Student-directed 'The Lady Aoi' to take stage at SFA
September 14, 2012
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will present a student-directed production of Yukio Mishima's "The Lady Aoi" at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22. All performances are in the Downstage Theatre located on the first floor of the Griffith Fine Arts Building.The one-act play will be directed by Commerce senior Benn May, who is pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree in performance with an emphasis in directing.
"When Lady Aoi becomes sick, her husband, Hikaru, flies home from a business trip to visit the hospital," May explained in describing the production's storyline. "There, he learns of a mysterious woman who has come to visit his wife every night. This woman is his ex-lover, Mrs. Rokujo. She explains that she has come to kill Aoi and re-ignite Hikaru's love for her."
Sunnyvale senior Mai Le plays the role of Aoi. Other cast members include Brenham freshman Bianca Stein as the nurse; San Antonio senior Jordan Boyd in the role of Hikaru; and Port Neches Freshman Marley Graham as Mrs. Rokujo.
May's previous SFA directing credits include as an assistant for "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Festival of New American Plays." He is assistant director for "The Madwoman of Chaillot," which will be presented Nov. 13 through 17 as part of the School of Theatre's Mainstage Series.
He has appeared in SFA's productions of "Twelfth Night," "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying," "The O.C." and student plays. Other SFA theatre credits included as a costume designer and as an assistant director for student full-length productions, and he directed the Upstage production of "The Concorde Fallacy."
Tickets are $3 each. For tickets or more information, call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.