2022 College Report

” - ” - ’ ’ “ ” “ ” ’ ” 34 35 WHAT ’S NEXT BLPC WHAT ’S NEXT Mus i c Bui lding BLACK AND LATINO PLAYWRIGHTS CELEBRATION PROPOSED NEW MUSIC BUILDING 20 TH ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER 2022 Led by Artistic Director and Distinguished Alumnus Eugene Lee, the Texas State Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration marks its 20th anniversary in September 2022. To mark the occasion, the department is establishing an endowment to help permanently fund the endeavor. As a student in the early 1970s, Eugene acted in a special performance of A Raisin in the Sun for former President Lyndon B. Johnson at the LBJ Ranch. He noted that casting the performance was difficult due to the low number of Black theatre majors at the time. When he returned to his alma mater 30 years later, he saw that there was still a need to attract and include diverse theatre majors. Compelled to action, he founded the Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration in 2002 to open resources to writers of color and allow students of color to have the opportunity to see, hear, and participate in works of art that reflect their own experiences. The Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration (BLPC) fills a void in American theatre by offering talented Black and Latino playwrights opportunities and resources to develop their unproduced plays. The weeklong celebration consists of play development workshops that culminate in script-in-hand readings of two featured plays by Black and Latinx writers, supported by a professional director, actor, dramaturg, and Texas State Theatre and Dance students. This unique partnership between the profession and higher education has had a striking impact. Since the BLPC’s inception, there has been a 625% increase in Black theatre majors and a 350% increase in Hispanic theatre majors. In 2018, Texas State ranked fourth in the country for visual and performing arts degrees earned by Hispanics, and Texas State now has the 2nd largest theatre program in the country. Professional playwriting has also prospered as BLPC helps foster the next generation of Black and Latinx voices via the development of unproduced plays. Developed plays have been subsequently produced in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Milwaukee, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Ithaca, Tempe, and Sacramento. Featured BLPC playwrights have gone on to be recognized by American Theatre magazine and have become writers on shows produced by Starz, Fox, Netflix, and the Oprah Winfrey Network. BLPC has earned national recognition for its work. It has received three National Endowment for the Arts grants, several Humanities Texas grants, and a multi-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant. In developing the talents and networks of Black and Latinx actors and playwrights, BLPC serves both the university and the profession. Acting alum Johnique Mitchell says: “My time with the Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration gave me a conservatory experience that helped me bridge the gap from educational theatre to professional theatre almost seamlessly. Similarly, Tony winning director, Kenny Leon says, “The creative imagination and beauty of new work are in play in Texas as the professional world collaborates with the academic in a unique and promising way. With the creation of a Distinguished Achievement Award in 2012, BLPC has honored nationally acclaimed writers such as Douglas Turner Ward (Tony winner and founder of Negro Ensemble Company), Luis Valdez (playwright and founder of El Teatro Campesino), Jose Rivera (Oscar-nominated writer), Regina Taylor (Golden Globe winner), Josefina Lopez (Humanities Award for writing), and Culture Clash. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, and to help raise funds for the endowment, Eugene Lee will be performing August Wilson s How I Learned What I Learned for a 3-week run in September in the newly renovated Evans Auditorium. NEXT TOP FUND-RAI S ING PRIORI T Y First proposed a decade ago, a new Music building is now a top fund-raising priority in the university s recently announced Capital Campaign. The building, estimated to cost $70 million, has $30 million committed and recently received a $1 million pledge from Shannon and Kate Fitzpatrick. When completed, it will serve almost 600 music majors and 80-plus faculty who are currently spread across five buildings. In 2014, the Performing Arts Center opened at the intersection of University and Moon, across from the iconic round brick Theatre Center. The addition of a new Music building, near Butler Hall and the Performing Arts Center green space, would create a “performing arts district” for the campus. We need a central location that can house and meet the demands of the students and faculty of the School of Music,” says Dr. John Fleming, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication. “We need facilities that match the quality of faculty we have and the students we recruit. This is an investment in our future for providing even a higher level of excellence in our instruction and performance preparation. In 1983, the Strahan Gym was converted into facility for the School of Music. Located at the corner of North LBJ and Sessom, it was originally intended for 200 music students. The enrollment has been steadily growing. Within the School of Music there are now 30 music ensembles, the 350-member Bobcat Marching Band, Symphony Orchestra, six choral ensembles, opera, three jazz bands, a rock ensemble, two salsa bands, two mariachi groups, and 12 smaller instrumental ensembles. The proposed new Music building would contain nearly 110,000 square feet of space for classrooms, labs, studios, music library, faculty offices, rehearsal and practice rooms, instrument maintenance room, piano technician studio, storage, and a student lounge. The prospect of a new building was a key factor in my decision to come to Texas State,” says Dr. Todd Sullivan, the new director of the School of Music. “We are carefully analyzing how to use the allocated square footage. It will have rehearsal spaces and instructional spaces that are specially designed for our needs. In 2020 the Texas State School of Music was named the #4 Best Music Bachelor s Degree program by GradReports. Students are accepted through competitive auditions and about 2,000 non-music majors enroll in music classes and 200 of these participate in music ensembles. Faculty members have won 11 Grammy Awards and earned another 15 nominations. Likewise the student ensembles have earned many accolades, such as Mariachi Nueva Generacion winning 10 team titles and 5 solo vocalist titles at the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza. Community outreach programs include musical ensembles for children such as the Texas State String Project, the Hill Country Youth Chorus, Mariachi Infantil, the FunKey Piano Project, five summer camps for high school students, and the TXST/ Conspirare Conducting Symposium. Public events include the International Piano Festival, the Eddie Durham Jazz Festival, and Feria del Mariachi. Looking to the future, Dean Fleming says: “The arts are a lot like athletics; when recruiting top talent, facilities matter. The Performing Arts Center was transformational in helping attract students from across the country, and I expect the new Music building will have a similar impact. It will make a top program even better.