Assistant Professor of Theatre Gabriel Peña, Scene Shop Supervisor Monroe Oxley, and Professor of Theatre Desiderio Roybal collaborated on Adam Gwan’s chamber musical, Ordinary Days, for Penfold Theatre. This intimate musical follows four individuals as they navigate the frantic energy of New York City. Audiences are invited to consider the beauty of the ordinary as the characters connect, fall apart, lose each other, and find themselves. Peña served as director, Oxley as technical director, and Roybal as scenic designer. SU theatre major Bethani Pedraza ’25 and theatre minor Yeva Tcharikova ’28 provided technical assistance. Penfold Theatre is a 501(c)(3) professional theatre company recently setting roots in Round Rock, TX after 15 years of producing theatre in the greater Austin area. The productions run February 7 – March 1 at their new permanent home in Round Rock. The trailer, tickets, and information about Penfold Theatre is available here.

—February 2025

Professor of Theatre Desiderio Roybal designed the scenery and stage properties for I’m Proud of You  by Tim Madigan. This production is a staged adaptation of Madigan’s novel, I’m Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers. The play chronicles the true and extraordinary bond between Tim Madigan, a Texas author and reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Fred Rogers, the iconic TV host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. This production will be the inaugural production in Penfold Theatre’s new and permanent theatre venue in Round Rock, TX. Roybal also served as a theatre consultant on the new venue, which will be the first professional theatre in Round Rock. The production showcases Professor Emeritus Rick Roemer and SU alumnus Zac Carr ’11 as actors. SU Scene Shop Manager Monroe Oxley is the Technical Director for this production. Additionally, the stage and seating risers were designed and constructed by Oxley using a build crew that included Connor Bustos ’26 and Ash Zunker ’25. The production runs October 4-26.

—October 2024

Professor of Theatre Desiderio Roybal served as a theatre staging and venue consultant for Penfold Theatre’s new home in Round Rock, TX. This is the first professional theatre venue in Round Rock. Penfold Theatre will open its 17th season and continues its mission of telling intimate stories of empathy and hope, curating performances by premier local artists, and nurturing theatremakers of today and tomorrow. The opening of this facility will also provide other performing artists access to affordable space at a time when venues are disappearing.

—June 2024

Professor of Theatre Desiderio Roybal designed scenery and is the scenic charge artist for Magnolia Musical Theatre’s production of Footloose the musical, running July 10 through August 10 at Hill Country Galleria Pavilion in Bee Cave, TX. This professional production is directed by Professor Emeritus of Theatre Rick Roemer, with technical direction by Scene Shop Manager Monroe Oxley. Students Connor Bustos ’26 and Em Hoover ’27 collaborated with Roybal and Oxley as academic interns in scenic fabrication and scenic art. Alumni Kyle Bussone-Peterson ’24 and Alex Cannata ’24, along with students Ashlyn Zunker ’25 and Olivia Hynes ’27 are scenic carpenters and painters.

—June 2024

Professor of Theatre Desiderio Roybal was invited to join the Board of Directors for the Palace Theatre, Georgetown, TX.

—February 2024