Hardin-Simmons University Hosts Christian University Theatre Festival

Beginning Monday, March 2, the Hardin-Simmons Theatre Department will host the Christian University Theatre Festival. Five colleges from around the Big Country will perform various shows and attend several other activities at HSU during the three-day festival.

Throughout the festival, there will be workshops as well as various performances from each college such as musicals, one-act plays, and dance shows. Following each performance will be a 15-20 minute response from former HSU theatre adjunct, Amy Paquette. The festival will close with an awards show.

The main characters in “The Drowning Girls” show from The Director’s Cut Series.

Created over 20 years ago, the Christian University Theatre Festival was formed as a more affordable choice than the larger, national version, called Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. By creating CUTF, there would be less travel costs and the sister schools that came together would agree on a belief system that would be preferable to the participating Christian schools.

The location changes between each participating college every year depending on the time of year as well as the events the school has already planned. Colleges participating in this year’s festival include Howard Payne University, Lubbock Christian University, McMurry University, Abilene Christian University, and Wayland Baptist University. HPU hosted the festival the past two years.

The HSU Theatre Department will offer a special performance of “The Secret Garden” on March 2 at 1:30 p.m. in Van Ellis Theatre as well as a late night showing of “The Drowning Girls” from The Director’s Cut Series on March 3 at 9:15 p.m. in the Down Center Stage Lab Theatre.

All performances are open to the public with no cost for attendance. For more information on upcoming theatre events, visit the HSU Theatre website.