Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre alumna Mai Lê continues to enjoy professional successes in the Houston area – this time as an actor in a play she co-wrote.

“Song Of Me,” created and written by Mai Lê and Đạt Peter Tôn and directed by Tôn, enjoyed a successful debut May 27 through June 12 at Stages, Houston’s sixth largest nonprofit performing arts producer.

The two-person show starring Lê and Sergio Mauritz Ang is the story of brother-and-sister duo Philip and Luci as they reunite on the eve of Philip’s wedding to his partner, Nathan. Over some egg rolls, they plan, reminisce, and clash in the way only siblings can as they struggle to find their own voices. Balancing culture and identity with humor, the two unpack their past and pave a new way forward together. Stages press described it as “a jubilant world premiere about family, tradition, Vietnamese cooking, and growing up in Houston from two of the city’s most exciting young artists.”

Lê and Tôn met in 2019, and they both agreed they had a deep desire to see more Asian American and Pacific Islander stories on stage.

“I had a one-woman play idea that I pitched to him, and he told me he wanted to collaborate with me, whether it was being a designer, director, etc.,” Lê said. “That conversation eventually morphed my idea of a one-woman play into a two-person show.

“We had a lot of fun talking about how he and I have very similar experiences, being the children of Vietnamese refugees,” she said. “But because I am a CIS straight woman, and he’s a CIS queer man, we have a lot of different stories, too. So, we wanted to explore how two people can live under the same roof, but have incredibly different experiences growing up, through a brother-and-sister dynamic.”

Among one of the more unique and challenging aspects of the show is actually cooking on stage.

“We literally cook egg rolls on stage, on a fully functional kitchen island,” Lê said. “We cut carrots, onions, jicama, mushrooms; mix it into raw pork; season it with salt, pepper and fish sauce; roll them in wrappers; and then fry them in hot oil on stage during the show. And then we eat them. So, the whole audience in the house can see the chopping, hear the oil bubbling, and smell the egg rolls as they’re cooking. We’ve been told it’s incredibly mesmerizing to watch.”

Lê said she and Tôn wrote “Song Of Me” as “a love letter to us, to the people who look like us, and the people who love us and want to know more about us.” Ultimately, the show explores and celebrates the intersection of their identities as Asian Americans in Houston.

“Peter and I lament that we never had this kind of representation in entertainment growing up,” she said, “so to see Asian people our age, but also Asian high school students, come out to the show and be affected so positively by it is such an honor, and we are so grateful for the community support.

“The reception we’ve had from folks in the AAPI community here has been wonderful,” she said. “We’ve gotten a lot of people telling us that they feel seen in stories they didn’t realize they were waiting for. Many people felt represented and told us that it felt like they were dropped right back into their living room when they watched Philip and Luci talk.”

Lê described the three years it took to write “Song Of Me” as “incredibly fruitful, and we’re excited to see what the next steps are for our script.”

Shortly after receiving her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from SFA, Lê moved to Houston in the summer of 2013. Since then, she’s been seen around the local entertainment scene in theatre productions and readings, film festivals, commercials, and web ads, and she was featured in the Houston Press’ article: “Houston’s Up and Coming Actors 2019: Razzle, Dazzle and a Whole Lot More.”

She was the host for Space Center Houston’s “Explorer Camp TV,” a show dedicated to science and space exploration learning, as well as a former writer and actor for Comedy Club Houston’s sketch comedy group, The Astronutz. She is a voice actor for Sentai Filmworks. Her first feature film, “Acid Test,” is currently screening at select film festivals. She is represented by Pastorini-Bosby Talent.

The live-theatre experience is not the same for everyone. Bright lights, unexpected sounds and action-packed movement may be invigorating for many theatre-goers. But for some, these unforeseen aspects of live performances can have the opposite effect.

The School of Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University embraces neurodiversity in its presentation of the play “Women Who Weave,” a feature of this year’s SummerStage Festival. The play’s director, Professor CC Conn, uses the term “neurodiverse” to be “as inclusive as possible” to many various needs. The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all people, but it is often used in the context of autism spectrum disorder and other neurological or developmental conditions, including ADHD or learning disabilities. Merriam-Webster defines neurodiversity as “individual differences in brain functioning regarded as normal variations within the human population.”

Addressing this in stage performances is often called “sensory-friendly” theatre, and is typically aimed at providing a comfortable theatre experience for people on the autism spectrum, Conn said.

“I became aware of the practice while attending the Southeastern Theatre Conference in 2019 and have wanted to bring it to the SFA campus since then,” she said. “During my Junior Jacks camps over the years, I have worked with many neurodiverse children, and I really want to be sure their needs are recognized in as many ways as possible. I don’t think enough people are aware of this option, and it is important to educate the community.”

In addition to “Women Who Weave,” a comedy for young adults by playwright J.S. Puller, this year’s SummerStage Festival at SFA also features the children’s musical favorite “The Jungle Book Kids,” based on the novel “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling and the beloved Disney film by the same name. Conn chose “Women Who Weave for its message about gender non-conforming and stories of strong women. “There is nothing about the play that is specific to neurodiversity,” she said. “I want everyone to have a great experience just seeing theatre.”

But theatre students will be going the extra mile to make the performance inclusive for neurodiverse audiences, Conn said, including creating a “safe room” for audience members who begin to feel a little overwhelmed by live theatre. “There will be ushers wearing brightly colored shirts who can help anyone leave the theatre for the safe room, or the bathroom, whenever needed,” she added.

Students will create a welcome video that does a virtual walkthrough of the theatre to help familiarize people with the experience ahead of time. A mini grant from SFA’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will help support the extra materials required by the program, including the purchase of “sensory” bags to provide audience members with materials that can help them better navigate the performance and the space. This includes ear muffs to buffer loud noises, a communication deck (a set of cards with pictures and words used to communicate needs to others), fidget toys and sanitizing wipes, among other items.

Not only will this directorial approach benefit neurodiverse audience members, but it will also serve as a method to educate all theatre patrons who may be unaware of the challenges faced by neurodiverse people.

“That is certainly my goal,” Conn said. “Large theatres in Dallas, Houston and Austin are doing this for their communities, but I have not seen anyone doing this in East Texas. I want SFA to lead the pack. This is an important educational opportunity for the SFA community and the Nacogdoches community. I also look forward to the actors getting this type of experience to add to their skill sets as they leave the university. And, it is a terrific opportunity for our teaching certification students as well.

“It only takes slight changes to make theatre accessible to more people, and we should be doing that as often as we can,” Conn said. “Being aware of the diversity of human needs and allowing for them is paramount to improving the human experience for everyone.”

“Woman Who Weave” will be presented at 10 a.m. June 23, 24, 30 and July 6 and 8; and at 6:30 p.m. June 29 and July 7. The sensory-friendly performances will be presented July 6 and 8 at 10 a.m. and July 7 at 6:30 p.m. “Women Who Weave” is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. “The Jungle Book Kids” will be presented at 10 a.m. June 29 and July 1 and 7; and at 6:30 p.m. June 30 and July 1, 6 and 8, and it is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

General admission tickets for both plays are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students/youth. Pay-what-you-can performances for both shows are on June 30.

All performances are in Kennedy Auditorium, 1906 Alumni Drive, SFA campus. For tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or access finearts.sfasu.edu/purchase. For more information about SummerStage, visit theatre.sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s James I. Perkins College of Education has partnered with the Galena Park Independent School District to staff up to five paid internships during the 2022-23 academic year.

The program, which launches this fall, will let students use clinical teaching assignments to gain valuable classroom experience before entering the education workforce. While all teaching areas are available, GPISD particularly needs interns in early childhood through sixth grade, special education, bilingual education, math and English language arts.

The paid internship program at GPISD is similar to those SFA has recently established with Nacogdoches Independent School District, Huntington Independent School District and Lufkin Independent School District.

Paid internships, a new development for SFA and its partner districts, reflect the current state of education. Also, aside from hands-on, résumé-building experience, a perk for SFA students is the possibility that the internships could lead to full-time positions after they graduate.

“Texas is experiencing a teacher shortage that is crippling our school districts,” said Michelle Miller, SFA clinical experience coordinator. “In an effort to combat that shortage, Galena Park ISD developed a paid clinical teaching experience for deserving SFA teacher candidates. We are hopeful that the incentives being offered by GPISD during clinical teaching will lead to their retention after graduation.”

The Perkins College of Education has a long-standing relationship with GPISD, which for years has provided a quality field site and mentors for SFA students. Tony Gardea, GPISD’s senior director for human resources, said the opportunity is a golden one for teacher candidates.

“If you want to be the best, come learn from the best in Galena Park ISD,” he said.

Stephen F. Austin State University has named Mary Ann Rojas the inaugural executive director of the Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation.

A native of rural West Texas and graduate of Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Rojas comes to Nacogdoches with over 20 years of executive experience in government, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and brings along a wealth of experience in education, training and workforce development. Rojas has served as an executive director of workforce development organizations in Missouri and Texas.

“I am very pleased to welcome Mary Ann Rojas to our SFA team,” said Dr. Lorenzo Smith, provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. “Her fluency in Spanish and executive experience with engaging rural communities in both Missouri and Texas allows her to seamlessly transition into the position. CARRI will be in great hands under her leadership.”

Smith also touted Rojas’ experience and successes of securing and managing grant awards, which will meet immediate needs of attaining resources for CARRI.

Throughout her career, Rojas has advocated for under-resourced populations and allocated available resources to address local needs. In 2020, Rojas created and implemented “Rural, Set, Go!” an innovative outreach project for Workforce Solutions in East Texas aimed at engaging with rural communities to provide education and workforce training resulting in economic mobility for its residents.

Named in 2019 by the Springfield Business Journal as one of the most influential women in the Ozarks, Rojas was recognized for creating programs and services that positively impacted thousands of individuals. The recognition also honored her work with community development organizations, higher education institutions and industry partners to create relevant workforce solutions.

Under her leadership, her teams have implemented several signature award-winning projects that have brought recognition and commendation to their respective organizations, including recognition on the national stage.

Rojas will begin the position on July 1.

SFA established CARRI in fall 2021 to engage faculty, staff and students in research projects that support academic programs and boost regional economic development.