Theatre

Presented by Dr. Ronnie Daigle & Dr. Patricia Cran Dr. Jay Culotta   This live concert performance is a telling of an original stage musical, Swell, by the West Sisters. The story is about a fictional Louisiana coast town dealing with life and love on top of the realities of coastal erosion and extreme weather. Audience members will be carried along this journey by impactful music. Live vocals will be accompanied by a mixture of pre-recorded background and stripped-down live piano.  Vocals are performed by members of the concept album voice cast. Swell is sure to be a resonant evening that shouldn’t be missed! About the West Sisters: The West Sisters are a creative duo based in Lafayette, LA. Chasah, the story-minded older sister, is a natural composer and lyricist. Charliese, the logistics-minded younger sister, is a producer at heart. Together, under their storytelling company Set West, they created two short films before diving into the world of musical theater to create an original musical concept album. They had the privilege of receiving a grant from We Are Family Foundation to fund the concept album. The effort brought together a total of 18 incredible singers for 11 tracks. Through this… Read More » ...

Presented by Dr. Ronnie Daigle & Dr. Patricia Cran Dr. Jay Culotta In a small southern town the murder of a young black boy echoes heavily with Runna, a traumatized black male seeking refuge in communicating with his murdered friend through a single, vibrant patch of sugarcane.  Though mute to the external world, Runna is able to embrace his superpower of love and mediumship, but his type of love is not well received by his Great Aunt Nanny Mae and the brazen Pastor Vern-Mayor who work to baptize it out of him.  It is only through a passing stranger; Incwadi, that demons of homophobia and the past are confronted as the vast field of sugarcane dies and their lives are forever transformed. Written by Breaux Bridge native, Brian Egland and presented in collaboration with Black Theater Experience. ...