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NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY THEATRE DEPARTMENT

NMSU Theatre is filming ‘The Land Where We Stand’ for world premier virtual viewing

Student-staff collaboration celebrates the history of NMSU

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The New Mexico State University Theatre Department is working toward a world premiere of its own production of “The Land Where We Stand.”

"Filming of this unique event will happen in early November, with a release date of late January for virtual viewing,” said Theatre Department Head Wil Kilroy.

“This project is being created collaboratively with a group of students,” said Theatre Department Associate Professor Larissa Lury, who is directing the production.

“We began by sharing our own curiosity about where we live,” Lury said. “I asked students what they wanted to speak about or to shed light on. I asked them who and what they wanted to know more about. I also asked them about what’s special to them about this place.”

Lury said she wanted to do the project because she has so many questions about where we are.

“I’ve lived in Las Cruces and have been teaching at NMSU for several years now, but there is still so much I do not know about the history of this place, and even about its present,” she said. “Who and what was here 50, 100, 400 or 1,000 years ago? Who helped to make this place what it is today? Who is here with me at NMSU right now? What is on the minds of those I see around me? What has each person’s experience been like here? What are their hopes for themselves and for this place we now share a history with?”

With those and other questions in mind, participating students “conducted interviews with other students and faculty on campus, as well as family members and friends in the broader community,” Lury said. “We sought out those who have a history with NMSU, and those whose families have a history with the land here that predates NMSU.”

The cast of “Land Where We Stand” comprises of Ariel Aguilar, Imani Caldwell, Hugo De Billie, Victoria Cox, Dominique Gomez, Riley Merritt, Kamryn Neil, Lucio Orduño, Elijah Reyes, Esther Rogge and Alexander Shannon. The crew comprises of Sammi Armstrong, Chad Gonzales, Chung Sekka, Yocilin Torres, Amy Treko and Peyton Womble.

 “I’m so proud of the way the NMSU Theatre faculty and staff have adapted to this ‘new normal,’ such as Professor Lury giving students the opportunity to have their individual voices heard, as well as collaborating with others in our community,” Kilroy said. “As a result, we will present an original, educational and entertaining piece of theatre, which is directly linked to our community and environment. While ‘The Land Where We Stand’ is based on local history and perspectives,  the themes are universal and can appeal to anyone, and we’re excited that this year, with virtual offerings, we have ticket holders from around the country.”   

After purchasing tickets, those allowed to attend the live production will receive a link to downloadable audio tracks and “a time to begin your journey,” Lury said. “Upon arriving (at NMSU), you will travel with a small group of people, maintaining a safe distance, as you make your way from site to site across the NMSU campus. Most audience members will walk or roll, but we plan to have golf carts available for those who need them,” she said.

At each site, live performances created by NMSU theatre students “will capture stories of NMSU’s past, and the voices of those here now,” Lury said. 

“In one part of the performance, a student traces the lineage of her family back to [Chiricahua Apache leader] Cochise (1805-74),” she said. Another segment includes fictional scenes "inspired by the true stories of meetings and breakups taking place at the alumni pond,” Lury said, adding that there is also a segment celebrating the search for identity and finding a place in the LGBTQ+ community, a piece inspired by interviews with Black NMSU students and a piece about “the shoulders we each stand on to be where we are today.” 

“Our hope is that through the piece, whether in person or online, you will see the campus and those you pass here with new-found layers, that we’ll spark your curiosity to learn more about the land we’re standing on and the people who have called and now call this place home, and that in some small way, we’ll satisfy the need for connection with one another that so many of us are craving right now,” Lury said.

Individual tickets are $10 each.

To purchase tickets and link to performances, visit https://theatre.nmsu.edu/2020-2021-performance-season/. Ticket holders will receive an email containing a link and a password to the show. Attendees may view at any date/time within the show’s run.



Upcoming NMSU Theatre Department performances

  • “Tracer,” directed by NMSU Theatre Department Assistant Professor Nichole Hamilton, with a preview projected for Wednesday, Nov. 11, and live online performances continuing through Nov.18.

Hannah Benitez, finalist in the NMSU Theatre Department’s High Desert Playwriting workshop, has created an original play crafted for NMSU theatre students for this production of digital theatre, available exclusively online, including an invitation to engage directly with the actors to solve the mystery. (Full story on “Tracer” coming in the Nov. 6 Bulletin.)

  • “Holiday Cabaret!” directed by NMSU Theatre visiting Professor Lisa Hermanson and adjunct faculty member Christa Fredrickson, will be a Wednesday-Saturday, Dec. 2-6, virtual presentation including holiday songs and stories.

For tickets and links to the online performances, and for information on season tickets, contact Yoli Bacon at 575-646-5122 or ybacon@nmsu.edu. 

For spring 2021, NMSU Theatre will present its annual fundraising favorite, “Broadway Onstage,” followed by the production originally planned for last spring, “The Tempest.”

The hope is to produce both shows live on the NMSU stage, said NMSU Theatre Department Head Wil Kilroy, if state public health orders allow. If not, he said, “we will creatively bring these to you in a virtual format.” 

Join the NMSU Theatre Department’s Center Stage Society. A donation of $500 or more earns two passes to all the 2020-21 season’s events, an American Southwest Theatre Company “proud supporter” license plate and an ASTC facemask. Donations of any amount are welcome to benefit theatre students.

NMSU Theatre Department

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