Assistant Professor of Theatre Gabriel Peña performed as invited guest artist in Notes from the Field, the final production of Sewanee University of the South’s theatrical season, presented at the Tennessee Williams Center in Sewanee, TN. The docu-drama, compiled from hundreds of interviews with individuals impacted by the school-to-prison pipeline, features Gab portraying three distinct characters in this powerful multimedia work. Rehearsals began remotely, then integration with the local production team took place in March, and the show ran from April 15–April 19. Additional information is available here.

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.

On August 3rd, Gabriel Peña presented at the American Theatre in Higher Education conference. He spoke on the panel “Spotlight on New Works LIA (Latinx Indigenous and the Americas) and ATDS (American Theatre and Drama Society). Only two books were selected by LIA to highlight this year, and he presented on behalf of one of them, Marissa Chibás’ work “Mythic Imagination and the Actor: Exercises, Inspiration, and Guidance for the 21 Century Actor”.

Assistant Professor of Theatre Gabriel Peña presented a workshop at SETC (the Southeastern Theatre Conference) in Lexington, Kentucky, on March 3. His workshop “Sensing Possibilities: Feldenkrais Method and its Potential Applications for Performers” explored how Awareness Through Movement lessons, often utilized as physical therapy, can be resourceful to actors.