Stephen F. Austin State University

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - In concisely summarizing the Stephen F. Austin State University's upcoming production of Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana," SFA professor of theatre and the play's director Allen Oster offers the following: "One steamy day and stormy night, some of God's creatures at the end of their rope struggle through a jungle with their personal demons in the company of others."

The drama, which will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, through Saturday, Feb. 25, in W.M. Turner Auditorium, is set in a rustic hotel located on the coast of Mexico. There, Williams places five distinctly different characters who present the playwright's lesson of how to live beyond despair and still live.

Sugar Land junior Caitlin Stephenson, who plays the recently widowed hotel owner Maxine Faulk, said her character "exudes confidence and independence, but she needs someone to love her unconditionally and respect her."

T. Lawrence Shannon, a defrocked Episcopalian priest now working as a tour guide, appears at the hotel where Faulk recognizes his desperate mental state.

"Shannon is struggling with God and the church," explained Chris Howell, Nacogdoches junior who portrays him. "He's also afraid of being alone in the world and is searching for an emotional connection with someone, anyone really, who can help him struggle through his very confused world."

Jonathan Coffin, a 97-year-old poet played by San Antonio junior Sean McDaniel, struggles with another type of confusion. His memory is failing, making it harder and harder for him to compose his poetry.

Hannah Jelkes, Coffin's 40-year-old spinster granddaughter, has shared the better part of her life with her beloved "Nonno," selling her watercolors and sketches while he recites poetry. But as Savannah Seilheimer, Garland junior who portrays her, pointed out, the duo have traveled together so long that Jelkes has no permanent home nor possessions, things by which most people define themselves. And once her grandfather is gone, she'll have no extended family. "She could lose her sense of herself," Seilheimer said.

The youngest character in the play, Charlotte Goodall, is also struggling with her sense of self. As Victoria Thompson, Pasadena senior who plays her explained, Charlotte's love for and actions toward Shannon have left her with conflicting emotions which take her through peaks and valleys. She is one of the many "fractured characters" in the play, Thompson continued.

The challenges faced by all the characters are what makes "The Night of the Iguana" appealing for an audience, said Stephenson. "The play throws all these characters together who have very different personality types. While there are some clashes, each character ends the play having grown as a result of weathering the storm together, and helping each other overcome their 'dark night of the soul.'"

"The Night of the Iguana" is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts, School of Theatre and University Series. It is recommended for mature audiences.

Prior to opening night on Tuesday, Feb. 21, the College of Fine Arts will host a 6:45 p.m. reception in Griffith Gallery for the event's corporate sponsor, Tipton Ford-Lincoln-Mercury. At 7 p.m., Oster will speak briefly about the production.

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $5 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.