Pictured (from left): Second Row: Johnathan Ventura, Adam Richards, Jerald Mowery, Xenia Esparza, Karen Hernandez, Jennifer Gardzina. Kneeling: Dr. Andrew Yox—Honors Director, Jasmine Landaverde, Emma Mendoza
By: Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director
Since the summer of 2016, students of Honors Northeast have enjoyed the amenities of free theatre trips to Kilgore, home of the Texas Shakespeare Festival (TSF). As the directors of the TSF have expanded their offerings beyond the summer, so have the donors of Honors here, most notably Jerald and Mary Lou Mowery of Mount Vernon, extended their support for these trips. For NTCC students, this is the chance to enjoy a gourmet lunch at Kilgore, absorb a riveting professional theatre performance, and get there and back with vans rented thanks to the donors of Honors Northeast, and driven by college employees. This past 6 December, the drivers were Jennifer Gardzina, who works in the business office, and Honors Director, Dr. Andrew Yox. This was the third theatre trip to Kilgore this year.
The main attraction on 6 December was the play, Little Women. Authors from every generation in American life since Louisa May Alcott first wrote the story in 1868 have tried to put their spin on this story. The characters Meg, Beth, Jo, and Amy have become archetypes of feminine personalities that seem bent on evolving through the years, as writers imbue their stories with the idealism and realism they wish to project into each new generation of women. At Kilgore this December, Jo becomes a full-fledged feminist, spurning marriage, but Amy, a woman who is as resolute in her femininity, as she is a determined foe of Jo. Beth is the great though ethereal reconciler, Meg, a woman who seeks marriage, and experiences a roller coaster of mood swings.
Honors Student President, Emma Mendoza, who has read the original Louisa May Alcott tale, commented that the Kilgore play, was “wonderful,” and that “it is real treat to enjoy cultural experiences like this.”
Dr. Andrew Yox, Honors Director, noted, “we are beholden to the Mowerys for all the ways they have energized our honors students through the years, exposing them to some of the best theatre productions in Texas.”
