7MÊÓƵ

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Podcast: S8 Ep. 9
Date: April 09, 2025
Title: Alan Brincks sets the stage for LUTD
Host: John Rollins

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JOHN ROLLINS: Welcome to the LU Moment, where we showcase all the great things happening with 7MÊÓƵ, faculty, staff, students and alumni. I'm John Rollins, associate director of community relations and public affairs here at LU and I want to welcome you all to this week's show. Spring is here, and the College of Fine Arts and Communication at 7MÊÓƵ is wrapping up another fantastic season within the Department of Theatre and Dance. Here today to tell us all about it is Alan Brincks. Welcome to the show, Alan, and thank you for joining me today on the LU Moment.

ALAN BRINCKS: Yeah, happy to be here.

JOHN: Alan, you are the assistant professor of theater at LU, so tell us more about your role here.

ALAN: Sure. So, myself and Joel Grothe, the head of the theater department, kind of teach most of the acting and directing classes for our students, and then we also have other faculty that take care of the dance side of things and design and technical areas as well, but I largely cover the acting and directing classes.

JOHN: So how many classes is that?

ALAN: Well, with directing “As You Like It” right now, I've got three classes that I'm teaching. And then directing “As You Like It,” so it kind of becomes its own class which ends up being more than what you would teach a class anyway.

JOHN: More than a class, right? So, speaking of “As You Like It,” y'all have this upcoming production. We have to talk about this for sure. LU’s Department of Theatre and Dance will stage a live performance of William Shakespeare's “As You Like It” right here on the campus of 7MÊÓƵ, and this is literally taking place on campus. This is an outdoor performance, so let's hear more about this production.

ALAN: Sure. When we were doing season planning last year, we always focus on selecting plays with strong scripts that would benefit our students in some way. One thing we hadn't done in a while was a Shakespeare production. Shakespeare is still one of the most produced playwrights in the United States, making his works a great way for students to gain experience. His plays also require a different skill set, which is valuable for their development. We hadn’t done a Shakespeare production in a while, so we were exploring different ways to approach it. A lot of times, when students are just starting out of college, there are many outdoor theater festivals. Since we have such a beautiful campus, we thought, why not highlight both our amazing students and the campus itself? It would give the students a unique experience and offer the audience the chance to enjoy Shakespeare in an outdoor setting.

JOHN: Fantastic. I think you make a great point. Shakespeare is timeless, and it's important for students to be introduced to that type of work.

ALAN: Yeah, absolutely. In today’s world, we go to see a movie or even a play, but in Shakespeare’s time, it was all about the language. It was about hearing the words. You would go to hear a play. I keep telling the students that a lot of it is about maintaining momentum, much like on the radio—you don’t want dead air. The same goes for a Shakespearean production. The audience is there to listen to what’s happening. So, how do we keep the words flowing to draw the audience in? Much of what Shakespeare does is paint an image. He’s a poet as well as a playwright, and we’re creating that image for the audience.

JOHN: So, tell me if I'm wrong, but I believe I heard that the majority of the actors in this particular production are part of the Texas Academy?

ALAN: There's a few students.

JOHN: There's a few, okay.

ALAN: Yeah, there's a handful.

JOHN: Those are essentially high school students, so how has that experience been working with those individuals as well?

 ALAN: I love working with the Texas Academy students. They’re very driven, and while they’re all quite young, they don’t always present themselves that way. They’re very mature and approach the work just like our majors do. It’s a pleasure to work with them. That said, the majority of the cast is made up of majors and minors, with just a handful of Texas Academy students. But they’re all fantastic. So, to any other Texas Academy students out there who are interested in theater—come on down! And for anyone else, we have auditions open to everyone. You don’t have to be a major or a minor to audition. When you hear about season auditions next year, come on and give it a try.

JOHN: I love that you bring that up. I’ve had Andy Coughlan on the podcast, and he runs 7MÊÓƵ Press. He’s always emphasizing that same message—that you don’t have to be a journalism major or a writer to contribute to the paper. Anyone can get involved, no matter their degree. And it’s the same with theater. If you have a passion for being on stage, telling a story, or playing a part, come on and give it a try.

ALAN: That’s one of the things I find most exciting about 7MÊÓƵ in general—the accessibility for students to get involved in areas outside of their major. Even if you’re not a major or a minor, there are so many opportunities. For example, if you’re interested in opera, you can audition for the opera. If you’re into band, you can join. You can even get involved in the radio station. There are all these opportunities here on campus that you might not find at a larger institution. It’s really a great thing.

JOHN: And something unique to that point is that you have those opportunities a lot sooner than you would at some of these larger universities. You could be a freshman, sophomore, or even a Texas Academy student and be a part of these productions. So, Alan, your background includes about 15 years of acting professionally all over the United States—places like Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and even right here in Houston, Texas. Would you mind sharing a brief bio about yourself and some of these experiences? What are some of the productions you’ve been a part of?

ALAN: Sure. So, brief bio: I got my undergrad, a BFA in Theater Arts from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Nebraska Wesleyan as well. I worked professionally for a number of years as an actor in New York and Philadelphia, and all over, like you were saying. But then I ended up going to grad school, where I got my MFA. My wife and I have stayed in Houston since then, and we’ve really enjoyed working professionally here. So, it’s kind of been all over the place. In addition to acting, I do a little bit of fight directing as well, and that’s one of the roles I’m taking on for “As You Like It.” I also do some voiceover dubbing for anime, so yeah, I’ve got a bunch of different things going on.

JOHN: Very cool. You know, the anime thing doesn’t surprise me—you’ve definitely got a great voice for it.

ALAN: Yeah, yeah.

JOHN: Speaking of voices, I’m struggling to get mine back today. We’re almost there, but we’re powering through this episode.

ALAN: It’s that time of year, for sure.

JOHN: So, Alan, you’ve been at 7MÊÓƵ for about four years now. What keeps you here? What’s the most fulfilling part of your day-to-day?

ALAN: I really enjoy working with students and young actors. Sometimes, it’s just about seeing them have that eureka moment, when something really clicks, or when they make a discovery. Those are the most fulfilling moments for me, whether it’s in a rehearsal or a classroom—just that moment when a student says, Oh, that’s what you’re talking about!

JOHN: Exactly! It’s like, they get it.

ALAN: Yeah, exactly! Great, you get it.

JOHN: You see the light bulb above the head.

ALAN: So that’s the most fulfilling part, and I also really enjoy all my colleagues here. It’s a welcoming community, and yeah, it’s just a great place to be a part of.

JOHN: And you're in a great department and an excellent college, so that definitely helps.

ALAN: Absolutely.

JOHN: So, I know you primarily focus on theater, as we’ve been chatting about, but what else is coming up within the Department of Theater and Dance? Earlier today, I received a press release for a student choreography concert at the end of April, and there’s also “Dance Unleashed,” which is amazing every single year, coming up in May. Would you like to discuss either of those events or anything else that’s coming up?

ALAN: Absolutely. So, we’ve got applied choreography, which is a class where students can choreograph their own works. It’s another exciting opportunity for our majors here. That concert is coming up soon, and “Dance Unleashed” is also on the horizon. That’s our main stage production, with performances on May 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee on May 3 at 2:00 p.m. So, there are three performances in one weekend. For tickets to both “As You Like It” and “Dance Unleashed,” you can call the box office at (409) 880-2250, or you can easily purchase them online. The website for tickets is lamar.edu/lutdtix. Make sure to grab your tickets for these fantastic productions rounding out the year.

JOHN: Fantastic! And I know those ticket prices range from $5 to $15, which is super affordable. There are also discounts for Lamar students, Lamar faculty and staff, as well as Lamar Institute of Technology students and faculty.

ALAN: So, for less than the cost of going out for fast food, you can enjoy some amazing dance and theater.

JOHN: Some great dance and theater, absolutely. So, something I want to bring up: I try my best to make these performances because they're always incredible. But the theater department has kind of been branching out in certain ways as well. I know last fall you all did “Peter Pan,” which is a larger, well-known name, and after speaking with Ashley Dennison about that, I realized it was done on purpose to kind of bring in a crowd and get them used to coming to the shows, right? And I hope that trend continues—of people coming. I know I attended “The Self-Destruction of Emma James”; it was a sold-out crowd. So, I think LU TD is moving in the right direction for sure.

ALAN: Well, thank you. Yeah, we try to find different ways to get different people involved. The first show of the year, “Dumb Show,” we brought in a guest artist, Jay Sullivan, a professional actor with many, many years of experience—Broadway, Alley Theatre credits, that sort of thing. He was great for the students to work with. For “Peter Pan,” we were bringing in more schools from the area, which was great as well, and we also brought in a guest lighting designer from Broadway, that sort of thing. For our last production, “The Self-Destruction of Emma James,” we brought in Kate Brennan, a playwright who was directing her own work. She's based out of New York as well. So, we’re always trying to find ways to give our students, both majors and minors, opportunities and connections outside of 7MÊÓƵ, while also giving a different experience for each production that we put on for the audience. Because that’s such a large part of it as well, you know? It’s the other cast member you never talk about, right?

JOHN: Yeah, you definitely want a diverse mix of offerings, for sure. And, you know, the “Dumb Show” you brought up—y'all’s chair, Joel Grothe, he was a part of that, correct?

ALAN: He was directing it.

JOHN: Yeah, he directed it. So, yeah, I mean, that's another excellent resource for the students as well—that the chair of the department is highly involved in such things. And then, I know with “Emma James”, whenever—tell me again, who the artist was and what they came in to do?

ALAN: Kate Brennan.

JOHN: Okay, yes, whenever she was here, she kind of left that open to interpretation. As they were acting and rehearsing, I believe the script was almost being written, which is kind of unheard of, right?

 ALAN: I mean, no, actually. There are different ways of doing theater. You can do, you know, the really old stuff, like Shakespeare, right? You find different ways to approach that. But there are also new works, because plays aren’t all old—there are new plays. And you have to go through a developmental phase with those as well. You can’t develop a play without hearing actors read it and having an audience hear it, you know? So there’s part of that development with new works. You need to bring in a playwright and work with them in the room. And, yeah, you might get rewrites for something. ‘Alright, we’re done with rehearsal tonight at 10 p.m., here’s the rewrites,’ and you’re expected to know them by the time you rehearse again the next night. But that’s replicating a lot of other things that are going on. SNL is doing something very similar. Sketch form improv is drawing on some of those skills as well. Yeah, but new works are an important part of the theatrical world because that’s the process of how we get new plays. So, yeah, it’s great that the students had that opportunity with the playwright in the room because they don’t always get that in the university setting.

JOHN: Definitely an amazing experience for our students here on campus. Is there anything else you’d like to share about the Department of Theatre and Dance before we wrap up?

ALAN: I just want to invite everybody to come out and see our final two productions. So, as a reminder, “As You Like It” is April 10, 11, and 12 at 7:30 p.m., and April 13 at 2 p.m. If you’re a school in the area looking for a school performance, we’re also offering a school performance on April 11, and you can reach out to Ashley Dennison about that. Our final production is “Dance Unleashed” on May 2 at 7:30 p.m., and May 3 at both 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. You can get tickets or ask about those school performances by calling (409) 880-2250 or by visiting the website at lamar.edu/lutdtix. Hopefully, we’ll see you all out there.

JOHN: Yep, see you there. Alan, thank you once again for taking time away from rehearsals and prepping for the production to join me today on the podcast. There are amazing things going on in your department, and thanks for your leadership in that area.

ALAN: Yeah. Well, thanks again for having me.

JOHN: As we wrap up another episode, please make sure to search LU Moment wherever you get your podcasts to keep up with the events, activities, programs, and people right here at 7MÊÓƵ. Don’t forget to follow us on our socials so you can see for yourself all the great things happening right here at LU. This is John Rollins, your host. Thank you for listening, and we’ll talk to you next time.