By Jahna Lacey
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
The McNay Art Museum will be hosting “Cornyation: The Early Years of Fiesta Irreverence” at 6:30 p.m. March 14 in the Chiego Lecture Hall at 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.
Amy Stone, assistant sociology professor at Trinity University, will lecture with photographs and discoveries of the first Cornyation staged by the San Antonio Little Theater troupe in 1951 at the Arneson River Theater on the River Walk in La Villita.
According to the Texas State Historical Association, the “little theater” founded in 1912 grew out of a reading group.
Cornyation is a Fiesta show created to parody politics and celebrities through the unveiling of a royal court in elegant gowns and numerous skits.
Stone said the Cornyation went on from 1951 to 1964 as part of theNight in Old San Antonio before being cancelled in 1965 after satirizing prominent politicians.
Cornyation was performed two more times before being revived by director Ray Chavez in 1982.
“I think students would enjoy an interesting and irreverent piece of history in San Antonio,” Stone said.
“There will be old performers from Cornyation in the audience. The presentation will include old photographs and scripts from the show.”
Admission is free for students with an Alamo Colleges ID, McNay members and children under 12 years old. Adults are $15 and senior citizens and active military members are $10. For more information, call 210-824-5368.
This year’s Cornyation is April 23-25. Early shows will be 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Late shows run 10:30 p.m.-midnight in the Charline McCombs Empire Theater, 226 N. St. Mary’s St. The Coronation of the Queen of The Order of the Alamo is at 8 p.m. April 24 at the Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston St. Tickets are $15-$35.
For more information, visit www.sa-fiesta.org or call 210-227-5191.