“The Roping Fools” made its San Marcos debut on Oct. 7 at the First Tuesday Film Series. It follows the history of trick roping from its development by Mexican vaqueros to a competitive entertainment specialty adopted into Wild West shows and rodeos. The film illustrates how this history molded the performers who keep the tradition alive today.

William Fitzpatrick, theatre alumnus director of “The Roping Fools,” started trick roping when he was three years old. Trick roping, which is a combination of lasso skills and dance-like movements to create intricate tricks, was prevalent while Fitzpatrick grew up in Bandera, Texas, the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” However, he noticed it was disappearing from the cultural zeitgeist. His 2024 documentary “The Roping Fools” is an attempt to bring this niche sport back into the limelight and to celebrate its rich culture.

”[The film] is about trick roping, but it’s a proxy for having a niche skill and being passionate about it,” Fitzpatrick said. “And that’s what trick roping is for us. There’s a lot of people that are excited about it and who love it, but they’re not [living] close to each other because there might be 50 professional trick ropers in the world right now.”

After premiering in Claremore, Okla., in November 2024 at the Will Rogers Film Festival, the film came to San Marcos as a part of First Tuesday, a monthly event that screens thought-provoking indie films every first Tuesday of the month.

Jeffrey Brown, founder of First Tuesday, was drawn to “The Roping Fools” because of its homegrown appeal as a film by a TXST alumnus and its unique subject. As the sole project runner for First Tuesday, he takes care to showcase small films that can engage the community and fit into the intimate setting of a local Texas film event.

We try a new wrinkle here and there,” Brown said. “A lot of [the films] are some type of local tie in … another big thing is we’re bringing award winning films that have not played on the big screen.”

Each screening is followed by a Q&A session with the filmmakers and a community leader or TXST professor. Richeler Aladin, TXST School of Theatre, Dance and Film lecturer and an award-winning short film director, was asked to facilitate a discussion between Fitzpatrick and his producer, Ryan Sultemeier, on the film’s production.

Fitzpatrick met Sultemeier when they worked on the set of another documentary, “The Stars at Night,” directed by Betty Buckley, associate professor of practice. Buckley introduced them, and Fitzpatrick pitched Sultemeier his idea for “The Roping Fools.”

“I didn’t actually tell anybody about it seriously until we made ‘The Stars at Night’ with Betty Buckley,” Fitzpatrick said. “[Sultemeier] was the producer on that, and eventually I told him my idea about doing a full trick roping documentary because I knew I was one of the only people that knew all the top professionals within the world. And I would be willing to see their story … because I was a trick roper too, I could capture it really well.”

Fitzpatrick and Sultemeier collected first-hand accounts of trick ropers across the U.S., offering peeks into their lives and performances, including America’s Got Talent’s Loop Rawlins, traditional Charro performer Tomas Garcilazo, and four-time World Champion Rider Kiesner.

Fitzpatrick believed it was important for this movie to be an honest yet entertaining delivery of the world of trick roping. He had a goal to make a film that not only served the trick roping community but was a storytelling piece that anyone could enjoy as well.

“If you’re making a nonfiction piece, like a documentary, you know [from] the premise and nature of the medium that people are supposed to be honest,” Fitzpatrick said. “I was really careful to be honest the whole time, so I didn’t have to worry about that when showing the film. It was like, it won’t come off cheesy … and if you think it’s cheesy, then they’re honestly cheesy.”

First Tuesday Film Series is every first Tuesday of the month at the Price Center, located at 222 W San Antonio St. The next series will be on Nov. 11 due to the election. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. For more information, visit https://firsttuesdaysmtx.com/.