“By the Bog of Cats”: a must-see show

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Krystina Martinez

On April 7, “By the Bog Of Cats” opened in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre. An Irish tragedy written by Marina Carr, “Bog” takes a different turn from the WT theatre’s last big production, “The Secret Garden”.

The story is a love struggle between Hester Swane, played by Bailey Lawrence, and Carthage Kilbride, played by Lane Bridges. A formerly married couple, Swane and Kilbride are engaged in a bitter dispute prior to Kilbride’s second marriage. Many of their loved ones attempt to interfere with varying degrees of consequence.

The set design of “Bog” is gorgeous and perfectly conveys the desolation and emptiness that many of the characters feel within the play. The entrance into the studio theater is decorated in such a way that audience members are taken into the story upon arrival. Cast members sometimes enter and exit through the same tunnel, which creates an interesting effect. The studio theater is smaller than the Branding Iron Theatre, where most productions take place. However, the smaller space creates a more intimate setting and the audience can feel the emotions from the cast.

The sound and music is minimal, but the audience hardly noticed because cast members are so convincing in their roles. Lawrence stole the show as the female lead. She shined in every aspect, from the painful interactions with Bridges to her happier moments with her daughter Josie, played by Abby Boyd. The entire “Bog” cast is probably one of the best casts assembled by the theatre department this season.

As fantastic as the overall direction for “Bog” is, the story began to drag in the middle of the second half. Also, the only negative side effect of the intimate setting in the studio theater was the inability to see certain parts of the show due to spacing issues.

However, these are small complaints in comparison to the bigger picture. “By the Bog of Cats” takes the audience on an emotional rollercoaster and the heart-wrenching ending will leave you emotionally drained by the time you leave the theatre. Director Stephen Crandall did a fantastic job in assembling the cast and crew to create a highly compelling performance.

“By the Bog Of Cats” will be showing at 7:30 p.m. on April 13-16 at the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre in the Fine Arts Complex.

Secret Garden cast blossoms on stage

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Krystina Martinez

Secret Garden Poster Courtesy of WTAMU

The WTAMU theater department brought The Secret Garden back to life on Feb. 3. The musical, directed by professor of theater Royal Brantley, is an adaption of the classic children’s novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

The main character, Mary Lennox, is orphaned by a cholera outbreak in India. She moves to Yorkshire and is put under the guardianship of her uncle, Archibald Craven, a melancholy man who has some ghosts of his own.

The acting of most of the cast was certainly commendable. Each character, from Mary down to the “ghosts” that inhabit almost every scene, were portrayed with zeal. The standout of the night was Dickon, played by Brandon Wilhelm, a senior musical theatre major. Although he had fewer musical numbers than some other cast members, Wilhelm had enormous stage presence and stole the show. However, Wilhelm acknowledged that the musical was challenging for him.

“The most difficult thing about musicals is actually getting the acting down and becoming the character,” he said.

Brantley also admitted that there is some difficulty when it comes to directing musicals.

“Once the show opens, it’s out of your control,” said Brantley. “It’s up to the cast and crew [after that].”

Despite the worry, Friday’s performance went off almost without a hitch. There were many opportunities for mishaps, due to the constant moving of sets for each scene, but the cast was able to pull it off.

The set designs took the musical to another level. They were simple in comparison to past shows because of the number of transitions, but they still made an impact. The use of lighting and large pieces such as chandeliers set up the story well.

The Secret Garden is a long musical, clocking in at about two and a half hours. The script is witty, yet there were many touching moments throughout. By the end of the performance, a few audience members were in tears.

The Secret Garden is a charming and captivating musical, and it is certainly one of the best performances that the Branding Iron Theater has put on. Students still have a chance to catch the musical in action. The Secret Garden will be showing in the Branding Iron Theater, Feb. 9 – 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Tartuffe mocks: Comedy shows hypocrisy

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Katelyn Garrity

WTAMU’s theatre department will be staging Tartuffe, a comedy by Moliere, as its third play of the season.

Stephen Crandall, new assistant professor of theatre, is directing the comedy. Crandall noted that there are several reasons why Tartuffe is a choice play for students to perform.

“Moliere is a well known comedic playwright,” Crandall said. “The productions here are an extension of the training [actors] receive in the classroom.”

Crandall, a WT alum, was a student to the people who are now his colleagues. He noted that this has been an easy transition.

“It’s been a really easy adjustment,” Crandall said. “I’ve been away for long enough and I’ve gained additional skills. I feel like I can be a colleague instead of a student.”

Crandall said that the theatre professors have been welcoming to him as he starts his role as a faculty member. The students in his production, such as Sam Green, say they want to make sure Tartuffe is a show to remember.

“It’s really exciting to be in his first production because we want him to look good,” Green said. “It’s good to see him growing as a professor and actor at the same time.”

Green, who plays Flipote, said the satirical nature of Tartuffe requires the actors to portray their characters in a slightly different fashion.

“We definitely have to be bigger than what we usually are,” Green said. “We [have to act] more extravagant than usual.”

Fellow cast member Brandon Upton, who plays Monsieur Loyal, agreed that acting for a satire is different than acting for a realistic piece. He also said that the time frame and locale that the play is set in, changes the requirements on the actors.

“The difference is you have to take on a whole new set of mannerisms,” Upton said. “You have a set status quo your set to work with in 17th century France. You have things that are socially acceptable and things that aren’t.

Crandall said that the play is split between the actions of Orgon and Tartuffe, the two main characters.

“From the beginning, I feel like the story is centered around two individuals,” Crandall said. “The story is a parallel story of Orgon’s extremism and fanaticism and then Tartuffe represents Moliere’s attack on hypocrisy.

The play will run Nov. 11-13, Nov. 17-20 in the Branding Iron Theatre with the show starting at 7:30 p.m.

Day of the Dead: WT commemorates life, work of Mexican artist

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Maria Molina

An altar to Frida Kahlo, the most famous woman painter in Mexico. Photo by Courtney Inman.

The Spanish program at WTAMU will exhibit an altar to honor Frida Kahlo, one of the most influential Mexican painters of the 20^th century whose art is characterized by the depiction of the struggles of her life. The altar will be displayed the week of Nov. 1, as a celebration of El Dia de los Muertos.

“The altar for the dead is something religious and mystic,” Dr. Garza, assistant professor of the English, Philosophy, and Modern Languages Department, said. “It connects this life with life after death.”

The tradition goes back to the Aztecs belief that when someone died they went to another place. This other place depended on who they were while they lived. For example, if a person was a warrior he or she will go with the God of the war.

“Before arriving to that place, the soul had to pass through various stages,” Garza said. “[The Aztecs] thought that in order to be able to confront these stages, the dead will need some of the things they had during their life. That is why people did ofrendas or offerings.”

Garza said that this is a tradition of the Catholic calendar and that it has a relation with Halloween.

Dia De Los Muertos altar on the third floor of the Classroom Center. Photo by Courtney Inman.

“When missioners came to America, they saw the indigenous celebration of ´El Dia de los Muertos´,” he said. “They made it so that this festivity will match the celebration of All Hallows Eve, today known as Halloween.”

Spanish Instructors, Sara Davidson and Susan Amos, chose to honor Frida Kahlo in their altar.

“Her story is painful, it is something that stands out because of experiences that she had,” Davidson said.

The altar seeks to reflect the Latin American tradition.

“It is important that [people] know about this tradition and origin because it is one of the most important in Latin American countries,” Garza said. “[WT] is trying to be a Hispanic service institution so everyone needs to have knowledge of the tradition.”

He also said that many Latin Americans adopt U.S. traditions when they come, but it is important for them not to lose their native traditions.

“The U.S has very nice traditions, but it’s good that the other traditions also remain present,” Garza said. “The University needs to be conscious of this so that traditions do not get lost.”

The altar will be in display Nov. 1 until the end of the week.

Nun finds truth evasive

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Katelyn Garrity

Photo by Stephen Ingle.

‘Doubt’, written by John Patrick Shanley in 2004, takes place in 1964 at a Catholic school. The school has just welcomed its first African American student, Donald Muller. Questions arise as Sister Aloysius, the school’s principal, investigates the relationship between Muller and Father Flynn.

The play is one act long and does not include an intermission.

“You don’t get to give the audience a break,” Felkins said. “I want to keep the audience on the edge of their seat for about an hour and 15 minutes.”

Bailey Lawrence, a senior theatre major, will play Sister Aloysius. Meryl Streep played Sister Aloysius in ‘Doubt’ the movie released in 2008.

“It’s kind of nerve wracking because I have Meryl Streep to live up to,” Lawrence said. “People expect a certain performance.”

Because of the lack of intermission in ‘Doubt’, the audience will not be able to discuss the play until the show is over. Felkins said she hopes the audience talks about the play after the conclusion.

“I intend the audience leaving here to get in an argument or in depth discussion,” Felkins said. “The play is more than the whole scandal [and] conflict.”

Lawrence noted that an intermission would defeat the purpose Shanley had for this play.

“It forces the audience to stay in the driving action,” Lawrence said. “If they left at intermission, they’d have too much time to debate.”

Felkins said that one of the points of the play is to make the audience itself doubt and question.

“Doubt” ran Oct. 21-23. The play continues Oct. 27-30, starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free for students and faculty. They can be picked up before the performances at the Box Office in the Fine Arts Complex.

Many faces of ‘A Doll’s House’

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Katelyn Garrity

WTAMU students and faculty are mounting a production of Henrik Ibsen’s play ‘A Doll’s House’.

Theatre professionals consider ‘A Doll’s House’ to be the start of realism. Royal Brantley, professor of theatre and the shows director, said he felt challenged to take Ibsen’s classic and make it apply to a modern audience.

“Any dated work is difficult to perform,” Brantley said. “It’s no longer relevant. [In ‘A Doll’s House’ the characters] choose themselves, the individual, over society. That happens all the time in today’s world.”

Senior Travis Johnson said he felt the way the play is being stages allows the audience to take a more analytical view of the action.

“There’s a good bit of modern day that come through,” Johnson said. “It’s a good thing to put a mask of the 19th century person over the contemporary.

Ibsen’s play has been the topic of several criticisms throughout the years. Both Brantley and junior Rebecca Graves believe these criticisms help to add to this production.

“Although it’s a classic, it has a lot of criticisms,” Graves said. “So we decided to poke fun at the criticisms and literally put them on stage.”

Brantley went directly to the words of Ibsen himself when trying to figure out how to stage this production and underscore the play’s criticisms.

“Ibsen – one of his famous quotes about the play – is that a woman cannot be herself in today’s society,” Brantley said. “That started a question for me. If she can’t be herself, who is she?”

Brantley focused on the discoveries the character makes to move the play forward.

“I think [discovery] is the major action I’ve directed,” Brantley said. “I think everyone is a part of that discovery process.”

Johnson said he hopes that the discoveries the characters within the play make will influence the audience to take a step back and look at their own lives.

“The audience can take this lesson,” Johnson said. “To see things in their lives keep them down or hindering them.”

Graves said she thinks they have accentuated the humor of the play while also showing how the play parallels with modern times.

“We have tried to bring out the humor in the show because it is a dark piece,” Graves said. From Nora, the play’s main character, stems several of the show’s criticisms. Brantley said he believes Ibsen initially wrote Nora’s character the way he did to make a point.

“Nora is psychotic,” Brantley said. “There is no way one person can have that many personalities. I think Ibsen had a purpose her and we’re trying to service that inquiry.”

As the director, Brantley has adapted the play to have three different actors play Nora.

Courtesy Photo

“I have adapted the play to explore these three personalities,” Brantley said. “She, Nora, has to play these three roles to survive.”

Brantley said he did not cut anything from Ibsen’s original script, he is instead reassigning lines between three actors who will portray the different facets of Nora’s personality.

With the start of the fall semester being pushed back to Aug. 30, the theatre department faced a time crunch for mounting this production. The play opens Sept. 30 giving the theatre department less than 30 days to mount the production.

Graves said that this production required more of a time commitment each week than past productions. “In year’s past, we’ve had rehearsal Monday through Thursday,” Graves said. “This year we have rehearsal Monday through Friday along with our outside prep.”

This production is especially important to the theatre department because it is their entry for the American College Theatre Festival. Brantley said that the department won’t be informed of the adjudicators’ decision until December.

“It’s all about scheduling,” Brantley said. “If we were to advance it wouldn’t be until February.”

‘A Doll’s House’ will run Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 and Oct. 6 – Oct. 9. The play begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Branding Iron Theatre. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office in the Fine Arts Complex. WT students can get a free ticket if they show their Buffalo Gold Card. Faculty members are eligible for two free tickets.

BIT Presents Enjoyable ‘Night’

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Frank Rodasky

Canyon may seem a strange place to watch a performance of any William Shakespeare play; the Panhandle doesn’t exactly remind theatergoers of Elizabethan England.

Yet West Texas A&M University’s strong Fine Arts program, in conjunction with the Branding Iron Theatre, is clearly capable of putting on lively interpretations of even Shakespeare’s lesser known works.

Twelfth Night, or What You Will, is a fine example of a university drama company at its best. Enthusiastic actors finely directed, buoyed by minimalistic stage dressing and creative costumes combining to breathe life into what some readers of Shakespeare consider one of his less readable plays (okay, this is mostly my opinion).

As soon as the lights come up on the sparsely furnished stage, Duke Orsino (Bryan Lewis) calls out, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Orsino is hopelessly smitten with Lady Olivia, who is mourning the death of her brother and not in the mood to be wooed.

Subtle lighting design by Shawn Irish and sound effects by Andrew Donnelly shift the story to another location, where a shipwreck has cast ashore Viola (Terah Zoman), who has been separated from her brother and fears him lost.

The only other known survivor, the ship’s captain (Nathan Gregory), tells Viola of the love struck Duke in nearby Illyria, and Viola decides to disguise herself as a man in hopes of finding work with either the Duke or Lady Olivia.

Like other Shakespearean comedies, the plot of this play hinges on mistaken identities or situations. The direction and performances of the cast are careful to highlight the absurdities of the plot.

Emmy Harris as Lady Olivia, the center point of the play’s love interests, fits her part well. As a grieving and slightly petulant object of desire, she is more than a little tired of being pursued while her own interests are neglected.

Two of the standouts of the performance are Kirk Corely as Lady Olivia’s uncle Sir Toby, and Keith Gamblin as Sir Andrew, Toby’s partner in drinking and mischief. Both actors use clever physical comedy to draw out some of the biggest laughs of the play. The creative costume work of Anne Medlock deserves special attention, too. Instead of stately period clothing, each actor wears what appears to be hybrid of time periods, basing color and pattern on each character’s personality. Toby and Andrew are dressed like garish racetrack patrons; Lady Olivia’s dress is stately and beautiful.

Another highlight is Casey Hayes as Malvolio, the delusional, uptight steward of Lady Olivia’s house who gets tricked into making a fool out of himself for love. Zeke Lewis as Feste provides some quality song performances, ably supported by Lars Maurseth’s musician.

The fast paced play is a credit to the direction of Perry Crafton, associate professor of theatre. For the uninitiated, Shakespeare’s dialogue can be a labyrinth to get lost in. But the production keeps things flowing, and all the actors seem to enjoy their work, making it easy for the audience to join in on the fun.

Performances run February 17-20th at 7:30 p.m. at the Branding Iron Theatre. Admission is $10 for reserved seating, $7 for children and seniors. WT students get in for free.

WTAMU Symphony Orchestra to Bring Life to Classic Film

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Beka Rutledge

The Iron Mask poster.

For the fourth consecutive year, the West Texas A&M University Symphony Orchestra will present a live-cinema performance.

This year they will be presenting the 1929 classic, The Iron Mask, featuring Douglas Fairbanks. The WT Symphony Orchestra will be under the direction of Dr. Mark Bartley, assistant professor of music. They will provide live musical accompaniment while the black-and-white film plays on wide screen.

“We’ve had great success with horror in Phantom of the Opera and comedy with City Lights and The Kid featuring silent film stars, Lon Chaney and Charlie Chaplin,” Bartley said. “This year Douglas Fairbanks and The Iron Mask seemed to be a great fit for a performance around Halloween.”

The movie is a sequel to the 1921 film The Three Musketeers. Fairbanks plays D’ Artagnan, a swashbuckler. His friends Athos, Porthos and Aramis make up the Musketeers.

King Louis XIII of France is estatic to have a son, and therefore, a heir to the throne. However, the queen bears a twin. Cardinal Richelieu, in an effort to ward off a potential revolution, sends the twin to Spain to be raised in secret.

In order to keep this secret, Constance, D’ Artagnan’s lover, must be sent off to a convent when she learns of the twin. When D’ Artagnan discovers this, he starts planning on how to rescue her. He contacts the Musketeers, Richelieu finds them out and banishes them forever. He recruits D’ Artagnan to watch over the young prince.

All the while, de Rochefort finds out about the twins and kidnaps the hidden one and takes him to raise in secret. Several years later, after the young prince is crowned King Louis XIV and Richelieu is dead, Rochefort puts his plan into action.

He kidnaps the king and replaces him with his twin. The twin is put in an iron mask so that he is not recognized. He is then led to a castle to be held prisoner. However, the real king is able to alert D’ Artagnan who reunites the Musketeers to stop Rochefort’s plot to take over, but it is no easy task.

“The audience will enjoy the musical score by Carl Davis. It’s remarkably effective with D’ Artagnan and the Three Musketeers, represented by each of the four French horns,” Bartley said.

The orchestra performed the program Oct. 26 at the Ector Theatre in Odessa. They will again perform it on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on campus.

Advance tickets are available by calling 806-651-2854. The ticket prices are $5 for general admission and $3 for students.

Fiddle Me This

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Jonas Rios

PHOTO | RIK ANDERSEN

Web Editor’s Note: For more photos of Fiddler on the Roof, click here!

Fiddler on the Roof makes its way into the Branding Iron Theater at West Texas A&M University. The musical opened last week and will commence again this week, the 21-24.

I sat down with Kayla Gregg, senior musical theater major, who takes on the roll as Tzeitel, to talk about this season’s play and what it means to her.

Jonas Leon Rios: What do you think about the production of Fiddler so far?

Kayla Gregg: It’s going great and is a lot of fun. It’s also great working with Mr. Brantley. I really love the story; it’s just amazing. It’s a part of history that a lot of people my age don’t know about. Even though it is a very deep, very sad historical play, there is so much comedy in the play. The audience just rolls every night, and so do we backstage; it’s so much fun.

Rios: Now, as opposed to last semester’s production of Beauty and the Beast, how does this compare?

Gregg: Obviously it’s a smaller part, (as opposed to the main role of Belle, Kayla played last semester) and the set is not as intricate as Beauty and the Beast, but it’s still a great show. I love watching what the designers have done with the set; it’s a very simplistic idea and yet it comes across very well I think. Seeing Mr. Brantley perform and to be ale to work and learn from him has just been wonderful.

Rios: So why Fiddler this semester?

Gregg: Part of it is because it’s WT’s centennial and we wanted to do a big show, but also because it’s a tribute to the Brantley family. Mr. Brantley’s father was the director of music, here at WT, for a very long time. He performed Tevye when he was here at WT. So, it’s bringing that tradition of the Brantley family on through to us as well.

Rios: What will you take away from this experience?

Gregg: Wow, what won’t I take away from this experience? It’s really quite indescribable to get to do this production, which I watched since I was a child; we had the movie, and I watched it over and over again. To be a part of this production with Mr. Brantley, and with the others and the cast who are all just phenomenal, is quite an experience. It’s interesting to do a show of this proportion that is so different from the last big show we did, Beauty and the Beast.

Rios: What do you think you’ll miss about all of this?

Gregg: The bantering back stage and the audiences’ reactions to the slapstick comedy is just priceless. The audience reaction to the relationship between Tevye and Golde is just wonderful, and of course the other characters as well. I’ll definitely miss all of that.

Rios: For those who haven’t seen Fiddler, what can they expect?

Gregg: It is a family show; it is funny. It will make you laugh, and it will make you cry in several places. I tear up every night, and I mean every night. I also laugh until my sides hurt every night, of course backstage. It’s such a well-rounded show, and the characters are so close to everybody. You can see how these characters live and how they are struggling through their lives, but their smiling through their struggles as well. It’s just a great, great show.

Rios: Will this be your last play as a student?

Gregg: That remains to be seen. We have auditions for Twelfth Night coming up the week after Fiddler closes, and then in the spring we’ll have auditions for a play that Mr. Brantley is directing. So, I might audition for shows that year as well.

Rios: What do you plan on doing after you graduate?

Gregg: I’ll probably be here as a student next year as well, trying to get my teaching certificate; I’d love to teach, but if I’m supposed to perform then I’ll go that route, too.

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