Spotlight Performance Series

Live performances in theater, dance, and comedy. The Spotlight Series is for the cultural omnivore. Each Spotlight show is compelling, unique, and makes the broad spectrum of the arts more accessible to the public. This series continues the proud legacy of the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana (“PASA”), which led the presenting of theater and dance in Acadiana from 1989 until its merger into the AcA in 2015.   

2023 Schedule of Performers

April 7
Silverbacks Improv Rumble
James Devin Moncus Theatre
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Founded in 2012, Silverbacks Improv Theatre (Lafayette, LA) mixes special improvised brews for audiences across the U.S. Favorite improv creations include The 90’s Show, SuperCollider, Lafayette Famous, and the annual Holiday Show. Silverbacks are always energetic, nerd-tastic, and not afraid of costumes. Silverbacks consist of members who have trained and performed in places as far as Mississippi, Texas, Illinois, California, and D.C. with a combined total of over 75 years of improv experience. Silverbacks Improv Theatre performs regularly in locations around South Louisiana. Silverbacks offers classes, workshops, corporate training, and tailored experiences.

April 27
Ngaiire
James Devin Moncus Theatre
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A Papua New Guinea-born Australian-based R&B and future soul singer-songwriter, Ngaiire’s musical career commenced in 2003 with an enrollment in a bachelor of Jazz Studies at the Central Queensland University. Ngaiire’s debut studio album, Lamentations, was released in July 2013 and her second album, Blastoma, was released in June 2016. Her third album, 3, was released in August 2021.In 2018 APRA AMCOS appointed Ngaiire as an ambassador.

May 1
The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare
James Devin Moncus Theatre
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We begin with Aesop’s classic fable of The Tortoise and the Hare but continue the story which finds them 10 years down the road, now with children of their own and exploring modern day distractions.  Smart phones and video games create a new landscape of lost connections to life experiences. The Next Gen features Tortoise Junior and Lil’ Hare in a whole new kind of race; where their adventures lead them into unexpected territory. Old man Tortoise and Big Daddy Hare must come together despite their differences to find and save their children. What hurdles will they have to overcome to make it to the finish line.

October 27
Helanius J. Wilkins
James Devin Moncus Theatre
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Helanius J. Wilkins, a native of Lafayette, Louisiana, is an award-winning choreographer, performance artist, innovator, and educator. He lived in Washington, D.C. for eighteen (18) years and founded EDGEWORKS Dance Theater, an all-male dance company of predominantly African American men that existed for thirteen (13) years (2001 – 2014).To date, he has choreographed and directed over 60 works, which includes two critically-acclaimed musical productions for Washington, DC’s Studio Theater – “Passing Strange” (2010) and “POP!” (2011). Foundations and organizations including New England Foundation for the Arts (National Dance Project), National Performance Network (NPN), the Boulder Office of Arts & Culture Public Arts Program, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts have supported his work.