Born eleven years ago from an idea I pitched to our generous donor, Tim Crowley, the Marfa Intensive has evolved, as all successful programs do, to meet the changing needs of Texas Tech students. Originally envisioned as a two-week exploration of devised theatre and led by Rich Brown, the Intensive brought guest artists such as Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright to Marfa, helping students examine how the town's unique artistic culture and landscape shape the creative process.
Over the past decade, the program has supported a remarkable range of initiatives. We partnered with artists from Chicago exploring the challenges of depicting aphasia on stage. We investigated themes of healing, borders, and even Marfa itself as catalysts for theatrical creation. The Intensive also served as the starting point for campus performances such as The Ghost Project and DanceTech. While some summers proved more successful than others, I cannot recall a single year in which students did not leave Marfa as stronger, more thoughtful artists. For that, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to alumnus Tim Crowley, whose generosity has included the use of his theatre and beautiful hotel.
This summer, we completed our ninth Intensive. Under the inspired leadership of Chris Staley and Katherine Wilkinson, students immersed themselves in Richard III, transforming a challenging collection of texts, images, movement, and ideas into daring and inventive artistic compositions. They embraced complexity, took creative risks, and discovered that some of the most rewarding artistic journeys begin with uncertainty.
I share this history not merely as a chronicle of the past, but as evidence of what the Marfa Intensive was always meant to be: a living, evolving laboratory for artists. Like WildWind, it was built to adapt, to respond to the needs of the moment, and to create opportunities for students that could not exist within the confines of a traditional classroom. Judging by the reflections of our students and the vision articulated by our artistic directors, this year's Intensive may have been our most transformative yet.
Why?
Staley and Wilkinson assembled an extraordinary cohort of guest artists, scholars, and students. The presence of these visitors brought more than expertise; it brought possibility. New voices challenged assumptions, sparked collaborations, and expanded the horizons of what students imagined for themselves as artists and citizens. Such encounters often become the moments students remember years later, the conversations that redirect careers, inspire graduate study, or ignite lifelong creative partnerships.
Rarely have I witnessed a group come together with such generosity, curiosity, and joy. Artists from vastly different backgrounds shared ideas, challenged one another, experimented boldly, and celebrated one another's discoveries. The result was not simply new work, but a temporary artistic community that felt remarkably genuine and alive.
And while the artistic direction is always the catalyst for the success of the program, I should reiterate that none of this would have been possible without Cory Norman, who has served as company manager since the program's inception. For nearly a decade, Cory has quietly orchestrated the countless details that make this experience possible, coordinating travel, managing accommodations, solving problems before most of us know they exist, and ensuring that every artist has the time, space, and support needed to create.
As you read through this newsletter, I hope you'll see more than a record of a summer program. I hope you'll glimpse what happens when talented students are given the freedom to experiment, the courage to fail, and the community to grow. In a place as singular as Marfa, surrounded by artists who challenge and inspire one another, they discover something essential: that artistic excellence is not a destination but a practice of curiosity, collaboration, and continual reinvention.
Eleven years after a conversation with Tim Crowley first planted the seed, the Marfa Intensive continues to surprise us. It remains a place where ideas take root, where friendships and artistic partnerships begin, and where students leave not only as stronger artists, but as more adventurous, imaginative, and generous human beings.
Enjoy the newsletter, and more importantly, enjoy meeting the remarkable artists who made this summer unforgettable.
