The 39 Steps: A Kansas Wesleyan Theatre Production

The 39 Steps

The Kansas Wesleyan theatre department displayed The 39 Steps during homecoming weekend.

The 39 Steps is a comedic mystery play which is set during Christmas time in London.

Madeline Goans, a senior starring Annabella Schmidt and Pamela Edwards, talks about how the show does not have a set genre.

“It is not just one specific genre, it is funny, mellow dramatic, a spy thriller, rom-com, it is kind of everything you on TV mixed into one”, states Goans.

There were times where the cast members were actually sitting next to the audience during the scenes.

Cast members switched roles mid-play, sitting down next to the audience, slow motion fight scenes, running across aisles and more. 

The cast of the show were all KWU students: Nick Rogers (sophomore), Madeline Goans (senior), Jacob Brown (freshman), Tammy Houston (junior), Madeleine Johnson (sophomore), Eve Richards (freshman), Eric Stockham (senior) and lastly, Sabrina Todd (freshman).

 The Plot

The story is about Richard Hannay (played by Rogers) who is from London and he is dragged into a conflict that consists of an international group of spies called The 39 Steps.

Furthermore, Hannay must dodge the police who is wrongfully convicting him of a murder, along with agents of a foreign country. Hannay meets a stranger Pamela Edwards (played by Goans) along the way, in which the two fall in love.

Highlighting the members of the show

Goans will be applying to  the University of Idaho to receive her MFA in theatre and hopes to run a theatre department at a college.

She pays homage to Karen Babcock Brassea who has really helped her with theatre and inspired her to pursue theatre in the future.

“Nothing is too small to follow your dreams”, states Goans.

Rogers had the main role of the show and states about he talks every show seriously and to heart. “Every production I have the privilege to be part of is a dream to me. This show (The 39 Steps) is very important to me”, stated Rogers.

In fact, this was Roger’s first show using different dialect throughout the show.

Jacob Brown who was the “clown” of the play, was the main cast member who switched roles mid-play.

In one of the scenes, Brown was a paperboy, policeman and a salesman on a train scene where he transitions from all 3 roles by using a hat.

Brassea directed and choreographed The 39 Steps. She the Associate Professor of Theatre at KWU and has roots as a performer on Broadway, the West End, Japan and Austria.

She has been a member of the the Actors Equity Association since 1980 and of the Screen Actors Guild since 1982. Brassea graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University.

The creative team consisted of Kent Buess who was the set design lighting design and technical director and Dorothy Gallagher  who was the props mistress.

A tribute to the stage managers; Amber Blume (lightboard operator), Lilyan Stark (stage manager), Hannah Swagerty (makeup, hair and running crew), Saria Taylor (stage manager) and lastly, Samantha Terrill (makeup, hair and running crew).