants will be available, including Texas natives, heirlooms, tropicals, perennials, shrubs, trees and unusual species. Most of the plants are trialed in the gardens before being offered to the public and are produced by the SFA Gardens staff and volunteers.

This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, Pineywoods Native Plant Center, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, Gayla Mize Garden and educational programs hosted at the gardens. More than 15,000 students of all ages are reached on a yearly basis through SFA Gardens programs.

The ninth annual SFA Earth Day Celebration presented alongside the Garden Gala Day Spring Plant Sale will begin at 10 a.m. Informational booths will be set up near the Tucker House and the event will feature guest speakers, activities for kids of all ages, free local food, live music and more.

The outdoor festival is sponsored by Campus Recreation’s Outdoor Pursuits program, the SFA Student Sustainability Coalition, SFA Gardens and Nacogdoches Naturally. The celebration is an opportunity for members of the SFA student body and the Nacogdoches community to join together in furthering the vision of a sustainable campus and community.

Parking is available at the nearby Early Childhood Research Center, 2428 Raguet St. The public is encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon.

For more information, call (936) 468-4404, or visit www.sfagardens.sfasu.edu two weeks before the sale for a list of available plants.

Jeff Bradetich, regarded as one of the leading performers and teachers of double bass in the United States, will present a guest recital at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in Cole Concert Hall on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

Regents professor of double bass at the University of North Texas, Bradetich is an active lecturer and clinician. His concert is designed to “showcase the incredible sound and expressive palette of the bass as a solo instrument,” according to Carlos Gaviria, SFA School of Music faculty member.

“The instrument featured in this concert was made in 1767 by the famous Italian maker Guadagnini and is one of the best instruments in the world,” Bradetich said.

Performing as guest artists with Bradetich will be Gaviria, double bass; Janice Fehlauer of Houston, piano; and SFA music student Ben Mitchell of Flower Mound, double bass.

A highlight of the concert will be a performance of Sonata No. 2 for double bass and piano, originally for cello, by Ludwig von Beethoven.

“The 2nd Beethoven cello sonata was performed by the leading bass player of the day with Beethoven at the piano, and he gave his blessing to perform the work on bass,” Bradetich said.

The other major work to be performed is Concierto para Contrabajo and Orquesta (concerto for double bass and orchestra) by Andrés Martin of Argentina.

“This is one of the finest new works for bass and captures the majestic spirit and vivid colors of the Hispanic culture,” Bradetich said.

Gaviria will be featured in a duo for two basses and piano, “A Day of Change” by Doc Solomon, written in memory of the 9/11 attacks on New York City. “This is a very beautiful and heart-felt work,” he said.

Proclaimed by the New York Times as “the master of his instrument,” Bradetich has won many major solo competitions, recorded six solo albums of music for double bass and piano and has been featured on radio and television throughout North and South America and Europe including CBS, CNN, BBC and NPR.

“Mr. Bradetich has performed more than 600 concerts on five continents, and he is looking forward to sharing the beautiful sounds of the bass with the people of Nacogdoches,” Gaviria said.

The recital is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Admission is free. For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.