John Goodman Amphitheatre Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Brown Bag Concert Series launches second season April 9

March 21, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University’s “Brown Bag Concert Series” is back for its second season, boasting a diverse lineup of creative performances.

This year’s performances include country, indie-pop, folk and opera. Performers were selected through an application process.

Hosted once again at the John Goodman Amphitheatre (JGA), the event series is free and open to the public. The amphitheater is located immediately north of Craig Hall in the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Arts Park.

“We are thrilled with the increase in applicants for this special spring campus event,” said Mark Templeton, Executive Director of JGA Marketing and External Relations. “Bring your lunch and have a relaxing time while enjoying some great performances.”

All performances start at noon. Public parking will be available starting at 11 a.m. across Grand Street in Parking Lots 22 and 24.

Call for musicians for second annual “April at the Amphitheatre” concert series

February 24, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The “April at the Amphitheatre” concert series is once again calling for musician applications.

Now in its second year, the series is open to artists from across the Ozarks. Selected artists will receive a $300 honorarium.

During the month of April, artists perform on Wednesdays during the lunch hour for approximately 45 minutes.

Performances will be held at the John Goodman Amphitheatre (JGA) in the Judith Enyeart Reynolds Arts Park of Missouri State University.

All performances and are free and open to the public.

JGA and the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities sponsor the event.

Contact Mark Templeton, Executive Director of JGA Marketing and External Relations, for more information.

Apply

Performance dates

April 9
April 16
April 23
April 30

US Air Force’s Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble to perform in John Goodman Amphitheatre Sept. 17

September 12, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University and the Department of Music invite the public to hear the US Air Force’s Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17 in the John Goodman Amphitheatre.

The event is coordinated by MSU’s Dr. Jason Hausback, director of jazz studies.

Tickets are free. Registration is required.

Reserve your tickets

According to its website, the Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble is a group of 18 professional enlisted musicians. Their repertoire includes traditional big band jazz, bebop, swing and modern jazz. Several of the band’s members compose and arrange their own works and include them in their performances.

“The USAF Band in St. Louis has brought various groups to our campus several times in the last 10 years, but this is the largest event they have planned thus far,” Hausback said. “There are terrific military band ensembles stationed throughout the country, and we are lucky to have one of the US Air Force units just down the road in St. Louis.”

Noting the group’s mission of outreach, Hausback said having the group perform at MSU serves both students and the community.

“I’m personally excited for this performance because it also gives our students an opportunity to learn about other career paths open to them,” he said. “In addition, it’s an opportunity to recognize and honor our veteran population on campus and in the greater Springfield area.”

“I’m thrilled that the Reynolds College is a willing participant and promoter of events like this,” he added.

Tent veteran Adora Lorae Snead celebrates final student performance with “Mystic Pizza”

June 28, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Tent Theatre will wrap up its 62nd season with the musical “Mystic Pizza.”

Adapted from the 1988 romantic comedy film, the “Mystic Pizza” musical is a coming-of-age story of three young women set to a soundtrack of hits from the 1980s and 1990s.

The story is especially poignant for student actor Adora Lorae Snead, who will continue her own life adventures as a newly minted acting professional after the Tent season closes.

Showtimes are 8 p.m. July 5-6 and 8-13.

“Mystic Pizza” is directed by Professor Sarah Wiggin of MSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

New adventures ahead, but one more Tent in store

Snead, who graduated in Spring 2024 with a BFA in Musical Theatre, will head to New York City this August to pursue a career in the performing arts while also working as a grant writer.

“I hope to help organizations that provide equity, diversity and access to arts education in communities across the nation,” Snead said.

But for now, her focus is on Tent and helping to create an amazing experience for the “Mystic Pizza” audiences.

Snead described “Mystic Pizza” as a story of sisterhood, friendship and community.

“It’s also full of your favorite ’80s pop/rock numbers,” she added. “The cast is stellar, the story is fun, and it’s truly a feel-good musical for all to enjoy.”

Creating “fun stories” builds professional portfolio

Snead describes herself as “lucky” to have worked most summers with Tent in some capacity since she began her college life at MSU.

“I couldn’t be more proud or grateful to get to share a part in creating these fun stories,” she said.

In addition to her dual roles as intimacy captain and ensemble cast in “Mystic Pizza,” some of Snead’s other stints as a Tent Theatre performer include “Beehive: the 60s Musical,” “Xanadu” and “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”

“As an intimacy captain, my job is to take the choreography provided to the actors by our director and make sure it stays consistent, safe and comfortable for them throughout the run,” Snead explained. “Think dance captain, but with intimacy choreography rather than dance choreography.”

While all her ensemble roles have complimented her musical theatre career goals, identifying a favorite role is a challenge, Snead admitted.

“Choosing a favorite role is really tricky because each show is attached to a special part of my life and growth as an actor,” Snead said. “Not to mention that all of these shows are set in the 1960s-1980s, which means the music rocks!” [Read more…] about Tent veteran Adora Lorae Snead celebrates final student performance with “Mystic Pizza”

Pulitzer Prize winning play “Crimes of the Heart” comes to Tent Theatre

June 11, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

“Crimes of the Heart,” Beth Henley’s 1981 Pulitzer Prize winning play about three sisters and an interfering cousin living in a fictional Mississippi town, will be performed for the first time at Tent Theatre June 21-22 and 24-29, 2024.

All performances are at 8 p.m. Missouri State University alum Addie Barnhart is the director.

Family, southern gothic style

“Crimes of the Heart” is a dark comedy that follows the Magrath sisters, each of whom remains traumatized by their mother’s suicide years earlier.

To heal and move on, the three must grapple with the past. At times this is made difficult by their self-righteous cousin, Chick, who seems to enjoy reminding the sisters of their mistakes and failings.

MSU alum—and Tent Theatre veteran—Tess Harper played Chick in the 1986 film version of the play. Harper was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress for her performance.

The movie also starred Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange and Sissy Spacek.

Adding a little bit of Ozarks to the role

Harper knows “Crimes of the Heart” very well, having not only played Chick in the film version but also playing “Lenny” in a stage production during a teaching project at the University of Georgia.

To play Chick authentically, Harper pulled from her own experience growing up in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, a small Ozarks community located about 30 minutes south of West Plains, Missouri.

She especially relied on memories of her mother for the role.

“I pulled a little bit from my mother, mostly her ability to talk really fast in a Georgia accent,” Harper laughed.

But she also adopted her mother’s know-it-all attitude toward just about everyone she knew, especially her family, to capture Chick’s sharp, self-righteous edge.

“Chick has a sugary aggression,” Harper said, a quality that reveals itself in the character’s constant complaints about how her cousins’ behaviors are ruining her social-climbing ambitions.

For Harper, who has often been selected for quieter, reflective roles, playing such a loud personality like Chick was a nice change.

“I enjoyed playing Chick so much,” she said.