Upcoming Middle School Performances
Doty Spring Concert – May 19 @ 6:30pm – Downey High School Theater
Griffiths Drama Performance “Sundown Alley” – May 7 & 9 @ 6:30pm- GMS Gym
Griffiths VAPA Night – May 28 – GMS Outdoor Stage
Stauffer Drama Performance “Into the Woods” – May 3 & 4 @ 4pm & 7pm; May 5 @ 2pm & 5pm – MSMS Gym
Stauffer Band Concert – May 29 @ 6pm – MSMS Gym
Downey Unified Middle School Musical Theatre Conservatory Performance “Mary Poppins, Jr.” – May 8 & 9 @ 4pm & 7pm; May 10 @ 2pm & 5pm – MSMS Gym
Upcoming High School Performances
Downey Drama Performance “The Little Mermaid” – May 9 @ 7pm; May 10 @ 5pm – Downey High Theater
Warren Drama Performance “Almost, Main” – May 10 & 11 @ 7:30pm – Emerson Theater
Stauffer Middle School creates magical theatre in school gym
written by Alistair Hunter, Vice President, Downey Arts Coalition (April 17, 2025)
“Into the Woods” was created by two giants of American Musical Theatre: music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, who also directed the Broadway production.
“Into the Woods” debuted at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego in 1986 and premiered on Broadway in 1987. It won Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress, in a year dominated by Phantom of the Opera. In 2014, it was adapted into a film that, quite frankly, I just couldn’t sit through.
“Into the Woods Jr.” follows a baker and his wife who are cursed and cannot have children. They seek to break the curse and find a magical beanstalk, a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, and hair as yellow as corn. Along the way, they encounter classic fairy tale characters like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack and the Beanstalk, whose wishes also intertwine with the baker’s quest.
The musical explores the consequences of wishes and the price of achieving them, highlighting themes of determination, sacrifice, and the complexities of fairy tales. Be careful what you wish for.
“Into the Woods Jr.” is a shorter version by Downey Unified School District’s remarkable Stauffer Middle School’s Advanced Drama Class. It is double cast. Think twice as difficult. It took place for the first time in the school gym, which was magically transformed into a terrific theatre space thanks to major assistance by DUSD’s staff, the support of Principal Dr. Allison Box, set/lighting by longtime volunteer Jeff Toussieng, and teacher/director Andrea Pyle.
As a former school administrator, I recognize a modern, pristine campus.
You could sense the excitement outside. I entered this majestic gym with DUSD Board Member Nancy Swenson, former Board Member Donald LaPlante and VAPA Coordinator Jeff Giles, along with family, teachers, students, and the community. We weaved our way through a dark curtained path, with a mat covering the entire gym floor. No basketball hoops in sight.
Then we discovered seating for 250 people, and a rack of professional equipment lighting a curtained stage. And music coming from three speakers hung above the stage. What a terrific use of space. And scheduling it all for that matter.
Pyle says she will use it again for the Music Theatre Conservatory’s (MTC) production of “Mary Poppins” in May.
The actors wear wireless microphones, which require calibration. Pyle is running sound with Toussieng running lights.
Through the use of short scenes and Sondheim’s songs, we are introduced to the Baker and his wife who embark on their journey to find the items they need to break the curse and along the way encounter slightly twisted classic fairy tale characters. The audience is hooked, and show their appreciation.
These are not professional actors. They are talented young people who have made a commitment, have worked hard to make this happen, and have the guts to get up on stage to perform. Kudos to the entire cast.
CAST HIGHLIGHTS
- Cinderella: Destinee Venagas gives us some fine acting and singing
- Jack: Royce Wiley may be small in stature but he is large in presence and focus.
- Baker’s Wife: Kayleen Diaz gives us some beautiful comic relief.
- Little Red: Maggie Robleto in particular is a standout. She is perfect for this role.
- Big Bad Wolf: Jayleen Nunez is a particularly Bad Wolf in a good way.
- Witch: Madelyn Gonzalez convinces us she is the one who created this curse.
SONG HIGHLIGHTS: STAUFFER
- Cinderella at the Grave: Destinee on Venegas, Ava Silva
- Hello, Little Girl: Jayleen Nunez, Maggie Robleto
- I Guess This is Goodbye/Maybe They’re Really Magic: Royce Willey, Morgan Barrick, Kayleen Diaz
- I Know Things Now: Maggie Robleto
- A Very Nice Prince: Destinee Venegas, Kayleen Diaz
- Giants In The Sky: Royce Willey
- On The Steps of the Palace: Destinee Venegas
- Your Fault/Last Midnight: Madelyn Gonzales, Morgan Barrick, Royce Willey, Maggie Robleto
Theatre is collaboration. Andrea Pyle and her Stauffer students, along with her MTC after-school students, demonstrate the best in Educational Theatre and make a tremendous contribution to our community. At the end of this year, Pyle is stepping down as director of MTC as she wants to spend more time with her own children. She has been teaching classes, directing Stauffer Drama productions, and on top of that directing MTC after school productions, and she has a family.
As an artistic director for 30 years, I understand completely. I can’t thank her enough. Those are some big shoes to fill.
Warren High School razzle dazzles them with Chicago: The Musical
written by Alistair Hunter, Vice President, Downey Arts Coalition (April 1, 2025)
Chicago” is one of the masterpieces of American Musical Theatre. It is the recipient of the Tony Award (1976), the Drama Desk Award (1976), the Olivier Award (1976), the Grammy (1976), and the Oscar (2002), for the motion picture.
It is the work of three legends of the American Musical Theatre, which is a unique American art form. This musical evolves the form. The book is by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, with music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The original production and film were directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse.
The 1996 Broadway production has been performing continuously at the Ambassador Theatre for almost three decades. It holds the record as the longest-running musical revival and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history.
But you don’t need to make a trip to Broadway to see it.
CHICAGO: TEEN VERSION
This production is a collaboration of the Warren High School Drama, Choir, and Band Departments joining forces to present CHICAGO: TEEN VERSION, a shorter version, at the WHS Emerson Theatre.
Theatre is collaboration. This production is a remarkable achievement by the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) students and teachers. The lobby is an exhibit of visual art students’ work. The theatre is a converted classroom seating 100 in the audience. This is the kind of theatre you would most likely work in as a theatre artist, except this one is fully equipped with lights and sound equipment.
The Chicago Band is comprised of 21 musicians and a conductor who face the audience across the performance space. On the opposite side of the performance space are a row of audience cafe tables for two in front of the audience. There is an extra chair at each table that is used during the performance. The cast of 25 wear wireless microphones. And they come and go out of nowhere.
These are not professional actors, singers, or dancers. It’s a postage stamp size stage. All the technical aspects of the production are the students’ work. Kudos to choreographer Teresa Flores, vocal director Briana Estrada, music director Sean O’ Kelly, and director Kyle Deichman. These kids break the fourth wall, singing and dancing their hearts out. They razzle dazzle you. And the sold out audience loved it.
Final performances are Thursday, April 3; Friday, April 4; and Saturday, April 5, at 7:30 pm.
HISTORY
Although fiction, “Chicago” has its basis in a true story.
It was adapted from Maurine Dallas Watkins’s play “Chicago” (1926). Watkins wrote the play as her master’s thesis at Yale, where she studied under the legendary George Pierce Baker in his famous playwriting workshop.
Watkins previously was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune during the early Prohibition days of the Roaring 20’s. She and the rest of the press wrote sensational articles profiling the “jazz babies” murder trials of Beulah Annan (Roxie Hart) and Belva Gaertner (Velma Kelly). Both claimed to have been corrupted by men and liquor. Both were cabaret singers who had their eyes on fame and show business. It was a sensational trial and the public couldn’t get enough of it. Months of tantalizing coverage in Chicago’s seven daily papers became a media circus that made them famous.
The all-male jury found them not guilty in separate trials. There were plenty of attractive women on Chicago’s “Murderess Row.” Almost all of them were acquitted of murdering their boyfriends or husbands.
In the 1960’s, Gwen Vernon suggested the play be adapted into a musical to her husband Bob Fosse, who attempted to acquire the rights to Watkin’s play numerous times but was denied. Watkins may have regretted her “jazz babies” acquittals, and didn’t want to glamorize them anymore. In 1969, her estate sold the rights to producer Richard Fryer, Verdon, and Fosse. Lander and Ebb modeled each number on a traditional vaudeville number or vaudeville performer.
THE PLOT
This high energy musical satirizes the celebrity criminal, justice, and show business as we follow Roxie and Velma in jail and on trial. And especially in the media competing for publicity, and a slick lawyer’s attention. It equally takes a shot at all of us, the public, that are hanging on as every detail is unfolded.
CAST HIGHLIGHTS
Camila Prado as Roxie knocks it out of the park as the wannabe vaudeville star who murdered her lover, singing and dancing her way to freedom and fame. She’s a junior and this is her third musical.
Layla Santoyo is just as solid as Velma, her rival, as the veteran vaudeville star known for her “sister act.” But she murdered her sister and her husband. She’s a junior and it is hard to believe this is her first musical.
Both are vying for the attention of a slick lawyer and media coverage.
Roger Sanchez is charming and charismatic in his tuxedo as the lawyer Billy Flynn. By using his charm and manipulation, he turns Roxie and Velma into media sensations, playing on the public’s fascination with their crimes. He’s a junior who knows how to “razzle dazzle” you. This is his third year in Drama, his third musical, and his eighth production.
Watch out for Nathalia Ovando who knows how to hold the stage. She is Matron “Mama” Morton, the warden at Cook County Jail. She grants the inmates favors, like press coverage, in exchange for money. She’s a freshman in her first production.
Ryan Chalhoub is a bit of a treat as Amos Hart, Roxie’s simple-minded husband. He shows how he often he is ignored in his hilarious “Mr. Cellophane.” He’s a junior and this is his fourth production.
Elaina Salazar is just “oh so sweet” as Mary Sunshine, a typical reporter of the time who focuses on the damsels in distress, their attractiveness, and the redemption of Roxie and Velma. That is until another sensational story comes along. She’s a senior and this is her first production.
SONG HIGHLIGHTS
- All That Jazz: Roxie, Velma and company
- When You’re Good to Mama: Mama Morton
- All I Care About: Billy Flynn and Girls
- We Both Reached for the Gun: Billy, Roxie, Mary and the Reporters
- I Can’t Do It Alone: Velma
- Me and My Baby: Roxie and Company
- Mister Cellophane: Amos
- Razzle Dazzle: Billy and Company
PRODUCTION
- Production Design and Directing: Kyle Deichman
- Stage Manager: Alana Trebizo
- Music Director: Sean O’Kelly
- Vocal Direction: Briana Estrada
- Choreography: Teresa Flores
- Costumes: Jules Munoz
- Makeup: Mandy Silva, Desiree Tesso
- Orchestra: The Chicago Band
- Light Board: Christina Dominguez
- Sound: Keanna Enriquez, Israel Wills
Warren High’s ‘She Kills Monsters’ slashes expectations with stellar performance
written by Alistair Hunter, Vice President, Downey Arts Coalition
Upon entering Warren High School’s intimate Emerson Theatre we are immediately immersed in the music of the 90’s. Our eyes are drawn to the stage which is a huge elaborate multilayered dungeon with two flickering torches high above. A spectacular spiral staircase leads to the top. There is a mysterious entrance to a cave stage right. And a dark area in center stage from which the magic of theatre will bring forth characters, sets, puppet screens, projections, monsters, and an enormous dragon. The lighting grid above that will facilitate this magic is filled with lighting equipment that would be the envy of any small theatre in Los Angeles.
THE PLAY
This is our introduction to the Drama Department’s presentation of Vietnamese-American playwright Qui Nguyen’s early award-winning play “She Kills Monsters” (2011). Even though Nguyen has moved on to more significant plays, and writing for Disney, this play has a life of its own. It has been staged more than 800 times.
The New York Times referred to it as a “deceptively breezy and somewhat ingenious comedy.”
Nguyen says he based the character of Chuck, the Dungeon Master, on his best friend in school who helped him understand the subtleties of the English language, saved him from bullies, and introduced him to the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
D&D is celebrating its 50th anniversary. I remember in the 70’s, with my young son, trying to find The War House, a store in Long Beach in search of the rules to D&D. I have seen young people, hours on end, gathered around the dining room table with my son, the Dungeon Master, spinning fantastic stories of their adventure and twists of fate with each roll of these odd-shaped dice. The characters form a party and interact with the setting’s inhabitants and each other. Together they collaborate, solve problems, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge.
It’s important for students and audiences to have the opportunity to experience new styles of theatre by artists that reflect on contemporary issues in our society.
To his credit, Kyle Deichman (drama teacher, director, and production designer), has selected the original script, not Nguyen’s later adaptation for high schools.
Diechman says, “When I read the play, I felt the students would appreciate it. I knew they played Dungeons and Dragons, so what better play to launch their performance year.”
THE PLAYWRIGHT
Nguyen is one of our leading contemporary playwrights. He is the founder and artistic director of the Obie Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company (2000), which began on the campus of Ohio State University in Athens, Ohio, where “She Kills Monsters” takes place in 1996. Vampire Cowboys are recognized as the creators of Geek Theatre, a unique theatre form that often incorporates action, adventure, fantasy, gaming, and comic book themes into live theatre.
I have been fortunate to see the world premieres of two of Nguyen’s later exceptional plays: “VietGone” (2015), a high-energy comic look at his parents’ romance in an American Vietnamese refugee camp, and “Poor Yella Rednecks” (2019) the sequel, a similar look at his family’s relocation to Arkansas. Both were commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theatre (SCR) in Costa Mesa. SCR’s commitment to new playwrights was one of the theatres that influenced my founding as artistic/administrative director of Los Angeles’s award winning Off Off Broadway storefront Scorpio Rising Theatre (1969-1989).
THE PLAY, THE PLOT, THE THEMES
“She Kills Monsters” is a dramatic comedy that tells the story of Agnes Evans, a 25-year-old high school teacher who has recently lost her parents and little sister, Tilly, in a car accident. Agnes was never close to Tilly. They seemed to live in different worlds. Agnes loved everything trendy and 90’s pop culture, while Tilly had no interest in that, but had a passion for everything we might view as nerdy or geeky. She had a special love for Dungeons and Dragons.
In her grief, Agnes is packing up Tilly’s room in order to move everything to her place with her boyfriend. She finds a book and a strange map that Tilly had written for D&D. She seeks out Dungeon Master Chuck, and with his help plays the role-playing game Tilly has designed. As she delves deeper into her quest, the fantasy world and reality begin to collide and mix as Agnes searches to connect with Tilly and realizes how much of her sister she never knew.
The story takes place in reality and in the imaginary game world of D&D. Strong female characters are leaders wielding swords and defeating monsters and demons. Agnes discovers how Tilly struggled with her sexuality and also with being bullied at school.
It is the students in the audience that are particularly moved, reacting and cheering on the positive characters throughout the play. That’s what the Groundlings in Shakespeare’s audiences did.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
With a limited budget, and a large classroom converted into a theatre, Deichman is a gifted production designer giving us this exceptional set, lighting, and sound. It is significant how much he has allowed his students to take responsibly for the production. Deichman recognizes Nathaniel Lopez as a driving force behind the construction of the set, molding of the rocks, and the fight choreography; Ana Trebizo, who designed the costumes, built the masks, the beholder and took on the role of stage manager at the last minute; and Warren High School art teacher William Russell and his sons, who designed and painted the spiral staircase and doors.
One ingenious moment is the surprising emergence of a five-headed dragon, in beautiful work of theatrical puppetry.
CAST AND CHARACTERS
Narrator: Aneshka Bolanos and Hailey Cotzajay
Agnes: Italy Pinedo
Miles: Nathaniel Lopez
Chuck: Adam Simental
Orcus/Ronnie: Ryan Chalhoub
Bug Bear: Diego Velazquez
Bug Bear: Roger Sanchez
Steve/Student: Brady Stoll
Tilly: Calinda Madrigal and Brianna Salomon-Fernandez
Goblin/Beholder: Maxine Reyes
Lileth: Aeris Rivera
Vera/Evil Gaby: Audrina Tafolla
Farrah the Faerie/Evil Tina: Melody Vera
Kaliope: Yareth Alaniz
ADDITIONAL CREW
Lights: Brianna Salomon
Sound: Alex Ruelas
Makeup: Mandy Silva, Desiree Tesso
Running Crew: Hannah Johnson, Sarahi Benitez, Maxine Reyes, Diego Velazquez
Deichman credits Warren High Principal Dr. Cari White for her support, along with the Downey Unified School District Board of Education and California voters who approved Prop 28 supporting arts programs in schools.
NEXT UP ROMEO & JULIET
Always up for a challenge, this spring, the WHS Drama Department will present its first ever “Shakespeare In The Park,” in the school’s front grass bowl area off Paramount and DePalma. Now that’s a challenge and an opportunity.
Revisiting Downey High’s production of ‘The Laramie Project’
written by Alistair Hunter, Vice President, Downey Arts Coalition
Why tell a story of a Downey High School drama production that has come and gone?
Because we celebrate the achievements of our students, teachers, and the voices of art in the community.
Because it’s not unlike telling the stories of sports games, or community events that have come and gone.
Because as Shakespeare said, “The play’s the thing.” The literature of theatre speaks to our times and our humanity.
Long after our prehistoric ancestors told stories around their campfire and drew stories on the walls of caves, the Greeks gave us Drama. They held a mirror up to society and the Greek Chorus commented directly to the audience.
Chris Nelson’s DHS Drama Department is an ambitious one. In November they presented “The Laramie Project” (2000).
In the audience at the performance I attended was DUSD Board member Nancy Swenson, and former DUSD President and City Council Member Donald LaPlante, along with Jennifer LaMar, Columbus High School Visual Arts Teacher.
The set is the DHS Little Theatre itself. Perhaps it’s significant that on the auditorium walls were posted the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness; Respect; Responsibility; Fairness; Caring; and Citizenship.
For the setting, LaMar has painted a beautiful mural spanning the stage that captures the open land and sky of Wyoming, including the sign “Laramie, Wyoming, Population 26687.”
A fence. Minimal set pieces and costumes. A cast of 20 actors are introduced as residents of Laramie and they tell us in their own words the story that unfolds.
Act One: Introduces the audience to Laramie’s social climate.
Act Two: Focuses on the murder and trial.
Act Three: Explores the aftermath of the events
This is not an easy play. It is a challenge for these young actors to have the skills and empathy to put themselves in the shoes of these wildly divergent characters and opinions. And it takes guts. From the beginning we can see they are going to give it their best. In the end, the audience gives them a standing ovation.
In particular, Ulysses Ayala, John Ybarra, Celise Batista, Charisse Leslie-Barrara, Cadence Bramlett, Giselle Bispago, Ivana Collozo, Natalia Fabian, Aydin Ramirez, Genisis Diaz, and Abby Barajas captured their characters extremely well.
The play was developed by Director Moises Kauffman, and the Tectonic Theatre Company, between 1998 and 1999. It presents the reaction of the community of Laramie, Wyoming to the 1998 murder of Mathew Shepard, a 21-year-old openly gay University of Wyoming student.
This is not a gay play. It’s more like Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” (1938) set in Laramie in 1998 at the moment of a horrific act.
Mathew was lured from a bar, savagely beaten, robbed, tortured, set on fire while tied to a fence, and left alone on an extremely cold night. He died after being discovered the next day.
Matthew’s murder sparked a nation-wide conversation and debate about homophobia, gay rights, and hate crime legislation. In Laramie, it was also a media circus. This was a community in crisis.
“The Laramie Project” is an example of verbatim theatre and consists of the precise words spoken by individuals interviewed and recorded by the theatre company about the event between 1998 and 1999.
It is a chronological account of the events surrounding Shepard’s murder, from the interviews after his death to the trials of his accused killers. The play explores the community’s response to the murder, including the anger, bewilderment, and sorrow they felt. It also shows how the human spirit can triumph over bigotry and violence.
It is reported that the economy of the town is divided between those with well paying jobs at the University, and those with minimum wage jobs.
Aaron McKinney (Ulysses Ayala) is one of Mathew’s murderers. He admits he killed Matthew with Russell Henderson because Matthew allegedly tried to hit on him. He harbors intense feelings of homophobia. He’s a new father and has drug issues.
The other murderer is 19-year-old Russell Henderson (Ayden Ramirez), who is guilty of participating in Matthew’s murder, driving the truck in which Aaron McKinney beat Matthew and then tying him to the fence to die.
Aaron and Russell become a flashpoint for the town’s conversation surrounding violence, justice, punishment, and homophobia as the town debates whether they deserve the death penalty.
The Church of Latter Day Saints excommunicates Russell.
Dennis Shepard is Mathew’s father. The family rejects the death penalty as the best way to honor Matthew’s memory and ensure that the Laramie community can heal.
At one point he says, “Change is not an easy thing, and I don’t think people were up to it here… it’s been a year since Matthew died, and they haven’t passed anything at a state level, … nobody anywhere, has passed any kind of laws, anti-discrimination laws or hate crime legislation… What’s come out of it…that’s concrete or lasting?”
It took from 1998 to 2009 to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In 2023 the FBI continued to report an increase in hate crimes.
A hate crime involves violence and is motivated by prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or similar grounds.
Aaron and Russell are sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for their crimes, and the play prominently discusses their trial.
“The Laramie Project” is one of the most frequently performed plays in America. The play has been performed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It has been translated into 30 languages.
Stories like “The Laramie Project” continue to be relevant. They force us to confront our biases and consider the impact of hate crimes on a community. They also may also act as a catalyst for empathy and social change.