March 17, 2026

The Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts highlights Echoes of Justice as the university’s first fully student-led devised theatre production. Created and directed by a student artist, the piece blends original material with historical research to explore censorship, queer identity, and the power of performance. Set in the 1900s, the story follows a theatre troupe whose work sparks public backlash, leading to arrests and a courtroom trial. The trial incorporates language and ideas drawn from real U.S. Supreme Court cases, connecting past legal battles to present-day conversations. The production emphasizes collaboration, with students contributing to writing, design, and staging through a devised process. PVFA frames the project as a milestone for the program, demonstrating the potential of student-driven work at a large university. Ultimately, the article presents Echoes of Justice as both an artistic achievement and a timely exploration of how theatre intersects with law, politics, and social change.

August 22, 2025

Texas A&M University’s Theatre program will debut Echoes of Justice, the first student-led production under the new BFA, in the Black Box Theater. Created and directed by Christian Kahl ’26, the devised play blends archival trial transcripts with contemporary storytelling to explore censorship, queerness, and art on trial. Developed with a student ensemble, the piece uses immersive projection mapping to surround audiences in the very systems the play interrogates. Kahl noted that the inspiration stemmed from both the 1927 obscenity trial of God of Vengeance and Texas A&M’s recent ban of Draggieland, making the work feel urgent and uncomfortably relevant. The production reflects the collective spirit of the new BFA, with half the script built in rehearsal and half rooted in research. It asks who decides what is acceptable onstage and why those decisions matter. By placing audiences inside the trial, the play turns spectators into participants. Kahl hopes the show will spark conversation long after the final gavel falls.

November 25, 2024

Texas A&M University’s new Theatre program debuted its first production, SUPERHERO & SUPERHERO, a devised comedic play exploring modern heroism, performed to sold-out audiences Nov. 7–9 in the Black Box Theater. Directed by Dr. George McConnell, the ensemble created original superhero personas through monologues, dance, and audience interaction, focusing on authenticity and collaboration. Christian Kahl contributed as part of the set build crew, supporting the student-driven production. Interim program director Rayna Middleton Dexter praised the ensemble’s creativity and teamwork, noting that devised theatre encourages adaptability, imagination, and collective problem-solving.

April 17, 2023

Texas A&M University’s performance studies program has partnered with the Blinn-Bryan Theatre Troupe to present Eugène Ionesco’s Rhinoceros, the program’s first production under the new College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts. Co-directed by Anne Quackenbush and Greg Wise, the absurdist comedy explores conformity and the dangers of fascism, blending existential themes with humor. The design team, led by Rayna Dexter’s Collaborative Design course, features Christian Kahl as the set designer, creating the surreal world of the play with support from Jeff Watson and student builders. Performances run April 20–22 at Blinn-Bryan Student Center Theatre and April 27–29 at Texas A&M’s Black Box Theater as part of the Venture showcase.