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Home » News » Austin Peay to present ‘A Kid Like Jake’ Feb. 26 through March 1

Austin Peay to present ‘A Kid Like Jake’ Feb. 26 through March 1

By: Dr. Andrea Spofford February 20, 2026

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APSU students Phillip Hudgins (as Greg) and Neria Reynolds (as Alex) perform during a rehearsal for the university’s upcoming production of “A Kid Like Jake.”

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University’s Department of Theatre & Dance, with support from the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts, will present A Kid Like Jake from Feb. 26 through March 1 in the Mike and Sara Gotcher Theatre, located in the Trahern Building on campus.

Written by acclaimed playwright Daniel Pearle, the production examines a married couple’s struggles as they navigate their roles as parents to a gender-nonconforming child.

“Parenting today is difficult, and finding the line between forcing our beliefs on our children and allowing them to discover their own beliefs is even more difficult,” said Director Talon Beeson, an associate professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance. “This play explores that blurry line and asks some tough questions. But as one of the characters in the play says: ‘We don’t always have to have the answers, we just have to keep listening.’”

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APSU students Andrea Pioc Condorpoza (as Judy) and Neria Reynolds (as Alex) perform during a rehearsal for the university’s upcoming production of “A Kid Like Jake.”

Tickets for the show are $5 for APSU students, faculty, staff, military, and seniors, and $10 for adults. They can be purchased by visiting the Department of Theatre & Dance Box Office website, emailing boxoffice@apsu.edu, or calling 931-221-7379. 

The cast members for APSU’s production of A Kid Like Jake include: 

For more information, contact Talon Beeson at beesont@apsu.edu. To learn about future CECA events and productions, visit https://www.apsu.edu/ceca/.  

About the Department of Theatre and Dance 

Austin Peay State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance is a training program that focuses on the professional skills expected on any stage, set, studio, or audition, or in any dance company. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts with concentrations in acting, dance, design, musical theatre, and stage management, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in theatre and dance. 

About the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts 

Since 1985, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or "seek-ah") has been providing students, the Clarksville community, and the Middle Tennessee region with engaging experiences through the Art + Design, Creative Writing, Music, and Theatre & Dance programs at APSU. CECA brings as many as 85 guest artists to Clarksville each year and presents up to 100 public arts and culture events annually, including concerts, exhibitions, artist lectures, master classes, artist residencies, and more. In addition, CECA provides the arts faculty at APSU with research opportunities to enhance their professional growth as well as numerous student scholarships each year to support APSU's own emerging artists. To learn more about CECA, contact Dr. Andrea Spofford at spofforda@apsu.edu.