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Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu
CANYON, Texas — A beloved series of children’s books will come to life in special performances by West Texas A&M University Theatre.
“A Year with Frog and Toad,” based on a series of easy-reader children’s books written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel, will be staged Oct. 31 to Nov. 9 in the Branding Iron Theatre in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex on WT’s Canyon campus.
Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 6 to 7, and 2:30 p.m. Nov. 1, 2, 8 and 9. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and free for WT students, faculty and staff with a Buff Gold Card. Call 806-651-2810, email artsboxoffice@wtamu.edu or visit cur8.com/projects/17516.
“These are the characters and the stories that you know from the cherished books,” said Bradley Behrmann, associate professor of musical theatre in the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “It is a really smart adaptation that does just come to life, and it is really delightful to see into their little world and to see kind of all of their shenanigans over the course of a year.”
As in Lobel’s books, Frog (played by Kyle Roberson, a senior theater major from Amarillo) and Toad (Adam Lee Roberson, a senior theatre major from La Porte) are best friends with decidedly different personalities.
“Frog is the most collected out of the two,” Kyle Roberson said. “He’s very sincere while still being a little bit blunt at times—but a kind bluntness. He doesn’t want to hurt Toad’s feelings ever, and he’s always sorry.”
“Toad is very nervous, but he’s also very stubborn,” Adam Lee Roberson said. (The Robersons are not related.) “He’s very sweet, and I feel like shows like to take a character like this and mold him into something different. But this show doesn’t treat (his personality traits) as problems. That’s just who he is, and that’s just how Frog likes him.”
This is the first piece of theatre for young audiences that WT Theatre has staged in several seasons, and cast and crew are eager to introduce the art form to younger sets of eyes.
In addition to two sold-out performances for students from Canyon and Amarillo independent school districts, “Frog and Toad” will be staged for several matinee performances.
“This is going to be a really enjoyable theatrical experience for everybody, especially if this is their first time in the theater,” Behrmann said. “We’ll have activities going on in the lobby to welcome audiences into the world of Frog and Toad. The show is vaudevillian inspired, so we’ll have stories and songs and games and jokes as soon as they enter the space, even before the show starts.”
Opening night is on Halloween, and children (and adults) are encouraged to come in costume.
“I’ve done two shows before for kids at my community college, and it’s always fun,” Adam Lee Roberson said. “The energy you get from these shows is amazing. A lot of actors really view drama as the peak of acting, but I feel like a lot of people take for granted shows like this that are just warm, that are telling a good story with a good moral that doesn’t take itself so seriously.”
The cast also includes Isa Slaughter, a senior musical theatre major from Odessa, as Snail.
Ensemble members are Logan Lawhon, a junior musical theatre major from Midland; Jewels Rodriguez, a senior musical theatre major from El Paso; Noa Sorrell, a senior musical theatre major from Fort Worth; and Corinthia Townsend, a senior musical theatre major from Garland.
Emcees are Jacqueline Arellano, a senior musical theatre major from El Paso; Hope Joyce, a sophomore musical theatre major from Odessa; MarLowe Martinez, a sophomore musical theatre major from El Paso; and Michael Platt, a senior theatre major from Melissa.
The all-student design team includes Sterling Knight, a senior musical theatre major from Amarillo, scenic designer; Brooklynn Johnson, a senior theatre major from Lubbock, costume designer; Dani Collins, a senior theatre major from Lubbock, hair and makeup designer; Adrian Boyles, a senior theatre major from Decatur, lighting designer; Sarah Hope, a junior theatre major from Amarillo, stage manager; Fayth Thompson, a senior theatre education major from Andrews, assistant director; Bryson Shelton, a sophomore theatre major from Amarillo, assisting lighting designer; Emily Wilson, a junior dance major from Lubbock, assistant choreographer; Caleb Simmons, a freshman theatre education major from Childress, assistant stage manager; and Leilani Smith, a freshman musical theatre major from West, assistant stage manager.
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 has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.
About West Texas A&M University
A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M 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. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is 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 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.
Photo: West Texas A&M University Theatre will stage the children’s musical “A Year with Frog and Toad” from Oct. 31 to Nov. 9. Stars are Kyle Roberson, right, as Frog, and Adam Lee Roberson, left, as Toad.
—WT—