4.21.25
Theater alumna returns to campus as guest director
WSU theater alumna Jane Gabbert ’77 made her directorial debut long before she moved to New York City, before she set foot on Wichita State’s campus – even before she learned to do long division. Her first, albeit unofficial, director credit, a production of “The Wizard of Oz,” premiered on the playground of Vermillion Grade School when Gabbert was in third grade.
“My teacher, Mrs. Laxton, saw us rehearsing at recess, and she offered for us to perform for the whole school,” she recalls. “Even at that age, I’ve always had a love for theater.”
Gabbert followed that love for theater and wound up at Wichita State, where she would study under hall-of-famers including Richard Welsbacher, Mary Jane Teall and Joyce Cavarozzi.
“A lot was asked of us by these mentors,” Gabbert said. “But we pushed ourselves to achieve because we all wanted so badly to be on stage.”
She remembers those days vividly: waking up before dawn for a shift as a janitor at Sear’s, sleeping in her car outside Wilner Auditorium, rehearsing and performing in the evenings, then getting home to finish her assignments and waking up to do it all again the next day.
That effort paid off. After graduating from Wichita State and graduate school in Ohio, Gabbert moved to New York City, where she fit auditions into her schedule as a word processor on Wall Street. Eventually, she landed an agent and began booking roles – the life she’d hoped for since she was a girl.
With 45 years of theatrical acumen, the theater alumna returned to campus in March as a guest director for the production of the 2024 Bela Kiralyfalvi Playwriting Competition award-winning play, “The Angel of Death,” written by current WSU student Amanda Schmalzried.
“Being back in Wichita is just a beautiful thing for me. I’ve always believed in theater, because it gave me a direction in my life,” Gabbert said. “Here, I got the affirmation I needed that I could go and pursue my crazy dreams. When you have professors that believe in you, that gives you so much more hope and self-assurance.”
Gabbert described the tenacity and diligence of the cast of students. “I’m proud to see the faculty are continuing the tradition of mentoring these talented students and pouring into them,” she said.
“I have reaped such riches from my time at Wichita State University,” Gabbert said. “In whatever way we can, I think it’s just our job to give back.”
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