The Sul Ross State University Theatre Program launches its 2025-2026 season with dark comedy “True West” by Sam Shepard, opening Friday, Oct. 24 at the Motion Capture Sound Stage behind the Kokernot Outdoor Theater on Loop Road.
Set in California’s San Gabriel Valley, “True West” explores the fraught relationship between estranged brothers, each vying for a piece of the American Dream.
“Anybody with a sibling, or anybody who knows someone with a sibling can connect with this show,” said Director and Associate Professor of Cinematic Arts Bret Scott. “’True West’ is comic, but at root it’s a story of two brothers coming to terms with wanting what the other brother has. Directing these actors has been an absolute joy. They really understand these characters at a DNA level. We’re doing this show in the Motion Capture Soundstage, so the audience will be very close and intimate. I think this will be an experience people will talk about for a long time.”
“True West” contains depictions of violence as the two brothers, Austin and Lee, struggle to get along. Joining the team is Fight Director and theatre major Carlo Aceytuno. “Telling the story of the play’s violence has been an honor,” said Aceytuno. “Having worked professionally as a Fight Director for decades, I feel more invested in the craft of this production because I’m also a proud SRSU theatre major. I can’t wait for everyone to see the high-stakes, tension-filled action we’ve created.”
Marjie Scott, Chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts said, “This show is raw and funny, but it also deals with the American Dream and the human search for identity and authenticity. ‘True West’ questions which version of the West is true. Is it the desert, with its brutally harsh environment that forces people to live by their wits? Or is it suburban California, with strip malls, endless highways, and tract housing? Can the two co-exist?”
“True West” runs through Nov. 9 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $10 for seniors age 65+. As always, U.S. veterans and SRSU students, faculty and staff receive free admission. The show contains strong language and depictions of physical violence and is not recommended for children under 12.
To purchase tickets, visit www.bit.ly/sulross-theatre. For more information, contact 432-837-8218 or visit www.theatrebigbend.org
Photo: From left: Justin Hinton, Jonathan “JB” Fields and Garrison Rutledge in “True West.” Carlo Aceytuno photo