Steps To The Stage
Steps To The Stage
POTUS Eleve Theatre Company: STTS IE
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A president we never hear. Seven women we can’t ignore. We sit down with Eleve' Theater Company to unpack the whiplash world of POTUS by Selina Fillinger, a ferocious farce where doors slam, spin cycles faster than the news, and the people holding power together aren’t the ones at the podium. Melissa, the director, shares why art should unsettle and how this script spotlights women leading from the shadows—strategizing, firefighting, and finding solidarity under pressure.
We trace Eleve’s origin story from a string of no’s for “Wit” to a mission built on yes: yes to edge, yes to new work, yes to women-centered plays the community rarely sees. With a grant-backed partnership at Chance Theater’s 48-seat black box in Anaheim, the team brings a DIY ethos to life—hand-built doors for farce timing, self-sourced costumes, and prop lists wild enough to ping a delivery algorithm. The intimacy of the space becomes an asset: the audience is part of the charge, close enough to feel the speed of decisions and the shock of consequences.
Cast members dig deep into character and context. Leyna’s Harriet, the chief of staff, carries strategy and stamina; Sej’s Jean, the press secretary, maps the White House to corporate corridors where women navigate promotion politics and pay the tax of honesty; Cydney’s Stephanie embodies the under-credited labor that keeps the day moving. Together they show how systems pit women against each other even as they build alliances to make it through an impossible 24 hours. The result is comedy that tells the truth at speed—tragedy accelerated until it’s hilarious and uncomfortably real.
If you’re hungry for smart political theater, community grit, and an ensemble that elevates each other, this conversation will pull you in. Join us for craft talk, candid stories, and a look at why representation onstage changes what audiences feel and remember. Don’t miss the run: March 13–15 at Chance Theater in Anaheim, already more than half sold. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find the show.
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Art Should Unsettle
SPEAKER_03Art is not meant to make people comfortable. That's not what we're here to do. If you walk away comfortable, that's great. But if you walk away uncomfortable, if you walk away questioning yourself and your ideals and the way that you exist in this world today, then we've done our job.
Welcome And Format Shift
Introducing POTUS And Dates
SPEAKER_00Welcome to Steps to the Stage, Inland Empire, where we talk to the community theater professionals from the vibrant Inland Empire theater community. Hey theater friends, welcome to Steps to the Stage, where we talk to the community theater professionals that you know and love. We're pretty excited today. We're actually kind of going a little bit outside of what we normally do in that we have our regular Steps to the Stage where we talk with people that are at Seventh Street Theater, and then we have our drama department where we talk with local high schools, and then we have Inland Empire, which I guess this kind of falls in that, but you guys are actually going to be performing POTUS that was written by Selena Fillinger. Did I pronounce that correctly? Um, and I just need to say this because I've been waiting all day. POTUS. Or behind every great dumbass are seven women trying to keep him alive. And I don't know if that's part of the title, but it should be.
SPEAKER_03Absolutely is.
SPEAKER_00So this production is going to be coming up on March 13th through the 15th, and it's going to be performed at the Chance Theater, which is in Anaheim. So that's Orange County. So maybe this is Steps of the Stage OC. But really, what this is all about is community theater. And this is something that we haven't really done here before with Steps of the Stage, is that we're going to be talking with members of the new, newer LA Theater Company. And um, if I'm not mistaken, this is not your first production because I saw a um a production of Wit that was also at the chance.
Why Elevate Theater Exists
SPEAKER_03Yes, Wit was our inaugural production with LA Theater. And we're actually a company that is derived and created in the inland empire.
SPEAKER_00So we're good.
SPEAKER_03Um we we created this company in an effort to give folks an opportunity to do things that are a little less mainstream, a little more on the edge, and to get experience doing things that they may not be able to do in our local community theaters. Uh, one of our founders, Andrew Holmes, uh, really wanted to do the play with. And so he shopped it around at some of our local community theater groups and he got a lot of nos. He was told, you know, we've done it before, or it just ran through the cycle, it's not the right time. And so he got frustrated enough with the no's that he brought a group of friends together, and together the five of us now are putting on things that are interesting to us that we think that the community would like to hear and like to see, and things that some of our local community theaters find to be too far on the edge, or or um maybe not as big a seller as they need to book into their season. So that's really the point of Elevate is to uplift actors and and technical theater artists in our community to be able to do things that they wouldn't normally be able to do.
SPEAKER_00And for our listeners, that's Melissa, and she's a member of the Elive Theater Company, but she's directing POTUS. And with us as well, we have Sage, we have Elena, and we have Sydney. And we're just gonna be having a really good discussion today. We're gonna talk a little bit more about Elive, we're gonna talk about POTUS, and we're also gonna talk about the Chance Theater because we haven't had a chance to talk about that on any episodes. So buckle in everyone. We're gonna have ourselves a really good time, but let's just get this to the point. We want your butts and seats. So don't care where you're from in the Southern California area, you can make the drive. March 13th through the 15th, you're gonna be able to see this amazing production. And if you want to get tickets, you can go. And just this was the second thing that I've been waiting all day for. Tinyurl.com forward slash uppercase POTUS ELEVA is the link. And we'll have the link in the show notes, but I just needed to say tinyurl.com. I don't know who did it. Brilliance, huzzah, fingers clapping, everything that was great. So, Melissa, we're gonna go back to you. You're directing, and thank you so much for giving us a little bit of insight. Give us more.
Why POTUS And What It Says
SPEAKER_03Of course. Um, we uh decided uh after doing Wit as a theater company that we were interested in producing a season. And so as a group, uh, the five of us, and and I say the five of us, I'll explain who that is. It's um Max Montori, Andrew Holmes, Emma Kuhn, Alex Hui, and myself. Uh, we, the five of us, decided to put together a season. And POTUS is actually the play that I pitched uh for our first season together at LFA. I saw POTUS a couple of years ago in Pasadena at the Pasadena Playhouse, and I was so moved by the script and the performances of these dynamic women telling this story about how they were working to uh move the president through his business, through his presidency, through his life. Um, and I was just so moved by not the president's story, because really, when you read this script, it could be talking about any president. But what I was moved by was the way these women came together from such dynamic, different backgrounds and diverse experiences that they are able to come together and find commonality in covering up this man's mistakes. And I think that's just such a call out to the woman's position in the world today. Um, and as it has existed since the dawn of time, where we're not necessarily always recognized as the leaders in the room, right? But we are generally always the ones who are leading the leaders in the room. And I think this script gives a lot of space to that concept.
Farce, Politics, And Media Spin
SPEAKER_00So very true. And just to give a little background in history, um, this uh particular um farce, correct, uh um uh opened at the Schubert Theater in on Broadway on April 14th, 2022. The director was Susan Strowman, and again, I apologize if I'm getting any names incorrect. But what was of note was great is you had Rachel Dratch from SNL and Vanessa Williams, right? And there was also a couple other names on there. Tony Award winners, Tony nominated, had been in a variety of different not only plays, but in movie and and uh movies and television. Um, and and the actual production itself was also nominated for several Tony's as well. So, but very new, and not often do we get to see something new. We we've been talking a lot about um classics, of course, but that had been around a while. So something new, you've seen it before. Like, how do you go into that? Like, how the how do you want to approach it? And I'm very sorry, we haven't had a chance to talk to you guys yet, but we're going to. But Melissa and I, we're dialed in right here.
SPEAKER_03I I just think it's really interesting. You know, when you hear the title, you may assume uh that this is a message about one particular president, and you may even assume that it's about the current president that's sitting. Uh, but I find it interesting, Phillinger wrote this long before the Trump administration existed. Um, and so I really found that to be a poignant point that we're sort of in this hamster wheel of um political commentary and political spin, and that we as a society tend to sometimes be the victims of that spin, right? We we only know what there is that's told to us. And so I find it so interesting that we don't ever hear from the president of the United States in this play, even though it's titled POTUS. We only hear from him through these women that work for him and around him and are related to him. And so I just thought that was a really interesting way to look at the government, to look at uh the things that are going on not only today, but have happened politically in the past. I'm not very young. Most of my cast is very young, but I'm not very young. And so um, you know, I've been on this hamster wheel a long time. And I was joking with uh somebody younger earlier today. You know, I've been asked, am I going to change any of the dialogue now that we are entering conflict with Iran in in real life? And my answer is no, absolutely not, because that's the point of this whole thing.
Making Discomfort Meaningful
SPEAKER_00There could be no better a time than to tell a political farce and commentary, comedy story about what's actually going on in our during these times throughout history, yeah, now or thousands of years ago, when things for a group of people were difficult, and especially now it's difficult because our media is somewhat controlled, for lack of a better term. Art is really what pulls us out of that, right? Of course, demonstration, things of that nature. And we're not trying to get political here, folks. We're just talking about the importance of art, the importance of theater, the importance of music, the importance of art, painting. And this to me really seems like the opportunity to just raise your hand and say, hey, let's think about it in a different way.
SPEAKER_03I said to my group earlier, I think it was earlier today, in a group text, I said, you know, and if we're able to do that through the funniest piece of literature that I've ever read in my life, then I think we're doing a great job. And I think that's her point, right? Is that political commentary is so real. And that's what makes this farce. Farce is really just tragedy happening fast. And that's what we see with these characters, is they're tackling tragedy happening fast in lightning speed, right? And they're trying to figure out how to fix it, how to spin it, and how to make everything okay. And I think that has long been the woman's position in this society and in this world. So I just really love telling this story through uh Selena's words.
Sydney’s Path And Perspective
SPEAKER_00And and thank you for sharing that. And and it it hits. Um, just recently, a few days ago, my wife and I went to see our daughter doing a production at Long Beach State where she's uh currently a sophomore in theater called The Assembly Woman. It's an original from from uh, I believe, either an alumni or a student there. But you talked about the uncomfortable part, and there's a part during The Assembly Woman which really talks about the patriarchy versus the matriarchy and what if what if roles were reversed? What if women were in charge? Right? And we don't have enough time to talk about that right now. We want to talk about POTUS, but there's a moment where one of the actors just asks outright asks an audience member to volunteer, doesn't tell them what for. So someone raises their hand, volunteers, and she goes out, and they basically just do a staring contest for what amounted to well over a minute. And it was to make us uncomfortable, and it did, but it also made us think. So I love that you brought that up. We have some other amazing people here that I some I know and some that I've just met. So Sydney, I'd like to meet you and know just a little bit about you, maybe a little bit about your acting history, your your role, and and talk to us.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Um my acting history. Oh, I'm Sydney, I guess. Hi, hello, playing Stephanie. Um, my acting history, uh, this all started because of a friend, and I was supporting a friend, and acting really wasn't my thing. I was a band geek. I was in percussion, and you know, so um I did it uh Christmas Carol. Um no, I'm sorry. It's a wonderful life, one of those Christmas months. It's a wonderful life, and I went and auditioned with a friend and got a part I didn't think I would get, and then um kind of just took off from there, and that started my freshman year in high school, and then I branched out um into Victorville uh community theater and then High Desert Rules. Oh heck yeah, all right, right on. Uh my mom's up there. Um, so yeah, I started my first community theater uh production was Shrek in uh in Victorville, and then um I went down and performed uh Spam A lot at the California Theater, and then I did American Idiot over in uh Temecula, and I did Noises Off in Rialto and Don't Dress for Dinner in Riverside, and um unfortunately haven't done a production at 7th Street yet. I did a little preview for it, which was super rad, but one day it'll be really cool. Um, and then I did Wit at Chance Theater, which was very cool with Elive, and then uh yeah, so just kind of sprinkled all throughout the IE.
SPEAKER_00How is this script speaking to you?
Women’s Labor And Visibility
SPEAKER_04I I feel like it's very important right now. I feel um women have not had their voices heard enough, and I feel like um I actually just went to Ireland not too long ago and um spoke with this lovely Irish couple, and we, you know, went into politics and talked to them about like asked them, like, hey, what do you think about Americans kind of thing, like in this kind of situation? And eventually I brought up the fact that the US has never had a female president, and they were just flabbergasted that that was a thing. Um, so that was really shocking to me because I thought it was something that everybody had known. Um women just always happen to take a backseat to men, and I feel like in this script it very much shows um how much heavy lifting the women actually do. Um so yeah, I feel like right now in the world that we are in um with who we currently have um in our administration, it's really um reflective, I should say. And I feel like at this current point in time, it's not just like the women, but it's everybody who's just trying to scramble and make excuses for the bull coming out of the administration and they're all just trying to collect the broken pieces and make some sort of crap out of it that there's we s we we see through it.
SPEAKER_03While being mothers, while nursing children, while managing households, right? And I think that that's a really important part of it too. They're managing all of this while still managing the things that are traditionally woman's work.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And you're doing this when you are sick, and you're doing this when you have other conflicts.
SPEAKER_04With heels on.
Lena On Harriet And Power
SPEAKER_00With heels on. Well, thank you so much for giving us a little bit of your background and insights into the script and and how it's speaking to you. I think that's important and powerful. We we don't always get that deep um here, but I think it's important at this point in our history. And um, again, this is art. It's a podcast, but it's our opinions and it's our feelings, and it's discussing about art that goes even deeper. So um we appreciate that. So Lena.
Representation And Real-World Parallels
SPEAKER_01Well, hi there. My name is Lena Camacho. Um, I am playing Harriet in POTUS, and uh Harriet is the chief of staff. But before I get into talking about my character and my connection to the show, um just a little bit about me. I um I am born and raised here in the IE from Rancho Cucumonga, and um I have loved theater for a very long time. Um I would say like literally back to fifth grade was my very first play production. And um, I've always had that love for acting ever since that moment on. And um, and through high school, I carried that. I was, you know, um, I was shown what musicals were for the first time. That was a huge milestone for me. I joined like a choir and and I got really into it. Like I didn't, I don't think I anticipated how much of my heart would go to theater, you know, when I first started this. And it was this form of expression that I I never had like a relative or anybody in my family that really started in theater or was around theater. So, so I was kind of I was the newbie coming in, just like, what is all of this? You know, um, then uh in college, I decided to pursue it. I went to Cal State Fullerton um and I graduated in 2023 with my BFA and musical theater. And um yeah, and ever since I've been exploring that avenue, but I've also been branching out to my what I would say my true love is just straight acting, is just going, going for straight plays, going for um short films, things like that. And um, yeah, I'm I'm really, really open to any kind of new works, things like that. So I I've had a lot of fun. And I think it's been technically, it's it's only been a couple years since I got into the community theater scene. It's been like 2019, and then of course, pandemic happened, so there wasn't much going on. Um, but uh yeah, I broke into the community theater at um in 2019, and then I've been going at that ever since. Um, and this has been a production. I think this production out of the many community theaters uh shows that I've done so far, has been the most quick-witted and and honestly the most female empowering production that I've ever been a part of. And I think that's my main connection with it. The fact that I get to, um, I will just say I'm coming from a liberal standpoint when I when I talk about politics and things like that. But when I when I look at this play, um I I have found the connections with women and what we need, the kind of work that we need to do here in our communities. I think the fact that we even have community theater is just it's such an important part of our communities that we don't always like advertise. Like you said, we don't really have venues where we like branch out to the people in our community and say, hey, look at what we're doing. Hey, we're reflecting your thoughts here. Hey, maybe you want to see something new, maybe you want to try a new perspective. Why don't you come and see our show? You know, and and I feel like this play specifically really breaks the ground in that way, kind of like brings that out and brings a really strong, like some strong opinions. We have some very strong women characters in this show. Um, my character included, she is the chief of staff. Um, and if uh you viewers, if viewers or listeners don't know, a chief of staff um that is the presidential advisor. Um she is one of the closest, if not the one of the closest people to the president. Um, she is the strategist, the main strategist. She goes with the president everywhere. Um and we actually haven't had a chief of staff that was female until um the recent presidency, technically since 2016, Susie Wiles, and she was the very first female chief of staff. And so being able to even do this and and represent a female chief of staff when when this play was being written, there wasn't that. Right. There was not that. And so bringing that into play and now seeing that play out in the real world um has been empowering in that way. But also bringing this character, this strong character who's just who's focused on her career. She's powerful. And she also has these very, very particular uh relationships with her, with her um female, like uh her co-stars. Like, I mean, I I have so many specific relationships with everybody in this show. Um, and likewise, I mean, vice versa.
SPEAKER_00As we do in real life.
SPEAKER_01As we do in real life. And I hope, I hope that people see that, that the the reality in, you know, women, women in versus women, but also like women just talking amongst women, women talking about things that matter in day-to-day life and things that also kind of like don't matter. Right. I hope they relate to those things. Like I hope they relate and see themselves um at least in one of us, if not all of us.
Sage On Jean And Corporate Parallels
SPEAKER_00Well, and as the father of three daughters, um I love that there is more and more female, we'll call it content available. That there are more people that are in charge, that are not just acting, that are writing, directing, becoming chief of staff, that are starting their own media companies that are that are showing the world that what we should have known centuries ago. Yeah. Sage, welcome back. Thank you, and I just have to say, you must be exhausted.
SPEAKER_02Yes, I'm a little exhausted.
SPEAKER_00This is this is our third interview in what I think is about two months, which means you've had three productions within that time frame, in whether you're acting or whether you are directing, or so hats off to you for putting out art and for committing yourself to doing that, because I think it's so important. But tell us a little bit about your your character, and because we do know a little bit about your history from our last couple episodes, but let's get into this script a little bit more.
Competition Versus Solidarity
SPEAKER_02Okay. Uh, my name is Sage Battle, and I'm playing Jean. Uh, Jean is the press secretary, and uh Jean basically uh her her Her biggest uh reason to still be at that White House and doing that job is to support her friend Harriet, who's played by Lena, the chief of staff. Um that she that is the tightest connection she has. Um, and and and she wouldn't be there if it wasn't to support her friend. Um I I think for me, this this play it it transcends just the politics as well. Because I think about my corporate job, and I'll be very careful of what I say, because I still love my job. I like the checks I get, thank you. Um I saw an interview with Selena and she said this transcends politics. It's about women in any kind of uh situation, corporation, White House, whether you know you're in a Fortune 500 company, wherever you're at, it's women um having to deal with, you know, not getting those positions, not getting the promotion, women also competing with women. There is a little bit of that in POTUS that you know, at the end there there is there is the support, but it's not always a complete support because we're always fighting for every little thing we get as women. Yeah, and I think that really hit hard with me. So when Melissa asked me, hey, would you like to do this? And she's like, just be yourself, because apparently I'm I'm basically Gene, which I did I did slowly figure that out. She said, Bring your corporate girly. Yeah, she's the one we need. And just going through that and and having those realizations, it's it's it's it really digs deep because I've been through a lot in my corporate position, and I've made mistakes, I I say things that I probably shouldn't say, and and that's hurt me in a many ways, but I've never um stopped because that wouldn't be me. And that's like that's my identity. I mean, you talk to me about work, you talk to me about if I'm talking about family, if I'm talking about people, if I'm talking about community theater, I say it like it is. It doesn't always get me the parts, it doesn't always get me the position in in where I work. I I've learned from that, but I also don't want to change who I am. And I don't think any of these women want to change who they are, but they are forced to do it to get through this horrendous day. Um and and to to protect this person, whether it's for my friend, the chief of staff, or for my job, or for you know, getting a story, because we have all these characters. We have a reporter, we have the secretary, the president. You know, everybody's worried for their how to get through that day and and be sure they're okay. Um but this this is something everybody needs to see. Whether you see it here with us or you see another production, it is it is a play that you need to see. I think it is a bucket list uh uh uh like bucket list for many actors to to play these roles, um, especially for women. Uh again, we go back to most of the community theater plays are are uh very traditional and they're mostly written by men.
SPEAKER_00It is hard to find plays for women and largely cast with women.
SPEAKER_02Correct.
SPEAKER_00Which is just it's sad. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Right? And and I think it's interesting because to your point, Sage, when you look at the script and the way it's written, Selena definitely every scene is titled Character versus Character. So it it even highlights the the conflict between women trying to get ahead, trying to fight their way up the ladder, trying to make themselves whatever definition of successful they're looking for, that it's not just a fight against men, but we've made this society a place where now we're fighting each other for these positions instead of empowering each other. And so I find it really interesting that Selena, at the top of every scene, whoever the characters are that are involved in that scene, it says Harriet versus Stephanie, Stephanie versus Gene. And that's how the scenes begin. So she even sets it up in a way to show that you know we're driven toward this conflict as women by the society that we exist in because that's what we've been taught we have to do to get ahead.
SPEAKER_00The powerful always keep us distracted.
SPEAKER_03Well, it's certain it's survival, right?
SPEAKER_00It's survival for each other.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
Space, Grant, And Staging At Chance
SPEAKER_00Um very powerful. And uh I moved just hearing about it. I I I I had not been aware of it until I saw the posts coming out, and then of course, we we scheduled this interview. I'm so glad we did, and I did my normal research, and so I'm I'm I'm very excited not only to see this, but to see again, more uh female content, more women-centric content that can tell stories so that we're not being distracted and we're not against each other. So I'm glad that you all had the wherewithal to step up and take this on. And I'm thankful for the chance for giving you the opportunity to perform that there. And let's hear a little bit more about that and getting in touch with chance and the space that you're in and the set, costumes, all those things that are apart that I think we need to talk about.
DIY Sets, Props, And Doors
SPEAKER_03Sure. Uh, we are uh performing at the Chance Theater in the small black box space. So it's a 48-seat uh flat stage black box space. The first row sits on the stage level. It's a very, very intimate space, and we're utilizing that space through a grant opportunity with the Chance Theater. And so they have acquired a grant that allows for them to open their space to community theaters in a partnership contract to be able to produce things that we may not be able to produce somewhere else. And so we are in an agreement with them that allows for us to rent the space at very low costs and allows for them to then be able to access that grant by opening their space to community theaters. So it's a win-win-win. We looked for space in the Inland Empire, and it is very difficult not only to find rehearsal space, but to also find performance space in the Inland Empire. The spaces that we have are proprietary to some extent. Um, they seek to put on their own productions first, which is totally understandable. And outside of those proprietary spaces, anything that you would rent is super out of our budget for a community theater group. And so this opportunity with the chance, though outside the inland empire, has really given us the opportunity to launch and get something on the stage, which we're really excited about. Um, being a black box, they provide us nothing but the lighting rigs and the lighting system. So we are bringing everything in, and it is all self-funded at this point. So um all sets are being built by my hands and by the hands of Max Montori's father, Phil. Um, we're purchasing all props, we're self-costuming. Uh, you know, I've told these ladies as much as you can, bring in your own clothes, and then uh we'll go from there, you know. So it's a very grassroots operation at this point. Um, but I think that we're doing it justice. I think that um the the black box space allows us to be really creative with our staging. Um, we're gonna basically just have three open doors. You have to have doors if it's a farce, you have to be able to go in and out and hit people with the doors and slam doors and all of those things. So that's gonna be the main staple of our set. And everything else is really just gonna be floating furniture and props. Uh, it's a very prop-heavy show. Okay. Um, the is the last scene of act one bleeds into the first scene of act two, and it is a very action-packed uh set of scenes containing tons of props. The things I told these girls, I think um the government has probably flagged me on a watch list for the things that I've ordered from Amazon in the last three weeks: uh a breast pump, uh maternity bra, um two toy guns, a pair of bolt cutters, um, you know, all these things are coming to my house. So um we're trying to really tell the story through uh props and keep the set really simple so that we can really focus on there's a lot of action in a really small space, and I really want you to be able to focus on my actresses because all seven of these women are brilliant in their own right, and they are bringing these characters to the stage in a way that I don't want to complicate with a bunch of set and uh paint and light. I just really want to let these girls shine. So, fortunately for me and my wallet, they're gonna do the bulk of the work, and I'm gonna build some doors to support them and back them up.
SPEAKER_00The commitment is fantastic, not just to learning your lines, but getting your costumes and making sure you're right. And then, you know, I had to ask Sydney, like you've been in some pretty cool productions that you had mentioned, and usually you get the time to do it in an open space and you get to do blocking. And we're here in this beautiful house, and I walked in and you guys were doing your rehearsals around the table. So you're basically all of your rehearsals are table reads.
SPEAKER_03We have a home that we are rehearsing in once a week. Um, and then uh Back to the Grind coffee shop in Riverside has been gracious enough to let us use their basement one day a week uh for the cost of coffee and sandwiches. So we're very grateful to our community space. Shout out to Back to the Grind in Riverside. Please go grab a cup of coffee for us.
SPEAKER_00We will put a link in the show notes.
Rehearsing In Community Spaces
SPEAKER_03They are great supporters of art in the Riverside community. Um, they we actually compete our rehearsal with Open Mic Night up in the loft. So while Open Mic Night's going on, we're downstairs in the basement trying to block and run scenes, which you know can be complicated uh in itself. But we're very grateful for that space so that we don't have to do all of our rehearsals as a table read. But the challenge with the space at the chance is we don't actually get in until the Monday of tech week. So they will have four days in the space before we open the show.
SPEAKER_00So as an actor, how do you prepare for that?
SPEAKER_04I feel like um with any production, it takes a lot of um adaptability. Um I feel like it's been very clear as to like um the spacing and how different it is when we get there. And I feel like I I I personally do have a little bit of an of an advantage having done that show, uh having done wit before at that theater. So I have a little more familiarity with that staging. Um as Melissa said, very intimate. Like no matter what show you put on, you better be prepared to include the audience in your show in one way or another, because it is that intimate. Like you are knee-to-nee with those people sometimes. Um so yeah, um, I feel like I feel like as actors, we just gotta adapt. Like no matter what it is, whether you know, lights aren't working, or whether somebody forgets their line or somebody forgets their blocking or um something goes wrong and you lose a prop. Like it's it's just one of the things you gotta do, you know. Um, but yeah, I do feel like I have a little bit of an advantage um compared to the other girls, though.
Adapting To An Intimate Black Box
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Uh agreed, totally. Um, because I I actually was the um the makeup slash wig designer on Wit. However, I did not have anything to do with being on stage performing in that space. Um, so I totally agree with Sydney. Um I will say, I I have performed in many spaces, but this space in particular is quite tight, quite intimate. Um, it's probably the smallest, like as far as like size-wise, that I've like um been in and actually been able to like see and perform and like know where we're gonna like go and everything. And we are actually making it a slightly, ever so slightly smaller, just so we have that addition of doors that is so important to the farce aspect. Um, but of course, like even with that, uh, this play is so grounded in realism. So I don't, I don't see it being that much of an issue considering the fact that we are, we are all kind of experiencing this as like in real time, there's you know, uh realistic properties to it. It's not like we're pulling like, you know, rabbits out of a hat or anything. We don't have to do like uh magical realism or some fantastical, oh, this dragon comes out of nowhere. Like, so I think the fact that this is a realism-grounded play, as much as it is a farce, as much as there are ridiculous circumstances that go on, we get to kind of play in that. And the size of the space kind of lends itself to being, I don't know, honestly, I think it could be funnier considering the fact that there are these outrageous, these big moments that are happening in such a tiny space. So, yeah, that's the way I see it.
SPEAKER_00Great perspective. Sage, did your time in Riverside, do you think, help you for this with the heck no.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so heck no.
SPEAKER_00Would you like to think about that answer for a second?
Ensemble Support And Challenges
SPEAKER_02No, actually, no. No. The answer is still no. No, no. Um, I haven't been on stage with a chunkier role in like three years. Okay. Last time it was Fuddy Mears and and in Chino. Yeah. Um, I did Mancha in Riverside and something else, but I mean, that space is humongous, right? So but just uh the the talking about the space, I mean, beyond the space for me is just trying to keep up with the play. The play is a it's a it's a huge challenge. Um, and then being around these ladies that are so incredibly good is uh yeah, it's it's uh Wow, you'll elevate each other. Yeah, and you know what? I will tell you, they they already have. I mean, I've come out of every single rehearsal just showered with like you you doing okay, what do you need? Like, you know, I and like I've expressed some of the issues I have um with I have issues with my ear, so I have trouble hearing, and and so obviously back to the grind is is really difficult for me um because you hear the music and we're trying to do stuff. And the ladies have been really understanding that I'm a little bit slower on the uptick because of that challenge. I just I I really appreciate Melissa and and and this cast for just being so understanding because I mean some of these challenges, I would never get an opportunity elsewhere because of it. Um, and and so beyond the space, like I said, I mean, just I I'm gonna get in there, we're gonna, we're gonna do it. I know we're gonna do it. Um and I think every person on this cast is smart enough to adjust and help each other out because that's what it's gonna come down to at the end of the day.
SPEAKER_00I really feel that. I really having knowing some of the other cast members, knowing a few of you and just meeting a few of you, like I can feel the connection already. And I think that's so important when you're putting that type of message out there that you need to support each other because you're all in different, you know, these this isn't our day job. Right. This is our passion, right? And um, you need those around you to lift you up and and help you in those moments because there's times you're gonna lift them as well. So is there anyone? Go ahead.
SPEAKER_03And you do, and you do lift them. I think that's the beauty of this production in particular, is the amalgamation of this group of women has created such a synchronicity and such a supportive environment. I don't know that I've ever worked in and I've been doing theater for many, many, many years since I was 14 years old. That's a lot of years now. Um, and I don't think I've had an experience with a cast. I'm fairly new to directing, but I've I've been on stage a lot, stage managed even more. And I don't think I've had such an electric experience with a production as we're having with this one. And I think we're gonna walk away with a production that we're really proud of. I think we're gonna put something on stage that we is gonna mean something, but I think what we're gonna walk away with is this cohort of extremely talented women that are going to support each other moving forward in our lives and in our theater journeys. And that's what we do it for, right? That's what community theater is all about for me anyway, is creating these relationships that I take forward in my life. My best friends come out of these places. And so I really, really think that if that's the experience that these seven women walk away with, is that they walk away with friendships that they're gonna keep and and supportive relationships, then Selena did her job and we did our job. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Is there anyone else you want to mention or anything else you'd like to give props to? Because we definitely I know we can't get everybody on the microphone, but we want to give the recognition where it's deserved.
Building A Lasting Creative Network
SPEAKER_03I want to shout out to my assistant director, Emma Kuhn, uh, who is well known in our Inland Empire theater community. I think her father was Lena's uh high school theater teacher.
SPEAKER_00Um, so we're all woven together.
Shoutouts And Credits
SPEAKER_03Shout out to Chuck. Yeah, shout out to Chuck. This is uh one of Emma's first experiences in the director's chair, in the assistant director's chair. So Elive, again, giving opportunities to people who don't otherwise have those opportunities in the community. Shout out to another female. And then Max Montori is our stage manager and a stage managician, really, does everything for us and hosts our rehearsals at their home. And so very, very grateful to Max and their family for that. Uh, Andrew Holmes, who is the founder extraordinaire of this Elevate Theater Company for allowing us to throw this into the season for being agreeable. Uh, Andrew, Alex, Emma, um, and all of those friends. Um, yeah, I think, and I want to shout out my cast. I want to shout out not only these three ladies that are sitting here, and don't let me forget anybody, but also Ginny Harmon, Delaney Dorsey, Amanda Flanagan, and Michaela Ruiz, uh, who are just powerhouse actresses and powerhouse women uh on their own. Uh, I've worked with each and every one of these women on a project except for Ginny. Ginny, I met new. Um, I was uh recommended Ginny through Sydney and Emma, so thank you to them. Um, but these are already my favorite of women. Um, and I got to bring them all together and put them all in one project. So this is like dream work for me.
SPEAKER_00Well, Melissa, Sage, Sydney, Lena, thank you so much for spending some time with us to give our listeners a little bit of insight into what I believe is going to be a fantastic production. And as Sage mentioned, if you don't get a chance to see this one, go see another production of it or do some research on it. But specifically, please go out there and support the female-fronted content, um, whatever it may be, um, so that they can have not only the platforms to be able to get their message out, but so that they can empower those around them, and has the father of three daughters. We need that. But I'm glad that you guys have given a platform and that are getting this out there. And listeners, go get your tickets. This is going to be opening on March 13th at the Chance Theater in Anaheim, and we have how many performances?
Tickets, Schedule, And Sellout Warning
SPEAKER_03Just three performances were the 13th at 7 p.m., the 14th at 7 p.m., and the 15th at 5 p.m. And we are more than 50% sold out. So in a 48-seat house, uh, get your tickets while you can because this production will definitely sell out.
SPEAKER_00And there will be a link in the show notes. And is there any other ways they can get the tickets? Can they call the chance or is it only through the link?
SPEAKER_03I believe they can call the chance. The easiest way is through the link. Tickets will also be available at the door if they are still available. Wonderful.
SPEAKER_00Thank you so much, everyone. I'm I'm I'm moved and very excited uh not only to see this, but um just to know that there is uh this female-fronted uh production that's out there. So thank you so much for giving us your time.
SPEAKER_03Oh, thank you for having us very much. Thank you. Thank you.
Closing And Listener CTA
SPEAKER_00Thanks for listening to Steps in the New Fire. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform. And if you're enjoying the show, leave us a five star rating and review. It really helps. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or visit our website. Steps to the Stage was created by Joey Rice and Kirk Lane. Logo created by Marley Lane. Original music by Joey Rice, executive producer, editor, and sometimes host Kirk Lane.
