Everything Nac

The Swingin’ Axes and Swingin’ Aces jazz bands at Stephen F. Austin State University will present a diverse program when they perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

A highlight of the evening will be an appearance by New York recording artist and composer Jose Davila, who will perform jazz trombone, euphonium and sousaphone with the Swingin’ Axes.

“It should be a very fun and eclectic program,” said Dr. Deb Scott, professor of trombone in the SFA School of Music and director of the Axes.

A music teacher in the Yonkers Public Schools, Davila has performed with The Ray Charles Orchestra, Steve Lehman, Andrew Hill, Ray Anderson, Charles Mingus Big Band, Marc Anthony, Don Omar, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, NYC Ballet, American Symphony and Arturo O’Farrill. Most recently, he was a member of Henry Threadgill’s “Zooid,” which was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music for recorded work on “In for a Penny, In for a Pound.” Additionally, he is the 2015 winner of The Annual Bob Stewart Tuba Competition.

Davila will join the Axes on sousaphone on Denis DiBlasio’s “Jackson Square,” which is a new Orleans based “street beat” sound, Scott explained. He will also perform on trombone with the Axes on Dan Gailey’s “In a Big Way Shuffle.”

The Axes will also perform Gailey’s “Early Light” featuring the Axes’ lead tenor player, Alec Bartlett of Winter Springs, Florida; “Vibration” by Erik Applegate; and “Sticks” by Jim McNeely.

The Aces, directed by Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba and euphonium studies at SFA, will perform Count Basie’s “Blues for Alfy,” arranged by Bill Holman; “Smooth Talk” by Maria Schneider; and Thelonius Monk’s “Well You Needn’t.”

Davila will also conduct several master classes for both jazz bands where he will discuss being a jazz musician in New York and his work with students individually and in groups to develop their free improvisation skills.

Concert 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 (888) 240-ARTS or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present the student-directed, full-length play “This is Our Youth” by Kenneth Lonergan at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, in the Downstage Theatre on the SFA campus.

Houston senior theatre student Jason Trevino is the director. He describes the play as the story of “three pot-smoking teenagers” who, in 1982, “resoundingly reject the 1960s ideals of their affluent parents.”

“In hilarious and bittersweet detail, ‘Youth’ follows 48 turbulent hours in the lives of three very lost souls at the dawn of the Reagan era,” he explained. The play is recommended for mature audiences.

Lonergan is perhaps best known as the Academy Award-winning writer and director of the 2016 movie “Manchester by the Sea.” Other well-known screenplays include “Analyze This” (1999) and Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York” (2002).

The cast includes Needville sophomore Alex Duty as Warren; Jacksonville junior James Burns as Dennis; and Grand Prairie sophomore Hope Kidd as Jessica.

The production staff includes Reagan Moore, Richmond junior, stage manager; Bobby Britton, Angleton senior, assistant director; Taylor Dobbs, Baytown senior, scenic designer; Rachel Bollinger, Austin junior, costume designer; Jessica Benson, Chandler junior, lighting designer; Wyatt Gaubatz, Needville freshman, sound designer; Courtney Satterfield, Hutton junior, assistant stage manager; and Danika Pettyjohn, Fort Worth senior, properties master.

Trevino is a Bachelor of Fine Arts acting/directing candidate. “This is Our Youth” is his third directing project at SFA. Following this semester, Trevino hopes to undertake an internship at a regional theatre to complete the requirements for his degree.

Faculty production advisor is Scott Shattuck.

Tickets are $6. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu. The Downstage Theatre is located in the Griffith Fine Arts Building, 2222 Alumni Drive.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Early Childhood Lab, in partnership with the Greater East Texas Community Action Program’s Head Start Program, invites the community to participate in the Week of the Young Child, which will be observed Monday, April 24, through Friday, April 28, in Nacogdoches County.

As part of the National Week of the Young Child, Nacogdoches will honor young children and all those who make a difference in children’s lives.

“All young children need and deserve high-quality early learning experiences that will help prepare them for life, and Nacogdoches has a great opportunity to do our part to help young children,” said Lori Harkness, director of the SFA Early Childhood Lab. “Week of the Young Child is a time to recognize the importance of early learning for all young children and to bring the community together to help give all young children a great start.”

Weldon T. Beard, head start director of GETCAP, agrees community involvement in early childhood education is of the upmost importance.

“As a community, we share the responsibility to provide all children with a safe, nurturing, engaging, enjoyable and secure learning environment that will give them the necessary confidence to succeed in the present and to deal with later responsibilities in school and in life,” Beard said.

The annual Family Fun Day will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Festival Park in downtown Nacogdoches. This activity will be a free event with many fun-filled activities for children and families to do together.

During the week, all daycares, schools or other organizations working with children are encouraged to join together and honor young children and their families. Each day will reflect a designated theme. The themes are:

Monday, April 24 – Music Monday; Sing, dance, celebrate and learn

Tuesday, April 25 – Taco Tuesday; Healthy eating and fitness

Wednesday, April 26 – Work Together Wednesday

Thursday, April 27 – Artsy Thursday; Think, problem-solve and create

Friday, April 28 – Family Friday; Sharing family stories.

The SFA Early Childhood Lab and the GETCAP Head Start Program comprise early childhood professionals working together to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education.

For more information, contact the SFA Early Childhood Lab at (936) 468-4006.