SFA University
November 18, 2015 - NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Audience members responded with enthusiastic praise following Tuesday night’s opening of “Macbeth” presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre.
This play by William Shakespeare is often produced because of the theatrical elements that are present: drama, betrayal, love and murder. In SFA’s production of “Macbeth,” all of these components are highlighted with exciting fight sequences, powerful dance choreography and gripping fake bloodshed.
In the weeks leading up to the play’s Nov. 17 opening, hours of research, rehearsal and preparation were put into the show. Kate Shirley, a junior theatre major at SFA and the choreographer of this production, described her process.
“There were so many unpredictable elements, and we often found that the choreography I created didn’t work the way I imagined,” she said. “I had to rethink and reinvent and reteach on a moment’s notice. I was so lucky to have such cooperative, enthusiastic dancers.”
Likewise, it takes hours of sword-fighting practice to perform fight scenes without actually injuring another actor. The swords and daggers seen on stage are real and heavy. However, the experienced actors swing them with ease.
“When doing a show like ‘Macbeth’ that's heavy on exciting staged sword combat, we want the fights to tell part of the story through believable, captivating and epic means,” explained senior theatre major Chipper Morris, who plays the part of Malcolm in “Macbeth” and functions as the show’s fight captain.
“We slowly work through the technicalities of the fights step by step to ensure that, when performing at full speed, the actors are fully comfortable with their fight partners and the choreography while feeling as safe as they can,” Morris said.
Safety is an important part of every production, but with a play as macabre as “Macbeth,” there has to be blood to make it look authentic.
“Although it’s kind of a mess to clean up, the blood definitely adds a whole new layer to the play,” said Shelby Barrette, a freshman theatre major who works as an assistant stage manager on this production. “Without giving too much away, this aspect of the play is gruesome.”
“Macbeth” runs through Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 nightly in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. A matinee performance is at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov.19. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7.50 for students. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at 936-468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.
The School of Theatre’s Mainstage Series is sponsored in part by Tipton Ford.
November 7, 2015 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nelson Rusche College of Business recently implemented the Student Success Passport Program to help students develop their professional skills.
The Passport Program, which launched in early October, aims to help students hone their professional skills while competing for scholarships. Dr. Ann Wilson, interim associate dean for the Rusche College of Business, said the program received a gift that will allow the college to annually award $130,000 in scholarships.
For the 2015-16 year, the Rusche College plans to award $50,000 in competitive scholarships to the top participants in the Passport Program. The top scholar in each classification: freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior, will be awarded $2,500 and 10 runner-ups will be awarded $1,000 per classification, with a total of 44 competitive scholarships being awarded in one year. Furthermore, $80,000 will be used to support program participants in experiential learning and career development activities such as study abroad or student competitions.
“The program encourages students to complete experiences outside the classroom curriculum for personal and professional enrichment,” Wilson said. “The scholarship gives students a tangible incentive.”
This program is designed to provide a formalized strategy for leadership development and career launch. Students will develop a personal portfolio of activities in D2L that will help prepare them to successfully launch their careers after graduation. Students are automatically enrolled in the Passport Program, and can choose if they want to participate.
Dr. Timothy Bisping, dean of the Nelson Rusche College of Business, notes that helping students launch into successful careers is central to the mission of the college.
“The Passport Program aligns perfectly with our mission, and it will serve as the foundation for future career success initiatives in the college,” Bisping said. “We are proud of the exceptional academic programs, faculty and staff members and students in our college, and the Passport Program is a great way to leverage this excellence in order to ensure that our students go on to be successful leaders in their chosen careers.”
The program works on a point system similar to other SFA courses. Program activities are designed to help develop students in personal and professional branding, experiential learning, leadership development, and engage in college activities and events. Assignments include developing a personal mission statement, attending an etiquette presentation, completing an internship and more.
“I start the program with the statement ‘Begin with the end in mind.’ We are trying to get our students to self assess. We want them to know their strengths, choose a major to get ready for a career they will be good at and take classes that will target their career goals,” Wilson said. “This program provides students with experiential learning activities that go above and beyond the classroom.”
The college also will be providing workshops within the Passport Program with faculty and staff members and industry professionals educating students. Wilson said she is coordinating with SFA’s Career Services and Involvement Center to direct students to resources already available at the university.
Currently, there are about 1,200 students involved in the Passport Program.
November 5, 2015 NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host “Gifts from the Garden,” a soap-making workshop from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, November 14, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building, Room 101 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches.
Participants will create a variety of herbal soaps while learning recipes and techniques used in the art of soap making. Workshop attendees also will leave with samples of their own luxurious soap creations.
“The soap will be made from coconut and palm kernel oil, lye, essential oils and dried herbs,” said Elyce Rodewald, SFA Gardens’ education coordinator. “Participants will learn the step-by-step process of soap making, so they have the skills to make soap at home on their own.
“Once you use the new soap, you’ll never go back to store-bought,” Rodewald added. “The workshop is fun and educational. Participants will be surrounded by wonderful fragrances, like a special gift from the garden!”
Stephen F. Austin State University will host a free, action-packed Showcase Saturday on Nov. 14 in Nacogdoches
October 30, 2015 - Future college students will have the opportunity to experience a taste of campus life during a free, action-packed open-house Saturday, November 14, at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
Prospective students will get to visit with university faculty and staff members, tour the campus and residence halls, and preview academic programs during the SFA Showcase Saturday event.
“There is no better time than Showcase Saturday to visit the beautiful SFA campus and witness firsthand what it’s like to be a Lumberjack,” said Ryan Horne, assistant director of SFA’s Office of Admissions.
“Guests are encouraged to visit one-on-one with our faculty members to learn more about our quality, personalized academic programs, and our staff members will be available to answer questions about everything from admission requirements to financial aid to residence life.”
SFA is a comprehensive, residential university located in the heart of Texas Forest Country. Approximately 13,000 students attend SFA, which is within a few hours’ drive of Texas’ major metropolitan areas.
Showcase Saturday event registration will begin at 11:45 a.m. on the first floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center and will remain open until 12:45 p.m. Each person who registers will receive an information packet. The opening program begins at 12:45 p.m. and will provide an overview of the day’s events.
Guests will then be able to visit with representatives of the academic departments until 4 p.m. at the Academic Fair in the Student Recreation Center. A Student Services Fair will be held until 4:30 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center.
Campus and residence hall tours will begin at 1:30 p.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Campus tours will take students on a guided walk of the SFA campus, while the self-guided residence hall tours will showcase several halls on both the north and south ends of campus.
Admissions counselors will be available to discuss admission procedures and requirements in the Rusk Building, Room 206, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. and at several freshmen and transfer admissions sessions held throughout the day.
Financial aid information sessions will be held at 2:30, 3:15 and 4 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center’s Twilight Ballroom. Residence Life information sessions will be held at 2:30, 3:15 and 4 p.m. in the Baker Pattillo Student Center’s movie theater on the second floor.
Participating prospective students will receive a free SFA T-shirt after completing an evaluation form in the tent located in the courtyard area of the Rusk Building.
For more information about SFA’s Showcase Saturday, contact the SFA Office of Admissions at (936) 468-2504 or email admissions@sfasu.edu.
Homecoming 2015 October 30th and 31st
October 29, 2015 - Due to predictions of inclement weather, the Stephen F. Austin State University Homecoming parade scheduled for Saturday morning has been canceled.
The “Haunted Homecoming” weekend festivities are still scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Friday with the SFA Alumni Association Golf Tournament at the Piney Woods Country Club, followed by the Back in Nac Social from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Liberty Bell Restaurant and Bar in downtown Nacogdoches.
The Homecoming bonfire and pep rally, will begin at 8 p.m. Friday night. The event, which features a concert by Frankie Ballard, was originally slated to begin at 9 p.m.
Registration for the 6th annual Lumberjack Homecoming 5K will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, with parking and bus pick-up at the Regions Bank parking lot, 300 E. Main. The race begins at 8 a.m. at the SFA Recreation Center parking lot, near the corner of Wilson Street and Starr Avenue.
The Homecoming Flap “Jack” Breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at Mast Hall, 317 E. Main St. The family-friendly Jack-O-Ween fall festival begins at noon at the corner of Raguet and Hayter streets and will include bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, games and giveaways. Children are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes.
The SFA Lumberjack football team will take on the University of the Incarnate Word at 3 p.m. at Homer Bryce Stadium.
For more information about events and weather-related schedule changes, visit http://www.sfaalumni.com/event/Homecoming
The fourth annual Homecoming Online Auction will continue through 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1.
To purchase tickets and Duck Dash sponsorships visit the SFA Alumni Association website. To contact the Alumni Association, call (936) 468-3407 or visit the Tracie D. Pearman Alumni Center located on Vista Drive.
October 29, 2015 - Dr. Mary Olle, human sciences professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, has created a new experiential learning farm-to-table lab for students majoring in hospitality and food, dietetics and nutrition. Recently, dozens of students from two of Olle’s production meal management courses visited Appleby Community Farm for a tour of the property, and to gain insight into managing and marketing a local organic community garden.
This lab took place during a two-week period as the students visited the farm and then prepared meals based on the fresh produce at Appleby Community Farm. During the first week of the lab, farm owner and farmer Bryan Pruett walked the students around the grounds while pointing out different crops and describing farming techniques.
Pruett and his wife Cindy opened the farm in 2009. Pruett said they currently have three-and-a-half acres under cultivation but will expand as needed.
Students toured Pruett’s citrus greenhouse, where he grows a variety of produce including lemon trees. Also, students viewed the starter greenhouse and other sections of the farm where the Pruetts grow varieties of peppers, tomatoes, peaches, collard greens, flowers, and more.
The lab required students to create a meal under a specific budget and to use ingredients grown at Appleby Community Farm. Students built their recipes around produce available at the farm and returned to reap the harvest last week.
“Farm-to-table is not just a trend anymore, it’s mainstream,” Olle said. “This lab is a great opportunity for our students to see home-grown production since many of our students have never experienced farm life.”
Students worked in groups and some were tasked with cooking an appetizer, while others created entrees and side dishes. SFA faculty and staff members were invited to sample the meal.
Students prepared dishes such as mozzarella pesto bruschetta, arugula salad, strawberry basil bruschetta, stuffed eggplant, grilled rainbow peppers with herb cream cheese, baked eggplant with penne pasta, Santa Fe skillet, potato gratin with chives, and bacon-wrapped jalapeño peppers.
“This lab was a great addition to the curriculum, and it showed the students a different side to meal preparation,” Olle said.
Olle was pleased with the lab results and is looking forward to future semesters.
“The experience connected student learning with the community and industry. It also allowed the students to demonstrate their creativity by incorporating the fresh produce into the recipes they prepared,” Olle said. “This was the first time for this class to actually utilize the farm-to-table concept, and I hope to continue in the future.”
October 28, 2015 - The Chikawa Aztec Dancers will return to Nacogdoches for the third annual Día de los Muertos Fiesta set for 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, November 7, at The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.
Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead observance, is considered a cheerful celebration of life, honoring the souls of the deceased. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican term derived from the Roman Catholic All Saints’ and All Souls’ days, traditionally observed Nov. 1 and 2. An array of activities, ranging from decorating graves to creating home altars, typically highlight the celebration that can last for days.
For the past two years, hundreds of East Texas residents have attended the Nacogdoches festival, and this year’s event is drawing more entertainment, more booths and greater interest as the festival gains popularity, according to Lisa Steed, events coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University Art Galleries.
“We have multiple food booths, including Shelley's Bakery Cafe, Merci's World Cuisine, TacoMex, Friends of the Visual Arts and others,” Steed said. “We have a lot more SFA club participation this year, as well.”
Among the other featured booths are Nacogdoches High School floral shop, NHS Art Club, SFA Art Alliance, SFA Metals Club, SFA School of Theatre’s face painting, SFA Asian Culture Club, SFA Knights of Columbus, SFA Organization of Latin Americans, Angelina Spanish Club, and more.
Among the entertainment will be the popular Chikawa Aztec Dancers, Martinez Mariachi Duo, Juan Carlos and Jenna Urena and the SFA Jacks of Steel. Based in Conroe, Chikawa Aztec Dancers with their colorful costumes are always a crowd pleaser, Steed said.
“We will also have the traditional Day of the Dead procession, and anyone can participate,” she said. “Costumes are highly encouraged, especially Day of the Dead themed costumes.”
The community altar returns this year in the window of Cole Art Center where remembrances or a photo of a loved one who has passed on can be included. Local artist Carol Eaton Walsh will also have an altar outside in the festival area.
The SFA School of Theatre will paint sugar skulls as a fundraiser, and there will be a free booth where children of all ages can color a paper mask. A silent art auction inside Cole Art Center will feature donated work by local artists and students. Although some booths charge a fee, the festival is free.
Fiesta sponsors are Main Street Nacogdoches, Hampton Inn & Suites Nacogdoches, 103 The Bull, R&K Distributing, University Rental, SFA Friends of the Visual Arts and SFA Sound Recording Technology program. The fiesta is organized by SFA Art Galleries.
The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-6557.
October 28, 2015 - Digging the plow into the textured soil, farmer Pete, played by Stephen F. Austin State University senior Michael Correll, teaches dozens of third grade students from Nacogdoches Independent School District about subsistence farming and life on a farm in rural East Texas in the early 1900s. As he carves out each row in his garden, Pete explains how chain grocery stores were nonexistent in his day and how families had to grow the food they wanted to eat.
For more than 20 years, SFA, area schools and Millard’s Crossing Historic Village have worked together to bring the past to life in an interactive field trip known as Pioneer Days. During this weeklong event, SFA elementary education students interact with third graders though a variety of experiential learning activities.
“By playing a character, it is more immersive for the kids and they seem to be more into the station,” Correll said. “By being farmer Pete, I was able to connect what life was like for me back then to the students today.”
Event coordinator and organizer Dr. Vicki Thomas, assistant professor at SFA, said in Texas, third graders learn about the past and how technologies and inventions changed the world.
“During Pioneer Days, children get to experience what a child’s life may have been like on a subsistence farm in rural East Texas about a century ago,” Thomas said. “The children explore artifacts that were used in the past and learn how inventions can make life easier. They also compare and contrast life in the past to their lives today.”
Some of the activities the children participated in included attending school in a one-room schoolhouse, hand washing clothes, playing pioneer games, plowing a garden, making toys out of corncobs and feathers, and more. At each station, SFA students were dressed in traditional pioneer clothing and discussed varied aspects of life in the early 1900s.
“It is so exciting to see the teacher candidates in full-out performances. They put so much heart and soul into their parts and work hard to engage students in the learning process. I can see them growing and mastering their craft each time they conduct their stations,” Thomas said.
In the Millard-Lee house, SFA students became historic characters as they engaged in a real-life wax museum.
“The children learn about important people in Texas during their wax museum tour. With the ringing of a bell, characters come to life to engage in conversations about their contributions to the city and state,” Thomas said. “For example, Lera Thomas, one of the characters, was a woman who showed great determination when she relocated historic landmarks in the ‘oldest town in Texas’ before they were destroyed due to expansion.”
October 27, 2015 - Nearly 410 years after it was written, William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre, brings its story to Turner Auditorium in a way that will entertain and educate audiences in a big way.
Dr. Rick Jones, director of this production and professor in the School of Theatre, says that this is a play “with often beautiful language and psychologically complex characters, and a good story, with intrigue, sensuality, armed combat and a supernatural element,” which is sure to inspire audiences with themes of fate and leadership.
“Macbeth” is arguably Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, and it is also a personal favorite of Jones. So, why do this show now?
Although some students may consider Shakespeare to be boring and out-of-date, this could not be less true for this production, Jones explained. In fact, this play could almost never be more applicable than now.
“This is a play about political machination as we head into primary season for the next presidential election,” Jones said. “It’s a play that speaks to the belief that we all have from time to time – that we’re not really in control of our own fates.”
That is a belief with which many students can sympathize. This production will also be an educational opportunity, as “Macbeth” holds some important historical significance that many may not recognize, Jones explained.
“It’s one of the most significant of Shakespeare’s plays in historical terms because it so clearly demonstrates Shakespeare’s transition from plays designed to appeal to Queen Elizabeth to those designed to appeal to King James,” he said.
This production of “Macbeth” employs a two-world concept, where the witch characters exist in a modern 21st century world, manipulating the events of the play, while the mortal characters exist in a pre-Norman Britain, which is the time of the real historical Macbeth, several hundred years before Shakespeare’s time, according to Jones.
This production is a true collaboration between SFA School of Theatre faculty and students, featuring faculty designers Tara Houston (scenery), CC Conn (sound), Angela Bacarisse (costumes), and faculty fight choreographer Slade Billew, along with student designers Troy Carrico (lights), Kate Shirley (choreographer), Shelby Gilliland (dramaturg) and Taylor Dobbs (properties).
The School of Theatre will present “Macbeth” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Nov. 17 through 21, as well as a matinee performance at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7.50 for students. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit theatre.sfasu.edu.
The Mainstage Series is sponsored in part by Tipton Ford Lincoln
October 26, 2015 - The following students received degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University during August commencement exercises:
Center, TX
Perla Araiza, degree in Master of Science with a major in School Psychology
Jorge Figueroa, degree in Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Accounting
Ralph Godsey, degree in Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance
Joaquin, TX
Jeremy Bigger, degree in Master of Science with a major in Mathematical Sciences
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