Category: Drama

Campus, Column, Drama

Diving full speed into Del Mar Drama’s ‘Forbidden Planet’

Paul Farias

After two years of theater, I’ve come back to the place that started it all: Del Mar College. This time, I’m taking on “Return to the Forbidden Planet,” a campy take on science fiction. I wasn’t expecting to audition at first, as I had originally signed on to help with music before auditions were underway. As the show began to take hold, I threw my hat in the ring instead. A little bit of singing and acting later, and I got the role of Cookie. For those unfamiliar with the show, Cookie is the lowly cook aboard the spaceship the…

Drama

‘Leading’ the charge backstage

Paul Farias

If handwriting is a dying art, then I am single-handedly keeping it alive. Or at least, that’s how I feel when I’m working on Del Mar Drama’s latest play, “Leading Ladies.” For those who don’t know, “Leading Ladies” takes the premise of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” and mixes it with the 1959 film “Some Like It Hot” to make one hilariously ridiculous play. The play takes place in 1958 and follows two struggling Shakespearean actors, Leo and Jack, as they seek to fleece the ailing Florence out of her large inheritance by posing as two missing family members of hers. Soon,…

Drama

One instrument to another: a ‘Rocky’ story

Paul Farias

I’ve never had to triple down in my life. Sure I’ve doubled down on countless occasions, but going a step beyond that has never been in the cards for me. Or at least it wasn’t, up until I got involved in this year’s “The Rocky Horror Show.” Much like last year’s production, I auditioned for the musical first, just in case I could get into the cast. When that didn’t work, I pivoted right back to my usual spot: the band. I had been talking with the music director for about a month by the time I had auditioned, and…

Drama

Aurora Arts theater and Rocky Horror

Paul Farias

I’ve never had to triple down in my life. Sure I’ve doubled down on countless occasions, but going a step beyond that has never been in the cards for me. Or at least it wasn’t, up until I got involved in this year’s “The Rocky Horror Show.” Much like last year’s production, I auditioned for the musical first, just in case I could get into the cast. When that didn’t work, I pivoted right back to my usual spot: the band. I had been talking with the music director for about a month by the time I had auditioned, and…

Drama

Lighting strikes again with return of Lightning Bolt Theatre

Paul Farias

After a six-year hiatus, Del Mar Drama is performing “Lightning Bolt Theatre” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 and 23 in the Finley Theatre on Heritage Campus. “It’s all student-written material, original stuff,” drama professor Carl Yowell said. Previous performances have seen students put together and perform full plays. “Lightning Bolt has historically been a bunch of different projects,” Yowell said. “We’ve done original plays, we’ve done sketch comedy, like ‘Saturday Night Live,’ we did puppet theater.” For this installation, Yowell has opted for a more individualized approach to the students’ productions. “This year, it’s student-written monologues,” Yowell said. “There may…

Campus, Drama, Entertainment, Staff

Professor Frederick’s farewell production imminent

Lola Ponce

Del Mar’s very own Kim Fredrick will be retiring with his last show as a drama professor. Fredrick, a cherished figure in the drama department, is orchestrating the special production as a farewell to his long and impactful career. Having dedicated over 30 years to DMC, Fredrick is set to retire after a final showcase of “Greater Tuna,” a play that resonates deeply with him. “Of the many plays, “Greater Tuna” – I feel a connection with this play, in particular,” he shares. His connection to the play underscores his belief in its enduring charm and the joy it brings even decades…

Community, Drama

Behind The Scenes: ‘The Rocky Horror Show’

Paul Farias

Have you ever dealt with a moment in time where you felt like you weren’t doing anything productive? One where you were just going through the motions and letting life pass you by? I had that feeling for the longest time earlier this year. I’ve been interested in theater for the past 7 months now and that comes from the improv workshop I did in late January. This brought me to Del Mar’s production of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,’ which was my first time acting. To put all the years of listening to music, learning how to…

Community, Drama, Entertainment

Giving the audiences ‘Goosebumps’

Paul Farias

For the first time ever a South Texas theater, namely Corpus Christi’s Harbor Playhouse, is staging “Goosebumps: Phantom of the Auditorium.” Tickets can be found on Harbor Playhouse’s website at harborplayhouse.com. One of the lead actors, Abigail Martin, felt a certain kinship with her character, Brooke Rodgers. “Brooke is kind of an upbeat, optimistic fun-loving girl who loves scary stuff and that’s me really,” Martin said. The music also influenced her to audition as well. “I loved the songs ‘Babbling Brooke’ and ‘Story of the Phantom,’ and they are my second and third most-listened songs on Apple Music right now,”…

Drama, Entertainment

Drama department’s “big comedy of misunderstanding” to open on Nov. 10

Andrew-Pól Clements

“Rumors,” the 1988 Broadway farce by Neil Simon, is coming to Del Mar College’s Sue Sellors-Finley Theatre on Heritage Campus. “Rumors” is a form of comedy known as a farce, centering around the exaggerated and the absurd. The story follows Ken and Chris Gorman, a couple who have been invited to the 10th anniversary party of New York City’s Deputy Mayor, Charlie Brock, and his wife Myra. From the moment they arrive, they are forced to navigate a growing cast of characters, a missing person, and a scandalous cover up. “It’s a big comedy of misunderstanding,” said Samuel Howarth, who…

Campus, Drama

Upcoming Around Campus

Webmaster

Drama students to perform ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’ Students in Del Mar’s first production of the semester have been busy preparing for the show’s Nov. 11 opening. Brennen Bellows plays Lysander, one of the lovers, in Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” “There’s love potions involved; it’s an emotional roller coaster,” Bellows said, “a funny, emotional roller coaster.” Although “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will be Bellow’s first college production, it is not his first overall. Bellows was in plays throughout high school and three just in this last year. Being in a play is “the most fun thing a person can do,” he…