Everything Nac

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS – The charming tale of a group of eccentrics who attempt to save 1940s Nazi-occupied France from the corruption of corporate executives and big-government politicos will take the stage when Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts and School of Theatre present “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” written by Jean Giraudoux and adapted by Maurice Valency, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Nov. 13 through 17, in W.M Turner Auditorium.

The play, part of the School of Theatre’s Mainstage Series, is one Rick Jones, professor of theatre at SFA, has wanted to direct since he read it in a college French class more than 35 years ago.

In “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” a motley band of “vagabonds” – the titular “Madwoman” and her friends – attempt to thwart a plot by greedy industrialists and insensitive bureaucrats to turn Paris into an oil field, according to Jones. Although the play was written 70 years ago, “it’s even more relevant today than it was when it was written,” Jones said.

“ … or rather, it’s relevant in a different way,” he said.

“The play was written in occupied Paris in the early 1940s,” Jones said, “so the villains of the piece are – or at least were, in the French original – readily identifiable as Nazis and collaborators.

“What I find really interesting is that, for the first time I can remember, there are competing populist movements in this country right now: the Tea Party on the right and the Occupy movement on the left,” he said. “What these folks agree on is that the little guy is getting shafted; what they don’t agree on is who’s doing the shafting.

“And whereas many of the ‘bad guys’ in this play are corporate types, both government and the media — favorite targets of the right — also get skewered pretty well,” he said.

Jones said he finds working with the big cast — about 40 roles played by 28 actors — and a relatively short rehearsal time to be among the production’s greatest challenges. But there are many rewards, also.

“This is a very mixed cast,” he said, “ranging from a professional actor to some of our best upperclassmen to a lot of new faces.”

Ten cast members are completely new to SFA’s theatre program this semester, and several others are making their Mainstage debut.

“Getting to work with the same people again, getting to work with people whose work I’ve respected but with whom I’ve never worked, and getting to know new people … all good,” Jones said.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for seniors and students. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 486-6407.

The Stone Fort Museum at Stephen F. Austin State University will host an opening reception for the exhibit “George Crocket: Out of the Ordinary” from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8.

The newly installed exhibit examines the life and times of Dr. George Crocket. Born in the mid-19th century, Crocket lived a life spanning a period of great changes in East Texas. The exhibit not only highlights the impact of his leadership on the development of Nacogdoches and San Augustine, but also invites the visitor to share in Crocket’s experiences through hands-on activities such as using period typewriters.

Research for the exhibit was completed by Kaitlin Wieseman, a Stone Fort Museum research assistant and a recent graduate of the public history program at SFA. Wieseman relied heavily on the extensive collection on Crocket housed in the East Texas Research Center at Steen Library. Before his death in 1936, Crocket donated his letters, drawings, sermons and research notes to the library, and the exhibit features many of these items.

In addition to the material on loan from the ETRC, Wieseman acquired artifacts from private and institutional lenders, including the Heritage Society of Houston, the SFA Alumni Association and the National Scouting Museum in Irving.

“We’ve been working on an exhibit about the life of Crocket on and off for about 15 years,” said Carolyn Spears, director of the Stone Fort Museum. “The exhibit is a great way to bring the story of this important historian to the region.”

During the reception, Perky Beisel of the Friends of Historic Nacogdoches Inc. will present information on the upcoming Crocket statue project.

The exhibit will run through May 18, 2013. For more information on the exhibit, or to learn how to book a tour for your group, call (936) 468-2408, e-mail stonefort@sfasu.edu or visit www.sfasu.edu/stonefort.