Four female actresses on stage during a production of Little Women
A group of students in wolf costumes for a production of The Ice Wolf

All the Drama Department’s productions are conducted under the auspices of its theatre company, StMU Theatre. It serves the campus community and beyond with a variety of performances and workshops throughout the academic year. All students, regardless of major, are welcome to participate as performers, directors, designers and technicians.

To learn more about the StMU Theatre, contact Bernadette Hamilton-Brady at bbrady@stmarytx.edu or 210-431-2222.

  • Upcoming Production

    For the 2020-21 Season, we will produce a devised theatre project that explores the impact of our current world conditions, its meaning on our lives and who we are in relation to it. Faculty and students will delve into issues revealed through a production technique known as Moment Work.

    This approach is Tectonic Theatre Project’s process of devising theatre. It explores “how the theater—not just text—is able to tell a story, it behooves us to create that story in the rehearsal room using all the elements of the stage. That way, it will carry within it the DNA of what’s theatrical.”

    A simple open space is where we’ll begin, and then end with a profound theatrical experience that captures the voices of our StMU Theatre company and those around us. The fall semester covers research and development with the production slated for performances in the spring.

1895
Year of the first St. Mary’s stage production
2-3
Productions each year
20+
Majors represented in our theatre shows
A production of A Girl in a Mirror viewed from behind the sound booth

Student One-Acts

Once students complete DM 3331 Directing and its course prerequisites, they qualify to direct a One-Act play as part of our production season. The shows are all student-produced with the support of our StMU Theatre company and Alpha Psi Omega.

A group of theatre students performing Rent the Musical

Musical Theatre

StMU Theatre partners with the St. Mary’s University Music Department on musicals. These are typically mounted in the Treadaway Recital Hall or in Guadalupe Chapel. Examples of our past collaborations have been Side by Side by Sondheim, Winter’s Tales: A Shakespearean Dinner, The Pirates of Penzance, RENT, Godspell and Little Women.

Recent Past Performances

  • The Triangle Factory Fire Project (Spring 2019)
    The Triangle Factory Fire Project (Spring 2019)
  • The Birthday Party (Fall 2018)
    The Birthday Party (Fall 2018)
  • Little Women (Spring 2018)
    Little Women (Spring 2018)
  • A Gown for His Mistress (Fall 2017)
    A Gown for His Mistress (Fall 2017)
  • Six Characters in Search of An Author (Spring 2017)
    Six Characters in Search of An Author (Spring 2017)
  • Our Lady of the Tortilla (Fall 2016)
    Our Lady of the Tortilla (Fall 2016)
  • My Name is Rachel Corrie (Spring 2015)
    My Name is Rachel Corrie (Spring 2015)
  • Three male actors during a production of Birthday Party
  • A female actor on stage during a theatre production
  • A group of student actors from a production of Godspell
  • A group of theatre tech students assembling wooden sets on stage
  • A group of actors during a StMU theatre production wearing antique clothing and sitting in vintage furniture
  • A group of theatre students posing in silly ways with the set behind them
  • A crowd view of a StMU Theatre production of Triangle Factory Fire
  • Four theatre tech students carrying a large box and showing off their muscles
  • A group of theatre students in costume
  • A group of theatre tech students holding wooden set pieces and smiling
  • Theatre costume student ironing a costume
  • Two theatre tech students and a professor back stage talking

History of Theatre at St. Mary’s

Theatre productions by St. Mary’s University students reach back to at least 1895, with performances by such troupes as The Mission Players, The Cameo Players, The St. Mary’s Theatre Guild, and the St. Mary’s Drama Club.

One of the most beloved and remembered of these is The Shoestring Players of the 1960s and 1970s. This troupe was founded by the late Dr. Charles Myles when the Drama Department offered a major.

Due to low enrollment in the 1980s, the major was discontinued and converted to a minor. There was a lull in theatre production until 1989. That same year, Prof. Bernadette Hamilton (Brady) came onboard and rebuilt the program. Since then, the Department has grown to include up to fifty students who participate in production with two to three shows a season. Some of those shows were collaborations with the English, Languages, and Music Departments and staged in the now decommissioned Reinbolt Theatre.

A male and female actor on stage during Miss Julie performance
Miss Julie, Reinbolt Theatre (1997)

Since 2011, theatre productions have been mounted in ‘found’ spaces around the St. Mary’s University campus. Reinbolt Theatre was the Department’s primary performance space prior to this time. The last show staged in Reinbolt Theatre was Into The Woods, a joint production with the Music Department.

Throughout the years, we have adapted and thrived by showcasing our innovation and creativity by making theatre in all its different forms. Over sixty (60) productions have been in our repertoire. This testifies to our mission to serve our students’ desire to keep theatre in their lives and augment their academic education. We have also invited local Guest Artists to either perform or design alongside our students. These interactions with professionals not only emphasizes the master-apprentice dynamic but also encourages our students to attain higher professional standards for  themselves and for our productions. At this time, we typically utilize Treadaway Recital Hall or Guadalupe Chapel for our performances.

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