Chaos Reigns in WT Theatre’s Farcical ‘Rumors,’ on Stage April 4 to 14

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Though it’s set in an era of pastel colors and big shoulder pads, there’s nothing dated about the humor in the season-ending play from West Texas A&M University Theatre.

Student actors will stage Neil Simon’s farce “Rumors” at 7:30 p.m. April 4 to 6 and 11 to 13, plus 2:30 p.m. April 14, in the Branding Iron Theatre in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex on WT’s Canyon campus.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors and non-WT students. WT students, faculty and staff are free with a Buff Gold Card.

“No matter your age or if you connect to the 1980s, ‘Rumors’ can appeal to everyone who has been involved in or the victim of gossip or misinformation,” said Echo Sunyata Sibley, the show’s director and assistant professor of theatre. “This show pokes fun at the consequences of talking about people behind their backs.”

Set at an elegant dinner party in late ’80s New York, “Rumors” is a romp about miscommunications and escalating disasters among the hoity-toity elite. Before the party begins, Charlie Brock, the deputy mayor of New York City who never actually appears on stage, has been wounded by a self-inflicted gunshot, and his wife is missing in action. As other guests arrive for the Brocks’ 10th-anniversary celebration, the gossip about what actually happened grows out of control.

“I’ve been in comedies before, but I’ve never been in a true slamming-door farce,” said Jaxon Stubblefield, a junior theatre major from Malakoff. “It’s so fast paced. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done.”

That’s true, too, for Rylee Bass, a junior theatre major from Brownsboro, who plays socialite Claire Gans—who, in another era, might be a real housewife from New York.

“There’s just so much chaos,” Bass said. “And Claire often jumps to conclusions just for the fun of it. She starts a lot of the trouble.”

Though Simon was known for his comedies, “Rumors” was his first true farce.

“He wrote this while getting over the heartbreak of divorce, just so he could make himself laugh,” Sibley said.

Simon wasn’t the only one guffawing.

“We’ve seen this show so many times, and I’m still laughing every night,” Sibley said.

The rehearsal process has been rewarding in other ways, too.

“I’ve been working side by side with my assistant director, Sam Fry, who’s been involved much more than the average student director I’ve ever had — to the betterment of the show,” Sibley said. “We’ve blocked every single scene together and had so much fun coming up with comedic business.”

Rehearsals have been “amazing,” said Fry, a senior theatre major from Canadian.

“This has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had at WT,” Fry said.

“I really think he should go into directing,” Sibley said. “He’s got a great eye for details, and I think I’ve learned as much from him as he has learned from me”

The cast also includes Riley Harbour, a junior theatre education major from Amarillo, as Chris Gorman; William Cade, a junior theatre major from White Oak, as Lenny Ganz; Candace Barrett, a junior theatre major from Graham, as Cookie Cusack; Tucker McCann, a junior theatre major from San Angelo, as Ernie Cusack; Savannah Bohl, a junior theatre major from Muenster, as Cassie Cooper; William Nies, a sophomore theatre major from Amarillo, as Glenn Cooper; Ethan Wilkerson, a junior theatre major from Dalhart, as Officer Welch and understudy for Ken Gorman; Tori Ybarra, a freshman musical theatre major from Austin, as Officer Pudney and understudy for Cassie Cooper and Chris Gorman; Mackenzie Cohan, a freshman theatre major from Ropesville, as understudy for Claire Ganz, Officer Pudney and Officer Welch; Carter Black, a junior theatre major from Lubbock, as understudy for Glenn Cooper and Ernie Cusack; and Brittney Lazarus, a freshman musical theatre major from Fort Worth, as understudy for Cookie Cusack.

For tickets, call 806-651-2810, email artsboxoffice@wtamu.edu or visit showtix4u.com/events/17516.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Claire Gans (Rylee Bass, right) has a secret too good not to spill to Chris Gorman (Riley Harbour, left) in West Texas A&M University Theatre’s “Rumors,” on stage April 4 to 14.

—WT—