Nov. 16-19, 2021. VAPA’s Theatre program presents stage play, Art by Yasmina Reza. Show dates Tuesday - Friday, Nov. 16-19, 2021 at 7:00 pm CT. GSU students: FREE with GSU ID. General admission is $5. Children 12 and under: $1.
Oct. 12-15, 2021. VAPA’s Theatre program presents stage play, 21A by Kevin Kling. Show dates Tuesday - Friday, Oct. 12-15, 2021 at 7:00 pm CT. An invitation-only matinee for area high schools will be Thursday Oct. 14, 2021 at 12 pm. GSU students: FREE with GSU ID. General admission is $5. Children 12 and under: $1.
Sept. 25, 2021. Members of the Department of VAPA will attend to greet participants of GSU’s fall 2021 High School Day in the Assembly Center. Student-majors are scheduled to perform short scenes and/or monologues on site.
Sept. 16-25, 2021. VAPA major, Dwedee Kobbah performs in the musical “Disaster!” at the Strauss Theatre in Monroe, LA. Disaster is a 70s disaster movie musical. It runs from Sept. 23-25, 2021. Dwedee has performed in numerous department production with one of her iconic performances being one of the wives in Danai Gurira’s “Eclipsed” performed in 2019. Eclipsed tells the story about the role of women in ending Liberia’s civil war.
Aug. 30 - Sept. 1, 2021. VAPA welcomed Actor Tico Wells, who starred in the most memorable role of Choirboy in Robert Townsend’s The Five Heartbeats. The film was screened in FL Sandle Theatre on August 30th. Following, Mr. Wells presented a two-day acting workshop “Be Alive” for student participants from August 31 - September 1, 2021. The workshops focus was “The Basics of Acting '' and “Acting for the Camera”.
Aug. 26- Nov. 6, 2021. The work of VAPA Chair and professional artist, Rodrecas “Drek” Davis, and VAPA major Benicia King, members of the Black Creative Circle of North Louisiana, are on exhibition in “Many Rooms: The South got Something to Say” at Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA.
Aug. 25, 2021. VAPA major Ja’Marcus Willis one of six HBCU artists chosen to feature their artwork in bringing the film, Candyman (1992 horror classic), to life. Ja’Marcus’ piece is entitled “Candyman Vision Perspective”.
Aug. 16, 2021 - VAPA welcomes Ms. Laura Oliver to the department as a theatre teaching faculty/staff. Ms. Oliver, a PhD candidate comes from LSU with a background in Communication. She teaches Public Speaking and Introduction to the Theatre courses.
July 15, 2021. The Department of Visual & Performing Arts honor the work and legacy of newly retired VAPA faculty member, dance legend, and choreographer, Diane Maroney-Grigsby. Mrs. Grigsby retired after 30+ years heading GSU’s dance program and the dance company, Orchesis. The Orchesis have traveled and performed extensively with the world-famous Grambling State University Marching Band. The dance company is known for their unparalleled field performances. The Orchesis performances span venues such as stadiums, professional theatres, orchestras, and performing arts centers.
June 2, 2021. VAPA student Ja’Marcus Willis won an AAFSB scholarship (American Advertising Federation of Shreveport-Bossier). As a visual artist, he was selected for the award based on his outstanding athletic footwear design(s).
April 5, 2021 - Visual Arts hosts Grambling State University 2021 High School Art Show. The juried, virtual exhibition feature works of high school artists from local high schools: Ruston and Sterlington. FREE to the public. https://www.artsteps.com/view/5f5fca14a010f0677423d246
April 1, 2021 - Chair Rodrecas “Drek” Davis hosted the first virtual Visual & Performing Arts (VAPA) meeting, via TEAMS, for all VAPA majors and minors.
March 18, 2021 - Professor Anna Miller hosted Grambling State University guest artist series. Artist Ingrid Mathurin virtual presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho0hxgDx8Cg&t=16s
March 11, 2021 - Professor Anna Miller hosted Grambling State University guest artist series. Artist Princess Rashid virtual presentation link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEmMgWF6Fx0&t=44s
March 9, 2021 - Professor Kim Jones presented in the poster session at United States Institute of Technical Theatre (USITT) 2021 Virtual Conference “Stage Makeup: Creating Wounds & Bruises on African American Skin Tones”.
March 5, 2021 - Professor Anna Miller hosted Grambling State University guest artist series. Artist Belinda Person virtual presentation link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHvskoCCYo4
December 30, 2021 - the department and administration with a Lifetime Achievement Award honored Professor Karl Norman. Mr. Norman, a Grambling State University alum, and an avid reader of dramatic literature during his spare time, has taught in the Theatre program for 30+ years, and served as its chair for a few years.
Over the decades, he has directed numerous productions and thereby given aspiring actors stage opportunities regardless of their academic classification. He has been instrumental in the Theatre program’s decades long involvement with NADSA, Inc. (National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts) in which he participated as an undergraduate student. NADSA is an HBCU centered performing arts organization that originated under the former longtime chair of Theatre at GSU, Dr. F.L Sandle, and later moved to Coppin State University in Baltimore, MD.
For 30 years, Mr. Norman planned, transported, and coached students for NADSA’s juried play festival, which featured student one-acts, duo-acting competition, monologues, and reader’s theatre. Because of his dedication to giving students this type of opportunity, GSU students were exposed to a broader performing arts community that focused on narratives created for and by the African American experience. Students have placed numerous times in the festival bringing back 50+ trophies to showcase to the department, family, and friends alike.
November 20, 2020 - Professor Kim Jones was invited as a member of the newly formed DEAI Committee (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion) of Costume Society of America (CSA). The non-profit organization fosters an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design.