Blinn Theatre Arts Program staging 'The Boys Next Door'

Blinn Theatre Arts Program staging 'The Boys Next Door'

April 6, 2026

The Blinn College District Theatre Arts Program will stage its final Brenham Campus production of 2025-26, the poignant comedy-drama “The Boys Next Door,” running April 16-19.

Performances are at 7 p.m. on April 16 and 17, and 2 p.m. on April 18 and 19. School previews are at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on April 16, and 10 a.m. on April 17. All performances will be at the Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center, 600 Blinn Boulevard.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for Blinn students and children. To purchase tickets, visit www.blinn.edu/boxoffice, call 979-830-4024, or email boxoffice@blinn.edu.

Jennifer Patrick, Theatre Arts Instructor, is directing the play. Technical direction is by Kevin Patrick, Technical Theatre Arts Director.

This will be the final production for Theatre Arts Director Brad Nies, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

“The Boys Next Door,” written by Tom Griffin, provides a touching glimpse into the daily lives of four men with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Living together in a communal residence in New England, they are supervised by an earnest but increasingly burned-out social worker named Jack.

“It is a profound honor to bring the characters of ‘The Boys Next Door’ to life,” Jennifer Patrick said. “In telling the stories of Arnold, Norman, Lucien, and Barry, we celebrate their unique abilities alongside their challenges, recognizing that at our core, we are not that different.”

Cast members are Ace Burns as Arnold Wiggins, Ivory Lasker as Lucien P. Smith, Keylan Richardson as Norman Bulansky, Jaden Mertz as Barry Klemper, Aidan Arrendondo as Jack, Lana Solomon as Shiela, Kevin Patrick as Mr. Klemper, Rylie King as Mrs. Fremus and Clara, Ilaria Calaraco as Mrs. Warren, Ryan Kendall as Mr. Hedges, Ethan Mugambi as Mr. Corbin, and Jude Netanel as Sen. Clarke.

Crew members are Michael Silgero, assistant director and costume designer; Annabelle Chisum, stage manager; Aidan Johnson, assistant stage manager; Paige Stewart, set designer; Ayla Witt, lighting designer; Joyous Feagins, props supervisor; Kendall, sound supervisor; Alyssa Hernandez, sound board operator; and Eric Wilcher, Tevin Simmons, and Micha Horvath, front of house.

Blinn’s Theatre Arts Program cultivates a high-quality educational foundation through a wide range of performance, technical, and production studies. Its Associate of Arts degree plan integrates artistic, technical, and academic disciplines of theatre from the classroom to the stage. Students can audition for a variety of drama and theatre performances and are prepared to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. For more information, visit www.blinn.edu/theatre.