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Musical theatre provides a unique and invaluable learning experience for students, allowing them to develop skills in acting, singing and dancing while also fostering teamwork and creativity. Stephen F. Austin State University’s presentation of “Once Upon a Mattress” offers an opportunity for SFA’s aspiring artists to put their classroom knowledge into practice and learn the importance of discipline, dedication and collaboration through a magical musical.

The School of Theatre and Dance and the School of Music will combine their talents to present Concord Theatricals’ musical version of “The Princess and the Pea” in a Mainstage Series event Nov. 2 through 5. With music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer, “Once Upon a Mattress” is the first large-scale musical SFA has produced since before the Covid pandemic, and the shows directors have chosen to present the musical in the new Flex Theatre, according to Angela Bacarisse, professor of theatre and the show’s director.

It’s fitting that the musical is “testing” the capabilities of the new Flex Theatre in the renovated and expanded Griffith Fine Arts Building. Senior theatre major Connor Molen, who began his studies at SFA in the fall of 2020, a challenging period when the world was grappling with the pandemic’s impact, considers it a “gift” to be attending class and performing in the state-of-the-art facility.

“It truly feels like a gift to be able to conclude my studies at SFA in a grand finale at the Griffith building, and believe me, it’s grand,” Molen said.

“Once Upon a Mattress” takes place “many moons ago” in a far-off place when Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the queen. That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone, showed up. Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larkin and Sir Harry to the altar? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the classic tale “The Princess and the Pea” provides some side-splitting shenanigans.

Molen takes on the role of the Wizard, the proud and loyal servant of Queen Aggravain. Wizard quietly longs for the glory days of years passed. “I like to encounter the Wizard as an eccentric academic who, in his youth, pushed the boundaries of what magical performance could be,” Molen explains. “You can see his stardom in his gate, his gesture and even his cape. However, due to the Queen’s dominance, all that is left on the surface is a magic man who entertains in order to appease those in charge.”

“Once Upon a Mattress” marks four years of Molen working with Bacarisse on MainStage and other productions, including her direction of “Rideshare/Overshare,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and now “Once Upon a Mattress.” He also had the opportunity to perform on the Mainstage in “The Maids,” “Ajax in Iraq” and “Everybody,” as well as assistant direct on the Mainstage production “The Moors” and direct the Centerstage productions “30 Neo-Futurist Plays from Too Much light Makes the Baby Go Blind” and “Sagittarius Ponderosa.” All of these productions took place in alternative theater venues while Griffith Fine Arts Building was under renovation.

“Working outside of a traditional theatre facility encouraged me as an artist and student to confront my beliefs about what theatre could or should be,” he said. “The ambition of the faculty never allowed us to feel defeated by the circumstance of being removed from a traditional theatre space in the midst of a global health crisis. Instead, they pushed us to innovate and expand our abilities and perceptions of our art through digital production, found space staging, and intentional show selections utilized on productions like ‘Reality’s TV: The Perception Project,’ ‘Ajax in Iraq’ and ‘Rideshare/Overshare.’

“This semester, I have the opportunity to attend class and host creative ideas in the fabulous Griffith Fine Arts Building,” he added. “The space is beautiful and already so full of life. I am excited to share the hard work with the community in a space that can fully embody the talents of the school. I could not help but feel a sense of pride giving my Dad a tour of the building when he came to visit me this semester. I am thankful for my experiences leading up to this point.”

A similar excitement is shared by Keelan Bourne, a senior Rose Bruford American Theatre Arts student from Nuneaton, United Kingdom, who’s in the role of the Minstrel, an omniscient otherworldly storyteller, with a “lovely British accent.” He’s also a loyal servant/confidant to the King, and along with the help of the Jester, aids the fairytale along to its happily ever after.

“I started my journey at Rose Bruford in 2021,” Bourne said. “For the past three years I’ve been learning about American history/politics there, but most importantly American theatre. I’ve really enjoyed spending the penultimate semester of my degree here at SFA. The way community is so vital to the overall production of theatre here has been very inspiring.”

Bacarisse fondly recalls the many Rose Bruford students she’s worked with over the years, their talents and the excitement each has brought to the biennial musicals and other productions.

“I have cast Rose Bruford College students as King Arthur in ‘Spamalot,’ Andrew Jackson in ‘Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson’ and Curly in ‘Oklahoma,'” she said. “And just like students who are at SFA for their whole career, we keep in touch and I follow their careers and life events over in the U.K. Just this past summer, I saw performances by two Rose Bruford alumni who I had in class back in 2009 at the Edinburgh Fringe and visited with one Rose Bruford stage management student who happens to now live and work in Edinburgh.”

Bourne said he’s excited for audiences to just relish in “joyous whimsical theatre” with “Once Upon a Mattress.”

“There is such a need for spreading happiness right now with all that’s going on in the world, and I think ‘Once upon a Mattress’ really provides that,” he said. “Who doesn’t enjoy a musical? Everyone in the cast and crew, from our spectacular production crew, to musicians, to performers, have worked so hard on this show, and I think audiences are going to love it.”

“Once Upon a Mattress” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 2 through 4, and at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 4 and 5. General admission ticket prices are: adult, $15; senior (62+), $10; youth (high school and younger), $8; SFA faculty/staff, $8; non-SFA student, $8; and SFA student, $5. For ticketing information or to purchase tickets, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS, or visit sfasu.edu/boxoffice. For information about the play, call (936) 468-4003 or visit sfasu.edu/theatre-dance.

This event has been canceled. A new date and time will be announced soon.

The student-led Economics Reading Group in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business is hosting a discussion on entrepreneurship with Kevin Carr, a 1992 SFA finance graduate and owner of Community Beer Co. in Dallas, at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 in the McGee Business Building, Room 133, on the SFA campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Also sponsored by SFA’s Arnold Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Success Passport Program, the discussion is part of a series of interviews the Economics Reading Group has conducted with entrepreneurs throughout the semester while reading “Roadside MBA,” a book written by three leading business school professors who travel across the country to learn insights from small business owners.

“It is a rare treat for our students to interact with a successful entrepreneur,” said Dr. Ryan Phelps, associate professor of economics and finance at SFA as well as faculty advisor for the Economics Reading Group. “By definition, their time is so valuable that they can be difficult to pin down. Kevin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience after more than 25 years of business ownership spanning five different companies.”

Carr established the award-winning craft beer brewery in 2011 after traveling the country as the owner of a software company. With the slogan, “Beer for the Greater Good!” the brewery sponsors several events to give back to the North Texas community.

“I named the brewery ‘Community’ based on the impact our business can have on the public,” Carr said. “Beer can bring people together — whether at a backyard party or in our taproom and biergarten. We come full circle when we use our platform to help give back to the communities in which we do business.”

He’s also coming full circle to help SFA’s business students.

“I am honored to have an opportunity to give back to my alma mater,” Carr said. “Stephen F. Austin State University and the Rusche College of Business gave me the fundamental education needed to enable me to seek out my own business opportunities.”

For more information, email Phelps at phelpsrt@sfasu.edu.

ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY

Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.

By University Marketing Communications

The Teresa Jill Adams Art Gallery in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, Stephen F. Austin State University campus, currently features a collection of works by ceramicist Piero Fenci. The exhibition features a combination of ceramics and ink drawings on paper. These works will be on view through Nov. 3 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27.

Fenci recently retired from active classroom teaching in the SFA School of Art and was promoted to professor emeritus. Joining SFA in 1975, Fenci has distinguished himself as an artist and educator, with his works being featured in American Ceramics, Clay and Glazes for the Potter and Ceramics Monthly publications.

Fenci has earned an international reputation as an artist, and he has exhibited his work in Italy, Russia and Mexico. Fenci was named “Texas Master” by the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, becoming the fourth person in the state to be honored with the award. Fenci’s work has been collected in private and public collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler; and the Schein-Joseph International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, New York.

The reception, which is free and open to the public, will be held immediately prior to the premiere of the School of Art filmmaking program’s summer feature film “CUT!” Written, directed and starring Brad Maule, filmmaking professor at SFA, and guest directed by new filmmaking faculty member and SFA alumnus Derek Wayne Johnson, “CUT!” shows at 7 p.m. in Turner Auditorium, Griffith Fine Arts Building.

Griffith Fine Arts Building is located at 2222 Alumni Drive. For information about the School of Art, call (936) 468-4804.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “John G. Avildsen: King of the Underdogs,” directed by filmmaker and SFA alumnus Derek Wayne Johnson, at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3, at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

Featuring interviews and footage of filmmaker Martin Scorsese along with Matthew McConaughey, Sylvester Stallone, Ralph Macchio and scores of other Hollywood hitmakers who starred in Avildsen’s films, the documentary is an examination of the Oscar-winning director who brought to life some of cinema’s most beloved motion pictures.

Avildsen’s films have inspired millions of ‘underdogs’ and shaped popular culture for decades, yet most people don’t even know his name. Discover the unknown legend behind “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid” in this official biography about a prolific filmmaker who directed seven actors to Academy Award nominations and earned his own Oscar for Best Director, according to IMDb.

Johnson will be available for a question-and-answer session following the film screening. Johnson is originally from Carthage and recently joined the SFA School of Art as an assistant professor of filmmaking.

The School of Art’s Friday Night Film Series is sponsored in part by filmmaking Professor William Arscott. The Cole Art Center, SFA’s historic downtown gallery, is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.