By: Ashley Bergner, sophomore
4/24/2008

Lights dim, and a hush falls over the theater. A sense of magical excitement fills the air as the actors take their places on stage, preparing for the musical’s opening number. The curtain starts to rise, and the performers take a deep breath. It’s show time.

Not only has junior Matthew Rumsey sung and acted on stage, he also knows what it’s like to work behind the scenes as a director and producer. He hopes to pursue his passion for the arts as a career.

He also has a passion for helping students. As the new Student Government Association senate director of student voice, he wants to make sure that no student’s opinion goes unheard.

Kyle Gallegos, Rumsey’s roommate and the new SGA Fine Arts division senator, said that Rumsey is a “fun, creative person,” who gets along well with people and likes to get involved.

“He’s a very firm person and will fight for what people believe in and want,” Gallegos said. “He will work his hardest to accomplish many goals.”

Finding the perfect fit

Rumsey was born in Topeka and raised in Wichita, attending high school at Sunrise Christian Academy. As a student, he managed the Olive Tree Restaurant, which he said gave him valuable management experience.

After graduating from high school, he lived in New York City for three years, two of which were spent at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, a famous music theater conservatory. 

Although Rumsey was living out what he had thought would be his dream career, after six months of auditioning for shows, he changed his mind. He worked as a manager for a fine dining restaurant, but the pieces still did not seem to fit.

“It was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” Rumsey said.

He loved the excitement of New York City, but he missed the “small town” feeling of Wichita. He missed living in a place where people were open and friendly.

When he came back to Wichita, Friends was the first college he looked at, and he decided it was the perfect place for him.

“This is where I really want to be,” he said. “…I absolutely love it here.”

A voice for students

Before running for the senate director of student voice position, Rumsey heard Friends students expressing concerns about campus issues, as well as positive views about the university. However, those concerns never seemed to go anywhere, because students either did not know where to take them or they did not feel confident enough to speak up.

Rumsey decided that he wanted to give those students a voice, to make the university better and help it continue to grow.

Rumsey’s main concern as senate director of student voice is improving security on campus. Campus security has been a frequent topic at SGA meetings this year, and Rumsey believes the campus is too vulnerable. More security guards would help to make the university safer, he said. He is also willing to explore options such as security cameras.

He wants to make sure that Friends is safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He doesn’t want to wait until something goes wrong before he takes action.

“I refuse to wait for something bad to happen,” he said.

Rumsey would also like to host monthly discussion sessions for students. Approximately 20-40 students would be selected at random and invited to participate in these open discussions. Food would be served to encourage people to come, and Rumsey hopes students from different backgrounds and academic interests will gather to debate and share their opinions.

Rumsey wants to make sure that the voices of all students are heard loud and clear – that no one’s voice goes unheard.

On stage and behind the scenes

Rumsey is heavily involved in the drama program at Friends and produced and performed in the university’s production of “Into the Woods.” He is serving as assistant producer for Symphony of Spring and is also performing in the program.

Friends will put on a musical this summer, which will be directed by Rumsey and sponsored by Charles Parker, associate professor and director of theater.

This is the first time Friends has done a summer musical, Rumsey said. It will be an all-student production.

Rumsey is majoring in producing and directing, which he is doing as an independent study. As a career, he wants to focus on directing theater and would like to stay in the Kansas area.

He has a great passion for directing, and he loves watching people grow. Directing allows him to pass along what he has learned and help people to develop and succeed as performers.

“I think that that’s so rewarding,” he said. “…(It’s) the best job anyone could ever have.”

Parker said that Rumsey has demonstrated good organizational skills and likes to throw himself into tasks “with abandon.”

“He’s a person who really likes to get a very clear goal in mind,” Parker said. 

He said that Rumsey loves to be around other people and motivates students to get involved.

Mark Bartel, director of choral music, first met Rumsey when he came to audition at Friends last summer. Bartel was impressed with Rumsey’s background in music and theater, and he has enjoyed working with Rumsey at Friends.

“He works hard. He’s got a good sense of humor,” Bartel said of Rumsey. “He knows how to mobilize and encourage his fellow students to get involved in the productions.