Why Faculty and Staff Should Support Xavier Theatre and Music Events

October 23, 2025

On Sunday, the two of us brought our spouses to Xavier Theatre’s recent production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The songs are stuck in our heads, the characters were unforgettable, and the whole thing was so smart, funny, and heartfelt that we left feeling lighter. We are still grinning.

These productions are worth supporting for many reasons, and perhaps the most obvious are those benefits to an audience. Xavier’s Theatre and Music productions are an amazing deal; they’re high quality, affordable, and absolutely worth your time.

After a week of teaching, attending meetings, and answering emails, there’s something wonderfully restorative about sitting in a darkened theatre and being swept up in live performance. Two hours of creative energy can lift your spirits and recharge your imagination in a way few other things on campus can.

The shows themselves are consistently impressive. These aren’t “good for a college” productions. They’re good, full stop. Each production is carefully selected, thoughtfully directed, and performed by students who bring astonishing talent to the stage. At Xavier, our students get the spotlight — and they shine.

And what makes these performances especially rewarding is how deeply human they are. Whether it’s a concert, a play, or a musical, these performances offer art that resonates far beyond the stage. Putnam County tackled topics as diverse as courage, belonging, and the struggle to believe in yourself when you’re not quite sure you should. These reflect the same questions and hopes that fill our campus.

Additionally, these performances offer the opportunity for many students to do many things. This is exactly the kind of multi-disciplinarity (and in some cases interdisciplinarity) with which we want all students to engage before they graduate.

On stage we see the singers, dancers, actors, and musicians of course, but an even larger cadre of committed folks work behind the scenes too. Under the instruction of fearless faculty, they perfect students’ skills at directing, choreographing, and stage managing; they run lights, create sets, direct the box office, and manage customers with Xavier-branded customer service. One gets to see some of our best Xavier pedagogy being modeled.

So go. Even when your calendar insists you don’t have time. Take a seat, let the lights rise, and let our students remind you what creativity looks like when it’s fearless, funny, and full of heart. These are memorable events, and you’ll leave wondering why you don’t do this more often.

Dena Morton and Steve Yandell
Associate Deans, College of Arts and Sciences