Blinn College-Brenham Theatre Arts Program announces 2021-22 season performances

Productions will again be staged in front of live audiences at the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center

August 5, 2021

The Blinn College-Brenham Campus Theatre Arts Program will offer a blend of intense drama, comedy, and wonderment during its 2021-22 season, which will mark the return of live audiences to the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center.

The lineup features “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” the Slaphappy improvisation troupe, “Wiley and the Hairy Man,” “Golden Boy,” and “The 25 ^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” “Wiley and the Hairy Man” will serve as Blinn’s 2021 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival entry, and “Golden Boy” will serve as its 2022 Texas Community College Speech and Theatre Association Play Festival entry.

The theme of this year’s season, “A Year of Unlikely Heroes,” was carefully selected, said Brad Nies, Theatre Arts Program Director.

“It was a collaborative effort between (theatre arts instructors) Kevin Patrick, Jennifer Patrick, and myself,” Nies said. “After considering several shows, we decided to showcase Theatre Arts Instructor and Costume Designer Jennifer Patrick as Nurse Ratched in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’”

Jennifer Patrick will direct “The 25 ^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and Nies will direct each of the other performances. Kevin Patrick will serve as Technical Theatre Director for each of show.

Nies said the program is eager to bring back live performances. Due COVID-19 restrictions, the 2020-21 season was based on an old-time radio theatre format that combined video and audio. Shows were recorded on high-resolution cameras and placed online.

“We are very excited to present these shows face-to-face to audiences,” Nies said, “and we hope to do the same with our ‘Slaphappy’ improvisation performances, our annual 10-Minute Play Festival and the UIL One-Act Play contests for 1A and 3A schools.”

The Theatre Arts Program will host its third 10-Minute Play Festival March 24-27 and regional winners in the class 1A and 3A high school one-act play competitions April 20-21.

The award-winning “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” will be staged Oct 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 9 and 10 at 2 p.m. Preview performances for high school students will be staged at 1 p.m. on Oct. 7 and 8.

“Slaphappy Improvisation Troupe” will be performed by students in the Theatre Arts Program. Shows will be staged at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28 and April 5, 2022.

“Wiley and the Hairy Man” will be performed Nov. 18 and 19 at 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees Nov. 20 and 21. Elementary school preview performances are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Nov. 18 and 19.

“Golden Boy” will be staged Feb. 17 and 18, 2022 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 19 and 20 at 2 p.m. Preview performances for middle school and junior high students will be presented at 1 p.m. on Feb. 17 and 18.

Performances of “The 25 ^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” are scheduled for 7 p.m. April 28 and 29, 2022, with matinee performances April 30 and May 1 at 1 p.m. High school students are being invited to preview performances April 28 and 29 at 1 p.m.

For more information regarding Blinn’s Theatre Arts Program, visit www.blinn.edu/theatre.