Nicholls will kick off its 5 annual Jubilee Festival: A festival of the Arts and Humanities today.
Opening ceremonies are slated for 7:15 p.m.tonight and will include introductions from University President Donald Ayo, Thibodaux Mayor Charles Caillouet, Student Government Association President Alcie Maxwell and Student Programming Association President James Irwin.
To kick off Jubilee festivities, the Nicholls Players will be performing Neil Simon’s “The Good Doctor,” a comedy directed by Stanley Coleman, speech and theater instructor, at 7:30 p.m. The play is open to the public for $10 and to students for five dollars. A reception, sponsored by SPA, will follow the performance. The Nicholls Players will also be performing “The Good Doctor” on March 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and March 16 at 3 p.m.
Beginning on March 14 and ending on April 30, Ellender Memorial Library will host In Celebration of the Purchase: Cartes historiques de Louisian Historic map exhibit. The exhibit will feature maps of the Louisiana Purchase that is owned by the library. Carol Mathias, interim library director, received a grant from Louisiana Endowment for Humanities for the matting costs of the maps.
“This is an opportunity for people to see maps that they may never get the opportunity to see,” Angela Hammerli, associate professor of teacher education and director of Jubilee, said.
Nicholls State alumnus, John “Spud” McConnell will be performing the play “Earl Long in Purgatory” on Tuesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 20 to add to the Jubilee celebration. McConnell will be portraying former Louisiana Governor Earl K. Long. He will depict Long in Purgatory begging God to send him to heaven despite his sins and troublesome life. The play debuted last year at the Southern Repertory Theatre in New Orleans and was praised by The New York Observer critic Rex Reed. The lone actor, McConnell, has been featured in the one-man play “The Kingfish” and was a cast member on the television show “Roseanne” for three years.
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra will appear for Jubilee on Monday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m. The Symphony Chorus of New Orleans and the Nicholls State Concert Choir will accompany the Orchestra. The Philharmonic performance will be part of a statewide tour. The performance is possible through grants from The Louisiana Division of the Arts, The Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial and Hibernia National Bank.
Tuesday, March 18 brings in the NASA exhibit in Talbot Lobby. The exhibit will feature space paraphernalia, and Lisa Spence will host a lecture concerning the space program. Spence is a Flight Leader at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab at NASA in Houston, Texas. She has experience as a training coordinator for the Shuttle/Mir Science program and as a shuttle instructor responsible for training crewmembers and flight controllers.
The Folk life Festival will be the highlight of Wednesday, March 19 festivities. The festival will feature local craftsman that will be selling numerous items ranging from hand-carved wood structures to children’s books.
Wednesday will also feature the Nicholls State Symphonic Band as well as the Gospel Choir. Both performances will take place in the quadrangle.
Jubilee festivities will run until May 3, and The Nicholls Worth will be covering weekly highlights from all aspects of the festival.