CHANGE in play for Fall 2018

The City College Theatre Department announces a change in its 2018-2019 season of plays. Instead of producing Arabian Nights by Mary Zimmerman, we will be producing another Zimmerman play: Metamorphoses.

Based on the myths of Ovid, Metamorphoses brings to life such tales as that of Orpheus, who, unable not to look, turns and loses Eurydice forever; King Midas, greedy with his new power, who accidentally turns his daughter to gold with a single touch; and Cupid and Psyche who are united forever by the power of love to conquer doubt.

But here's the kicker: Metamorphoses will be staged in a pool of water. That's right, the Saville Theatre is about to be a splash zone! 

Look below to see images of previous productions, or put "Mary Zimmerman Metamorphoses" in a search engine to get a feel for what the show looks like.

We're thrilled to produce Metamorphoses at City College. It has long been on director Lisa Berger's wish list. It will be a challenge for everyone involved, from the designers to the cast to the crew, but we're up for it.

Stay tuned!

Film audition

This is a forward from Brandon Shirin, who is a student at City College who filmed the productions of The Rocky Horror Show and Chicago:

We are starting an indie short film and shooting it around mid July.  We are looking for actors to come for auditioning. Can you please forward this message to your former and current actors to come for the auditioning? 

Thank you

-CAST CALL-

I am looking for volunteers a short motion picture project July 14th-15th. IMDB credit will be provided. Please message me or Email me you're if interested.

b.b.sh.tvhahacrazytube@gmail.com

"Woe Ain't Me"

Genre: Sci Fi / Comedy / Drama
Duration: 7-8 mins

Pitch:
 In a post apocalyptic world, when a group of soldiers run into an obstacle they can’t overcome, they gain hope from the most unlikely of heroes, a wanderer named Woe.
Woe shows them that through perseverance and a positive attitude, the foe that stands before them isn’t so unbeatable.

Character descriptions

Woe: 20-30 something year old male. Small and scraggly. He is a wonderer who isn’t in the best of shape physically.
He is extremely relaxed, with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. Ready to take on any challenge with patience and perseverance.

Lee Stoneking: Tall thin, fit male in his 20s. Stoneking is the leader of his group. He knows what should be done, but doubts his own competence to do the job and this results in him being indecisive.

Jeff Arno: Short, bulky, gruff male. Arno appears to be the muscle of the group but is actually a pessimistic doubter who tries to take charge to save his own skin. Whether his battle be of words or fist, he is abrasive and brash.

Earl Kilgore: A gumpy young timid man. While happy go lucky, he is quick to become timid. An identifiable “pushover”. Though towards the end of the story, he bites down on his grit, and must show himself to be a monster while fighting the beast.

J.T. Pew: 20-30s Athletic female. Pew is hiding in a mans world. She is disappointed the comrades she signed up with are not as fierce as she first thought them to be. She is the only one ready to die in battle and this discourages her.

Beast: Male, 20-50s. Very large physically (height and bulk).
A loudmouth, cocky, image obsessed trash talker.

The audition will be Monday morning at 10 am, June 25th in 387 D st, Chula Vista, CA 91910 .

-- 

Thank you

Regards 

Brandon Shirini

858 242 8270

Bardia.burns@gmail.com

b.b.sh.tvhahacrazytube@gmail.com

Cuts to fall schedule

Well, it's already happened: we have to cut two classes from our fall schedule. They are:

• DRAM 107, Study of Filmed Plays, online, August 20 - October 13, taught by Carol Whaley
• DRAM 132, Beginning Acting, MW 6:30 - 9:30, taught by Teddy Eck
• DRAM 133, Intermediate Acting, MW 6:30 - 9:30, taught by Teddy Eck

Please bear this in mind when you're planning your schedule for the fall.

We hope this won't inconvenience any of you too much. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO UCSD SUMMER INSTITUTE PARTICIPANTS!!!

Jessica Bravo, Luis Enrique "Quike" Moreno, and Natalia Maggio have all been accepted to UCSD's prestigious Summer Institute for 2018!!!

These lucky students will enroll in and attend two classes at UCSD, live in the dorms, take super cool field trips (all at no cost), make new friends, and jump start their academic careers at UCSD. It's a great opportunity and highly competitive.

(It's kind of a big deal that they all got in. 😃)

Want to learn more about the program, and perhaps apply if you're considering UCSD in Fall 2019? Go here: https://knit.ucsd.edu/path/for-students-2/.

Congratulations, Jessica, Quike, and Natalia! We're super proud of you.

Commencement

Drama faculty Katie Rodda and Terry Wilson at City College Commencement 2018. Also shown is art professor Terri Hughes-Oelrich.

Congratulations again to all of the City College drama graduates!!

So what is theatre?

Hey, I don't know if any of you were watching the show TV show Rise--it was about a high school drama program in an economically depressed steel town in Pennsylvania. The teacher decided to produce Spring Awakening, and not surprisingly, got in a lot of hot water for it. The show had a lot of potential but was riddled with cliches: football star who is torn between his love for the sport and his love for theatre; gay kid from a religious family who is afraid to come out; girl playing the lead who is from the wrong side of the tracks; etc., etc.  

So it was canceled after one season. Not surprising. But an article about the show came across my newsfeed, and there's a quote I wanted to share with you:

Rise was about art, the kind of art that leaves 999 people totally unmoved and one person completely obliterated. That’s all art, isn’t it? But it’s why musical theater is art at its most social, because theater comes part and parcel with an entire community filled with people who, compared to 999 others, are that one person. And suddenly, they’re a 15-person cast. They’re a 50-person crew. They’re a group of people who silently agree to put their entire lives on hold together — football, waitressing, general free time — to build this one thing, so perfectly rehearsed and painstakingly crafted, all in service of capturing this one feeling that rose out of this one presentation of art that ends after a lengthy run, a fleeting weekend, or in the case of Spring Awakening, just one night. 

To me, that's one of the most joyous things about theatre. 

Our shows have the potential to change people. We challenge them, make them laugh, invite them to sing along, or make them uncomfortable. We open a conversation, create a spark of recognition, ignite a passion, or piss people off.

And while we're doing it, we become that substitute family. We give up things like time with our own families. We don't make it to the gym. We turn down work shifts, risking personal economic ruin. We get close with one another, so that we celebrate their successes and mourn their disappointments. It's one of the best things about being in a show.

So Rise, rest in peace.

For all of you reading this, consider what it means to be a part of something bigger than yourselves. You're performing in service of the audience, but you're also growing and changing as human beings and participants in this life.

--Katie Rodda

SUMMER SCHOOL

SUMMER 2018 Dramatic Arts Classes

June 18 – August 11

All classes transfer to universities

DRAM 105 · Introduction to Dramatic Arts—3 units/TRANSFERS

80331            ONLINE                                               Katie Rodda

DRAM 107 · Study of Filmed Plays—3 units/TRANSFERS

49991            ONLINE                                               Matthew Salazar-Thompson

DRAM 132 · Beginning Acting—3 units/TRANSFERS

02178            M-Th               12:30 – 3:05             Annie Hinton

DRAM 133 · Intermediate Acting—3 units/TRANSFERS

02180            M-Th               12:30 – 3:05             Annie Hinton

Some of these sections are full, but please put yourself on the wait list.

There's still room in the acting classes!