[Letter from Rex Kyker to Dr. William J. Teague] Page: 2 of 5
This letter is part of the collection entitled: Abilene Christian University Homecoming Musicals Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library.
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William J. Teague
August 23, 1990
Page 2
The 1989-1990 season set an all time record with 10 shows
playing to more than 30,000 patrons. As Lewis said, "We finished
in the black."~
It is diffi ult to conceive t at his ,designs were made-to-
scale models; hekbuilt more than-5- sets with as many as 13 sets
for some major productions. By 1982, over 250,000 people had seen
his wide assortment of dramas, comedies, tragedies, Shakespearean
plays, musicals and children's theatre.
In the winter of 1971, Lewis began renovation of Sewell
Auditorium. The "New Sewell Theatre" was designed for a dinner-
theatre, the first one on a college or university campus so far
as we can determine. The first production in the new theatre was
in the spring of 1971. The first dinner theatre was in 1972 with
the play "Once Upon a Mattress". Seating capacity allows 178
guests to be seated for dinner and additional seats for 104
patrons for dessert.
In addition to his spectacular work on the homecoming
musicals and the dinner theatre, Lewis started the children's
theatre at ACU playing to school children from a wide area. The
first production was in 1967 but the show became part of the
theatre season in 1981. More than 50 area schools bring children
to the play which is staged in Cullen Auditorium. The number to
see the 17 performances each year is about 12,000 students.
Over many years, the festival of one-act plays, supervised
by Lewis and directed by theatre majors, has been an important
factor in university entertainment.
Two historical dramas regarding the University were directed
and produced by Lewis Fulks. The production, "A City Set on a
Hill," was presented to lectureship crowds in 1976 celebrating
ACU's 50th anniversary. He was director and lyricist with Dr. Bob
Page, ACU graduate. Co-author was June Bearden, formerly ACU
faculty member and now with Lubbock Christian.
The 75th Anniversary production, "Like Stars Shining
Brightly" was staged in the Abilene Civic Center as a homecoming
production; again with the assistance of Dr. Page.
Another major contribution to the cultural life at ACU began
by Mr. Fulks in the spring of 1976 with the offering of his
widely acclaimed film appreciation class. The first class had 283
students. Since 1987, Lewis has taught this course twice a year
with over 200 per year enrolled. His private collection of
classic films and sound tracts number5in the hundreds.
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Kyker, Rex P. [Letter from Rex Kyker to Dr. William J. Teague], letter, August 23, 1990; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth865487/m1/2/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.