The Black Box Theatre at San Diego City College opened its doors this past weekend for the 10th Annual New Play Festival, the first theatrical production of the year.
The show consisted of six short plays performed back-to-back, written and directed by City College students. It made for a fun grab bag of themes and settings. Between performances, the lights dimmed as props were moved around for the next piece.
The festival starts strong with “Tucker vs Todd.” The play follows the titular characters as they become accustomed to their new college living conditions. The actor’s understudies played both characters, with Zhen Jia and Quipatchli Martinez taking on the roles of Todd and Tucker, respectively. Their performance was excellent, with good line delivery, body language and nailing the emotional breakdown at the end of the play. My only criticism is the middle third of the performance, where a time-lapse of events showing Tucker and Todd bonding drags just a touch too long – a small blemish on an otherwise great opening act.
“Where’s Terrance?” might just be the highlight of the entire festival. The play is about two robbers, James and AJ, reconvening at a safe house after a heist, only to realize they left their third partner behind. The play is a comedy filled with good humor and a choreographed fight that grips your attention throughout its duration. All of this is underscored by the excellent delivery and chemistry between actors Ben Kermanian and Darren Adam Masarik, who play off each other’s quips quickly and naturally. The performance had me wistfully thinking of old Jackie Chan films with its absurd humor and good action.
Not all of the plays are quite up to snuff, however. “The Versions of U.S.” is about four girls on a Zoom call during the COVID-19 pandemic. The girls break out into song intermittently to emphasize their point or for comedic effect. The gag felt like something to use sparingly, but frequently interrupts the dialogue to give the girls something to do other than sit in the same cross-armed position. The play fails to utilize the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter backdrop to explore the larger theme of defying loved ones to do what’s right and just, leaving me unfulfilled compared to other plays.
“The Lightbox” is a melodramatic confrontation between two sisters and their father, and is a strong return to form for the festival. The eldest sister, Celine, urgently confides in her family much to their dismay. Janessa Brown and City College students Kate Ortega-Andrade and Danny Sharkey effectively used body language and small tells in their performance. The performance left me satisfied, and I hope the play gets expanded upon so I can see more of Celine and her troubles.
“Pu-era Tea” is quite the shift in tone and setting. The story follows a woman named Avo, played by Rebecca Luzanilla, who can’t recall any details of her life. Only through the guidance of a mysterious man named Carr, played by Ben Kermanian, does she learn she has passed away. The play is largely exposition about the transition between life and death, including some interesting details about Carr’s uncertainty about himself and what lies beyond. The focus shifts away from Avo and more onto Carr, as he is the only one left by the play’s end. While the play explores its themes well, it failed to grip me in the same way the others did, being a fairly simple scene that could be great if it were a part of a larger play.
“Dungeons and Dragons of Love” rounded out the festival. The plot revolves around a gaming group playing Dungeons and Dragons when a love triangle between two players and the dungeon master starts to get in the way of the game. The show perfectly captures the awkwardness that arises when playing with a new group and represents the mechanics of the game well (save for some crazy lucky dice rolls). The play is a great capstone to the festival as it comes to a thunderous conclusion.
The festival is a great show, and I would strongly recommend it to any students who can find the time to see it.
The festival will continue its theatrical run from March 29 – 31. Tickets are on sale at San Diego City College Theatre’s website, with a discount for students, veterans, children and the elderly.
