& ARTS Bri Bagwell: a new voice in country

By Conner Ek Life and Arts Contributor

Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, country musician Bri Bagwell keeps with the traditionalism of country pioneers by paving her own path while sticking to her roots and prides herself on carrying the torch of Texas country music that so confidently stands as a pillar for the music she was raised on.

"My family's always been like, 'do music while you can,' and I'm so thankful for that and it wasn't ever like I didn't have stage parents either," Bagwell said. "I've been playing guitar for 16 years 17 years, but I you know, I always joke [that] I play well enough to write songs. I know all the chords but I don't have any desire to like shred or anything."

Bagwell continued to pursue music throughout her life until attending the University of Texas at Austin. She started to play music and officially perform her original work during her senior year.

"It was super welcoming, and they had like a Texas country Monday nights at the first bar that I played at on Sixth Street that's no longer there, which is sad," Bagwell said. "I would play the reddirt-Monday and everyone was super kind and super nice and then I actually would come down to San Marcos a lot."

By frequenting the Central Texas area for shows and performing at venues along the I-35 corridor, Bagwell gained an audience of supporters. She played at Cheatham Street Warehouse in San Marcos as well as other venues in the surrounding areas including New Braunfels, San Antonio and Austin for the first few years of her career going into the early 2010s. Her first official studio release, "Banned from Santa Fe," was released in 2011.

Channeling stage presence and aesthetics of Texas country, Bagwell is a force to be reckoned with, being nominated Best Female Vocalist from the Texas Regional Radio Music Awards. Bagwell has been regarded as one of Texas' brightest female stars to date by People Magazine, interacting with

From Front Theater

legends and even getting to work with some of her childhood heroes.

"I was at The Sound Emporium [and] Robert Plant and Alison Krauss [were] recording next door and I walked out and we got to hang out and talk to them. He just wanted my bandana and I wouldn't give it to him. I was like, 'I'm making a record. You could buy it,'" Bagwell said. "And then I got to open for Willie Nelson, and he asked me to sing with him and then he signed my guitar so I just retired it."

guitar."

Bagwell believes in the power of local music. She played a show at Enchanted Ranch, a wedding venue in San Marcos, on Jan. 20.

"After the busy fall wedding season, we decided it was time to showcase our space as a concert venue," Becki Phelps, the venue manager for Enchanted Ranch, said. "Who better to introduce us to the music community than Bri? She's well known locally, and her talent has taken her all over the globe, so her fan base is wide."

KZSM, a local San Marcos radio station, hosts a variety of musical artists on air, on their live country session every Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Bagwell was a guest on air for an interview with Blake Farrar. He said they were happy to have her on air and to highlight a local country music artist.

"Bri Bagwell is one of the hardest working musicians in Texas and we were proud to have her in studio to talk about her newest album Cabeza y Corazon," Farrar said. "The songs on this record are beautifully written and produced, highlighting a variety of influences. Not only is Bri extremely talented but she is also a class act who’s humble, hungry and determined to leave a legacy as she hangs her hat with the best of 'em."

To keep up with Bri Bagwell and her music, visit @bribagwell on all social media platforms.

Bagwell blends her interpretation of traditional, classic country music with flecks of her individuality and her Las Cruces influences. It all culminates in her most recent album "Corazon y Cabeza" which was released last August.

"If you look at just what country music has been, you look at the people that were like 'screw Nashville, we're doing it our own way.' It's like the outlaws, you know, the Willie Nelsons, Johnny Cashes," Bagwell said. "They weren't considered country and now they are country legends. I think it's just sticking true to who you are and mine is country music with maybe a little Spanish mixed in or some flamenco

Rehearsals started at the end of November at the Price Center with a complete read-through with the cast. According to Oden, rehearsals were very different than the usual plays, since nine individual scenes needed to be rehearsed with various actors on stage. Co-directors Leah Pullin and Oden collaborated with the actors about their roles.

"We would talk about their character, their possible objectives, their wants and needs, and create a backstory that we liked," Oden said. "We also wanted the actors to feel connected to their characters so we made sure to listen to our actors."

Pullin, who joined the theater company last year and also serves as its parliamentarian, said the turnout of people who auditioned for "Love/Sick" was the biggest she'd ever seen. This is her first time directing with the company, having only had experience in her college classes at Texas State. She said she has a newfound respect for directors after being on the other side of a production.

"'Love/Sick' is a very good show for me to jump into directing because I get to take 10-minute scenes and work with them," Pullin said. "It's been a lot of fun and everyone involved is incredible to work with."

The Broke Thespian Theatre Company had its beginnings in a Shakespeare class at Texas State in 2019. Oden and his co-founder Nate Nelson would hold theater productions in Centennial Hall and wanted to bring the experience to a wider audience.

Pullin grew up in San Marcos and has loved acting since she was young. She remembers her parents having to travel around Texas to take her to auditions and is glad that there's now a place for anyone wanting to enjoy theater from the audience or from on stage.

"I think having opportunities in San Marcos makes it a lot more accessible for those who want to do theater and be exposed to theater," Pullin said. "Sometimes kids get to see theater here for the first time, which I really appreciate."

Phelps said Bagwell's fanbase and audience range is national which has helped bring publicity to Enchanted Ranch.

"She really puts on a great show," Phelps said. "Her talented songwriting skills mixed with her voice is just something you've gotta experience."

Bagwell's sets consist of her newer songs, the ones off of "Corazon y Cabeza" that she is the proudest of as well as classics that fans love. Her musical influences like Selena Quintanilla and Spanish culture mix with her storytelling ability in her songs.

Oden expressed that his main goal for the company is to be seen as a community theater for all, whether an actor has performance experience or not. San Marcos has a flourishing art scene and vibrant music scene, but public theater was something that he noticed was missing. While he admired Texas State's theater program, he said it's great to have a place for anyone who wants to pursue their acting passions.

"Our biggest goal is to have this community theatre here in San Marcos that's affordable and open to everybody," Oden said. "The town has art, it has music and now has theater."

Six of the "Love/Sick" actors are Bobcats. Hanna Prince, a public relations freshman, is acting with Broke Thespians for the first time and has two roles in "Love/Sick." In scene one, "Obsessive Impulse," Prince will play the role of a woman who meets a man at a grocery store, and in scene four, "The Answer," she will play the character Celia who is getting ready for her wedding day. Prince's love for theater led her search to find local theater groups in San Marcos and was excited to discover Broke Thespians. After discovering the theater company through Instagram, she took it as her sign to join and auditioned for "Love/Sick."

"I was super excited, like, this was my chance," Prince said. "So I auditioned and I'm super excited to be part of the production."

Jacob Zimmerman, a theater freshman, decided to audition for the production after Prince informed him about Broke Thespians. This will also be Zimmerman's first production with the theater company. In scene four he will act alongside Prince as Keith, the groom who gets tense and jittery before his marriage to Celia. Scene seven titled "Forgot" has him playing the role of Kevin, a husband who celebrates his wife's birthday.

Zimmerman said Broke Thespians brings a sense of community to theater. He believes joining the company is a great change of pace for anyone, whether they are pursuing a theater degree or not.

"Not coming from a background of community theater, this is a fun and new experience," Zimmerman said. "There's now new opportunities for people to go do theater if it's one of their passions."

The nine scenes are different from each other yet all come together to create a love story that anyone can relate to. Zimmerman encourages people to come to see "Love/Sick" to watch the story of love and its challenges told through various short plays unfold on the stage. Prince said for anyone looking for a one-ofa-kind, laugh-out-loud experience, "Love/Sick" is the play to see.

"These individual love stories have a twist, it's insanely comedic," Prince said. "This show will be a really unique experience to come see."

"Love/Sick" will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 10-11 and 17-18, and at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 12 and 18 at the Price Center located at 222 W San Antonio St.

For tickets and more information, visit https://www. brokethespianstheatrecompany.org/now-playing.