Performers YaliniDream (left) and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai (right) act out a scene in which their characters pray to Mary Magdalene, portrayed by Adeeba Rana (center) during the “Say You Heard My Echo” event. Photo-illustration by Daniel Green.

Picture Ground Zero. A chain link fence strewn with teddy-bears, cards, flowers and records contrasts the dark blockade of a construction site, with soft whites and bright reds attempting to bandage the damaged scenery. A buzz of impatient commuters and diligent workers fills the scene until an interruption by three enchanting voices. Together, they say:

“In the city that never sleeps, we’ve got no time for memorial poems.”

One of these voices belongs to Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai, a Chinese-Taiwanese American writer and artist from New York. Alongside her are performing partners Adeeba Rana and YaliniDream.

Tsai presented her three-act play “Say You Heard My Echo” at the Stevenson Event Center on April 13 through the Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center, Student Union Assembly and Rainbow Theater. The show was produced by Tsai’s associates from Moving Earth Productions, the Asian-American Arts Alliance and director Jesse Jou.

The show explores the impacts of 9/11 on three fictional Asian-American women living in New York City a decade later. Their struggles with survivorship and faith prompt them to call upon three female religious icons: Mary Magdalene, Guan Yin and Aisha. The women undergo separate transformations as the years following 9/11 prompt change in their political, social and personal lives. The ever-present female religious figures act as mirror representations of the characters and help facilitate their fulfillment, guidance and enlightenment.

Tsai, who grew up in the culture of poetry slams in Chicago, has been able to take her love for spoken word around the world to places including Trinidad and China.

“Spoken word poetry at its very best allows people’s authentic stories, relationships to language and rhythms to shine through [in] a unique, culturally specific way,” Tsai said.

Act One illustrates the damaging effect of monotony and silence — a Catholic burlesque dancer’s survival mutes her expressiveness until she becomes immersed in the anti-war movement. The second act chronicles the unsettling downward spiral of a Buddhist Iraq War veteran and hip-hop emcee who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder upon her return home. The final act addresses the issue of families burdened by detention and interrogation as a Muslim librarian struggles to stay connected to her grandfather. Themes such as the fight for cultural pride and struggle for survival occur throughout the play and serve as a primary focus to connect these three female characters to their respective religious icons.

“I was playing guitar … and heard the words ‘say you heard my echo,’ then I saw an image of a woman being pursued by Mary Magdalene in New York City,” Tsai said.

Tsai’s goal is to show the depth of the experiences that marginalized groups undergo, with special investment in the personal aspects of her identity as a woman who is Asian-American.

“‘Say You Heard My Echo’ shows the breadth and depth of my own humanity through the work that I do … The honesty resonates with people far beyond myself,” Tsai said.

After the third act, the women came together just as they did in the introduction. Their presence together was representative of the power in diversity among different cultures as they brought restoration and healing and beckoned for action in unison, “Silence is never silent. All we have is time for renewal. Say you heard my echo. Say you heard my call.”

After the show, Don Williams, the director of Cultural Arts and Diversity at UCSC addressed the audience about the significance of a valued community through performing arts.

“Our goal is to receive a variety of scripts that deal with many cultures and there’s a lot of cultures that are never written about,” Williams said.

Williams is engaged in the ongoing production process of performances that celebrate diverse cultures.

“We here at the UC, especially Rainbow Theater, are always looking to seek Asian-American one-act plays,” Williams said.

“Rainbow! Rainbow!” echoed supporters in the crowd.

The previously barren stage found its emptiness overwhelmed by the powerful presence of everyone involved as a unified body. The performers of “Say You Heard My Echo” were surrounded by the embrace of laughter and liveliness by the student communities of Don Williams and the students of Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center, Student Union Assembly affiliates, and performers from Rainbow Theater.

“No matter how we feel on a given day, we’re never as spiritually or emotionally alone as we may feel,” Tsai said.

To follow Kelly Tsai’s performances and material visit yellowgurl.com.

Photo by Jessica Tran.

The theater arts community at UC Santa Cruz is alive and thriving, with multiple shows being produced and performed throughout the quarter — many going on simultaneously in different venues. “On the Hill” productions are shows that are put up on the three stages in the theatre arts department ­— Mainstage, Experimental Theater and Second Stage. These are the main productions made with the help of faculty, a larger budget and the main production shops, such as costumes, props and scenic.

Behind these productions, there are many people involved in the process of creating and putting on a production. The director is generally in charge of the artistic vision for the production they plan to direct — and delegates these visions to their artistic team — which is made up of costumes, props, scenic, lighting, sound and media. Stage managers are also an integral part of the production process — they assist the director with rehearsals, act as a messenger between the various teams involved and coordinate all aspects of the show to ensure a successful run. Once a show is opened to the public, front of house coordinates with the stage managers to organize a streamlined season, along with the cast and crew.

In addition to these productions, there is a plethora of student organizations within the theater arts community. African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT) is a student-based organization, under the leadership and direction of Don Williams, that seeks to unify and create visibility of the African American culture here at UCSC. AATAT gives students from different backgrounds and experiences a chance to be involved with the program. Barnstorm is another student-run organization and production company that gives students the opportunity to produce original work, well-known works, one-nighters, dance shows, improv shows and more, as a venue to explore and develop as artists alongside other students with similar goals.

UCSC offers students many opportunities to create, produce and perform, allowing both a flourishing community and program to exist.

Photo by Jessica Tran.

Photo by Jessica Tran.

Photo by Jessica Tran.

Photo by Jessica Tran.

Photo by Jamie Morton

An orange cord guides a snaking path through the lush forest floor. Feet shuffle and branches snap as students wander toward their final destination, a movie projector in the middle of the forest.

Starting April 8, Shawheen Keyani, a double major in psychology and film, and Kenton Towry, an earth science major, both second-years who live in the Camper Park at Kresge College, have created an outdoor cinema.

At the event, officially dubbed “The Woodsy Cinema,” Keyani and Towry plan on showing movies for the campus community every Sunday night at 9 p.m. A screen and chairs are temporarily erected in the forest so people can enjoy films under a starry night sky.

“We thought it would be appropriate to call it the Woodsy Cinema for two reasons,” Keyani said. “First because the first film shown there was called ‘Woodsy’ and second because it’s in the forest where the woodsies actually live.”

Keyani said the idea came to him when trying to figure out where to premiere his film, “Woodsy.”

The term “woodsy” refers to anyone living in the forest. Keyani considers his premiere to be in the perfect location — a forest.

Although Keyani said he wants the feature film to be the main attraction, he hopes the Woodsy Cinema will serve as a venue for performance and fine artists of all kinds.

“I know there’s a good community of independent filmmakers in Santa Cruz, specifically in our college,” Keyani said. “The cinema is an open space for them to show their films to whoever they want.”

Last weekend, they screened the comedy-drama, “The Darjeeling Limited,” directed by Wes Anderson.

Parker Yamasaki, a second-year philosophy and environmental studies double major, said the Woodsy Cinema is a great idea for the Camper Park community.

“I really admire Shawheen’s initiative to create this event. There are always so many good ideas, but people don’t always act on them,” Yamasaki said. “Shawheen is really taking this crazy cool cinema on seriously.”

In a time when movies can cost anywhere from $10–15 at downtown cinema theaters, a free film on the big screen can come as a welcome opportunity for students who live on campus. Towry said that by having the cinema in the forest they are making watching movies a fun, free and accessible thing to do.

“There’s something special about watching movies with a big group of people,” Towry said. “Especially if you’re watching good comedy, everyone kind of builds up on each other and it’s overall a more enjoyable experience for everyone.”

Although the Woodsy Cinema is still in its infancy, Towry and Keyani said they are committed to fostering its growth over the next next two to three years. While they are determined for the film showing to remain free, they said they may start charging 25 cents for popcorn.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Towle.

One cast, six cameras, two separate stages at different locations — all performing one play simultaneously.

The UCSC theater arts department’s latest play “The Thinning Veil” connects the world of the living with the world of the dead through live video streaming.

The play, written by Kirsten Brandt and produced by Ted Warburton, is based on the ancient Greek tragedy “The House of Arteus,” but includes influences from other Greek mythology, like Homer’s “Iliad” and Euripides’ “Electra.” “The House of Arteus” revolves around a dysfunctional royal family dealing with heartbreak, rivalry, jealousy and forgiveness.

In “The Thinning Veil,” ancient Greek mythology is adapted to contemporary times. It puts characters into modern-day life by having them own cars, watch football and use foul language, which makes the characters more relatable.

The “veils” in this play are the camera operators, who dress entirely in black and move creepily around the stage and audience, filming and transmitting footage from one stage to the other.

“It’s the birth of a new genre,” Brandt said. “This type of theater has never been done, and this type of live streaming and interconnected qualities through separate stages is brand-spanking-new.”

Brandt said she wants to use technology in a way to connect with the audience viscerally and tangibly, as opposed to distancing people, which she thinks a lot of technology does.

“We’re in a world where everyone wants to be myopic, where everyone wants to stare and answer questions through their phone and not engage verbally,” Brandt said. “I think there’s a way technology can be used for more expansion and connection rather than disconnection.”

Katherine Wahlberg, a senior theater arts major, said having the play set in two different locations really changed the rehearsals.

“It has been crazy watching our director direct two in spaces at once, talking to actors who we weren’t actually in the room with, and on top of that, communicating through a camera,” Wahlberg said.

Even though it has been a challenge coordinating the two different spaces with digital latency issues and time delays in general, the show has worked out all the kinks.

Jake Pino, a fourth-year double major in theater arts and history, plays Achilles, a demigod in the play. Pino said Greek mythology is an important part of the past, present and future.

“There’s a reason why these stories are still being told thousands of years later,” Pino said. “Greek mythology is so juicy and it’s still relevant today.”

Alex Caan, a third-year theater arts major, said having to act for both the screen and audience at the same time can feel weird.

“We’re literally communicating with people [who] aren’t in the same space as us,” Caan said. “You’ll have a different experience depending on which space you see the performance in.”

Erik LaDue, a graduate student who is a part of the theater arts department’s fifth-year program, is the scenic designer for “The Thinning Veil.” LaDue said it has been stressful designing for two different spaces while maintaining a connection between them.

“It’s been very complicated and awe-inspiring because of the scale of a production that this is,” LaDue said. “The show is huge and the set reflects that.”

With only seven weeks to complete this play before the show premieres, the pressure is on.

“Actors onstage are the ones people will be seeing,” fourth-year Pino said, “but really the most impressive players in this show are the techies, the camera operators and stage managers who are in charge of all the cues and making sure everything runs smoothly.”

The performance takes place in the Experimental Theater’s Black Box and intimate “Dark Lab” at the Digital Arts and Research Center, March 2-4 and March 8-11 at 7 p.m. all days except Sundays at 3 p.m.

Photo Courtesy of Katie Ventura.

All people have voices, and in “Blu” and Poet’s Corner, Rainbow Theater acknowledged them by speaking — and shouting — to the hushed-up stories that so many share.

Opening with “Blu” by Virginia Grise, a troupe of ten players exposed a poverty-stricken family’s experience in the American barrio. This ranged from broken family ties and child abuse to prison confinement, drug use, gang violence and military recruitment.

The set was static, the lighting simple — but the characters, forced to embrace a life of hope, fear, setback and dismay, wove a portrait more dynamic and complex than any social worker’s record could hope to capture.

While Grise’s characters were beautifully three-dimensional, the piece as a whole focused on recurring conflicts of “life in the ten-mile radius.” The narration-driven plot emphasized an overlap in frustrations; several times a chorus of onstage players spoke in unison with individual characters, giving their words exponential weight.

Portraying the ever hopeful Blu, Carlos Ocampo’s wistful monologues, interrupted by violent outbursts, faithfully embodied his character’s discontent while struggling for articulation.

Fourth-year Gaby Franco also gave a strong performance as the multi-faceted Soledad, a woman who, though tangled in a web of conflicting roles, refuses to abandon her painful commitment as mother in the troubled family.

Although the set was simple, each item was strategically placed to echo the themes of the play. A disco ball gave the illusion of hundreds of stars and made Blu feel like “I’m here, but I ain’t,” echoing the character’s feelings of disconnection from his Latino culture.

The performers of Poet’s Corner entered to a roaring reception of “Rainbow! Rainbow!” and “Poets! Let’s go Poets!”

Each Poet’s piece was personal and unmistakably genuine. Newcomers to Rainbow Theater slid easily into the rhythm of a Poet’s Corner performance. Individual experiences, declared in defiance of ignorance and secrecy, were compounded to form a powerful collective awareness.

The Poets focused on the spaces of social oppression: female body perception, queer identity “habitats,” child abuse traps and racial segregation lines. Encouraged by finger-snaps and exclamations from the audience, several performers were singled out.

In a mock report, the Poets crucified Fox News for its portrayal of the Occupy Wall Street protests, arguing that the station had stacked misrepresentation upon misrepresentation, and proceeded to present a renegade news report about the status of social justice struggles worldwide.

The Poets approached the stage from the within the audience and rejoined it once they were finished. This and the sentiments shared emphasized, just like “Blu” had, the shared humanity of all present. Rainbow Theater shows the audience that everyone has a story — they are just taking their turn to talk.

Emotions Run High in “The First Seed,” written by UCSC alum Aman Gohal, directed by students Sharif Zakout and Aye Thant. Photo Courtesy of Katie Ventura.

An arranged Indian marriage and four men held captive by a group of women — what do these two plots have in common? For one, they both bring up issues of racism and gender inequality. And they also are both plays currently being put on by UC Santa Cruz’s own Rainbow Theater.

The theater troupe illustrates the connections between cultures in the two plays “First Seed” and “Captivated.” Creative and well produced, these shows address issues of sexism and ethnicity among a wide range of people, leaving audiences with a new perspective.

“First Seed,” directed and written by UCSC and Rainbow Theater alumnus Aman Gohal, tells the story of a contemporary Indian family and the arranged marriage of their eldest daughter. The play draws contrasts among the varying cultural identities of the family’s three sisters. For example, the eldest sister wears the traditional Indian caftans and scarves, while the youngest sister wears short dresses and caked-on makeup. The eldest sister grapples with having an arranged marriage with a wealthy Indian doctor, who has her parents approval but isn’t quite a perfect match for her.

Differing expectations of cultural gender roles, chauvinistic jokes and stereotypical bread-winning husbands all have a part in this play, which focuses on domestic violence toward women and dueling cultures.

While the message in “First Seed” is very clear, it often feels overbearing. Yes, the repeated quarrels and clashing personalities of the sisters effectively show the struggles of immigrant cultures, but in a way that weakens the effect with every repetition. Similarly, although the intense action and dialogue keep the audience captivated through about an hour and 20 minutes of drama, the piece at times lacked subtlety.

Regardless, Gohal succeeds in getting his audience to take a deeper look at domestic abuse, ethnic differences and sexism.

“Captivated,” the second show, written by Darryl Davis, addresses gender expectations between men and women in an extreme setting: a laboratory with four cages, each cage with its own captive human male. The men are held captive by three female scientists who perform “experiments” on them.

The main character is a black man who represents the racial contrast between himself, the other captives and the scientists. He is confused as to where he is or what is going on.

The audience shares the captive’s confusion as to what the imprisonment and experiments mean. It might be frustrating at times for the viewer to be asked to go along with the play without having reference points for the plot. But as issues rise between the captives and experimenters, it becomes clear the play centers around exploring male privilege.

In one scene, the black experimenter, who is wearing tight black pants and a matching tank top, lets the main character out of his cage. Moments later, the freed man starts to make offensive comments about the experimenter’s body, objectifying her, giving her pet names and even trying to cop a feel. The experimenter turns on him in an instant, throwing the man on the ground.

“Captivated” is most effective because it takes a look at commonplace social conflicts in an unrealistic and jarring setting, forcing the audience to reevaluate their own prejudices. Though it was difficult to follow at certain points, Davis without a doubt conveys a strong message to the audience, and the confusion only added to that strength.

One doctor puts her research subject through his paces in “Captivated,” showing Friday at 7 p.m. in the Stevenson Events Center. Photo by Katie Ventura.

Rainbow Theater, the only multi-cultural theater group in the UC system, is entering the last two weekends of its 18th season with three more plays that expand the intellectual and emotional palette.

Rainbow Theater consists of approximately 110 students who put on five shows in the fall and comprise an outreach team that travels throughout the state, performing and workshopping with high school students.

At the center of Rainbow Theater is its founder Don Williams, UC Santa Cruz director of cultural arts and diversity.

“Rainbow has a spirit that really runs from heart to heart,” Williams said. “It’s an org, it’s a class, it’s a family. It works on teaching history, various cultures, and also being able to accept all walks of people.”

At UCSC, programs like Rainbow Theater serve as more than just an venue for the arts.

“There’s a lot of students that come here, especially students of color, who can really get lost in the fabric of UCSC,” Williams said. “Over the years, many participants say Rainbow Theater has become a pseudo-family community.”

In a time when support for the arts can be scarce, Rainbow Theater has stayed consistently strong. Last spring, students voted to pass Measure 49, allotting Rainbow Theater more funding from student fees. The group also receive attention from provosts, and even executive vice chancellor Alison Galloway.

“[Galloway] was very impressed with what the students had done,” Williams said. “She has truly demonstrated her interest of all students, and a movement of embracing culture in a real way, and that’s a good thing.”

Although this season of Rainbow Theater is well underway, there are still three more shows this weekend and next, all of which are being performed at the Stevenson Events Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the shows start at 7 p.m.

Tomorrow, audiences can see Program A, two plays titled “The First Seed” and “Captivated.”

“The First Seed” follows an Indian-American family’s experience with arranged marriage as they deal with issues of assimilation, gender roles and abuse. “First Seed” was written by UCSC alumni Aman Gohal. Gohal attended opening night with the majority of the original cast, highlighting Rainbow Theater’s deep sense of lifelong community.

“Captivated” by Darryl C. Davis shows what can happen when three female doctors take men captive for observation. “It’s a dicey play because it deals with women getting into the heads of men,” said student co-director Chela Simmons. “You see these men being challenged and questioned.”

Program B, showing Saturday, consists of the play “Blu” and Rainbow Theater’s “Poet’s Corner.”

“Blu,” by Virginia Grise, focuses on a group of Chicano/a youths in the barrio as they navigate a world fraught with the complexities of gang violence, criminalization of youth, military recruitment in minority neighborhoods and coming of age.

“Poet’s Corner” is a venue for student poets, musicians and storytellers to express their personal stories and experiences through original pieces.

“It takes you places you’ve been to, but not like they take you there,” Williams said. He points to one piece as an example.

“It’s these three women on stage dealing with body images,” Williams said. “It’s these thick women, and all they want to be is loved, too. So they tell their story, and the way they tell their story is captivating … It’s a shout-out to any woman who is oversized: You are beautiful.”

Closing out the Rainbow Theater season on Nov. 19 and 20 is “Black Men on the Edge” by William F. Mayfield. This deeply stirring study of eight black men is a raw and truthful journey into the psyche of a largely culturally stereotyped demographic.

“I want people to think twice before they try to use stereotypes to judge a black man, because in the media we’re perceived as really masculine, and degrading women as these sexual objects,” actor Jeovaughn Bautista said. “We want people to know we are just human. We’re not trying to make you feel bad about how you live your life — we just want you to be aware.”

Rainbow Theater is about so much more for Bautista than being an actor in a play. Like many in the organization, he feels it was an impactful experience.

“These plays changed my life,” Bautista said. “Literally, how I looked at my life would change every year with these plays. I would always look forward to them. I had to make it my goal to come here no matter what … we do change lives.”

RIvera Sun Cook portrays every character in the one-woman show, “A Star Called Love; the Freedom Stories of Lala.” Photos by Molly Solomon.

When I first stepped into the studio of the 418 Project to preview “The Imagine-a-nation of Lalachild,” the first play of the trilogy of The Rising Sun Dance Theater’s “A Star Called Love; the Freedom Stories of Lala,” and looked to the stage to find nothing but two prop blocks and a sparkle-eyed, red-headed actress, I was a bit taken aback.

Throughout the entire performance, the stage remained startlingly simple: no other actors and no new props. However, I was not prepared for what those two blocks and that spirited redhead had in store for me. At precisely 7 p.m. that Sunday I sat down in the 418 Project studio, and by 7:15 p.m. I was in another world: a world of rain, dust, laughter and tears.

Told from the perspective of Lala, an incredibly imaginative and spirited African-American girl in the all-black town of Lovely, Kan. in the 1890s, the play captures the innocence and rapture of childhood while also centering on topics of race, gender and love. The story follows Lala’s experience when a mysterious Chinese man named Longshoe rides into town on a dust storm, bringing new perspective and change to a dull town. The wise teachings of Longshoe and the town’s reaction to the change that Longshoe brings sparks questions of race, religion and the beauty of life.

Directed by Robin Aronson and written and performed by Rivera Sun Cook, “The Imagine-a-nation of Lalachild” is a wondrous, inspiring one-woman show. Though there was only one woman present on stage, Cook portrayed not just one, but many other characters. Three plays, 30 characters, one actress. There were no costume changes, no props and certainly no jubilant orchestra. For a split second, I had even half-expected Cook to crack a joke about a priest and a rabbi, as the set-up of the play reminded me so much of a stand-up comedy performance. However, Cook was gone the minute the lights dimmed, as she transformed into Lala, Mama Lu, Longshoe, the preacher and the rest of the town of Lovely.

This play was beyond the average imaginative caliber of a performance and chased away any trace of reality. Through large amounts of research on heavy accents and movement, Cook transported the audience to the dry, dusty, enchanting world of Lovely, Kan. She perfected southern accents ranging from the young to the old, which were enhanced by original and traditional music. Evident in the title, the play has a mystical, marvelous, imaginative appeal to it — the childlike enthusiasm and sheer appetite for life that Lala displayed had transported me to my own childhood, anxious for what the world might bring. Full of giggles and wide-eyed wonders, Lala made me leave the studio that night seeing the world as the giant playground that I once viewed it as. While I am surely not in Kansas anymore, after seeing the imagination and beautiful hopes that Lala had for her world, I looked around the world that I live in and saw it slightly prettier than remembered.

The core planning team in the campaign for Measure 49 meets to map out the next steps in garnering publicity and support for the measure. Photo by Toby Silverman.

UC Santa Cruz’s Cultural Arts and Diversity (CAD) Center is seeking SUA sponsorship for a referendum that would charge incoming students a $5.25 fee on their tuition every quarter to support CAD and the campus programs it houses.

The measure is a response to recent budget cuts impacting campus programs. This fee would provide a lifeline to save CAD and its programs, which promote a fusion of art and culture.

Last Friday, the Student Union Assembly agreed to consider sponsorship of the referendum. Three days later, the CAD campaign committee began generating support for Measure 49: Cultural Arts and Diversity Fee, set to continue all the way through the elections period.

The referendum proposes applying this fee to pay for the central program’s functional costs, expected to increase as CAD implements its other goal of organizing many smaller organizations, like Rainbow Theater and the African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT), under one roof. As CAD absorbs these programs, funding will be needed to ensure that CAD is able to maintain itself while keeping the groups from being completely cut from the budget.

“We know the first things to get cut are always the arts and programs that serve students of color,” said Sarah Fishleder, CAD alumnus and one of the main leaders of the program. “We want to expand to include other cultural organizations on campus that have performance aspects and ensure that these vital programs are not slashed due to budget cuts. These may include the Filipino Cultural Celebration, the Indian Student Organization’s Cultural Show, and the annual dance show put on by Los Mexicas.”

Based in Stevenson College, CAD currently houses Rainbow Theater and AATAT. Established in 1991 under director Don Williams, AATAT works to create a stronger sense of identity and understanding of African American culture at UCSC.

Three years later, Rainbow Theater was formed with the same goal in mind, breaking down walls that separate cultures and uniting them under a common mission of creative expression. Since their founding, Rainbow Theater and AATAT have performed for continuously packed crowds.

“When I come in and work, I really put in my heart and soul to help these kids share their gifts,” Williams said. “I can only teach them some basic direction and leadership skills, but they’re the ones directing and making these plays happen.”

The measure includes three main aspects that the funding would be directed towards, programming, equipment and staffing. The production of various cultural performances would take place in the Stevenson Event Center, as well as provide smaller organizations with rehearsal time and increase exposure of the many diverse groups in the CAD program.

Fundamental factors of a performance like lights, lifts, space, training, tech assistants and staffing costs would also be partially paid for with funds from the referendum.

So far, opposition to the bill seems relatively low. Camella Cooper, campaign committee member and a member of both Rainbow Theater and AATAT, discussed the responses to the bill.

“I [personally] haven’t experienced any opposition,” Cooper said. “I did hear that there was some from people that just don’t support culture and diversity programs on campus, but I haven’t heard of any big or grouped opposition.”

In the event that the bill passes, Cooper hopes that these cultural and diversity programs will thrive on campus.

“Rainbow and AATAT showed me that through differences you can be a community, not through similarities,” Cooper said. “The sense of community [is] there. That’s really important when it comes to budget cuts.”

“Nobody’s Home,” directed by Ailin Conant, is a modern-day rendition of Homer’s Odyssey. In the place of protagonist Odysseus’ is Grant, a U.S. soldier who has returned from fighting in Afghanistan. Grant’s journey, as he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, takes on new meaning. Photo by Nick Paris.

At a glance, Ailin Conant’s “Nobody’s Home” bears little resemblance to its attributed origin, possessing only a handful of scenes that immediately recognizable as a throwback to Homer’s epic. But if all one were looking to find from “Nobody’s Home” were a simple remake, the point of the show would be missed altogether.

Over the course of just over an hour, the London cast guides the audience through an emotional tale of one soldier’s story of reintegration. Will Pinchin, actor and co-writer of “Nobody’s Home,” plays the role of Grant, a soldier come home after having served three tours of duty in Afghanistan and who also — quickly made apparent — suffers symptoms from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Easily becoming lost in his own trauma-induced nightmares, the pitiable character Grant represents the many PTSD victims of the wars in the Middle East. Grant’s inability to readily discern reality from nightmares severely strains his relationship with his wife, Penny, played by co-writer Dorie Kinnear. Through the dynamic between Grant and Penny, the show makes it brutally and painfully clear that Grant’s journey home is far more than just a trip overseas.

“When we first began working, we were just looking to modernize ‘The Odyssey,’” director Ailin Conant said. “But the show was a little too abstract, and it wasn’t until we started to integrate veterans into our work that the show became as well-polished as it is.”

“Nobody’s Home” was the brainchild of Pinchin, Kinnear and Conant. They said contributions made by wartime veterans, who have worked alongside the troupe, give the show its hard-hitting edge. In workshops facilitated by veteran Erin Maxon, the trio sought help from local Santa Cruz community veterans in an effort to better represent the people the characters symbolized.

“We are telling a pertinent story that is not ours, and we are getting an immense amount of support in doing it,” Conant said.

The troupe was at first very hesitant to meet with the veterans because of the fear that the story would misrepresent it. For Will Pinchin, “Nobody’s Home” is meant to convey a sense of hope for those suffering from PTSD. The last thing Pinchin wanted to do was offend the very people whose collective stories the troupe tells, he said.

“Those whom this story belongs to have good reason not to want to share it with us,” actor Will Pinchin said. “The Odyssey is a safe story. It’s been told time and time again. The scary bit that’s never been addressed in a show is the traumatic part of the journey home, the PTSD bit.”

Veterans who come to see the show along its tour through San Luis Obispo, Calif. and Hamilton, NY will appreciate the cast’s dedication to attend to the ​

devil in the details. From corrected shifts in combat posture to proper about-face maneuvers, Pinchin has taken in as much as he can to better his performance on stage.

“There are certain things ingrained in the body of a soldier that, quite frankly, I don’t have,” Pinchin said. “The veterans have been invaluable in just correcting my behaviors that are second nature to them. The details may seem superficial, but the transformation one sees [as a result of] incorporating them makes them truly critical.”

From Grant’s distrust of his psychiatrist to Penny’s inability to emotionally connect with her husband, the show highlights the problems of PTSD. The lack of understanding on behalf of all parties puts Grant in a helpless position. And while the show very clearly and directly addresses the problems brought about by PTSD, its ending message is relatively ambiguous, although not absent of hope.

“In our last session with the veterans, we spoke directly about what we thought the answer should be, and how we could bring that into the show,” actor Dorie Kinnear said. “I want to say that it’s about working together to overcome this horrible condition. People who suffer from PTSD will likely have to deal with it for the rest of their lives, and the best solution I can think of, being Penny, is just being there for Grant.”

“Nobody’s Home,” as a modern Odyssey, does not end with the typical satisfaction of a triumphant hero returned home in Ithaca. There are no obvious suitors to be driven out, no divine interventions deus ex machina, but just the saddening realities of PTSD.

As Homer once said, “Zeus metes out fortune to good and bad men as it pleases him. Hardship he sent to you, and you must bear it.” By this token, the show comes into its own as a tragic and true story of confusion, loneliness and despair, but not without hope.

“In the Waves,” directed and written by UCSC students, examines the subject of abortion from many points of view. Perspectives favoring abstinence and women’s right to choose are both represented, as are the effects an abortion can have on family and partners. Photo by Nick Paris.

Evie Tomasso and Alex Bellman, played by third-year Veronica Tjioe and second-year Alex Caan, share a passionate moment. Photo by Nick Paris.

In the midst of the current political dialogue and the rise of Palin-esque “feminists,” the question of women’s rights and the right to choose lingers on the tongues of many. “In the Waves,” a play written and directed by UC Santa Cruz students, addresses these questions through the story of Evie Tomasso, a 17-year-old girl who must decide what course to take after unexpectedly becoming pregnant.

At one point early on in the play, the character, Evie, played by third-year theater arts major Veronica Tjioe, proclaims, “I’m glad the world is crooked.”

And that is how the world the Tomassos live in is: crooked, imperfect. There is no right answer, but there are many answers and even more questions, something the play attempts to tackle.

“What’s right for someone is not always right for others,” said Alexandrea Bezdeka, a graduate student in theater arts and director of the play. “We want to open people’s eyes, letting people know there is a right [to choose] … and why abortions are important.”

The play does not attempt to lecture the audience on the politics of women’s rights but aims to open up a discussion.

“It’s about the right to choose and whose choice is that — should we involve parents? Should we involve the man? Whose choice is it, and is it right or wrong?” Bezdeka said. “The great thing that [the playwright] Kathryn Walhberg did [is] she focuses on a lot of the sides of the story. It’s not just the woman’s side.”

The play deals extensively with the strain that is placed on the relationship between Evie and her father, Osmond, played by fourth-year Porter student Grey Skold, as they deal with Evie’s decisions. The dynamic of the father-daughter relationship highlights the way in which the conversation on abortion rights includes not only women but varying voices with opposing ideas and perspectives.

“It’s a pretty well-rounded play,” Tjioe said. “It’s not saying abortion is an easy thing, or that pro-choice is an entirely positive thing. It’s dealing with how difficult the issue is to deal with.”

“In the Waves” does not provide a universal answer, instead focusing on the answer that is best for the individual in question.

Alex Caan, a second-year theater arts major from Kresge who plays Alex Bellman, Evie’s boyfriend, said the actors were also affected by the heavy nature of the play.

“The first time we read it through, everyone had an emotional breakdown,” Caan said. “It’s a difficult thing to deal with, coming to work every day and playing someone who is going through so much.”

The play itself is complex in structure, a multi-layered story centered on Evie’s rights and her choices. The play opens in a flash-forward, and then rewinds to explain why Osmond is looking for his daughter at a clinic. On another level, the play depicts Evie’s growth through lectures that Osmond, a professor of art, gives to the audience. Tjioe notes that the play is “structured into trimesters, much like a pregnancy,” and, in this way — through the events of her pregnancy and decisions — Evie is reborn into the adult world.

Throughout the play, there is a line of continuity from the play’s beginning to its end. For example, Evie’s physical stance as she contemplates a painting at the close of the play echoes her stance at the beginning. As in the title, water and liquid are clear motifs in the play.

Although the play is simple at first glance — the stage is decorated with only a few pieces of furniture — it is aware of itself, the conversation it is putting forward, the reality of the situations of characters and its relevance to the current political and social atmosphere.

Director Bezdeka, who left information on the play in a family clinic, was drawn to the show because it “is not necessarily a show that can be put on in any particular place.”

“Sex is such a taboo in our society unless we’re talking quietly in our dorm rooms,” Bezdeka said. “We want to open it up…It’s just such a topic that not anyone talks about.”

At the close of the play, the audience is left not with a definitive or clear answer, but with a tone of neutrality. No character has fully come to terms with what has happened, but each is taking the steps to move towards a resolution. Osmond ends his final lecture and closes the play by explaining how the woman in the painting is just trying to “keep herself afloat,” much like Evie.

“It’s just a piece of people’s lives, for this amount of time, and this is how it happened — there doesn’t necessarily need to be an ending,” said fourth-year Kat Brown, who plays Molly Nadzia, a women’s rights advocate.

Cast member Caan said the lack of a resolution is “beautiful.”

He said: “It’s like life, isn’t it?”

“Hair” is wowing audiences with its free-spirited attitude, talented cast, classic songs, and colorful costumes. The show runs Thursday-Sunday, with the final performance on May 30. Courtesy of Steve DibBartolomeo.

Forty-odd years since it first appeared on Broadway, “Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” still manages to draw in the crowds. The play brings its audience on a wild trip filled with 1960s nostalgia, youthful exuberance, and brazen nudity. UC Santa Cruz’s production is no exception — Friday’s opening night broke the record for most pre-sale tickets snatched up by any show at the university.

The performance follows the antics and angst of a tribe of free-wheeling hippies pursuing a life of freedom against the ominous backdrop of the Vietnam War.

Though light on plot, the characters and musical numbers take on heavy themes: drugs, racism, and sexuality. These were some of the most pertinent issues of the hippie era, the largest counter-culture movement in American history.

“Hair” invented the rock musical genre, and UCSC’s production is simultaneously light-hearted and provocative.

Director Danny Scheie manages to let all of the 60-plus members of the cast showcase their talents. There is rarely a moment when the majority of them aren’t on stage either dancing, singing, or feigning a drug-induced stupor.

From the opening song “Aquarius” to the finale “Let the Sun Shine In,” audience members get the chance to watch these classic 1960s anthems come back to life.

Characters that stood out were an endearing, Mick Jagger-worshipping Woof, played by Jeremy Helgeson, and cross-dressing tourist Margaret Mead, played by Ashkan Jahromi. Jahromi — coiffed with a beehive to rival Amy Winehouse — performed “My Conviction” and had the audience howling with laughter.

The second act took on a darker tone, when the hippie tribe’s leader Claude is drafted to fight in a war he is firmly against. Kelvyn Mitchell’s portrayal of the romantic and idealistic Claude was poignant, and demonstrated that despite the carefree attitude of his tribe, the party can’t go on forever.

The choreography was impressive, and featured everything from an undulating, psychedelic mass to bouncy head-banging. The costumes — probably collected from downtown thrift stores — were authentic and vibrant.

The cast of hippies engaged everyone, dancing in the aisles and belting songs at the top of their lungs. They were comfortable on stage, and at one point, the entire tribe ripped off their Hare Krishna robes, leaving nothing to the imagination.

The show may not be for everyone. The overt sexuality and irreverence will make many blush, and the unsuspecting viewer will definitely get an eyeful.

This year’s cast represents some of the best student musical and acting talent that UCSC has to offer, not to mention the most epic hair. The free love of “Hair” is fun, silly, crazy, and definitely worth seeing.

Get your tickets and join the Be-in.

Performers in rehearse for their unique spin-off of Homer’s “Odyssey.” Photo by Rosario Serna.

Most people read “The Odyssey” in high school, but few have seen it the way UC Santa Cruz theater arts students will perform it this weekend. The idea of a student sitting on West Cliff and reading a novel may not sound much like a Greek epic poem, but that is the opening scene of the campus adaptation.

The campus offshoot of the 1999 Mary Zimmerman script is a performance that incorporates aspects of college life not present in the B.C.- dated tale. The entire piece is student-run, and graduate student and director Jocelyn Shratter said that people will be surprised by the differences between her version and the original.

“It is honestly a mixture of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,” Shratter said of the play. “And Greek literature. And alcohol.”

The staging, elaborate costumes, and overall set design of the play are intended to involve the audience and make sure that they are not just watching, but experiencing.

“The Odyssey” is an epic poem by Homer, the ancient Greek poet who lived in the eighth century B.C. The poem, a travel narrative, follows lead character Odysseus on a journey in which he meets the individuals that contribute to his ultimate self-discovery.

“It’s an amazing story about identity and how the people you encounter in your life can shape it,” Shratter said. In her version of the play, each character that Odysseus encounters in his journey at some point becomes a part of him. As they encounter him, they become him.

Without giving too much away, Shratter explained that she chose to begin the play with a student reading the poem in an attempt to make students and audience members feel connected to the story. The student becomes a part of the book, and then the travels of Odysseus begin.

Boris Volkov, a third-year theater arts major from Kresge, plays Antinous. He explained that the production was prepared much faster than almost anything he has ever worked on.

“We’ve fought really hard against very strict time limitations,” Volkov said.

Like most departments at UCSC, theater arts is experiencing cuts that can potentially be limiting.

However, Volkov said that the situation forced them to think creatively and improvise. As a result, the set is on wheels and is in constant conversation with the cast’s movement on stage.

Shratter submitted her vision for the presentation last year, and the performance and her work spent directing it will go towards her graduate certificate program. Though the idea has been in the works for about a year, rehearsals have been condensed into five weeks.

“This past weekend we were in the theater everyday,” said Jillian Bartels, a third-year theater arts major from Porter who plays Odysseus’ wife Penelope in the play. “I think 24-hour rehearsals all weekend with beautiful weather outside really shows how hard we’ve been working.”

Both Bartels and Shratter emphasized that this play is not going to be anything that people think they know about “The Odyssey.”

“Homer’s version certainly didn’t have rock music playing in the Greek court,” Bartels said. “This is my last show with the UCSC theater arts department and I couldn’t be more proud to go out this way.”

All in all, actors, directors, stage directors, and everyone involved in the show agree that the modernization will be exciting.

“It is going to be epic,” Shratter said. “And yes, that’s a pun, but it’s true.”

~~~~~~

“The Odyssey” will be performed at the Theater Arts Experimental Theater

Friday, May 7 through Sunday, May 9, and Thursday, May 13 through Sunday, May 16. Starts at 7:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. Sundays).

$11 general, $10 senior, $10 student, $2 TA majors

Free for UCSC undergrads

More info at http://www.ucsc.edu/news_events/calendar/DisplayEvent.aspx?EventId=17569

Illustration by Kiri Rasmussen.

Illustration by Kiri Rasmussen.

From the iPhone to the Kindle to the iPad, the literate world has seen a diminishing need for print media as technology continues to advance.

The UC Santa Cruz theater arts department will collaborate with the digital arts and new media department, starting Feb. 26, to present an experimental show titled “Stop the Press!” The production will show how the world of print has transformed over the years as more and more new technology develops.

Jim Bierman, UCSC theater arts professor and one of the faculty members involved with the show, explains why “Stop the Press!” is important at this time.

“We’re on the cusp of a paradigm shift from print media to digital media,” Bierman said. “This show addresses the emotional anxiety that people feel in moving from newspapers to newsreaders.”

With newspapers like the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle struggling to survive, print media is in decline. While they all recognize this, the performers and producers of the show have different opinions about the current state of media and its transition.

Brian Luce, a fourth-year theater arts student and assistant director of “Stop the Press!,” feels that it is simply more convenient to access newsreaders.

“I like actually holding a newspaper, but I normally don’t get my news from a newspaper,” Luce said. “I get it online.”

The production comes at a time when people can read anything they want to know on an electronic device hardly larger than the palms of their hands. Amazon’s electronic reading device, the Kindle, is currently being shipped to over 100 countries.

Kimberly Jannarone, theater arts professor and the show’s director, said it is important to find a way to live in a world of decreasing print.

“This piece speaks to exploring new ways of people interacting with new technologies,” Jannarone said. “This isn’t a play in the traditional sense. It’s structured more like a Disney ride.”

Modeled after Disney’s “Carousel of Progress,” an attraction based on both nostalgia and futurism, the production begins by inviting audience members to walk into a hall. There they can approach different stages set with scenes portraying the death of newspapers and print media.

Audience members can have their fortunes told, enter the room through a “digital environment,” and even see a performance in which a theater arts student dances with a 3-D image.

“It has been pretty exciting to figure out ways for [the dancer] to interact with something that’s not actually in the room,” Luce said.

The idea for the show first arose last spring. Its creators were initially inspired by a photo of the old Santa Cruz Sentinel building downtown. Through the windows of the building, the image showed where the printing presses used to be, outlined on the walls by years of splattered ink. The powerful image of the shadow of the presses presented the idea to create a show based around the death of print and the coming “golden age” of technology.

Members of the collaborating departments then sat down together to discuss their ideas and what they wanted the show to encompass.

“This is really something quite different from starting with the script of a Shakespeare play or something that is already written,” Bierman said. “The script itself is largely assembled of electronic artifacts. It includes websites, blogs and online forums.”

Producers of the show all have different opinions about the transition from print media to digital media. These differences of opinion cause the show to address both sides: the arguments for and against emerging media technology. Some people, including Jannarone, feel that the tangibility of print is priceless.

“I’ve never found anything better than a book in my hands, and there’s nothing more comfortable or pleasurable than lying on a sofa reading,” Jannarone said.

Jannarone’s major concern is that media technology will lead to the demise of investigative journalism. As news begins to circulate entirely on the Web, she says, journalists will have less incentive to go out into the field to report.

“And that’s what scares me,” Jannarone said. “The idea that we are going to have less in-depth coverage of the news in the world, and therefore less knowledge.”

Photo by Alex Zamora.

Photo by Alex Zamora.

Photo by Alex Zamora.

To reveal a more in-depth and extensive look at African-American history, African American Theater Arts Troupe (AATAT) founder Don Williams chose to direct “These People Can Fly.”

The production will focus a number of scenes on Africa prior to colonization and slavery — a period which has been a lesser-observed aspect of African-American history.

In conjunction with the UCSC Theater Arts Department, the AATAT — now in its 18th season — will present the historical and culturally insightful performance next Thursday, Feb. 18. The show will run until March 6, with performances beginning on campus and eventually moving to Santa Cruz High School and Seaside. UCSC students will get free admission to on-campus productions.

“These People Can Fly,” written by Deborah Ferguson, is adapted from a short children’s story written by Virginia Hamilton. According to Williams, Ferguson “hit the home run with it.”

Williams chose the “home run” adaptation because of its relevance to AATAT, as the troupe “serves to enhance the climate of cultural diversity on the UCSC campus and in the community.”

“I chose this play because of the historical value and the aspect of being able to enlarge a history that many students are not familiar with,” Williams said. “We are basically telling a story about yesteryears.”

The story is told by a griot, who in African tradition is the storyteller. In “These People Can Fly,” fourth-year Allison Bell plays the griot and narrates the production, beginning with African marketplaces and village raids. The production progresses through time, following a particular tribe from Africa: the flying mountain people.

The production examines historical slavery in America, continues to the present day, and eventually looks to the future. This progression portrays African-American history in a new light, providing a better understanding of that history.

“The griot fills in that gap. You see the human before the slave,” Bell said. “We haven’t heard the pre-slavery story. Now that we are here as Americans, it starts with slavery, because that is where our history starts.”

By showing the journey from slavery to freedom in such a way, African-American history is illuminated. Williams describes how past and future are intertwined in the context of African culture.

“There is an African word, sankofa, and the saying behind it is ‘In order to have an understanding of the future, you must understand the past,’” Williams said. “This story is meant to give you an understanding of our past and give hope to the future.”

The production utilizes African music to further drive the message and story of the play. Dandha Da Hora, a dance teacher at Cabrillo College, choreographed the production, employing the Afro-Brazilian style she specializes in.

Williams hopes for an impressive turnout because the production offers such a unique angle.

“I’m hoping that we fill it up every night,” Williams said. “It is a great opportunity to learn our past and, in a conscious way, work with each other as a whole.”

The production opens Feb. 18 and will run through Feb. 21, with performances at 7 p.m. nightly and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m. To earn money for their scholarship fund, AATAT will be charging $14 for adults and $11 for non-UCSC students.

The production will then travel to Santa Cruz High School, performing on Feb. 26 and 27. The admission prices will be the same, with the exception that UCSC students will not receive free admission.

Finally, “These People Can Fly” will show at the Oldemeyer Center in Seaside on March 6. Admission at the Oldemeyer Center is free, due to donations from Monterey Peninsula College and the city of Seaside.

Members of the Cast of “Mixed Nutz,” a remixed version of “The Nutcracker,” show off their elaborate costumes. Audiences will be treated with a unique take on the classic story when the show opens November 20 at the Mainstage Theater. Photo by Morgan Grana.

Photo by Morgan Grana.

This holiday season, UC Santa Cruz presents a performance that puts a twist on a traditional holiday favorite, and gives student performers an opportunity to work with professionals from around the world.

“Mixed Nutz! The Nutcracker ReMixed” will open for the first time on November 20 at UCSC’s Mainstage Theater. Theatrics will include dancing, juggling, acrobatics, an acclaimed a cappella group and more in this collaboration of student and professional performers.

“Words can’t even describe how cool this show is going to be,” said Conor McClure, a second-year UCSC student who performs a waltz in the show.

“Mixed Nutz” features UCSC students, professional performers, local high school students and even local children from the Santa Cruz Gymnastics Center.

Tandy Beal, a UCSC theater arts lecturer and the director of the show, said she was excited for opening night and stressed the importance of the collaboration between amateurs and professionals.

“The best way to learn is working side by side with professionals,” Beal said. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for the students.”

About 30 UCSC students help make up a cast of around 65 to 80 total performers. The show attempts to create community and a learning experience for all individuals involved.

“I love watching the generational development and how one generation informs the next; it’s very deep,” Beal said about the performers from various age groups and talent levels coming together.

The show will present many different types of performers, including the former national gymnastics champion of Brazil. Another woman has come all the way from China to perform.

Though there are many UCSC students with years of experience involved in the performance, a number of the cast are first-time performers.

“This is my first faculty performance and I can really just taste the difference,” said Rose Bloomfield, a fourth-year UCSC student and dancer in the production.

Many students, like Bloomfield, have taken classes from Tandy Beal in previous years.

“It’s amazing working with Tandy, she reworks the show around us and what we give her,” McClure said. “She gives us an idea: we’ll do something and she’ll say, ‘That element of what you just did, let’s play on that.’”

The interactive method of directing that Beal uses leaves space for creativity as well as learning.

Charlie Nelson, a second-year UCSC student, said she was grateful to have the opportunity to work closely with professionals like Beal.

“Their energy comes from such a bright place,” Nelson said. “They are so meticulous, but they are so kind and they know that it takes both. They are so talented.”

“Mixed Nutz” has been performed by many groups outside of Santa Cruz in the past. Some of the professional performers coming to UCSC for this show have been a part of it several times.

“We’ve got costumes that we inherited from another performance, which is why they are absolutely amazing,” McClure said.

The costumes are a collection of colorful, flowing, shimmering fabrics that help to bring this show to life.

“There is one dance in particular that uses these shimmering pink capes that almost end the whole show, and it’s a special moment,” Bloomfield said. “There is acrobatics and waltz and ballet. A lot of joy went into this.”

The joyous show will run every weekend through December 6.

“I’m jealous that I won’t get to see it, it is such a treat for the audience,” Nelson said. “The magic of it is something you would never want to miss.”

Bloomfield expressed her similar excitement about the show.

“It is serious, spectacular holiday fun!”

~~~~~

Tickets to “Mixed Nutz” can be purchased by phone or in person at the UCSC Ticket Office (831) 459-2159, the Santa Cruz Civic box office (831) 420-5260, or online at http://santacruztickets.com.

“The Animals of Omaha,”written by theater arts student Jacob Cribbs, won the 2009 Dharma Grace Award for his work. Due to budget cuts, however, the award may not be offered again next year. Photo by Morgan Grana.

Standing in the skeletal set of a Midwestern living room, surrounded by the black walls of UC Santa Cruz’s experimental theater, the actors of “The Animals of Omaha” mentally prepare for opening night.

Jacob Cribbs, a creative writing graduate and theater arts student at UCSC, was the 2009 recipient of the Dharma Grace Award for his play, “The Animals of Omaha.”

“The theme of the play is that memories are always with you,” Cribbs said.

The Dharma Grace Award was established by the UCSC theater department in order to provide funding and a performance space for one full-length student-written play selected by a theater department committee each year. The winner is chosen from a pool of submitted scripts based on criteria determined by the committee, which is comprised of faculty members as well as a student representative.

“We always have a lively discussion about the works, in which we consider their theatricality, their originality and their success in creating a complete and dynamic dramatic world,” said associate professor Kimberly Jannarone, a Dharma Grace Committee member.

However, due to the state of the economy and the shrinking budget of theater arts, the award is in danger of not being offered next year.

“We wanted to make this valuable to the community so that the award can continue to happen,” said Cribbs.

Directed by Stacy-Michelle Walker, a UCSC fourth-year feminist studies and theater arts major, “The Animals of Omaha” explores dark topics such as domestic violence, drug abuse and extortion, some of which were were hard for her to explore.

“As a feminist, taking on something that has so much violence against people, women, homosexuals — and to be able to stage it well — has been a very challenging process,” Walker said.

Walker said that one of the most unique aspects of the play is its multiple endings that will change the outcome of the show each night.

“There are a million ways to experience life, a million choices we can make,” Walker said. “These are just three possibilities.”

Both the writer and director have collaborated in creating a different show for the audience each night in other ways than the multiple endings.

“We wanted to divide the audience experience so it makes them pick sides,” Cribbs said.

Walker said she deliberately staged certain aspects of the show so that if an audience member sits in a certain seat, they will observe different details of the action onstage.

“You can sit in any section you like and you can see a completely different show from the person across from you,” Walker said.

One such perspective is an up-close encounter with a couple’s cramped quarters. Actors pass within inches of the seats and the audience can hear every whisper. On the other side of the same stage, however, the audience members will gaze into a formal living room from a distance.

“The audience is in the cramped space, forced to participate as well as spectate,” Walker said. “Some of the audience, however, has the luxury of distance.”

The cast of 10 takes on living characters as well as images in those characters’ memories. Alexandra Pucci, a fourth-year psychology major and theater minor, plays Marian, who has a capacity for love as well as a taste for violence and vengeance.

“My favorite aspect of this project was finding the humanity in something that seems so bleak,” Pucci said. “The characters in this show don’t think of themselves as villains.”

With only five weeks to prepare for the show, the actors said it has been a trial as well as a learning experience.

“It has been a lot of work, but it has been awesome,” said Josh Saleh, a second-year theater arts major. “Playing with the space around you, experimenting; it has been a real challenge.”

Walker said that the audience has to be prepared for an experience that may cause discomfort in the passive viewer.

“I hope people are prepared to work, as an audience,” Walker said. “People who are used to traditional, naturalistic theater may be turned off.”

Jannarone said that “The Animals of Omaha” met the high standards of the Dharma Grace Award not only through its intricate story line and complex characters, but by the ambitious nature of the entire project.

“‘The Animals of Omaha’ stood out, in a way, because it had a striking fullness to it: it is very complex, and yet beautifully structured; it dramatizes dark and difficult moments in human relations, and yet it is often extraordinarily funny,” Jannarone said.

Cribbs said that the play is aimed at bringing attention to issues that are not only pertinent to up-and-coming playwrights interested in preserving this award, but to any theatergoers and community members interested in contemporary politics and deep social issues.

“If everybody does the same art and does the same thing, what’s the point?” Cribbs said. “Art by nature should be a little subversive.”

“The Animals of Omaha” runs Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 12-15 in the UCSC Experimental Theater
Performances are at 7 p.m. every day (except Sundays, 3 p.m.).
There will be a talkback/open dialogue with the cast, writer and director on Saturday the 14th following the performance.
Tickets are free for UCSC undergraduates w/ ID, $11 general admission, $10 senior citizens and students. May be purchased at the UCSC box office.

The student cast of “Quartely Exhort” poses after holding its final rehearsal before the first show premiers Friday, Oct. 30 at Kresge Town Hall. Photo by Nita-Rose Evans.

Darkness falls as the group begins their rehearsal for the upcoming play at the UC Santa Cruz outdoor theater. Improvisational jokes flow in and out, and the best ones are added to the script by the stage manager. At one point, an actress falls into an emotional monologue about gay rights. This glimpse of seriousness in the light-hearted, comedic production reminds the audience about the serious issues at the core of the show.

“Quarterly Exhort” is a free show written, directed and produced entirely by UCSC students that will debut at Kresge Town Hall this Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Director Flynn Crosby explained that the initial aim of the project was both to inform and entertain. In addition to exploring issues surrounding gay rights, the show also examines the current budget crisis, the wars in the Middle East, and health care, issues that are pertinent to the modern viewer.

While the show was primarily written by Crosby and stage manager Brandon Bennett, Crosby explained that much of the material developed, grew and changed during rehearsals. Crosby will gauge the audience reaction to see if the show will go on in the future.

“It’s a collaborative show where everyone has been involved with the script,” Crosby said. “A lot of creative ideas and jokes come from improvisation.”

The show is segmented into different parts with a different actor leading each vignette, just like a news show. News anchors Deepika Singamsetty and Michael Fantauzzo lead the show while other actors explain sports, weather, news, theater and celebrity gossip.

“It’s a lot like a news show, but all in a funny, silly, ‘everybody should be laughing,’ sort of way,” Crosby said.

In addition to its pliable script, some other elements of the production have also been fairly mutable throughout the pre-premiere process. Last year, a show like this one would most likely have been produced through BarnStorm, a campus production company run by two UCSC graduate students that hosted 55 performances at The Barn during the 2008-2009 season — from plays to comedy nights and poetry slams.

Recent budget cuts, though, knocked BarnStorm and The Barn itself out of contention to host and produce this show. When asked why BarnStorm is not operating during fall quarter, theater department chair David Cuthbert said it was mostly due to the budget crisis.

“It costs well over $10,000 just for the TAs for BarnStorm to run,” Cuthbert said. “We hope that we will return [for] as many quarters as we possibly can, but with the budget we’re having to make cuts all around.”

While BarnStorm will be back in action winter quarter, for now Crosby has had to organize the show without its assistance, or the assistance of the UCSC theater department. This has made everything from finding adequate rehearsal space to marketing the show significantly more difficult, according to Crosby.

“The only real advantage to doing this outside of the theater program is being able to talk about the theater program openly,” Crosby said.

While putting the show together has proven difficult in some ways, Bennett said that it will still deliver essential messages to students about extremely important things happening both inside and outside of Santa Cruz.

“Here we live in a time when all of our open minds are heading in the same direction in a very close community,” he said. “We don’t always see what else is going on, and sometimes we get stuck. It’s important to know difference.”

Exploring movement and emotions, ‘Moving Voices’ leads audiences through a exploration of the inner self through a two-part produciton opening at the Barn this Friday. Photo by Devika Agarwal.

Movement without motion. A message conveyed without words. A language that speaks to the soul rather than to the ears. All these aspects and more accompany the experience that is the show “Moving Voices.”

UC Santa Cruz’s Barn Theater, the usual haunt of the student-produced BarnStorm, will play host to a unique set of theater arts department shows entitled “Moving Voices” for the next two weekends. The show is a collaboration of two directorial visions that explore various aspects of body movement and vocal work in performance.

Although the shows are considered a single program, they are separate artistic entities. The first is “The Splendor and Death of Joaquin Murieta,” written by Pablo Neruda and directed by Guzman.

“Our show is about going on a journey,” student director Yave Guzman said. “It’s about finding yourself and your strengths while on that journey.”

“This is not your traditional show,” Guzman added. “It’s creating a story — a language — as the show unfolds.”

This part of “Moving Voices” is a bilingual piece. While Neruda’s story was originally written in Spanish, Guzman has his characters alternate speaking in both Spanish and English.

“This [show] is a response to my own anger towards cuts aimed at theater that encourages fluency in another language,” said Guzman.

The second show of the set is called “The Spiral” and is inspired by a short story about a mollusk by Italian short story Italo Calvino. It is directed by UCSC student Matt Kedzie.

The cast plays as an ensemble and has developed individual characters named and inspired by Calvino’s stories.

Both pieces are steeped in movement and the exploration of physicality.

“It is about observing with all the senses,” actor James Tipton said. “[The play] is a growing and changing in awareness [for the audience].”

Kedzie had his actors heighten and dull their own senses to gain a better grasp of what the play was trying to achieve.

“We played with our senses a lot,” he said. “We had a deaf rehearsal and a blind rehearsal.”

The two directors said their choices when working on these shows were motivated by the concept of the show’s namesake — moving voices.

“They are words, but they are moving,” Guzman said. “[The words] force you to take up action. It moves your soul.”

Although similarities can be drawn between the shows there are differences in the performance aspects of the two pieces. According to Kedzie, the ensemble in “The Spiral” serve to draw the audience into themselves and reflect rather than weave a direct narrative.

“There is not a story you can easily follow, it’s not a linear theater piece we are used to,” Kedzie said of his show. “If you are an audience member, you get to see something different every night.”

Both directors agree that their pieces transcend traditional theatrical performances.

“We could do this on a street corner, it would still be powerful,” Guzman said.

The theater space itself, Kedzie added, changes the audience’s perception of the piece.

“It is only a theater piece because we are in a theater,” Kedzie said. “If we were out of a theater, it would be performance art.”

He said that the two pieces deal with issues that will hopefully be both inspiring and thought-provoking to audiences.

“These authors inspired us,” said Kedzie. “We hope to move other people with our voices.”

The directors encourage audience members to keep an open mind when attending the show in order to fully experience the range of emotions each offers. They said that “Moving Voices” will be an interesting experience and have a different effect on each person who attends.

“If they want to have a positive experience,” Kedzie said, “the audience has to come willing to experience a treat for the senses.”

~~~~~

Moving Voices opens on Oct. 30, 2009 in the Barn Theater at the base campus. Tickets can be purchased through the Barn.

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein.

On Oct. 13, Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC) announced that the company will be returning to produce another season. Students and organizers are relieved, but the long-term fiscal health of the program remains undetermined and a few aspects of the program have already become extinct.

“In reality, we have got the green light to go forward but haven’t worked out the details,” said Marco Barricelli, artistic director of SCC. “I’m not even sure what the budget is going to be for next year.”

With an unknown path to the future, SSC is doing its best to stay afloat. This means placing an even greater emphasis on the importance of the performing arts.

SCC had to raise $300,000 in under two weeks last December — and raise they did. After about 10 days of non-stop fundraising, the theater company gathered over $400,000.

While fundraising was able to save SSC for this coming season, similar emergency fundraising tactics will not be an option in the future.

“We were in a very, very desperate situation,” Barricelli said. “There was an imminent threat of closure of this theater.”

The program now hopes to place greater focus on sustaining the interest of students and community to ensure its continued success.

“I’m constantly looking for ways to integrate [SSC] ideas with the [UCSC] Theater Arts Department,” Barricelli said.

Although there have been reductions to a few student-based aspects of the company, the representatives of SSC regard their work with students as essential.

“We are absolutely committed to working with Theater Arts,” said Sara Wilbourne, the administrative and education coordinator for SSC.

Barricelli stressed the advantages of the opportunities offered to students by SSC.

“There aren’t a lot of UC’s with professional theaters under their auspices,” said Barricelli of UCSC’s unique feature. “It’s attractive to potential [UCSC] students.”

SSC also goes to great lengths to involve faculty, as well as bringing in outside talent for their productions.

“Students have an opportunity to see their teachers in action,” Barricelli said.

In addition, each summer the company takes on over 30 student interns. The opportunities range from acting, to stage managing to costume design and more.

“In a normal season we have roughly 12 [acting] interns, one-third from UCSC,” Barricelli said. “This past year it was actually more than one-third.”

Boris Volkov, a third-year theater arts student, was a 2009 summer intern.

“The [professional] actors treated us so well,” Volkov said. “[They] knew how hard the interns were working. I would absolutely do [SSC] again.”

Barricelli said by working with professionals, students can gain a better understanding of the business on a scale they would not in an academic setting.

“Watching their process every day, watching [the professional actors] fail and succeed every day, they are standing side by side on a stage,” Barricelli said. “You will never get that knowledge in a classroom.”

Although the company itself survived the financial threat, many well-known attributes of SSC did not. SSC’s annual holiday show has been cut due to the decrease in the University’s budget. While SSC is able to bring in enough funds to pay its employees, the university can no longer afford to make up the deficit the company has been incurring each year.

“In order for the University to be comfortable, we needed not to have a holiday show,” Wilbourne said. “Although the show pays for itself, it does not pay for the staff.”

Currently many SSC employees, including Wilbourne, are working reduced hours. Wilbourne said that she does not know whether or not the holiday show will return in coming years.

Stage readings were cut as well, disappointing Barricelli and many theater arts students.

“We are UC students who pay exorbitant sums of money to receive not just education and a diploma, but also to have access to…performance opportunities,” said fourth-year theater arts student Guy Zachary Gardner.

The staged readings, which began in early 2009, were a way for students and faculty to join forces with SSC and produce shows without spending the money necessary for a full production. These readings were designed so that the program could accrue revenue without dedicating the immense amounts of time a full-scale play requires. The readings were rehearsed a few times and then shown on stage without costumes or sets — just actors with scripts.

Although these programs have been cut, SSC will continue its community outreach and student programs for now. Wilbourne calls for community members, including students, to continue to pay attention to theater arts and to support the company so the Santa Cruz community does not lose this resource.

“Be an ambassador for the performing arts,” Wilbourne said. “If you think theater is something important to people, try to get people to take a chance — go see something live.”

Now, SSC fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as UCSC announced today they’ll be sticking around to produce a season in 2010, thanks to cutbacks within the organization, ticket sales that came close to meeting SSC’s goals, and the pool of contributions the organization collected in December 2008. The announcement was made during a conference call by Arts Division Dean David Yager and SSC’s Artistic Director, Marco Barricelli.

More details about the announcement are in the official UCSC press release. Be sure to check back with City on a Hill Press for more information as this story develops.

(In other news… SSC’s got a show this Friday and Saturday…)

{Related Links}
Shakespeare Santa Cruz Reaches its Financial Goal, Secures Funding for 2009 Season [CHP]
UC Santa Cruz announces Shakespeare Santa Cruz will continue in 2010 with 29th season [UCSC News/Events]

actor veronica tijoe, posing with “Q” the beta fish, stars in the play “The Clean House,” showing at the Actor’s Theatre in Downtown Santa Cruz. “The Clean House” will be running until Oct. 18. Photo by Rosario Serna.

Veronica Tjioe is not Brazilian. She has never spoken Portuguese in her life.

But as the lights went up on the small black box stage in the Santa Cruz Actors’ Theatre, the audience saw her as Mathilde, a 25-year-old Brazilian housekeeper telling a joke in rapid Portuguese.

Thus began the first show of the Actors’ Theatre’s 25th season of entertainment in Santa Cruz.

“I was daydreaming about being in this show one day, as a hypothetical if I [was] really lucky , perhaps,” Tjioe, a third-year proposed theater major at UC Santa Cruz, said.

Tijoe’s dream has become a reality as she plays Mathilde in the Actors’ Theatre’s current production of Sarah Ruhl’s “The Clean House.”

Cast by director Gerry Gerringer into the role, Tjioe has exceeded expectations and created a successful character.

“One of the real joys as a director is the discovery of young talent,” Gerringer said of Tjioe. “She was a godsend … marvelous.”

Tjioe has found the experience to be marvelous as well.

“It’s daunting, but they have totally taken me under their wing,” Tijoe said of the other actors in the show.

Although she is many years their junior, Tjioe said the members of the Actors’ Theatre have become like family.

“You won’t find nicer people anywhere … they are so warm and welcoming,” Tjioe said.

Gerringer said that many students and young artists are discouraged from coming out to auditions for fear that they are too inexperienced or cannot keep up with the veteran actors of the theater. The longtime director said that, at least for him, this is not so, and that he’d love to see more students audition for future roles.

“Talent wins out,” Gerringer said. “Experience is not one of my highest priorities.”

Michelle Carter, operations manager for the Actors’ Theatre, estimates that only 30 percent of the participants at the theater are students, and the majority of that number are from Cabrillo College, not UCSC. Carter said that if more students knew about the casting calls and volunteer opportunities, the theater would continue to grow more steadily as a community and student resource.

The Actors’ Theatre, like many arts programs in Santa Cruz, has been hit hard by the current economic state. Sixty-two percent of the theater’s income is based on ticket sales alone. Due to the economic downturn, however, the theater has not hosted full seasons for the past two years.

The Actors’ Theatre has taken to holding fundraisers and hosting smaller productions to compensate for budgetary stress, but this year they are ushering in the venue’s first full season in a few years.

“Let’s act our way out of the crisis,” Carter said, summing up the theater’s present goals.

Carter said that although the theater is small in size — just over 100 seats — the support from the community to keep the theater up and running is still evident, despite the financial crunch.

Tjioe said that working in the small theater has given her a learning experience unlike any she has ever had. Though she is just starting her career, Tjioe said she has grown immensely as an actor by taking this opportunity outside of the university’s theater department.

“The space is small,” Tjioe said. “[But] you and I are in the space together and I am going to tell you a story.”

“The Clean House” will be running Thursday through Sunday at the Actors’ Theatre until October 18. For tickets call (831)425-PLAY, or visit santacruzactorstheatre.org for more information.

Actors wait outside the Barn Theater before one of the Chautauqua performances. Shows began on May 14, and this weekend will feature the festival’s final performances. Photo by Morgan Grana.

The audience waits in anticipation at the Barn Theater as the lights dim and the television sets flicker. Characters on the screen tell them that this is the 30th anniversary of Chautauqua. 

So began Chautauqua 2009, and the audience appeared full of enthusiasm. Amid the hollers and applause, the stage lights brightened to reveal the first play of the evening.

“Chautauqua is a theater festival of all student-written plays, produced by students, directed by students, starring students,” first-year Josh Benson-Merron said. “It enables students to get involved in every aspect of theater and lets student playwrights see their work performed onstage.”

The festival incorporates all-student writing, acting, technical theater, directing and organization into one five-unit class. The oddly named festival is attributed to a series of theater festivals held in Lake Chautauqua, NY, over a century ago. 

Preparations start at the beginning of spring quarter. Chautauqua students learn every component of theatrical productions and work to have their original creations showcased.

Benson-Merron acted in the play “A Scene,” as well as coordinating the set and props for another play.

“Everyone in Chautauqua is required to complete multiple jobs to meet the standards of the production,” he said.

Running  through closing night this Sunday, May 31, Chautauqua hosts 10 different student plays over the course of nine showings. Each weekend provides a new batch of entertainment. 

One of these productions was the comedy “Melting Point,” written by Brian Billard and directed by Holly Nichols.  “Melting Point” chronicles the day when a homeless man predicts the end of the world. 

“Melting Point ran during program B,” said first-year Spencer Fortin, a member of the “Melting Point” cast. “I played a rather snobbish guy who encounters a very vocal homeless man while I’m waiting to go on a date.”

One distinctive feature of Chautauqua is the ability for students, particularly first-years, to get their first taste of theater at UCSC. By participating in Chautauqua students can learn the ropes of the theater department and use their experiences in future theater productions at UCSC and beyond. 

“I’m considering joining Chautauqua next year because the show that I went to was so good,” second-year Sarah Brown said. “It’s getting me excited to get back into theater, and [Chautauqua] seems like a good outlet to do so.” 

All students who sign up for Chautauqua during class selections are admitted entry to the program. An acting part in one of the plays requires an audition. 

Chautauqua is held in the Barn Theater at the base of campus May 28 through 31, for those who want to catch the final set of performances. Tickets are free and all are welcome to attend. 

“Chautauqua is important,” first-year Spencer Fortin said. “It has given me a lot of opportunity to act and work in theater. And plus, it’s free.”

The ninth International Playhouse took place May 14 through 17, with performances in French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Photo by Catie Havstad.

Every year the International Playhouse attracts a crowd of hundreds. This year, after four nights of shows, the Ninth International Playhouse stayed true to its successful tradition. 

Miriam Ellis is the producer of the playhouse as well as the director of the French play. This year the International Playhouse consisted of four plays, one each in French, Japanese, Russian and Spanish — some old, some adapted, and some brand-new. The International Playhouse is Ellis’ pet project, and she has seen it evolve over the years, staging performances in nine of the 12 languages offered at UC Santa Cruz.

“We always have full houses, and we always run out of programs to hand out,” Ellis said. “The students come and they bring their families and friends. We also invite schools like Cabrillo and Santa Cruz high schools. It’s a unifying tool, or an outreach tool, to attract students. We have community people who come, sometimes from far away, to hear something in their own language.” 

The playhouse offers students a chance to employ the languages they learn in a classroom in a more interactive way, Ellis said.

“The pieces that we pick have a lot of historical, social, political or psychological elements — besides the comical side, of course,” Ellis said.

This year’s biggest hit was the Japanese play, a musical about three foreign students visiting UCSC. The play was written and directed by Japanese lecturer Sakae Fujita, together with her students.

“They worked for two quarters on the show,” Ellis said. “She had the concept and worked on the show, but the choreography was done by students.”

Choreography ranged from square dancing to break dancing.

“The range of versatility, all of the singing and dancing that they put on, was amazing,” Ellis said.

In many ways it resembled last year’s very successful Russian play, which was also a musical about UCSC entitled “UKSK.” Bill Nickell, a lecturer in Russian literature who wrote and directed the play, had something else in mind for this year’s International Playhouse. This year’s Russian play was an adaptation of a play from early 20th century playwright Vladimir Mayakovsky. 

In the preface to his play, “Mystery-Bouffe,” Mayakovsky encouraged future generations attempting to re-enact the play to “change the content, making it contemporary.” And that is exactly what Nickell did — from casting Sarah Palin to staging the foreclosure of heaven. 

Third-year Ariadna Anisimova plays an angel in Nickell’s play. 

“We had barely six full weeks of rehearsal,” Anisimova said as she waited in the theater for her time to go backstage. “The play is brilliant. It’s more serious than last year’s, but Bill continues to impress me with his innovations. Absurdity is Bill’s expertise.”

Nickell, however, insists that the International Playhouse is primarily about the students.

“What’s important for me is that it’s a chance for the students to learn lines that they can embody and act out,” he said. “It makes the language more personal.”

As for next year, Nickell declined to disclose his next venture. What he can say, however, is that it will be even more experimental. 

Ellis, on the other hand, said she was thinking of adapting something.

“But I’m more interested in seeing my students write a play,” Ellis said. “One of them wants to be Napoleon.” 

The International Playhouse, Ellis said, allows students “to use their imagination and fantasies and creativity to make a character and function in a different world. It’s much more than just a play.”