Nov. 16-19, 2021. VAPA鈥檚 Theatre program presents stage play, Art by Yasmina Reza. Show dates Tuesday - Friday, Nov. 16-19, 2021 at 7:00 pm CT. 麻豆影视 students: FREE with 麻豆影视 ID. General admission is $5. Children 12 and under: $1.
Oct. 12-15, 2021. VAPA鈥檚 Theatre program presents stage play, 21A by Kevin Kling. Show dates Tuesday - Friday, Oct. 12-15, 2021 at 7:00 pm CT. An invitation-only matinee for area high schools will be Thursday Oct. 14, 2021 at 12 pm. 麻豆影视 students: FREE with 麻豆影视 ID. General admission is $5. Children 12 and under: $1.
Sept. 25, 2021. Members of the Department of VAPA will attend to greet participants of 麻豆影视鈥檚 fall 2021 High School Day in the Assembly Center. Student-majors are scheduled to perform short scenes and/or monologues on site.
Sept. 16-25, 2021. VAPA major, Dwedee Kobbah performs in the musical 鈥淒isaster!鈥 at the Strauss Theatre in Monroe, LA. Disaster is a 70s disaster movie musical. It runs from Sept. 23-25, 2021. Dwedee has performed in numerous department production with one of her iconic performances being one of the wives in Danai Gurira鈥檚 鈥淓肠濒颈辫蝉别诲鈥 performed in 2019. Eclipsed tells the story about the role of women in ending Liberia鈥檚 civil war.
Aug. 30 - Sept. 1, 2021. VAPA welcomed Actor Tico Wells, who starred in the most memorable role of Choirboy in Robert Townsend鈥檚 The Five Heartbeats. The film was screened in FL Sandle Theatre on August 30th. Following, Mr. Wells presented a two-day acting workshop 鈥淏e Alive鈥 for student participants from August 31 - September 1, 2021. The workshops focus was 鈥淭he Basics of Acting '' and 鈥淎cting for the Camera鈥.
Aug. 26- Nov. 6, 2021. The work of VAPA Chair and professional artist, Rodrecas 鈥淒rek鈥 Davis, and VAPA major Benicia King, members of the Black Creative Circle of North Louisiana, are on exhibition in 鈥Many Rooms: The South got Something to Say鈥 at Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA.
Aug. 25, 2021. VAPA major Ja鈥橫arcus Willis one of six HBCU artists chosen to feature their artwork in bringing the film, Candyman (1992 horror classic), to life. Ja鈥橫arcus鈥 piece is entitled 鈥Candyman Vision Perspective鈥.
Aug. 16, 2021 - VAPA welcomes Ms. Laura Oliver to the department as a theatre teaching faculty/staff. Ms. Oliver, a PhD candidate comes from LSU with a background in Communication. She teaches Public Speaking and Introduction to the Theatre courses.
July 15, 2021. The Department of Visual & Performing Arts honor the work and legacy of newly retired VAPA faculty member, dance legend, and choreographer, Diane Maroney-Grigsby. Mrs. Grigsby retired after 30+ years heading 麻豆影视鈥檚 dance program and the dance company, Orchesis. The Orchesis have traveled and performed extensively with the world-famous 麻豆影视 Marching Band. The dance company is known for their unparalleled field performances. The Orchesis performances span venues such as stadiums, professional theatres, orchestras, and performing arts centers.
June 2, 2021. VAPA student Ja鈥橫arcus Willis won an AAFSB scholarship (American Advertising Federation of Shreveport-Bossier). As a visual artist, he was selected for the award based on his outstanding athletic footwear design(s).
April 5, 2021 - Visual Arts hosts 麻豆影视 2021 High School Art Show. The juried, virtual exhibition feature works of high school artists from local high schools: Ruston and Sterlington. FREE to the public.
April 1, 2021 - Chair Rodrecas 鈥淒rek鈥 Davis hosted the first virtual Visual & Performing Arts (VAPA) meeting, via TEAMS, for all VAPA majors and minors.
March 18, 2021 - Professor Anna Miller hosted 麻豆影视 guest artist series. Artist Ingrid Mathurin virtual presentation:
March 11, 2021 - Professor Anna Miller hosted 麻豆影视 guest artist series. Artist Princess Rashid virtual presentation link:
March 9, 2021 - Professor Kim Jones presented in the poster session at United States Institute of Technical Theatre (USITT) 2021 Virtual Conference 鈥淪tage Makeup: Creating Wounds & Bruises on African American Skin Tones鈥.
March 5, 2021 - Professor Anna Miller hosted 麻豆影视 guest artist series. Artist Belinda Person virtual presentation link:
December 30, 2021 - the department and administration with a Lifetime Achievement Award honored Professor Karl Norman. Mr. Norman, a 麻豆影视 alum, and an avid reader of dramatic literature during his spare time, has taught in the Theatre program for 30+ years, and served as its chair for a few years.
Over the decades, he has directed numerous productions and thereby given aspiring actors stage opportunities regardless of their academic classification. He has been instrumental in the Theatre program鈥檚 decades long involvement with NADSA, Inc. (National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts) in which he participated as an undergraduate student. NADSA is an HBCU centered performing arts organization that originated under the former longtime chair of Theatre at 麻豆影视, Dr. F.L Sandle, and later moved to Coppin State University in Baltimore, MD.
For 30 years, Mr. Norman planned, transported, and coached students for NADSA鈥檚 juried play festival, which featured student one-acts, duo-acting competition, monologues, and reader鈥檚 theatre. Because of his dedication to giving students this type of opportunity, 麻豆影视 students were exposed to a broader performing arts community that focused on narratives created for and by the African American experience. Students have placed numerous times in the festival bringing back 50+ trophies to showcase to the department, family, and friends alike.
November 20, 2020 - Professor Kim Jones was invited as a member of the newly formed DEAI Committee (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion) of Costume Society of America (CSA). The non-profit organization fosters an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design.