CONTACT: Jason Marton
361-593-4143 or jason.marton@tamuk.edu

Department of Communications & Theatre Arts begins 2004-2005 season with Wilder's Our Town

This Pulitzer Prize-winning work focuses on the lives and bedrock values of the people in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire at the turn of the 20th century. A simple story on its surface, the play presents an almost infinite number of levels at which to be interpreted.
Author Wilder once said of Our Town: “It’s a little play with all the big subjects in it.”

The production runs at the Little Theatre September 22-24 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance September 26 at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $3.

Miranda Dvorak, a senior from Austin with a double major in theatre and history, serves as director. Her previous directing credits include Dracula Bites and Little High School of Horrors. O’Ryan White of Kingsville serves as stage manager and assistant director. White is majoring in math and theatre. Erica Benavides, a theatre major from Zapata, is the assistant stage manager.

The cast includes:
Ruben Ortega-Young, playing the part of Stage Manager. A senior from McAllen, Ortega-Young previously played Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Doc Gibbs is played by Reuben Alvear II, a senior from George West majoring in theatre arts, with a minor in journalism. Alvear’s previous acting credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and I Am the Devil.

Garrett Henke plays the parts of Joe Crowell and Si Crowell. Henke is from Kingsville and attends Ricardo Middle School. His previous credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Alice in Wonderland.

Howie Newsome is played by Gabriel Ruiz, a theatre major from San Antonio. Previous credits for Ruiz include acting in Jack and the Beanstalk and Impromptu, and directing Drugs Are Bad.

Mrs. Gibbs is played by Erica C. Gallegos, a theatre and radio/TV senior from Alamo. Previous credits for Gallegos include acting in Boy Gets Girl and Universal Language, and directing What Are You Doing in There?

Lyn Sanchez of Kingsville, a theatre arts senior with a minor in math, plays the part of Mrs. Webb. Previous acting credits include The House of Bernarda Alba and The Laramie Project.
Carlos Jaime Martinez plays George Gibbs. A freshman theatre major from Zapata, this is Martinez’s first role in an A&M-Kingsville theatre production.

The part of Rebecca Gibbs is played by Tara Hale of Orange Grove. A student at Orange Grove Junior High School, Hale’s previous acting credits include James and the Giant Peach and The Wizard of Oz.

Kenny Colston of Riviera plays the part of Wally Webb. Colston is a student at Riviera Junior High School.

Emily is played by Leslie Garcia, a senior communications and theatre arts major from Zapata. Garcia’s previous stage credits include Tres Piedras and Bocon.

Michael Verderber, a theatre arts major, English minor from Raymondville, plays the parts of Professor Willard, Joe Stoddard and Baseball Player Two. His previous stage credits include Come Aboard and Lurker.

Jason Leubert, a senior art major from Kingsville, plays Mr. Webb. His previous stage
credits include Death of a Salesman, Arsenic and Old Lace and Dearly Departed.

The part of Simon Stimson is played by Ruben Rodriguez, a theatre arts sophomore from Alice. Previous stage credits for Rodriguez include Curse of the Starving Class and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Senior Eleanor D. Daniels, a theatre arts and journalism double major from San Antonio, plays the part of Mrs. Soames. Stage credits include directing Am I Blue, acting in Three Sisters and writing Painted Love.

Taurino Garcia, a freshman from Falfurrias, plays the part of Constable Warren in his first A&M-Kingsville stage credit.

Rick Saenz of Falfurrias plays the parts of Sam Craig and Baseball Player One. This is the first A&M-Kingsville stage credit for the theatre arts/speech communications freshman.

The Townspeople are played by Barry Berryhill, Alex Vidal, Carla Estrada and Melissa Moreno. Berryhill is a senior theatre major from Kingsville whose previous credits include Little High School of Horrors and Alice in Wonderland. Vidal is a graduate student from Kingsville with a previous stage credit for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. Estrada is a junior from Eldorado, with previous stage credits for A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Alice in Wonderland. Moreno is a Kingsville senior with previous credits in The Matchmaker and The Prodigious Snob.

The Audience Members are played by Melissa Anne Scott, Jessica Munoz and Samantha Srp. Scott is a theatre and human development and family studies senior from Corpus Christi, with previous credits directing Alice in Wonderland and Red Carnations, and acting in Snow White and Talking With. Munoz is a junior kinesiology major from Ben Bolt. This is her first A&M-Kingsville stage credit. Srp is a sophomore from Orange Grove majoring in agriculture education. Some of her stage credits include Kiss Me Kate and Jack and the Beanstalk.
Our Town runs at the Little Theatre September 22-24 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee performance September 26 at 2:30 p.m. Admission is $3.

For more information, call 361-593-3401.

-TAMUK-