On International Friendship Day, a group of Texas Tech theatre alumni reflect on the bonds that brought them together.
The Zoom call connects four old friends.
They can’t meet in person since they’re scattered across the country. One in Texas, the others in Washington, Colorado and Maine. Their faces immediately light up as they see one another. There is comfort and familiarity.
“Hi ladies,” they say to one another, waving.
Amy Stephens, TaShawna Nash, Ruth Tranter and Jennifer Purcell pick up where they left off. They’re also close with friends Adam and Wendy but they couldn’t make the Zoom call.
This friendship has seen them through the highs and lows of life. They’ve attended one another’s weddings, helped raise children and even traveled together.
They’ve visited in person just this summer, but their roots go way back. Each earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting and directing at Texas Tech University, and that’s where their story began.
Origins
The year is 1993.
Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” hit No. 1 on the charts, Bill Clinton was sworn in as president and “The X-Files” just premiered.
Meanwhile at Texas Tech, the theatre department (it hadn’t become a school yet) was putting on a production of “Conference of the Birds.” Amy, Ruth and Jennifer were all in their second year of college. None had started as acting majors, but they found their way to the stage.
“I took Principles of Acting with Professor George Sorensen as an elective and loved it so much I changed majors,” Jenny said.
Amy and Ruth had similar stories.
They recall “Conference of the Birds” being one of the more unusual shows they did at Texas Tech.
“I was proud of what we produced, but that show was just whacked,” Amy laughed.
However odd the stage adaptation of the poem was, it was absurd enough to start a friendship deeply steeped in hilarity and a little mischief. While the group decided to keep some memories to themselves, there were plenty they happily shared.
Evenings and free time were spent on the back steps of the theater. Those steps no longer exist, removed in subsequent renovations, but the women remember hanging out there running lines, sharing a meal, laughing and just spending time together.
“That was like hippie corner,” Ruth said.
“Oh, and someone would probably be out there playing guitar, too,” Amy added.
By their third year, TaShawna transferred to Texas Tech and joined the group. Amy was the first person she met while standing in an audition line. Amy remembers thinking, “I don’t care who gets the part, I just want her to be my friend.”
TaShawna remembers meeting Ruth who was playing Molly in the department’s production of “Annie.”
“She made such a cute orphan,” TaShawna recalled.
“Annie” was a special production for them all as it opened the day after Thanksgiving so many of the cast and crew shared the holiday together. That was when TaShawna met Darron, who was working fly rail for the show. The two would later move to Seattle, get married and have three daughters.
Remembering When
One unique experience brought back a flood of memories and laughs – Summer Rep.
It was a requirement of the department back in the 1990s. Every student had to complete one summer during their time at Texas Tech. Summer Repertory was an intensive theater program involving a rotation of five productions in as little as two months. Students would act, build sets, hang lights and even help make costumes.
“Those shows were huge,” recalled Cory Norman, director of marketing and communication for the School of Theatre & Dance. “Some of the productions were at the civic center while others were on campus, and many were collaborations between theatre and the School of Music.”
The group of friends commiserated as they remembered those sleep-deprived summer months. It was a lot of work but a lot of fun they said.
Summer rep has been reduced to one month now. It’s called the WildWind Performance Lab. The friends were sad to hear the summer fun had been shortened but agreed it was probably more reasonable for students to partake in.
In addition to a shortened duration, the experience now includes guest artists from around the country.
One through-line in all the friends’ memories was their mentor and favorite professor, Sorenson. He was something special, they agreed – a real giant of the Texas Tech theatre program.
Amy, TaShawna, Ruth and Jenny were fortunate to study under him, and their last and only production all together was under his direction, an epic two-part play, “The Kentucky Cycle.”
Sorenson was a fount of knowledge and expertise. He took theater a step further than production and explored how it could impact society. The energy he had for the industry was infectious and his students caught that excitement.
Ruth, Jenny and Amy went on a trip to New York City in their third year with Sorenson and a group of other students.
“Do you still have your playbills from that trip?” Ruth asked the group.
“Oh, I just unearthed a bunch of those recently,” Amy said.
Talk of the East Coast reminded Amy and TaShawna about a trip they took during their fourth year. The two students decided to audition for graduate programs, even though they didn’t end up pursuing graduate school.
“Sorenson told us how important it was to get that professional experience, no matter the outcome,” TaShawna said.
Their flight home out of New Jersey was delayed, leaving the two women stranded for 17 hours.
“But today, that’s such a great memory,” Amy said.
As the group of friends has gotten older, they agree 17 hours of uninterrupted quality time would now be a luxury. All four women are married, some with children. TaShawna and Amy lived close to each other in Seattle for years, but Amy and her family moved to Colorado in 2005.
Jenny got married in 2016 and lives in Dallas. Ruth spent 24 years owning bars and restaurants in New York City but recently relocated to Maine.
Ironically, none of the women work in theater. However, each of them pursued a creative career. Amy is a photographer, TaShawna works in sales and was a business owner for many years, Ruth became an entrepreneur and Jenny works in marketing.
They say earning their degrees in acting prepared them for almost anything they’d want to do. And while some of them did work in theater for a while, each of them eventually found a unique calling all their own.
“Most of us have worked in marketing or business, and you have to sell yourself,” Amy said. “That’s a big part of theater, so it helped prepare us.”
The People Who Knew You When
The women are now turning 50, a milestone in their lives but also in their friendship. They’ve remained close for more than 30 years.
“This season of life, with our kids grown, has been different and it’s been hard,” Amy said, getting emotional. “The support I get from this group is amazing. There is something about ‘the people who knew you when’ and how they’ve seen all sides of you.”
With the advent of social media a decade after they left college, the friends have been able to stay even closer. In those earlier days, there were only emails and the occasional phone call. But as communication has evolved, so has their bond.
The four women, in addition to other classmates, had a big reunion in 2016. They picked up where they left off.
“It was like we were right back on those steps outside the theater in Lubbock,” Ruth said. “You don’t miss a beat when this group gets together.”
There is something about theater and creating with others that forms a tight bond, they say.
“You’re out there baring your soul,” Jenny said.
“You’re right!” Ruth agreed. “It’s vulnerable and you spend hours and hours with these people.”
And 30 years later, while separated by thousands of miles, their connection proves that while the show may end, the relationships go on.