CANYON, Texas — A William Shakespeare comedy will get twists both classical and of-the-moment in a new production at West Texas A&M University.

WT Theatre will stage the Bard’s comedy “As You Like It” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9 to 12 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and 13 in the Happy State Bank Studio Theatre inside the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex.

The play will simultaneously incorporate a style of theater that’s hundreds of years old while considering more modern ideas of gender presentation.

Commedia dell’arte is one of the earliest forms of professional theater, using masked character types — masters and servants, for example — and a mix of improvisation and scripted performance.

“Shakespeare was highly influenced by commedia dell’arte, and in some ways, he turned commedia on its Head. Usually, it’s the servants who are helping the masters, but in this, Rosalind, a master, is the one helping all of these shepherds get together,” said Echo Sunyata Sibley, a WT assistant professor of theatre.

“We’ve broken down every character in the show with these basic commedia archetypes, though that’s giving the actors a place to explore from, not something to be confined to,” continued Sibley, who began teaching at WT in the fall after teaching theater in Italy for the past decade and working in her own feminist clown troupe, Women from Mars.

“Putting on the masks is a completely different acting experience,” said Taylor Pritchett, a senior acting major from Amarillo, who plays Jacques. “You’re not yourself. It’s almost an out-of-body experience. It’s so much fun seeing how much you can discover with a mask covering your face.”

In the play, one of Shakespeare’s more popular romantic comedies, Rosalind (played by Carley Venter, a junior musical theatre major from Midland) is banished from the court of her uncle and finds refuge in the Forest of Arden, where she disguises herself as a man, Ganymede. In the forest, she meets Orlando (played by Jovani Trevino, a senior theater major from Andrews), and becomes involved in an escalating series of mistaken identities and misplaced romantic affections.

The play is “ahead of its time,” Venter said, in its exploration of gender fluidity.

“Androgyny is very human, so when we play with gender in this play, it’s very natural,” Venter said.

Sibley said she wants the production to reflect a modern world tinged with the magical, where there’s “a full embrace of what love can be.”

“Orlando sees Rosalind for who she truly is, even when she’s disguised as Ganymede,” Trevino said. “He realizes that he falls in love with her for who she is, not because she’s a woman.”

Other cast members include Mackenzie Privett, senior musical theatre major from Portales, N.M., as Celia; Sawyer Landry, a junior acting major from Canadian, as Oliver; Wyatt Brownell, senior musical theatre major from Lubbock, as Adam; Christian Howard, junior theatre education major from Loomis, as Corin; Ethan Chase, senior acting major from Amarillo, as Silvius; Nolan Quintanilla, junior musical theatre major from Amarillo, as Phoebe; Socorra Carrillo, senior musical theatre major from Amarillo, as Audrey; R.J. Flud, junior musical theatre major from Midland, as Touchstone; and Taylor Pritchett, senior acting major from Amarillo, as Jacques.

The cast also includes Peyton Hastings, sophomore musical theatre major from Sundown, as Charles and second lord to Duke Senior; Connor Unwin, junior musical theatre major from Amarillo, as Le Beau and Jacques de Boys; Byron Baez, senior acting major from Snyder, as Duke Senior; Evan Hample, sophomore musical theatre major from Wasilla, Alaska, as Duke Frederick; Omar Nevarez, senior theatre performance major from Amarillo, as first lord to Duke Senior; Sam Fry, sophomore theatre education major from Canadian, as William and first lord to Duke Frederick; Aidan Tsichlis, junior musical theatre major from Plano, as second lord to Duke Frederick; Leah Ingram, junior acting major from Cisco, as page to Duke Senior; Kenzie Dennis, junior acting major from Dalhart, as page to Duke Senior; Bella Walker, senior performance major from Melissa, as Zanni, Sir Oliver Martext and Dennis; and Hayley Hurst, senior musical theatre major from Melissa, as Hymen and Isperia. Greek trio members are Abigail Martin, sophomore musical theatre major from Amarillo; Caleb Martinez, junior musical theatre major from Seagraves; and Natalie Davis, senior performance major from Canyon. Dance captain is Jewel Schonhoff, sophomore musical theatre major from Little Elm.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. For reservations, call 806-651-2810, email [email protected] or visit showtix4u.com/events/17516.

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

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised more than $85 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, 39 master’s degrees and 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.