Arts at ASU

By Luis Alfaro
April 18-20 at 8 p.m.
April 25-27 at 8 p.m.
April 28 at 2 p.m.
Modular Theatre

Medea and Jason have escaped the worst. After a harrowing journey across the Mexican–American border, the couple has made it safely to the States, where they can work toward a better life for their family. While Jason is convinced the future looks bright, Medea fears a darker fate as they face the challenges of living without documentation. Blending Euripides’ classic with Mexican folklore, Luis Alfaro examines the tragedy behind America’s immigration system and the destiny of one family caught in its grip

Adult Themes: recommended for audiences 18 and older

By Arthur Miller
Feb. 22-24 at 8 p.m.
Feb. 29 at 8 p.m.
March 3 at 2 p.m.
Modular Theatre

The story focuses on a young farmer, his wife and a young servant-girl who maliciously causes the wife’s arrest for witchcraft. The farmer brings the girl to court to admit the lie – and it is here that the monstrous course of bigotry and deceit is terrifyingly depicted. The farmer, instead of saving his wife, finds himself also accused of witchcraft and ultimately condemned with a host of others.

This exciting drama about the Puritan purge of witchcraft in old Salem is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of our contemporary society.

By Larissa FastHorse
Dinner Theatre
Nov. 16-18 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 12:45 p.m.
Modular Theatre

Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.

“Very, very funny… this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter

“A satirical and visual punch.” – New York Stage Review

By Kimberly Belflower
Oct. 5-7 at 8 p.m.
Oct. 12-14 at 8 p.m.
Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.
Modular Theatre

What became of Wendy Darling in the years following her adventures with Peter Pan?

Long after returning from Neverland, Wendy decides that she must find Peter to reclaim her kiss and move on with her life. Along the way, she meets other girls who went to Neverland and learns she is not alone. A coming-of-age exploration of first love and lasting loss, “Lost Girl” continues the story of J.M. Barrie’s beloved character – the girl who had to grow up.

Book, Music, and Lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co.
Dinner Theatre
June 27-29 at 8 p.m.
July 5-6 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
July 7 at 2 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 12:45 p.m.
Modular Theatre

The Old Man has kept his post as the sole caretaker of the moon for as long as he (or his wife, the Old Woman) can remember. When she is drawn away by a mysterious melody that sparks memories of their shared past, the Old Man must decide between duty (and routine) and love (and adventure). Luckily for audiences everywhere, he chooses the latter, and what follows is an imaginative sea-faring epic encompassing apocalyptic storms, civil wars, leviathans of the deep and cantankerous ghosts, as well as the fiercest obstacle of all: change.

PREMIERE by Cindy Jordan
Musical – Dinner Theatre
June 29-July 1 at 8 p.m.
July 6-8 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
July 9 at 2 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 12:45 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

Based on the historical novel, “PEARL.”

The year is 1923. The Santa Rita #1 well has hit the pay, and Miss Pearl’s Parlor is open for business! Pearl is about oil, sexy cowboys, and friendly ladies who work in an upscale brothel in West Texas. Thirteen women work at Pearl’s Parlor. These are their stories. The historical facts are true, and the girls’ stories are real. Be prepared to laugh out loud and tear up with a sentiment.

The Santa Rita #1 well, named for the patron saint of the impossible, began producing on May 28, 1923, after nearly two years of drilling. Since then, the Permian has become the largest energy-producing region in the U.S., and the PUF has grown to be the largest public university endowment in the U.S.

Adult language/theme

By Jaclyn Backhaus
April 20-22 at 8 p.m.
April 27-29 at 8 p.m.
April 30 at 2 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

Ten explorers. Four boats. One Grand Canyon. Men on Boats is the true(ish) history of an 1869 expedition when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River.

“…off-the-canyon-walls funny…” – Variety

“’Men on Boats’ is marvelously destabilizing both as history and theater. The stalwartness and selfishness of the adventurers – their cockiness and cluelessness – become biting satire when sent up by women.” – NY Magazine

By Peter Shaffer
March 2-4 at 8 p.m.
March 9-11 at 8 p.m.
March 12 at 2 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

Dr. Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist, is confronted with Alan Strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion. This very passion is as foreign to Dysart as the act itself. To the boy’s parents, it is a hideous mystery; Alan has always adored horses. To Dysart, it is a psychological puzzle that leads both doctor and patient to a complex and disturbingly dramatic confrontation. This international success reached new acclaim in London and on Broadway when revived in 2008.

Adult language/theme

By Noel Coward
Nov. 10-12 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
Nov. 17-19 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 12:45 p.m.
Modular Theatre

Revived in 2002 by the Royal National Theatre in a production that sparkled on Broadway, Private Lives is one of the most sophisticated, entertaining plays ever written. Elyot and Amanda once married and now honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel, meet by chance, reignite the old spark and impulsively elope. After days of being reunited, they again find their fiery romance alternating between passions of love and anger. Their aggrieved spouses appear, and a roundelay of affiliations ensues as the women first stick together, then apart, and new partnerships are formed. A uniquely humorous play boasting numerous successful Broadway runs with stars like Coward himself, Laurence Olivier, Tallulah Bankhead, Gertrude Lawrence, Tammy Grimes, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor.

“Gorgeous, dazzling, fantastically funny.” – The New York Times
“A gleaming and gleeful comedy.” – The New York Post
“A brilliant comedy. A very funny play.” – Newsweek

Music by Michael Gore
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Book by Lawrence D. Cohen
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Oct. 6-8 at 8 p.m.
Oct. 13-15 at 8 p.m.
Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

Carrie White is a teenage outcast who longs to fit in. At school, she’s bullied by the popular crowd and virtually invisible to everyone else. At home, she’s dominated by her loving but cruelly controlling mother. What none of them know is that Carrie has just discovered she has a special power, and if pushed too far, she’s not afraid to use it.
Set in the present in the small New England town of Chamberlain, Maine, Carrie: The Musical features a book by Lawrence D. Cohen (screenwriter of the classic film), music by Academy Award winner Michael Gore (Fame, Terms of Endearment), and lyrics by Academy Award winner Dean Pitchford (Fame, Footloose).

Mild Adult Themes - 120 minutes

Book and Lyrics by Robert L. Freedman
Music by Steven Lutvak
Musical – Dinner Theatre
June 30-July 2 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
July 3 at 2 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 12:45 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

When low-born Monty Navarro finds out that he’s eighth in line for an earldom in the lofty D’Ysquith family, he figures his chances of outliving his predecessors are slight. So, he sets off down a far more ghoulish path. Can he knock off his unsuspecting relatives without being caught and become the ninth Earl of Highhurst? And what of love? Because murder isn’t the only thing on Monty’s mind.

“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” is a murderous romp filled with unforgettable music, non-stop laughs and a scene-stealing role for one actor playing all eight of the doomed heirs – who meet their ends in the most creative and side-splitting ways. This is a truly original and fresh new comedy that will delight audiences and leave them begging for more.

By Lauren Gunderson
April 28 – May 1
ASU Modular Theatre

One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” – an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. “I and You” is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

Feb. 17-19 at 8 p.m.
Feb. 20 at 2 p.m.
Modular Theatre

Enjoy a diverse collection of new, student-produced short plays by the ASU Theatre Company exploring a range of themes. Plays are written, directed, and designed by ASU students.

Another World by Angie Calfa
Man’s Revelation by Scott Cantrell
Mute by Vero Villalobos
Ni Mangos! by Vero Villalobos
Out by Scott Cantrell
Super Pollo by Vero Villalobos

By Eric Coble
Dinner Theatre
Dec. 2-4 at 8 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 6:45 p.m.
Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.
Dinner service begins at 12:45 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

How far would you go for your child? For Genevra and Joshua Bradley, the question is no longer hypothetical. Their three-year-old son, Mac, is next on the waiting list to get into the Bright Ideas Early Childhood Development Academy – and everyone knows that once you’re in there, your life will unfold with glorious ease. Josh and Gen have had to scramble all their lives to get this far, and now they are on a fateful dinner party away from the ultimate success as parents: The Right Pre-School. You may never look at pre-school – or pesto – the same way again.

By William Shakespeare

Oct. 14-16 at 8 p.m.
Oct. 17 at 2 p.m.
ASU Modular Theatre

Three witches tell the Scottish General Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king and becomes the new king. What comes next is how the people of the land decide to deal with Macbeth’s ambition.

By John Cariani
June 24-27
Virtual Production

A woman carries her heart, broken into nineteen pieces, in a small paper bag. A man shrinks to half his former size, after losing hope in love. A couple keep the love they have given each other in large red bags, or compress the mass into the size of a diamond. These playful and surreal experiences are commonplace in the world of John Cariani’s Almost, Maine, where on one deeply cold and magical Midwinter Night, the citizens of Almost — not organized enough for a town, too populated for a wilderness — experience the life-altering power of the human heart. Relationships end, begin, or change beyond recognition, as strangers become friends, friends become lovers, and lovers turn into strangers. Propelled by the mystical energy of the aurora borealis and populated with characters who are humorous, plain-spoken, thoughtful, and sincere, Almost, Maine is a series of loosely connected tales about love, each with a compelling couple at its center, each with its own touch of sorcery.

* In the event of pandemic changes to the season, performances will move online and patrons will receive all necessary information in the event of changes with Angelo State University and/or government regulations of public gatherings.

May 6 - 8 at 8 pm
May 9 at 2 pm

Virtual Performance

Through the modern retelling of Latin American fairy tales, this production creates a vibrant, colorful, and fun atmosphere for the entire family. Please join us in watching as the fantastical worlds of these exotic and beautiful tales come alive in splendid fashion. A highly imaginative, original production created by students from Angelo State University’s Theatre Department.

by Peter Shaffer
November 12-15
PG-13 / ASU Drive-In Dinner Theatre
Virtual Performance

Lovesick and desperate, sculptor Brindsley Miller has embellished his apartment with furniture and objects d’arte “borrowed” from the absent antique collector next door, hoping to impress his fiancée’s pompous father and a wealthy art dealer.

The fussy neighbor, Harold Gorringe, returns just as a blown fuse plunges the apartment into darkness, and Brindsley is revealed. Unexpected guests, aging spinsters, errant phone cords, and other snares impede his frantic attempts to return the purloined items before light is restored.

by Federico Lorca
October 8-11
Virtual Production, Online

Two families in a semi-mythical rural Spain are intricately bound in an unbreakable cycle of murder and revenge. The death-bound love triangle at the center of the play fuels these passions to a fever pitch and propels the story to its unstoppable tragic conclusion. Lorca’s image-laden poetry unfolds the story with the fire and power characteristic of his work and the fateful resonance that marked his own tragically short life.

Written and Directed by ASU students
March 18-21
Virtual Performance

Plays

• “April” by Scott Cantrell
• “On Top of Building 2B” by Alexander Bilbrey
• “We’ll Be Back in a Brief Moment” by Alexander Bilbrey
• “New Normal” by Kyle Newman
• “Just Like Them” by Alexander Bilbrey

Plays will be selected from those written by our students and may be supplemented with short plays presented at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Regional Festival. Selected works will be directed by ASU students.