Sam Houston State University’s theatre department is set to host a production of “Rumors” on Oct. 9-11 in the Erica Starr Theater, located at 1740 Bobby K. Marks Drive.
“Rumors” by Neil Simon is a classic comedy set in the 1980s centered around four couples attending a dinner party, only they arrive to the ghastly scene of their host with a gunshot wound and the hostess missing.
In deciding what production to do, the department’s play selection committee realized SHSU had not done a Neil Simon play in over 20 years. Simon, a Tony Award-winning playwright, died in 2018 at 91 years old.
“We thought that it’d be really fun to re-explore a classic comedy and give our students and our audiences that opportunity and that exposure,” said associate professor and director Patrick Pearson.
The show is double-casted, meaning all four couples have two actors per role who switch between performances. Assistant director Lauren Bender is a crucial element in maintaining a steady flow for this creative challenge.
“You want your assistant director to be someone who you know is able to articulate the vision that you have for the show and still go in and be the leader in the room,” Pearson said. “Lauren, you know, she’s already proven that time and time again throughout this process.”
The senior started her theatre journey as an actress and expressed her joy in having the opportunity to explore “the other side of the table.”
Bender says acting primarily focuses on one character and the relation you have with those on stage with you, while directing allows you to see how the pieces you put together affect each other.
“I think the collaboration between an assistant director and the head director is really interesting and it can vary depending on the partnership,” Bender said, adding “you get to create a space for other artists to put their art on display and just making sure that everybody knows that it’s a safe environment to try new things and to fail, but fail forward.”
Tickets and show times can be accessed through the College of Arts and Media box office website at shsu.universitytickets.com.
