Ante Up for WT Theatre’s ‘The Gambler’

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas - West Texas A&M University Theatre will continue its season with a French farce that plays a winning hand in its exploration of human vices.

"The Gamester," a 2001 play by Freyda Thomas that's inspired by the 1696 comedy "Le Joueur" by Jean-François Regnard, will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 to 26 and Nov. 1 and 2, and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 27 and Nov. 3 in the Branding Iron Theatre in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex on WT's Canyon campus.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, and free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. Visit cur8.com/17516/project/126224, email [email protected] or call 806-651-2810.

The eponymous character, Valère (played by Jax Stubblefield, a senior theatre major from Malakoff), is an inveterate gambler whose string of losses have him disowned by his father and pursued by creditors. Even his fiancée, Angélique (played by Savannah Bohl, a senior theatre major from Muenster), won't marry him until he gives up gambling.

"He will find any way he can to gamble away the money he has, no matter how much that is," Stubblefield said. "Valère is very charming and has a way with words. Any situation he finds himself in, he will somehow spin to favor him. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and that's super fun to play."

Angélique eventually disguises herself as a man to enter a gambling hall and catch Valère in the act. Meanwhile, he's offering himself up as an escort to the wealthy, older Madame Securité (Corinthia Townsend, a junior musical theatre major from Garland) to raise funds to keep playing.

"It's a really fun show, just so funny," Townsend said. "It's so unserious, and a great excuse to be both funny and very dramatic."

Though the inspiration is more than 300 years old, Thomas' adaptation is quite modern, said director Stephen Crandall, professor of theatre.

"She's created a really accessible version of the play," Crandall said. "It's written in rhyming iambic pentameter, but it's in such a contemporary way that you really do understand precisely what the characters are saying. The wit is grounded and modern, and it's really easy to listen to and understand."

That's how several WT Theatre students felt when they read the play last year, Crandall said.

"It received one of the highest number of votes when we had it on the ballot as we were selecting our season," Crandall said. "It seems like our students are eager to tackle these non-contemporary pieces that give them a lot of challenges."

Bohl agreed.

"I haven't gotten the chance to be part of a classical show before this, so I thought it would help me grow and improve as an actor," she said. "I'm excited it got selected. It's incredibly witty and easy to understand. You just fall in love with the characters and root for them."

The cast also includes Lee Roberson, a junior musical theatre major from La Porte, as Hectór; William Cade, a senior theatre major from White Oak, as Thomas; Kyndal Knapp, a senior theatre major from Pampa, as Madame Préférée; Rylee Bass, a senior theatre major from Brownsboro, as Madame Argante; Mario Banos, a senior theatre major from Perryton, as Dorante; Michael Platt, a junior theatre major from Melissa, as Marquis de Fauxpas; Ysabella Mireles, a sophomore musical theatre major from Alamo, as Betty / Beggar; Kyle Roberson, a junior theatre major from Amarillo, as a cropier and a footman; Kenzie Cohan, a sophomore theatre major from Ropesville, as Madame Chapeau; and Seed John, a freshman theatre major from Midland, as Monsieur Veston.

Understudies are Will Nies, a junior theatre major from Amarillo, as Valère; Sterling Knight, a junior musical theatre major from Amarillo, as Angélique; Candy Barrett, a junior theatre major from Olney, as Madame Securité and Madame Chapeau; Trey Becerra, a sophomore theatre major from Tulia, as Hectór and Monsieur Veston; Tucker McCann, a junior theatre major from San Angelo, as Madame Préférée and Marquis de Fauxpas; Jewels Rodriguez, a sophomore musical theatre major from El Paso, as Madame Argante and Betty; Nolan Adams, a sophomore theatre education major from Dumas, as Thomas and Dorante; and Seed John as the croupier.

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 more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. 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 more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree 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.

Photo: Valère (played by Jax Stubblefield, a senior theatre major from Malakoff), is an inveterate gambler who thinks he finally has a winning hand in "The Gamester." The West Texas A&M University Theatre production runs Oct. 24 to Nov. 3.

-WT-

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