Everything Nac

The Fredonia Players of Stephen F. Austin State University’s School of Theatre will present “The Yellow Brick Road Show” at 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, March 5 through 7, in the Downstage Theatre in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.

Formerly the Original Cast, the Fredonia Players invites the audience to join them for a hilarious, behind-the-scenes glimpse as they attempt to put on an old-fashioned radio production of the “beloved classic film that features a green witch, ruby slippers and an inconvenient cyclone,” according to Jason Scott, the company’s director.

“While the company performs ‘live’ in the manner of old-time radio,” Scott said, “the chaos away from the microphone threatens to turn this production into a yellow-bricked disaster.”

“The Yellow Brick Road Show” is the company’s “playful way” of performing a radio version of “The Wizard of Oz,” Scott said. The “Oz” story, adapted from the classic 1939 film, will be familiar to the audience with songs like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” featured.

“But we’ve added a twist, as the live performance of the show is unexpectedly beset by last-minute changes and hilarious complications,” Scott said. “We think audiences will love seeing the familiar old story recreated in the fashion of old-time radio while also becoming involved with the frantic attempt to make the production go off without a hitch.”

This semester’s cast list includes Graham freshman Carly Nunn, Fort Worth sophomore Molly Mitchell, Friendswood freshman Anna Elizabeth Drake, Amarillo sophomore Mary Collie, Marietta, Ga., junior Hannah Johnson, Arlington senior Corinne Shady, Houston senior Kurt Bilanoski, Blue Ridge senior Luke Norton, Galveston sophomore Joseph Aldape, Copperas Cove sophomore Molly Dyer and Sherman junior Noah Scheibmeir.

The Fredonia Players

This production will be the first for the new Fredonia Players, which is the “alternative” theatre company that will serve as “lab” space for new work — comedy, variety, music, drama, site-specific — that will be determined on an annual basis by the members of the group and the faculty advisor.

“‘The Original Cast’ was created over 20 years ago by Dr. Alan Nielsen (professor emeritus in SFA’s School of Theatre), and for the past several years, it has functioned essentially as a cabaret/variety troupe,” Scott said. “Dr. Nielsen is a very talented musician and vocal arranger, and the work he did for several generations of Lumberjack students and Nacogdoches audiences is stunning.

“When he retired and I was asked to take over the direction of the group (as The (New) Original Cast), I knew it would be impossible to duplicate the process and manner in which Dr. Nielson produced his shows,” he said. “My background is in improvisation and new work, and while I love music and musicals, I do not have the experience or talent that would be required to produce a high-quality cabaret-style show.”

So it was with Nielsen’s blessing that the name Original Cast was retired, and the group was “rebirthed” as the Fredonia Players, Scott said.

The choice of name comes “out of respect for our local heritage, as well as to the career of the Marx Brothers, who have a special connection to Nacogdoches and chose the name ‘Fredonia’ as the country in the film ‘Duck Soup,’” Scott explained.

The Fredonia Players will continue to perform annually at the Nine Flags Festival each Christmas holiday season and offer at least one show on campus per year, he said. The goal is to offer more variety in terms of the type of material performed.

“Ultimately, I’d love to see us produce a play written by a student playwright, develop ‘devised’ work that can be performed at regional, national and international festivals, and generally find ways of doing things that don’t fit into our traditional Mainstage and Downstage season,” Scott said.

Old-fashioned radio show

“The Yellow Brick Road Show” contains some suggestive innuendo and colorful language not suitable for children under 12, Scott advised, adding that the overall tone of the humor is similar to television comedies such as “30 Rock” or “The Big Bang Theory.”

The program was created and developed by the Fredonia Players with Scott serving as director. Zach Hanks is assistant director and voice coach.

“Our goal will still be to entertain audiences and provide our students with the chance to ‘create their own work’ that can connect with the SFA and Nacogdoches communities,” Scott said. “We hope that fans of the Original Cast will join us on our new adventure, and we hope to pick up a new generation of fan, as well.”

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

The Choral Union and Women’s Choir at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “Celestial Fire” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, at First United Methodist Church in Nacogdoches as part of the SFA School of Music’s Concert Series.

“We will sing a program of mostly mid-20th-century sacred music from England that will inspire all those who love traditional sacred music,” said David Howard, associate director of choral activities at SFA and director of the Choral Union and Women’s Choir.

The Women’s Choir will perform a responsory by the Renaissance composer John Taverner, followed by pieces by Michael Head and Edmund Rubbra, while the Choral Union will perform a Tudor anthem by Adrian Batten along with works by Benjamin Britten and Gerald Finzi. The combined choirs will conclude the program with a well-loved anthem by Herbert Howells.

“The centerpiece for the concert will be Britten’s cantata ‘Rejoice in the Lamb,’ which is scored for choir, soloists and organ,” Howard said. “Jeremy Bruns (faculty organist) will accompany the choirs on the Möller Op. 10473 pipe organ at FUMC. Our performance commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Britten.”

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

The Stephen F. Austin State University 2012-2013 Concerto/Aria Competition winners will be guest soloists when the Orchestra of the Pines presents “Taking Center Stage” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 4, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Gilmer graduate student Leslie Laney, soprano, Vila Nova Gaia, Portugal, graduate student Bruno Ribeiro, piano, and Longview freshman John Tadlock, marimba, will perform with the Orchestra of the Pines.

In addition to the three solo works, the orchestra will perform its first Dmitry Shostakovich symphony under Music Director Gene H. Moon.

“The performance of Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony will cap weekend concerts of the composer’s chamber works performed by SFA faculty and guests from the St. Petersburg String Quartet,” Moon said.

Ribeiro began his musical studies at age 6 at Vilar do Paraiso’s Music Academy and continued at Escola Superior de Musica e das Artes do Espetaculo as part of Filipe Sa’s studio where he earned an honors degree in piano performance. From 2006 to 2008, he studied at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University where he obtained a master’s degree in chamber music. He was selected to participate in the Cape Town Youth Music Festival, performing with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2007, he won the Lionel Bowman prize at Stellenbosch University. Ribeiro has worked as a teacher and accompanist at various institutions in Portugal. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in piano performance at SFA where he studies with James Pitts.

Tadlock began his percussion studies at 12 under the direction of Don Lawler at Spring Hill ISD. He received four first division ratings for solos at the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Competition between 2009 and 2012. He was a member of the East Texas Symphonic Band from 2009 to 2012 and a member of the All-State Symphonic Band from 2010 through 2012.

Laney graduated Suma Cum Laude from SFA in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in music education and a minor in history. She is pursuing a master’s degree in choral conducting. She was president of Mu Phi Epsilon from 2010-2011, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honor society, and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda in 2011. She was a finalist in the 2007 and 2012 National Association of Teachers Singing Competition.

Laney was the recipient of the Ledbetter Dean’s Award in Music and the Baumgaurtner Award in 2011, and she was a soprano soloist in SFA’s production of Handel’s “Messiah” in 2010. She performed operatic roles as La Ciesca in “Gianni Schicchi,” Mrs. Hayes in “Susanna,” the Mother in “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” and Rosalinde in “Die Fledermaus.” She is currently cast as Anna Maurrant in SFA’s upcoming production of “Street Scene.” She is teaching voice lessons through SFA, and once she has graduated, plans to teach choir at the junior high or high school level.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Music and Orchestra Series. It is sponsored in part by Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital and the Wedgeworth-Wright Endowment for the Arts.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, go to www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Area students will learn that science can be fun and exciting when the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and the Children’s Performing Arts Series present “Super Scientific Circus” in two performances Monday, March 4, in W.M. Turner Auditorium.

The program, which targets students in kindergarten through 12th grade, is designed to “help students understand that science can be appreciated in everything we see and do,” said Diane J. Flynn, SFA Box Office manager and director of the Children’s Performing Arts Series.

The program features circus skills, magic tricks, comedy and mime to illustrate fundamental scientific concepts such as gravity, air pressure and ultraviolet light.

Performance times are 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 for individuals and $5 per person for groups of 20 or more. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.cpas.sfasu.edu.