TAMUK professor directing, alumni acting
Texas A&M University–Kingsville’s (TAMUK) Professor and Aurora Arts co-founder, Corey Ranson is directing, designing and producing Sylvia.
Sylvia tells the story of Greg and Kate. The couple moved to Manhattan after 22 years of child-raising in the suburbs.
One afternoon, Greg brings home a dog he found in the park—or that has found him—bearing only the name “Sylvia” on her name tag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife and Sylvia thinks Kate just doesn’t understand the relationship between man and dog.
The marriage is put in serious jeopardy until, after a series of hilarious and touching complications, Greg and Kate learn to compromise, and Sylvia becomes a valued part of their lives.
“This is the third time I have worked on the show in the past 20 years,” Ranson said. “It’s a funny play because of the way the playwright wrote it, in that the dog is played by a human. The reason why he did that is because he highlights the fact we all treat our dogs and pets like they’re human.”
While Ranson is working behind the curtains, two TAMUK alumni, Laurie Guajardo (Kate) and Jesse Ochoa (Tom), are part of the onstage magic.
“There are a lot of similarities between myself and the character of Kate. Kate is a mother, wife and graduate student trying to find a way to take care of her family while making herself a priority as well and it’s always a joy to find that sort of connection to a character as an actor,” Guajardo said. “I take my craft very seriously, but I have a lot of fun doing it. To me acting is so much more than learning lines and blocking. I try to bring life to the characters I play as much as possible by making them authentic as I possibly can.”
While Guajardo was excited to be part of an authentic and inventive production, Ochoa’s first impression was not as positive.
“When I first read the description of the play, I wasn’t really too thrilled because I didn’t see where I could potentially fit in, and I definitely didn’t plan on auditioning,” Ochoa said. “That is, until I clicked ‘read more’ on the audition post and found out that there were other side characters involved. I saw the description for my character, Tom, and I was sure the part was mine. Playing Tom is an absolute blast. The previous few characters I’ve played have been fun, but this boy Tom is wild. He is, for lack of better words, a dog.”
The production of Sylvia will go on for one more weekend – 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 1 and Saturday, July 2.
Individuals interested in watching the play can purchase tickets online, at www.auroraartstheatre.com, but you better purchase quickly; tickets are going quickly and the theatre only holds 100 people.
“I think people could learn a thing or two about dogs, that’s for sure. But also, there are many lessons regarding our human relationships. Spousal relationships, relationships with strangers, relationships with ourselves. We often overlook the beauty of raw interaction,” Ochoa said. “I’ve learned so much about people and life in general already and there’s still more to be uncovered.”