December9th to 20th -Danny's Story
Inspired by LGBTQ+ youth in San Diego, Danny is a transgender high schooler who makes the brave decision to pursue their true identity. With music and storytelling, audiences witness his coming of age, as Danny moves to a new school in search of belonging. Along that journey of self-discovery, audiences meet Danny's family, teachers, friends, and classmates -- who are forced to face their own assumptions and bias. Designed to allow high school youth and their communities to consider the complexities of transphobia, Danny's Story initially ends in disaster before audiences embark on an empowering journey to alter the outcomes of the play itself.
The show is based on Augusto Boal's model of Forum Theater. A genre of performance rarely seen in San Diego, Forum Theater was developed so that audiences might explore tangible ways to change the world in which we live. During the show, audiences are challenged to find new ways of supporting and empowering the central characters, encouraging young people to act on behalf of themselves or their peers when they experience injustice. This timely and ultimately hopeful play offers communities an opportunity to navigate this difficult but important conversation during a time of increasing visibility and vulnerability.
Danny's Story includes mature subject matter and is recommended for ages 14 and up. The world premiere production was produced by Blindspot Collective in partnership with Diversionary Theatre.
For tickets and more info visit: https://www.blindspotcollective.org/dannys-story
November 23rd to December 15th - The Reindeer Monologues
The EIGHT: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode
Directed by
Jerry Pilato & Erica Livingstone
Santa's Reindeer Tells All! With each deer's confession, the truth behind the shocking allegations becomes clearer and clearer and seems to implicate everyone from the littlest elf to the tainted Saint himself.
Don't miss this expose of North Pole Naughtiness. Intended for a mature audience, not recommended for children.
Starring David Janisch as Dasher, Eric Trigg as Comet, Christine McCoy as Dancer, Andrew Walters as Hollywood (Prancer), Mclain Parker as Cupid, Melanie Mino as Blitzen, Michael Adler as Donner and Kellen Gold as Vixen
Dates: Nov 22, 23, 30 Dec 6, 13, 14
Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm
Tickets: Adults $20 Sen./Mil./Stu. $17, Group $14 (8 or more)Open seating, Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain.
Handicapped Accessible.
CYT - Schoolhouse Rock LIVE!
I got the beautiful opportunity to collaboratively direct a show with two friends: Lex Bezdeka & Samy Occhino. This was a blast and an emotional roller coaster with a cast of 56 and so many parents helping pull everything off. This was my first time directing a main stage CYT show and I feel fortunate it was with such friendly company. I am so deeply proud of the cast. They are all so hard-working, caring, and talented individuals.
Schoolhouse Rock was an iconic animated series that captured the hearts and imaginations of children and adults alike. Schoolhouse Rock reminds us that we can have fun and learn all at the same time. The show came to be when an ad executive noticed his son was having trouble learning his multiplication numbers, but knew all the songs to the Rolling Stones by heart. He used this concept of teaching by music and rhythm and reached out to jazz pianist Bob Dorough and “Three Is A Magic Number” came to be.
An idea that was originally supposed to be an educational record album turned into short animated videos that aired Saturday mornings on ABC in 1979. The show was inclusive and vibrant using characters of every gender, size and color to demonstrate togetherness and made learning inclusive. Using different music styles from jazz to du-wop to folk the songs were catchy and educational; covering subject matter that still rings relevant today.
Schoolhouse Rock Live! follows the story of a teacher ready to take the next big step yet feeling trapped by insecurities and a feeling of imposter syndrome. Through this production we hope that you can find the parts of yourself that shape you, inspire you, and even acknowledge the parts of you that need growth. Then, through that acknowledgement it can be discovered that even though it may be uncomfortable, or scary, the truth is that making friends with all those parts of you will help you grow into the person you want to be.
Within this story, the legacy of all that Schoolhouse Rock wished to accomplish: relatability, education, and inclusion, we can come together to prove how these concepts can influence and stay with us.That way, we truly can share the message through our current conflict and political climate that, “knowledge is power”..
The Winter’s Tale - September/October 2019
September 20 – October 13, 2019
Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 8pm & Sunday @ 2pm
by William Shakespeare
Director: Samuel Young
What a fool honesty is…
The Winter’s Tale tells the story of a delusional and paranoid king who tears his family apart. Believing that his wife Hermione has betrayed him with King Polixenes, King Leontes orders her to be sent to prison, banishes his child and orders Polixenes to be poisoned. After sixteen years of being consumed by guilt, Leontes pays his debts and is reconciled with Hermione and his daughter in contrasting scenes that are full of laughter and merriment.
This tragicomedy is one of Shakespeare’s most powerful works, blending pastoral humor, bitterness, resentment and the most magical of endings, proving the power of forgiveness and redemption.
A familiar face to Coronado Playhouse audiences, having performed in Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing and King Charles III, Samuel Young returns to CPH, this time as the Director. This production markes the first time Coronado Playhouse has ever staged The Winter’s Tale in the 23-year history of Annual Free Classic plays.
March - April 2019
March 22 – April 28, 2019
Thursday, Friday, Saturday @ 8pm & Sunday @ 2pm
Please note there is no performance on Sunday, April 21, 2019 in observance of the Easter Holiday. There is an additional performance on Saturday, April 20 at 2pm
Music by John Kander and Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Director: Julia Cuppy
Music Director: Ian Brandon
Associate Director/Choreographer: Jaese Lecuyer
“Right This Way. You’re table’s waiting…”
“Cabaret’s unsettling conclusion reminds us not to get distracted by the song and dance and forget about what’s behind the curtain.” – The Star
Welcome to the Kit Kat Club and Berlin in the 1930s. The Nazis are rising in power and life may be uncertain, but you are invited to leave your troubles outside and join the Emcee, singer Sally Bowles and a wonderful and colorful ensemble who will tantalize and entertain you.
When Cabaret was originally produced and directed by renowned director Hal Prince in 1966 conflict in America was the central theme found in politics and society at large. Despite the Civil Rights Bill being signed in 1964, race riots and shootings of African Americans were commonplace in our country. Hal Prince was very cognizant of these events and he wanted to use the musical theatre art form to create a cautionary tale set in pre-World War II Germany to illustrate to an 1960s audience how important it is to not repeat the errors of the past. It is undeniable that this tale is still relevant today.
Playing on these themes, Coronado Playhouse’s production will evaluate the psychology of how our well-intended goals can easily degrade because of fear and lack of empathy. Audience members will be active participants in this drama from the moment they step into the theatre.
Become a patron at Weimar’s 1931 Kit Kat Club and interact with the Kit Kat Girls and the fabulous Master of Ceremonies. The intimacy and immersive quality of the space will lend a hand in creating an unique theatre experience for the audience.
Written by Joe Masteroff, with music and lyrics by Broadway legends John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cabaret debuted on Broadway in 1966. The 1972 movie, directed by Bob Fosse and starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York and Joel Grey, won eight Academy Awards. Musical numbers in the show Wilkommen, Mein Herr, Perfectly Marvelous, Don’t Tell Mama, Maybe This Time and the haunting Tomorrow Belongs to Me.
February 20th, 2019
Third Tour of Safa’s Story
By Blindspot Collective
I got the amazing chance to play the role of Jake again in Safa’s Story. Blindspot Collective’s creative and well designed drama-based educational program. This time we did about three weeks worth of shows around the San Diego area. Performing at middle and elementary schools.
Based on the real experiences of a San Diego native, Safa is an effervescent African American fifth grader with a big imagination and an even bigger heart. Through storytelling and music inspired by Safa's bicultural, American and Zimbabwean background, audiences meet her caring mother, kind teacher, and irresistible friends — as well as a new classmate who creates deepening divides between Safa and her peers. Designed to allow young people to consider the complexities of racism, difference, and prejudice, Safa's Story initially ends in heartbreak before audiences embark on an empowering journey to alter the outcomes of the play itself.
Created by local artist and activist Catherine Hanna Schrock, the show is based on Augusto Boal's model of Forum Theater. A genre of performance rarely seen in San Diego, Forum Theater was developed so that audiences might explore tangible ways to change the world in which we live. During the show, audiences are challenged to find new ways of supporting and empowering the central characters, encouraging young people to act on behalf of themselves or their peers when they experience injustice. This timely and ultimately hopeful play offers children and families an opportunity to navigate this difficult but important conversation during a time of increasing division and discord.
January 12th, 2019
Fill Fill Fill Fill Fill Fill Fill
A Play By Steph Del Rosso
Brought to you by OnTheLine Collective
I got the wonderful opportunity to participate in a staged reading of this phenomenal play. I played the part of Noah, a rock star who is delicate yet cruel. This staged reading was filled with talent too!
Synopsis: Joni is single. Joni is lost. Joni is moving a mile a minute. Joni must never be alone. After her five-year relationship ends, Joni must redefine her identity—and fast. Through strangers and friends, cheese plates and gameshows, she embarks on a madcap journey to carve out a space for herself in a world that won’t quite let her. FILL FILL FILL FILL FILL FILL FILL is a comedy about how we see and value women—and how we don’t.
Directed by: Colette Victoria Hamilton
Cast:
Joni: Gina Maria Cioffi
Noah: Andrew Walters
Todd: Travis Rynders
Young Joni: Sophia Oberg
Lisa: Hannah Reinert
Ray: Ryan Martinez
Kate: Kirstiana Rosas
Doug: Alex Galan
Stage Directions: August Robinson
December 24th, 2018
I got the opportunity to work with some of my friends from OnTheLine Collective over the holiday season. We made a short film, this is it:
December 1st, 2018
Danny’s Story
Inspired by LGBTQ+ youth in San Diego, Danny is a transgender high schooler who makes the brave decision to pursue their true identity. With music and storytelling, audiences witness his coming of age, as Danny moves to a new school in search of belonging. Along that journey of self-discovery, audiences meet Danny's family, teachers, friends, and classmates -- who are forced to face their own assumptions and bias. Designed to allow youth and adults to consider the complexities of transphobia, Danny's Story initially ends in disaster before audiences embark on an empowering journey to alter the outcomes of the play itself.
Due to mature subject matter, this production is recommended for ages 14 and up.
I got the opportunity to write original music to help musically score this production. My fellow cast-mates and I also got to jam out a few cover tracks during the opening portion of the play. I am always so very excited to get to work with Blindspot Collective! They are truly such amazing human beings.
October 30th, 2018
ADAM HENRY A.K.A. WICKED MONK IS IN THE FRIED RECORDING HOUSE!
The very talented and sweet man who goes by the name of Adam Henry (his music dubbed Wicked Monk) has been over recording two of his songs. The first track is a soulful and beachy one titled “Turn Off Your Mind.“ The second, a up tempo fusion of folk, blues, and rock entitled “Song For Sirens.“
I am super excited by the opportunity of working with such a well versed musician who is immensely talented and passionate!
Tracks soon to be released . . .