The St. Thomas Theater Department’s fall production of Stone Soup was a joyful celebration of teamwork, creativity, and community spirit.

For Theater Director Dan Green, Stone Soup perfectly captured the philosophy that guides his program: “Everybody should be invited to the feast,” he said. “Some people don’t even know what ingredients they’re bringing, the gift they’re bringing.”

The script of Stone Soup came to life thanks to a special connection. Incarnate Word Academy alumna Teresa Stranahan, who once performed in several St. Thomas productions, penned the words. Stranahan, now a professional actor in Austin, wanted to honor the program that helped shape her love of theater.

Stranahan set her adaptation in Italy, which gave the cast plenty of room to play with accents and affectations.

“It became an exploration of silliness,” Green said. Students practiced their Italian accents using phonetic spellings, and those who played the comic-relief widows, known as Le Vedove Povere, learned colorful phrases to shout from their windows.

“They’re these women who judge everyone in town from their shutters,” Green explained. “They sweep dirt onto the street, throw trash down after the man with the broom walks by. They only speak Italian, and they curse like poets.”

Stranahan’s rendition of Stone Soup follows the plot of traditional folk tale: a town, with its residents divided by rumors and pent-up resentments, becomes a rest stop for three traveling Franciscan priests on their pilgrimage through Italy. The priests, alongside one of the town’s oldest residents, Nonna, create a plan to reunite the people by cooking up a soup, starting with a single stone. The townspeople react in various ways–skepticism abounds, romances spark, and, ultimately, friendship and brotherhood win out. The play was full of banter and schemes; audiences delighted in the soft and silly humor of the show.

Improv moments added to Stone Soup’s already playful charm. During one set change, when a transition was not quite flowing in rehearsals, Green asked two students to make up a short scene. “It worked so well that we kept it,” he said. “It gave the play this sense of spontaneity and fun.”

According to Green, hearing the audience’s laughter buoyed the actors throughout the three-show weekend. With rehearsals beginning early in the school year, the students had been hard at work for months. Upon performing this rendition of a classic tale, they realized the effect of their hard work on the audience.

“When they perform, the audience becomes a new character in the show,” Green shared. “It’s give and take. That’s where the magic happens.”

The cast featured standout performances from IWA junior Avery Tucker as Nonna, St. Agnes senior Emma DeAnda as Bianca, and Duchesne senior Emily Salvatierra as the fiery Sabina. Behind the curtain, student assistant directors Charlie Prouhet and Debra Salyers helped run rehearsals and coordinate technical elements. “They worked like crazy,” the director said. “It was truly a team effort.”

Reflecting on the experience, Green said the morals the actors and stagehands learned go far beyond the teachings of this fable.

“Students in theater learn responsibility, confidence, and how to work together. This play was a reflection of all of that coming together for a silly, fun, and successful performance.”