'Big River' returns to River Campus for anniversary

Ten years later, "Big River" returns to Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus. This anniversary special will be performed in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall, on the stage where it was performed in 2007 in what was the hall's first-ever show. Beginning Wednesday and continuing through Sunday, the production based on Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" classic will wow audiences and take us back in time.

The community welcomes back 24-year-old Brodrick Twiggs. The Cape Girardeau native was only 14 when he was cast in the ensemble for the original performance. Reflecting, he told the Southeast Missourian, "It was really cool. Back then, being a part of a show on the college level ... it was a real eye-opening experience." It was quite impressive for a teenager to be selected for a college drama.

Many experiences helped craft Twiggs into the thespian he is. His resume goes back to fourth grade when he delved into music, which continued outside of school in his church. His commitment to the arts found him in productions in junior high, high school and college.

After making his mark as president of the Cape Central Drama Club and as a member of the International Thespian Society in high school, he looked at colleges elsewhere, though his heart was planted here.

"To be honest, I didn't want to leave," he said. Twiggs loved his community, and doing "Big River" at Southeast convinced him of its top-notch, professional arts program. "I knew that if I wanted to be in performances at the collegiate level, I knew this would be a great place to be."

Twiggs majored in communications at Southeast, continued to study theatre and brings his experiences to "Big River" this go-round in a principal role, playing Jim, a runaway slave twice his age. This character, so different from the young man of the modern, tech-savvy world in which Twiggs actually lives, gives him a chance to showcase his talent. To prepare for the role, he engrossed himself in old Negro spirituals, the civil rights era and speeches by such icons as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. He looks forward to spreading not just his talent, but the message the production seeks to promote: "We all bleed red, so it really doesn't matter what color you are on the outside." This, he said, is especially important now, a time of political and cultural tension.

It's 10 years later, but that message resonates just as much now as it did then -- perhaps even more. Twiggs is delighted to be a part of it once again. The performance will also serve as a farewell of sorts for retiring voice teacher Judith Farris. Farris, a Cape Girardeau native who attended Southeast to go onto acclaim in the musical and theater world, returned to her alma mater 12 years ago to teach, while maintaining some of her voice coaching in New York City. "Big River" was the first musical Farris worked on with students at Southeast. Her inspirational style, expertise and big personality will be missed.

"My goal was to give back to the community and my alma mater, and that's what I have done," Farris said.

According to semo.edu, "Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265, or online at RiverCampus.org/big-river."

We encourage you to check out Twiggs and the "Big River" cast in this anniversary performance that is sure to thrill the whole family.