Two Oklahoma State University students will take center stage this week for the theatre department’s season opener.
Theater students Jansen Patterson and Schelbi Cantu are the lead actor and actress in the OSU Theatre Department’s latest comedy production titled “Beyond Therapy,” which is about two adults seeking stable relationships and love with the help of their wacky therapists.
Cantu will be playing the character of Prudence, a writer who works for “People” magazine and is unlucky in love.
“She dates a lot of people who are crazy,” Cantu said. “One of her ex-boyfriends is a twin who thinks he’s his brother, so she’s hoping to go out and find someone normal and sane to fall in love with and she meets Bruce who’s like no one she’s ever met before.”
Patterson will be playing Bruce, a bisexual man who is just trying to find happiness and figure out his life.
“He has a seemingly happy life with a male lover named Bob and things are going great,” Patterson said. “But then he sees a movie that makes him think that he wants a woman. He’s dated women before and he goes out to see if he still has that attraction to women and that’s when he meets Prudence, who he loves but they just keep pushing and trying to make it work.”
Patterson said the audience should expect a fun and rambunctious show.
“There are some risqué parts but that’s what makes it funny,” Patterson said. “It’s not deep comedy where you have to really think about it. It’s just presented to you and it’s refreshing.”
Cantu said she hopes people in the audience can find a character to relate to when they see it.
“It’s certainly not for children,” Cantu said. “I love all the different types of crazy we present. There are so many different types so I think everyone can find something they can connect with.”
As for getting the lead roles in the show, Patterson said him and Cantu landed the part by auditioning for it at the beginning of the semester.
“The department holds auditions for all the shows and we have to do it in front of the directors,” Patterson said. “If they like you they’ll put you on a callback list and we have to come back and read portions of the play and from there all the directions deliberate who gets what part.”
While Patterson and Cantu have been in the same classes and worked on plenty of productions behind-the-scenes, this will be their first time starring and acting together in a play.
Cantu, who has been performing her entire life, starting with cheerleading and beauty pageants as a child, said she got into theater and acting when she was 14 years old.
“I knew this was the type of performance I should’ve been in the whole time,” Cantu said. “I always knew I liked to perform in front of people. Theater is just so magical. It’s different than anything else.”
Patterson, who was more into sports as a child, said he got into theater after he had two hip surgeries and couldn’t play as many contact sports.
“Around that time, I met a theater teacher who just stole me and showed me how great theater can be and how amazing it is,” Patterson said. “I didn’t have that much experience, so I knew this is what I wanted to do with my life, so I started applying to colleges for theater and came here. This thing I love is not so simple, and there’s so much I’ve learned and there are so many great people here who have helped us.”
“Beyond Therapy” premieres Oct. 1 and runs until Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a matinee showing at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 and no Saturday showing due to the football game. Tickets are $10 for students and $12 for general public and can be purchased at the box office.