88R14775 BPG-D
By: Clardy H.R. No. 660
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Members of the East Texas theater community were
profoundly saddened by the passing of Sarah Frances McMullan on
November 15, 2022, at the age of 89; and
WHEREAS, The daughter of Thelma and Milton McMullan, Sarah
McMullan was born in Newton, Mississippi, on May 5, 1933; she made
her first appearance on stage in a Christmas play at the age of
five, and her career path was set; while still in high school, she
began directing, and after studying theater at Mary Baldwin
College, she went on to earn a bachelor's degree in the subject from
the University of Mississippi; she founded the Hattiesburg Little
Theatre and served as arts/entertainment editor of the Hattiesburg
American before settling in Nacogdoches; and
WHEREAS, In 1971, Ms. McMullan launched a theater company in
the parish hall of Christ Episcopal Church, where she had been
teaching young children; the Lamp-Lite Theatre soon moved to the
City Spirit Arts Center in a former warehouse, but the site was
flood-prone; offered a land lease by the city, the troupe and its
supporters helped disassemble the warehouse and rebuilt it at the
present-day location; Ms. McMullan's five children, Frank, Amanda,
Annabel, Melanie, and Paul, assisted in this project; and
WHEREAS, Ms. McMullan directed more than 320 productions for
the Lamp-Lite Theatre, and her resourcefulness kept it flourishing
for over a half century; gracious, kind, and frank, she served as a
mentor to many, pushing veteran actors to do their best while
recognizing sparks of talent in the inexperienced and offering them
opportunities to learn; at her urging, historian Bobby Johnson
assembled interviews into plays, resulting in two Lamp-Lite debuts,
A Texas Tragedy and Voices of East Texas, that earned recognition
from the Theatre Network of Texas; she traveled to New York City
regularly to scout new works and brought On Golden Pond and Crimes
of the Heart to East Texas playgoers before they were adapted as
movies; over the years, she acted in a number of productions and
performed in summer stock at the Southern Playhouse; she was also a
guest director for the Stephen F. Austin University Summer
Repertory Theatre program and directed Nacogdoches: Gateway to
Texas in the city's sesquicentennial celebration; and
WHEREAS, Through her vision, leadership, and love of the
theater, Sarah McMullan contributed enormously to the vibrancy of
the arts scene in Nacogdoches, and those she left behind will
forever remember her with admiration and affection; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Sarah Frances
McMullan and extend sincere condolences to all who mourn her
passing; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for her family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Sarah
McMullan.