Internationally Touring Acting Troupe to Explore Serious Topics through Clowning for WT Performance

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

CANYON, Texas — An acting troupe formed in Italy will use clowning techniques to tackle some serious issues in the season-opening performance for West Texas A&M University Theatre.

Women from Mars, featuring Echo Sunyata Sibley, WT assistant professor of theater, will give a public performance of “Silent Reflections” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 in the Branding Iron Theatre inside WT’s Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex in Canyon.

Tickets are $10.

The troupe—which also includes actors/co-founders Francesca Chilcote and Dory Sibley—was formed in 2013 to explore the struggles of women in different stages of life.

“We hope to impact political, cultural, and economic divisions by inciting an inter-generational dialogue, creating a space to engage in difficult conversations about what is happening on the world stage,” Echo Sibley said. “In our work, we strive to create a communal experience that bridges individual identities and biases through inclusivity, laughter and joy.”

“Silent Reflections” uses black-and-white aesthetics of silent films in the costumes and set design; the actors will be mute, but the videos and score, much of which was recorded in Italy, will help drive the action.

“We’re tackling serious subjects like body dysmorphia and abuse with some humor,” Sibley said. “We’re clowns, so there’s lots of physical comedy.”

WT Theatre students will design sound, compose original music, create new graphics, design lighting and do dramaturgical research for the remounted show. Students include B Herring, a sophomore design & technology and acting major from Lubbock; Caleb Martinez, a senior musical theater major from Seagraves; Christian Howard-Loomis, a senior theater performance major from Lubbock; and Josh McDowell, a senior technical theater major from Tulia.

Though the performance is open to the public, Sibley said she views the performance and accompanying workshops as excellent educational opportunities for students.

“Our show and workshop are a wonderful chance for students to learn about devised theater that is ensemble-based and uses clown, physical theater and abstraction,” Sibley said. 

Women from Mars will lead a clowning workshop from 1 to 6 p.m. Aug. 21 in Fine Arts Complex Room 175. They also will host a panel discussion of gender issues with WT’s Gender Studies program at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 23 in Mary Moody Northen Hall Room 189.

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, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised about $110 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.

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