Everything Nac

The Chikawa Aztec Dancers will return to Nacogdoches for the third annual Día de los Muertos Fiesta set for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead observance, is considered a cheerful celebration of life, honoring the souls of the deceased. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican term derived from the Roman Catholic All Saints’ and All Souls’ days, traditionally observed Nov. 1 and 2. An array of activities, ranging from decorating graves to creating home altars, typically highlight the celebration that can last for days.

For the past two years, hundreds of East Texas residents have attended the Nacogdoches festival, and this year’s event is drawing more entertainment, more booths and greater interest as the festival gains popularity, according to Lisa Steed, events coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University Art Galleries.

“We have multiple food booths, including Shelley’s Bakery Cafe, Merci’s World Cuisine, TacoMex, Friends of the Visual Arts and others,” Steed said. “We have a lot more SFA club participation this year, as well.”

Among the other featured booths are Nacogdoches High School floral shop, NHS Art Club, SFA Art Alliance, SFA Metals Club, SFA School of Theatre’s face painting, SFA Asian Culture Club, SFA Knights of Columbus, SFA Organization of Latin Americans, Angelina Spanish Club, and more.

Among the entertainment will be the popular Chikawa Aztec Dancers, Martinez Mariachi Duo, Juan Carlos and Jenna Urena and the SFA Jacks of Steel. Based in Conroe, Chikawa Aztec Dancers with their colorful costumes are always a crowd pleaser, Steed said.

“We will also have the traditional Day of the Dead procession, and anyone can participate,” she said. “Costumes are highly encouraged, especially Day of the Dead themed costumes.”

The community altar returns this year in the window of Cole Art Center where remembrances or a photo of a loved one who has passed on can be included. Local artist Carol Eaton Walsh will also have an altar outside in the festival area.

The SFA School of Theatre will paint sugar skulls as a fundraiser, and there will be a free booth where children of all ages can color a paper mask. A silent art auction inside Cole Art Center will feature donated work by local artists and students. Although some booths charge a fee, the festival is free.

Fiesta sponsors are Main Street Nacogdoches, Hampton Inn & Suites Nacogdoches, 103 The Bull, R&K Distributing, University Rental, SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and SFA Sound Recording Technology program. The fiesta is organized by SFA Art Galleries.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-6557.

Digging the plow into the textured soil, farmer Pete, played by Stephen F. Austin State University senior Michael Correll, teaches dozens of third grade students from Nacogdoches Independent School District about subsistence farming and life on a farm in rural East Texas in the early 1900s. As he carves out each row in his garden, Pete explains how chain grocery stores were nonexistent in his day and how families had to grow the food they wanted to eat.

For more than 20 years, SFA, area schools and Millard’s Crossing Historic Village have worked together to bring the past to life in an interactive field trip known as Pioneer Days. During this weeklong event, SFA elementary education students interact with third graders though a variety of experiential learning activities.

“By playing a character, it is more immersive for the kids and they seem to be more into the station,” Correll said. “By being farmer Pete, I was able to connect what life was like for me back then to the students today.”

Event coordinator and organizer Dr. Vicki Thomas, assistant professor at SFA, said in Texas, third graders learn about the past and how technologies and inventions changed the world.

“During Pioneer Days, children get to experience what a child’s life may have been like on a subsistence farm in rural East Texas about a century ago,” Thomas said. “The children explore artifacts that were used in the past and learn how inventions can make life easier. They also compare and contrast life in the past to their lives today.”

Some of the activities the children participated in included attending school in a one-room schoolhouse, hand washing clothes, playing pioneer games, plowing a garden, making toys out of corncobs and feathers, and more. At each station, SFA students were dressed in traditional pioneer clothing and discussed varied aspects of life in the early 1900s.

“It is so exciting to see the teacher candidates in full-out performances. They put so much heart and soul into their parts and work hard to engage students in the learning process. I can see them growing and mastering their craft each time they conduct their stations,” Thomas said.

In the Millard-Lee house, SFA students became historic characters as they engaged in a real-life wax museum.

“The children learn about important people in Texas during their wax museum tour. With the ringing of a bell, characters come to life to engage in conversations about their contributions to the city and state,” Thomas said. “For example, Lera Thomas, one of the characters, was a woman who showed great determination when she relocated historic landmarks in the ‘oldest town in Texas’ before they were destroyed due to expansion.”

Additional characters included Stephen F. Austin, Nettie Marshall and Anna Raguet.

Nearly 1,000 students are served each year during the fall and spring semesters. Last week, hundreds of students attended the fall portion of Pioneer Days.

“Seeing the smiles on the children’s faces is priceless because they are so excited to be outside and engaged in hands-on learning activities,” Thomas said.

Pioneer Days educates young students on East Texas’ history and also gives SFA elementary education majors an opportunity to practice teaching techniques in the field.

“As part of our elementary education program, teacher candidates study learning theories, management strategies, instructional practices, lesson planning and educational standards,” Thomas said. “Pioneer Days includes opportunities to put all of those concepts into practice with children. Their participation is integrated into a required social studies course.”

Thomas said Pioneer Days continues to be successful and relevant by benefiting both SFA students and the visiting third grade students.

“Pioneer Days is the culmination of months of planning, organizing, teaching and learning, so when the days arrive, I am thrilled to see it all come together like a symphony,” Thomas said.

Nearly 410 years after it was written, William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre, brings its story to Turner Auditorium in a way that will entertain and educate audiences in a big way.

Dr. Rick Jones, director of this production and professor in the School of Theatre, says that this is a play “with often beautiful language and psychologically complex characters, and a good story, with intrigue, sensuality, armed combat and a supernatural element,” which is sure to inspire audiences with themes of fate and leadership.

“Macbeth” is arguably Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, and it is also a personal favorite of Jones. So, why do this show now?

Although some students may consider Shakespeare to be boring and out-of-date, this could not be less true for this production, Jones explained. In fact, this play could almost never be more applicable than now.

“This is a play about political machination as we head into primary season for the next presidential election,” Jones said. “It’s a play that speaks to the belief that we all have from time to time – that we’re not really in control of our own fates.”

That is a belief with which many students can sympathize. This production will also be an educational opportunity, as “Macbeth” holds some important historical significance that many may not recognize, Jones explained.

“It’s one of the most significant of Shakespeare’s plays in historical terms because it so clearly demonstrates Shakespeare’s transition from plays designed to appeal to Queen Elizabeth to those designed to appeal to King James,” he said.

This production of “Macbeth” employs a two-world concept, where the witch characters exist in a modern 21st century world, manipulating the events of the play, while the mortal characters exist in a pre-Norman Britain, which is the time of the real historical Macbeth, several hundred years before Shakespeare’s time, according to Jones.

This production is a true collaboration between SFA School of Theatre faculty and students, featuring faculty designers Tara Houston (scenery), CC Conn (sound), Angela Bacarisse (costumes), and faculty fight choreographer Slade Billew, along with student designers Troy Carrico (lights), Kate Shirley (choreographer), Shelby Gilliland (dramaturg) and Taylor Dobbs (properties).

The School of Theatre will present “Macbeth” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Nov. 17 through 21, as well as a matinee performance at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7.50 for students. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.

The Mainstage Series is sponsored in part by Tipton Ford Lincoln.