Steps To The Stage
Steps To The Stage
Don Lugo High School: Beetlejuice Jr. STTS Drama Department
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Beetlejuice Jr is a big, weird, high-energy musical and the Don Lugo Theater Company is using it to show what student performers can really do when a school backs the arts. I’m joined by Don Lugo director Candida Celaya, alumni-turned-VAPA specialist Andrea, and student leaders Bella (Lydia) and Jesse (Beetlejuice) for a candid conversation about building a high school theater program that keeps growing in the Inland Empire.
We get into the origin story of the department and the reality behind producing theater at a public school: choosing shows, securing rights, managing rehearsals, creating playbills, and finding the people who make it all happen. Andrea shares how “Visual And Performing Arts” support and Prop 28 funding can translate into real training for students, from choreography and stage management to lighting design and music direction. If you’re curious about tech theater careers, community theater pathways, or how arts education builds confidence, this one has a lot to take home.
Bella and Jesse also open up about why these roles matter beyond applause, including how Lydia’s story can connect to real loss and how a dream role can push a student to grow fast. Don Lugo’s Beetlejuice Jr runs April 23rd, 24th, and 25th at 6:30 PM, with tickets on GoFan and updates on their Instagram. Subscribe, share this with a theater friend, and leave us a review so more listeners can find local theater stories like this.
Don Antonio Lugo High School Events and Tickets by GoFan
Find STTS:
Steps To The Stage (@stepstothestage) | Instagram
Facebook
Steps To The Stage (buzzsprout.com)
Steps To The Stage - YouTube
Please follow on your favorite podcast platform and we appreciate 5 Star ratings and positive reviews!
Beetlejuice Banter And Warm Open
SPEAKER_01Beetlejuice goes over her story a lot and how she meets the demon Beetlejuice and how they work together.
SPEAKER_00Careful not to say it a third time. Oh my god.
Welcome And Meet Don Lugo Team
SPEAKER_02Could have got ugly. Welcome to Steps to the Stage Drama Department, a 7th Street Theater podcast featuring local area Inland Empire Schools Drama Department.
SPEAKER_03Welcome to Steps to the Stage. My name is Kirk Lane. I'll be your host today, and we are talking to the theater professionals that you know and love. Today we are having one of our drama department episodes, and we're really excited to come to another local Inland Empire High School, Don Lugo, based in Chino. And we love this school for many reasons, not just the fact that my wife graduated here, but we have many people that have attended this school and are attending this school that come to the 7th Street Theater and apply their trade beyond uh the high school stage onto the community theater. And so uh we are very thankful that they reached out and asked if we could come by and have a discussion. And uh and that's exactly what we're gonna do today. And today we are joined by Candida, the director. Did I pronounce that correctly? Yes. All right, and then we are here with Andrea, who we all know because she has actually been a guest on the show uh when she was directing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and she's also been in a number of different productions that we've had at our theater. So we're really excited that she is here with to here joining us today to speak with the group. And she is the VAPA specialist, and we'll learn more about that in a little bit. We also have with us Bella, who is uh a theater co-president. Is that correct?
SPEAKER_01I'm the president.
SPEAKER_03Oh, you are the president. So so these we have been having this discussion, everyone, before, and it's been very lively. I'm just gonna say that. So, Jesse, who is our lead in Beetlejuice, uh, who did tell me he was the co-president, but obviously he's just pulling my leg. So, and Jesse's here.
SPEAKER_01No, wait, no, okay, hold on. No, I'm the I'm the theater president, he is my vice president.
SPEAKER_03Ah, see, sometimes you just gotta sometimes if you just ask the question, then you get the answers that that that you like. So, well, welcome everyone. Thank you so much for taking a little bit of time out of your day. I know you've got a pretty big production coming up in a couple of weeks, and I want to hear all about it. But what we like to do here on Steps of the Stage, especially in the drama department episodes, is we want to learn about Don Lugo Theater Company. So, Candida, the microphone is yours.
SPEAKER_06All right. Well, we're just in our fourth year. Um oh gosh, no ums.
SPEAKER_03So you can um all you want. I can edit the um out of this thing.
SPEAKER_06Okay, thank you. All right, so we didn't have a theater department. They had a drama department, but they weren't doing musicals and um things. There was a vision that our current principal has, Dr. Wong, and he felt that there was a need, and there was uh there were children who needed this kind of outlet.
SPEAKER_03And once the other will get no argument from us on that.
SPEAKER_06Yes. Well, once the um the other teacher left, he found out that I was a performer. I've been performing uh most of my life, and I do a lot of theater, local theater, and done theater pretty much all over. And once he found that out, and I happen to have a credential that I can teach it with, I was naturally the person who was gonna fill those shoes. So his vision was to have um a play, a straight play in the fall and a musical in the spring. And that's what we've been doing the last four years. Thankfully, I had people like Andrea to come on and she volunteered her time, worked so hard to help me with choreography and anything else that I needed these past four years. But fortunately, we've been able to hire her as our VAPA specialist. So I know you'll get into that later. But that's how our theater company started here, and we've been going strong ever since. Starting next year, we have doubled our in in size in just four years. That we get to have our beginning theater class and our advanced theater class next year.
SPEAKER_03That is wonderful. And because I've had the opportunity to interact with a couple of other schools and that have been doing it for a long time. And in some cases, they have six different classes, right? Where they're breaking it down by not only, you know, experience, but what is it you're specifically going after. But I love the fact that the story that you told that it had been here before, and I think we'll hear a little bit about it when you when Andrea was here as a student. Um, but that it it it is needed. It is so needed, especially in this time of our lives where we need those vehicles and that that opportunity to express ourselves. And this is such an important development part of our lives, right? For these two wonderful young individuals next to us. And you're gonna make memories and you're gonna learn things that you have, then you take with you the rest of your life. And if it can be theater and drama, then even better because there's so many things that this can prepare you for in life. So thank you so much for we'll say stepping up to the plate, whether you were voluntold or not, um, that it sounds like you have a great background doing that and that you can bring an expertise to it and guide these individuals that are looking to express themselves on stage. So we thank you and we applaud you for that and standing ovation from steps to the stage.
SPEAKER_06Thank you so much.
Alumni Returns To Teach VAPA
SPEAKER_03We are gonna move over to Andrea, and again, we have familiarity because she's been on our program before when she's directed programs on 7th Street or uh uh musicals on 7th Street, and she's uh performed and she's been involved in our Bernies and been involved in our season reveals, and so she's uh um she's someone that we definitely know and love, but glad that she is here again, applying that trade in our local high schools. So give us a little bit about your history here specifically, and then coming here after you've graduated and now being a part of it, and and I want to learn more about VAPA because I'll be very honest, I have no idea what that means.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Um, so yes, I was a student here between 2016 and 2020. I officially joined the theater department my sophomore year in 2017. Um, and yeah, it was really, I think it was a great department for me at the time, especially because I was coming into theater. I had done performances, but I never really done like specific theater, like plays and things like that. So it was really fun and interesting because that really got me into the into the groove of theater and what it is, and really made me fall in love with it. I think it was a great stepping stone where where it was and what it the kind of foundation it built for the students and actors of the time and what it transitioned to, especially like Miss Celaya was mentioning, kind of the shift in vision and more of a more of a solid foundation to actually build these actors to be ready to go into the professional world after high school, so should they choose. Um, so yeah, during that time, right before Miss Salaya came in, the prior theater teacher, she had asked me to come back and um assistant direct their showcase and actually write and direct a scene. And it was in that process that really opened my eyes that made me felt fall in love with teaching theater. So that's where my journey shifted. So when I learned that she was leaving, there was going to be a new theater teacher. I was a little panicky because I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to meet someone new. Um, but thankfully, uh, because my mom is a teacher here, she was able to introduce me to Miss Zelaya. And I just introduced myself, said, This is what I did, this is what I can do. If there's anything I can do to like help, because I wanted some experience for the backstage stuff, so I could hopefully do it as a career.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And thankfully, she liked what I could do and what I did, and I'm here, I'm still here four years later with them.
SPEAKER_03That is fantastic. That is just uh and you know, my professional career, I'm I'm a producer, right, for event technology, and I'm lucky enough I get to travel around. I'm also a musician. And I just want to speak specifically to whether it's theater that you want to get into, there's there's so much more that you can do having that theater background. I run into people all across the country, right? They might be a singer in a very popular band, and then you look at their bio and they say they started in theater, right? And they gain that confidence on stage, or maybe they learned vote voice, maybe they had a vocal teacher that helped them. Um, in my industry in in particular, we were having a great conversation as we were setting up all these mics with some of the other members of the troupe that were maybe helping with your tech, right? That is a career that I can say that you can get out there and do a lot with. But then on top of that, because theater has really come to the forefront, right? Like there was a time when I grew up, I might be a little bit older than people here, that it wasn't necessarily looked at in a very positive manner or positive light. But now we can literally, we can we can look at Hamilton, right? We could look at some of the wicked, we could look at some of these productions that are out there. And then we're starting to see it on TV as well, right? Glee and some of the other programs where it's coming to the forefront and there's a real value to it. And I think that value comes from people like Andreas that has been involved and comes and gives back to the community. So so I just wanted to say that and thank you so much. It's it's it's wonderful to hear that. We're gonna move over here to Bella, um, who is our one and only president, not co-president, but has a vice president that is a little cheeky if we haven't figured this out yet. But Bella, we'd love to hear about your theater journey up to this point.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Um, well, I started when I was, I think I was 10. I started in theater, but I started with musical theater dance when I was six. So I've been um experimenting in different types of theater since I was very young. And um musical theater dance was it it was fun, but it wasn't where my heart was at, so I quit for a little bit.
SPEAKER_03Um You took a pause.
SPEAKER_01I took a pause. And so um, and then I uh went to a performing arts school, we call it the School of Arts and Enterprise. I didn't have the best experience there.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_01Um, it was a somewhat, I would say can I say it was a toxic environment.
SPEAKER_05Okay.
SPEAKER_01And so um I but I was there for uh since my sixth grade year. Um and I experimented a little bit in fifth grade with that school during the summer. And um when I started there, I I met a teacher named Emmanuel Marquez, and he used to work for Disney on Broadway and a bunch of different types of like recruitment companies.
SPEAKER_03Like he he worked with um recruitment into the arts or recruitment in a corporate sense or whatnot.
SPEAKER_01Um like into the arts, but like with um big companies like Netflix and stuff like that.
SPEAKER_03Oh, oh, okay.
SPEAKER_01And he uh uh worked with almost like a talent scout, it sounds like yeah, like a talent scout. And um I'm forgetting his name. It was um he plays Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things. Caleb McLaughlin. Yeah, okay, so Caleb McLaughlin.
SPEAKER_03You want to think about that for a second?
SPEAKER_01I love Stranger Things.
SPEAKER_03That was great.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so yeah, so Caleb McLaughlin and my my previous theater teacher, he was his um like uh student and kind of like he was uh Mr. Marquez was his mentor. And so he got him as a little Simba in The Lion King on Broadway.
SPEAKER_05Oh wow.
SPEAKER_01And then he got him into Stranger Things. So and that's great. So then my when I was in middle school, he was invited to the premieres. That's not he was invited to the premieres for Stranger Things. I think it was at the time, I think it was like season three or something, season four, where he was invited to the premieres and he would tell us about Caleb and how he was. And that really inspired me to keep going because I was like, oh, my theater teacher has worked with professionals. So professionals. So I was like, okay, and I continued to do that. Um, but I thought that I wasn't very good at plain acting, so I went more into vocal music and musical theater music. So I sang mostly, and that's kind of where my heart was for I would say maybe three years, and I had a couple vocal coaches that I worked with consistently for that three years, and then I left that school and came here, and I met Miss Eliah, and I met her because our principal, Dr. Wong, he found me in the hallway lost. And he said, Oh, where are you going to? And I was like, Oh, the theater, do you know where that is? Because I didn't know he was the principal at the time. I was also like, Who are you? Oh, oh, oh so blunt. And he was like, Oh, I'm the principal, and he's British, so he was like British talking to principal. Oh, oh, I'm the principal.
SPEAKER_00We love Dr. Wong here.
SPEAKER_01He's like he's like one of my favorite people here.
SPEAKER_03And I definitely feel the love and love that he was looking and saw somebody lost, and obviously helps you get found, we'll say.
SPEAKER_01He's so helpful all the time, and he has the best personality. Like, I don't know. Some people talk about British people like they're mean, but some people don't say not mean. He loves the he's the most like sweetest man ever. So it's like, oh, that's not what I was told. Sorry.
SPEAKER_03So you're here at Don Lugo, and you're now you're part of the theater program. Yeah. And um, and obviously you're doing well because you are our the president. So you've obviously exhibited some leadership, and that's fantastic. And it sounds like you've got a great background in it. And and and I love that you told the story about it there is a connection when there is when there is someone, we'll say famous, that you are that you either know or you've met or you have a connection with through another mentor or teacher. And it's inspiring, right? Because sometimes we see this, we see it on our phones, we see it on the screen, we go to, you know, we go to the theater and you're just like, I don't know if that's obtainable or not, right? But then we just realize those are people just like you, you and I, right? They put their shoes on every morning and decide where they're gonna walk and do what they do, and they fall in love with something and they dedicate themselves to it. And you know, sometimes there's a little luck involved, and but a lot of it is just that persistence. So um, well, that's fantastic. Thank you for sharing that with us, and we'll get a little bit more into specifically here, but I want to move over to Jesse and I want to hear a little bit about your story as well, um, up to this point.
From Duckling To Lead Roles
SPEAKER_04Well, um I really started uh theater when uh I was in second grade. Okay I did uh it was a really small role. It was a duckling in uh Charlotte's Webb, and literally all I had to do. No small roles. No small roles. And all I had to do was walk across the stage and went like went like a duck.
SPEAKER_03And um walking and talking like a duck or doing anything like a duck is very difficult.
SPEAKER_04So don't sell yourself short there, just I'm sure you did an amazing job. And then yeah, um, I always wanted to get into like acting and stuff. Uh when I was like eight, my mom tried to put me in commercials and stuff, but um uh didn't get them. And uh part of the process. That's the problem. Oh yeah. Yeah. And um sophomore year of high school, I just had moved over here to Chino from La Habra. Okay. And um Whittier. Oh, yeah. Far right.
SPEAKER_01Represent.
SPEAKER_04And um it was uh middle of the year. Um Don Lugo Theater Company had already done their winter play, and it was late February, early March, and then Bella really spookinely she comes up to me, and um, when I was reading uh Shakespeare in front of the class, she comes up to me and whispers behind my ear, you should join theater. And um Subtle.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, very subtle.
SPEAKER_04Subtle. And oh yeah, yeah. And um are you the same grade? Are you both? Yeah, we're both juniors. Okay, all right. Yeah, and um, and then uh I joined their uh musical, which was Guys and Dolls Junior. Okay, and it was really cool. At first, I got the role of Harry the Horse, and um you know it was really cool, it was a really cool experience. And then um one day, Miss Salaya um she comes up to me and she she scares me also. Um a lot of scary things. And um I was ready getting ready for audit uh not auditions, but uh rehearsal, and then she says, Jesse, come here real quick. And then she puts me into that lead role of Nathan Detroit in that musical, and I am I was shocked and yeah, but tell how long you had to learn that role. I had like about three or two weeks.
SPEAKER_06You had two weeks.
SPEAKER_04I had two weeks to learn the lines and everything like that. And I did it.
SPEAKER_03I did it very, very well. Had you not learned how to waddle like a duck, there's no way you would have had the skills to learn those lines.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, back to what I was saying. She she she points at me. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that was time. Yeah, so Miss Salaya, she points at me and then she does like a little bit.
SPEAKER_03You know, you're cheeky and you were pulling my leg earlier. I you just understand, I can give it right back.
SPEAKER_05So he will.
SPEAKER_04Sorry, continue. Miss Salaya, she points at me and she she finger waves over time with me. She's like, Jesse, come here. And she says, she says, We need you to read for Nathan Detroit. And I was like, Are you sure? Me? What about the other guy? And she's like, Well, other guy.
SPEAKER_05Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_03And I was like, Well, that sounds like a little bit of confidence from a leader to you. And obviously, when someone approaches you in that manner, that they they've seen something or felt something, or or or just have that feeling and know. And so I I'm I'm thank you for being brave enough to share that because sometimes that's something that you wouldn't want to share. So but I'm glad to hear. And then you took that role and and here we are. Yeah, and then I joined theater the next year.
SPEAKER_05And now here you are.
SPEAKER_03And now here you are the lead in our upcoming production of Beetlejuice, correct? Yep. And um if I remember you guys do two productions a year, is that how that works?
SPEAKER_06You do a straight play in the fall and then a musical in the spring.
Choosing Shows And Directing Realities
SPEAKER_03And then why don't you tell us a little bit about that selection process? How does that work for you? Because it's different from school to school to school. So we'd love to hear how that uh happens here.
SPEAKER_06Well, a lot of times I try to get the kids in this in the classes their um input and I'll show them different ideas that I have, see which one seems to go over best. And then ultimately, though, I just say this is the one I want to do.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_06So um, but I do try to get their input.
SPEAKER_03It's important to get that feedback and and get a feel for what they might want to do. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06But I also have to go with something inside of me that something I could direct because as a performer, this is a position I never wanted to be in. I've never wanted to know what goes on backstage except hit my mark and go off. I want to make sure everything is everybody gets it set up for me. Yes. So um I need to be able to feel something in that script that speaks to me. And I have ideas. I'll run them by Andre. In the last four years since she's been here. I mean, uh I just I really thank God that she's here because she has been a right hand to me. And from the time that she was 19 years old coming and just um my name's Andrea, and I will help you in any way. And so um I put her to work, and her work ethic was uh it's incredible. And so when we had this money, the Prop 28, and so VAPA is the visual arts performing arts. Thank you so much. That's what that stands for. And when we were able to have some funds, I said, I you need to get paid for what you do because everything she did, you could I could not believe that this kid would do this for free, the hours and the time spent. So it's been really wonderful to have her. And so a lot of things I go over with her. I'll ask her, What do you think about this? Because ultimately I am um prepping her to take over my spot when I retire in a few years. And that's that is the idea.
SPEAKER_03That's pay it forward as it were.
SPEAKER_06Yes, but that's she's so wonderful, and her relationship with the children is great.
SPEAKER_03As I said earlier, you won't get an argument out of us because I've seen her perform since she was a wheelass, moving up with my my kids as well. And they they've done a number of different productions together, and um, we get to see it on our stage all the time. And for me, on a variety of different levels, just being a theater guy and everything else, but being a father and and have being around a lot of these what were kids that are now adults, and see them take on teaching roles and go and get further education and move on and do this professionally. Um, it's it's very inspiring. And one of the reasons why we have this podcast, because we want the platform for these young actors and these young people and for those that have been doing it for a little bit to be able to talk about how it's impacted their lives and everyone around them, right? Because programs like this enrich everyone, right? It sounds like you have an amazing principal. Oh, yes, British other or otherwise that supports the program and supports the arts, and that's huge. That that is so, so important, right? And especially in this day and age, right? When sports tends to get the money.
SPEAKER_05Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_03We'll just say that. If we can find a way to get money into the arts, then we give a whole nother group of the student population to be able to experience something that may become their life, that may be what they do. So we love hearing that. And I love that you you share that you do work together because it takes a village with most things, but especially in theater. Um, and especially in a situation when you're in a school and and you have limited funds and you have limited resources and and you really have to have everyone around that can help out.
SPEAKER_06Absolutely, because I don't only just teach theater, I have other classes that are not theater that I have to teach. So I have five classes of well, four of other things. Yeah. And one of theater. So I have to uh I need help.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_06And in the beginning, when we first did it, it was just me and trying to figure out how to do a theater. How do I run a theater company?
SPEAKER_03And with you have to get the rights, you have to get the scripts, you have to get the, you know, and then then oh, let's talk about we've got a cast, we've got to get costumes, we've got to get set pieces, we've got there's there's a few things going on.
SPEAKER_06Yes.
SPEAKER_03Oh, we gotta advertise.
SPEAKER_06I didn't even think about just like I said, being a performer. All I do is show up and stand on that tape, and that's where I need to be and leave. So it was really eye-opening to me, all of the things that I had to do, from you know, creating the pro just to program the playbill, that takes hours. Yeah. And and getting the kids to write their bios. Oh gosh. I mean, that's like pulling teeth. But then having this year is one of the things that we're talking about.
SPEAKER_03The looks on the two of uh the two kids. Everyone, uh we're an audio forward podcast, so you don't get to see on this butt. It's one weird.
SPEAKER_06Well, Jesse will Jesse will love his bio that I had to write for him for when that didn't get in on time.
SPEAKER_04That's not true.
SPEAKER_06No, I thank myself a lot.
SPEAKER_03We'll call it a collaborate, we'll call it a collaboration and move on.
SPEAKER_05There we go.
Beetlejuice Jr Dates Tickets Socials
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it takes so many different people and and it takes dedicated people, but it takes people that are passionate um and it goes from the director on down. So um I want to hear more about your upcoming production, um, Beetlejuice. And is it Beetlejuice Jr.? Yes, yeah. Okay, and then your uh give us your performance dates.
SPEAKER_06Um April 23rd, 24th, and 25th at 6 30 p.m. in the Don Lugo M PR.
SPEAKER_03And just in case people were wondering how to get tickets, how would they go?
SPEAKER_06GoFan, GoFan.com.
SPEAKER_03Okay. And is that through your um through the the school's website, or is it do you have a separate link set up for the department here?
SPEAKER_06You can do both. You can go to the Don Lugo website or you can just go to GoFan.com and then you put in Don Lugo High School.
SPEAKER_01Make sure you put in Don Antonio Lugo or it doesn't show up.
SPEAKER_00I'd also like to mention a little social media shout-out. Follow us on social media, Instagram. Um D L H S underscore wait, what is it? And this is it.
SPEAKER_03Instagram.
SPEAKER_00I think it's Don Lugo High underscore theater company. Yeah. I think I just looked at it. Because we also have a link in our bio.
SPEAKER_03So you can put a link in the show notes as well. So it will make that even easier. But yeah, it's really important everyone that's out there will actually use this time to just say that social media following and um commenting and interacting and liking, it helps out more than you know because it gives you the exposure that you need. So all of these wonderful places that we go to and we leave links in our bios, please follow them, follow us. And hey, we'll do a shout-out for steps of the stage. If you like what you're hearing, please rate us on whether you listen on Spotify or Apple, please rate us, and reviews are fantastic. And if you'd like to go onto our Facebook page and leave a review, that's also very helpful. So that's something different that we didn't necessarily have in the time that I was growing up, handing out flyers outside of shows and putting up posters and the fact that you could reach such a wide swath of people. So we do ask our listeners all the time to make sure and support not only the theaters that we go to, but ourselves and the other productions that are going on across anywhere, wherever you're at. It doesn't matter what city you're in. And hey, if you don't have a theater program in the city that you're in, start one and give us a call, and we'd love to do an interview with you. So back to Beetlejuice. So Beetlejuice Jr. So um um Bella, how are you involved in Beetlejuice Jr.?
Playing Lydia Through Real Grief
SPEAKER_01Okay, well, I play Lydia Deets. She is the second main role, and um she is a depressed teenager um who is very gothic and strange and unusual, and I love her, she's great. And um, she becomes obsessed with the idea of finding her mother after she passed away. So um Beetlejuice goes over her story a lot and how she meets the demon Beetlejuice and how they work together.
SPEAKER_00Careful not to say it a third time. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03So is this um the first time you've been in a production of Beetlejuice Jr. Have you done that in any other theater before?
SPEAKER_01I've never done Beetlejuice before, but I have done a lot of music from Beetlejuice for performances.
SPEAKER_03Wonderful, wonderful. And the process for you is going great? Is it is it a character you relate to? And do you are are you finding that the the nonverbal stuff that's going on is again I don't know if I want to go back to video or not. We have these wonderful moments like this. So do you find that you were um uh impacted, influenced, or otherwise by the fact that there are several different you know movies to watch and there's productions out there, or what's your what's your relationship with that content?
SPEAKER_01Um well uh going back to the first question with Lydia and relating to her, yeah, I relate to her a lot and she's made me see myself more because she um she lost somebody that was like her whole world, and so did I. And so um becoming Lydia, well, method acting into Lydia has made me understand how I felt a little bit more when I lost that person. And then um seeing other people's renditions of Lydia online and seeing the movie and the differences between the the show, um, the the musical theater production and the movie itself has made me um understand what it feels like for multiple different people because everybody finds Lydia in a different way. Like some people find her as, oh, I I lost somebody too, and that's what they take from her, and that's how they Bella.
Jesse’s Long Road To Beetlejuice
SPEAKER_03I think that's absolutely amazing. One, thank you for having the um courage to share that with us, right? And again, it's just to me that is another benefit of theater, right? That you could take this situation that you've gone through in real life, relate it to this character that you're playing, and you're learning off of each other, it sounds like. Um, and and I love that. But I especially love the courage that you had to be able to share that because I think that's important for people that are listening, that there's a lot of courage that you have to dig deep getting on a stage. It doesn't matter where it's at. Um, and you are you're putting yourself out there in a manner that it can be uncomfortable sometimes. So it's important that you know the role and that that you feel the role because our audiences they they can feel it, they can sense it, they they know it. So if they can feel that embodiment in how you are presenting the character, then I think they buy into the story a lot more. So that was lovely, and and again, I appreciate that. Thank you. Um, Jesse, I want to hear more about you and Beetlejuice. I'm just gonna say, just meeting you. Pretty good casting. Pretty good casting. I mean, you know. But to you, Jesse.
SPEAKER_04Um, yeah, uh growing up, my father loved Michael Keaton and um, you know, his movies and Tim Burton and all that. And um, you know, he watched uh the original Beetlejuice with Michael Keaton, um, and he he loved it. He had a signed poster with all the cast. Um it's gone now. Uh I don't know where it is, but I think someone has it. But you have a good memory of it. Oh, yeah, good memory of it. And um when I f when I was living with him back in 2020, and um I found out they were doing a musical of uh Beetlejuice, and that's when I figured it out, and that's when I listened to the uh album for the first time, the Beatlejuice musical album, and I fell in love with that character, Beetlejuice, the musical one. And I silently he was my dream role for years, and then when we finally got the chance to do this, I was like, I gotta get on top of that. And it sounds like you did, and it sounds like you and I'm so grateful for Miss Eliya to for giving me this chance to um express my my love for this character and love for this musical. And um, yeah.
SPEAKER_03No, that's fantastic. And I mean, what a character. Oh, yeah. Uh I mean, and not not an easy character, because isn't you're not just you know out there being crazy. Like there's I'm gonna say it, Beetlejuice has layers. Yes, like an idea, and and and it's important that you're able to handle both that over-the-edge part, but then that you're trying to move the story along, right?
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03So, um, but I especially love to hear that that the the long connection that you have with it and the story about the poster. And it's sometimes it's just those little things, right? That that will remind you, right? And as the curtain opens and you go out there, I I have to imagine you're gonna have that little flashback of that poster and how that inspired you. And and who knows, there might be someone in the audience that sees your performance and says, This is what I want to do. Yeah. Another beautiful thing about theater.
SPEAKER_06Well, that's what happened to me actually. Um, in when I was in fifth grade, our schools went to go see the local high school production, and it was Fiddler on the Roof and God Spell were two fifth and sixth grade year. And I just fell in love, and that was it. And so I started to do theater back then. And and what I was just thinking about Beetlejuice and why we chose Beetlejuice, because last year they I wasn't a fan, I've never seen the movie or anything, but I know Jesse had said what about Beetlejuice? And I think Bella asked about it. Yeah. So I don't know. I guess I said, okay, well, let's do this. If they want to do it, okay. And then they but they auditioned, they had to audition like anybody else, but it was natural, it was just perfectly natural for both of them to be those characters. And um, and I loved what you said about when I saw something in Jesse, I just wanted to touch on that because it well, in both of them, Bella had a rough time at the School of Arts and Enterprise where I happened to teach for a year or so. And um, but when she was brought here to our theater company like I noticed her talent like right away. And I think they either had too many people who you know to choose from or that they didn't see, but I immediately saw her talent. And that was just in a very short time of her coming into the class. And the same with Jesse, Jesse wasn't even in the class, he came to just check out rehearsal because he was spookily told by he didn't have a choice, yes. And Bella is great for recruiting. I just have to say she got an extra meal of pho this year because of her so good. Because of her recruitment abilities. But Jesse just came and I threw him up there on the stage because I just needed him to go stand, go stand there. And the kid just got up and he did it. And then I said, Hey, read this, read okay, you're Harry the Horse. Because he just had to do like a line or two. And I'm like, You're Harry the Horse, you want to be in this, right? I mean, he just came to watch, but I'm like, You're in this. So that was it. He and he and Jesse's like, I I guess. That was it. And so when we had trouble about two weeks before the opening of Um Guys and Dolls, and we had to recast, it was just there were other guys up there, but it was like Jesse.
SPEAKER_05You're the one.
SPEAKER_06Yes, I gave him the finger.
SPEAKER_01Finger was hilarious. I crooked my finger. I did not give him the finger.
SPEAKER_03I quirked my finger. He is number one, yes.
SPEAKER_06Exactly. And it was just, I want you to read. You mean and he was, he was like me? I'm like, yes, you. Yeah, there's nobody else. That's it. You're Nathan Detroit. End of story. I didn't get there, was like really no discussion. And that was it, because yes, there was something in his two lines of hair. First, him standing on the stage and two lines of Harry the Horse. And it was like this kid's a natural. And what he does with Beetlejuice, he really understands that even though it's written to be funny, I don't want you to try and be funny. It just is. It just is. And that's part of how you do comedy anyway. It just is. And he understands that. And his portrayal is spot on. It's wonderful. Both of them are so, so good.
Choreography Lights Music And Costumes
SPEAKER_03Well, I can tell you we have some amazing talent in the Inland Empire, having gone across to so many theaters and various different uh um theater departments in the various schools. And and it does my heart well as a performer as well to know that there is uh not only the talent pool, as it were, but just the passion towards it. So I want to know more about this production. And Andrea, I want you to give us a little bit more insight on all those things that that go. I mean, obviously you need strong characters, you need strong direction, but we need beautiful costumes, we need tech, we need sets. Give us a little bit more about that and who else is involved because we want to also shout out some more people in the program that as well.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I've personally taken on a few hats uh for this production. I'm mainly a choreographer, so I've choreographed the whole show. Um, light design, I took on stage managing. And we have a student stage manager, Eric. What's his last name? Godinez. Godinez, Eric Godinez. Great kid. Um, so yeah, he's really shout out to Eric. He's doing great as our student stage manager. Um and we have our other, we actually have another VAPA specialist, uh, Max Dvorak. He's our music director. So he took, and it's actually his first time teaching music directing. Um he did a great job with the kids. He's really good with the kids teaching and everything. Um, so yeah, light design. I do want to talk a little about light design because I'm to toot my own horn, but I'm gonna toot it because I'm just personally really um proud of myself. I took a lighting class last semester, so I was able to learn uh a little bit about a light board and how to operate it. And I finally got in there uh like two months ago and I was looking around and I'm like, okay, yeah, I know how to do this. And I was looking, I basically like designed the whole show, and I was like, oh my gosh. This it's empowering, isn't it? It's so amazing.
SPEAKER_03It's empowering.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and especially just being able to because for me, when I design something, I let the music kind of take inspiration over it. It's like, how is the music making me feel? How is the music transitioning it from one section to another? And how can the lights show that? And what like what are the what would the characters be feeling, and how can we show that in the lights as well, and also in the choreography, I took a lot of and um I of course asked Miss Salaya what she had in mind, and I think she just said, just make it fun. And I was like, okay, and I ran with that, and I just kind of also leaned into more kind of like the strangeness and kind of whimsy of it, and I also did a lot more than I previously thought I was gonna do for a show like this, because as I'm as it may have been mentioned, this is my fourth time choreographing a show, and the difference from the first musical we did to now, it's night and day. Like it's so insane. And so, like, I think I just took a lot of risks a little bit, um, both in my teaching ability and also the kids' skill levels, because they all have different skill levels. I try to choreograph to the kind of general level, but try to push them a little further so that they can come out of this having learned something. Right. And I think I just kind of went a little further out than I normally would have, but they're still rocking it. They're still rocking it, and it's just been so amazing to see all of that happen. And costumes, we actually have a fast a fabulous costumer, um, Paula with the Enchanted Attic. Um, yeah, absolutely fabulous. We got a lot of costumes there, they look amazing. Um, so yeah, definitely consider getting if you're ever doing a theater production, consider reaching out to the enchanted attic. She's fabulous. Yes.
SPEAKER_03We'll put a link in the show notes.
SPEAKER_00Thank you. Yeah.
Shoutouts To Cast And Student Crew
SPEAKER_03And then what about some of the other cast members? Why don't uh Bella, you tell us about that?
SPEAKER_01Okay. Well, so uh do you want me to go over the whole cast? I can't.
SPEAKER_03Let's just do a couple and we'll we'll see what's going on. We of course we want to give you know credit to everyone, but we just want to hear about a little more.
SPEAKER_01Okay, I want to highlight our Adam and Barbara, which is um our Adam is Michael Vasquez, and our Barbara is Jocelyn Silva? Silva, really?
SPEAKER_06Silvez.
SPEAKER_01Silvez. Okay, I thought I thought so too. That's why I was like, it's okay. But I mean Emily is Silva, right? Silvez? Silva. Silva, she's Silva. Okay, I'm sorry. There's the two. Anyways, I want to highlight those two because they are just so on point all the time. Like Michael's rendition of Adam is like it's like goofy. And it's like, I feel like that's exactly what Adam is supposed to be. And he just he highlights him so well with his own personality. He puts his own spin on it. And then Jocelyn as Barbara, she makes her so I feel like elegant and cute. Like at the same time, like she makes her a very like cute character as like a like a wannabe mom, because you know, that's That's what Barbara wants to be. I'm I'm spoiling, sorry. But yeah, that's I just I feel like I feel like it makes she like both of them, do they just have so much talent and they show it every single day. And like I felt like when I when I saw them for the first time, like this is my first year as president, but like when I saw them, I was like, oh my God. Oh my god. Like they're so good. So yeah, but yeah, yeah, they just have so they have they're so natural. This is their both first time doing theater, I think. And both freshmen. Those are great. And they're both freshmen.
SPEAKER_03We love hearing about those people that are just starting out. Jesse, are there a few other cast members you'd like to call out?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Um you know, my two friends in here uh in this class, uh Jose Zamora and Eric. Um is it Godina or God Dinez? I've been saying God. Godinez. Godinez. I've been saying Godinez for like God Dinez for like a while. Yeah. Um I think you should keep it up until he says something. Yeah, um you should keep it up. Shout out to those. You know, um Jose, he started like kind of kind of like me where it was he was just thrown into a musical last year and with his girlfriend at the time. Oh, they're still together, I shouldn't say at the time. And um there's any therapists out there helped to make sure that this is something that stays. Yeah, no, they're still together, they're happily together. I wanna I want to point that out.
SPEAKER_00But no, um, we love and misplace whatever.
SPEAKER_04He joined it and um, yeah, he's he um he does really good, you know.
Support Local Theater And Closing Thanks
SPEAKER_03Well, it's great when you can get into anything, but especially in theater with people that you're familiar with and comfortable with, right? Because then they can provide that um that element of keeping you loose, which is important, right? But also, you know, making you feel like, okay, I've got I've got people in my corner as as I go out and do these things. So um, and I'm sure you everyone else is fantastic and we love that. Um, and thank you for shouting them out. And and just everyone, thank you so much for sharing your stories with us um about theater, and thank you for sharing about the program. Um, everyone out there, please follow the socials. And again, our dates are April 23rd, 24th, and 25th. Yes, that's correct. And it was at 6 30 p.m.
SPEAKER_06And then tell me again how we can get tickets at gofan.com or go to the Don Lugo website and you can get it from there. And through our Instagram page. Ah, I love that.
Credits And Where To Follow
SPEAKER_03They're also sold at the door, I think. And they're sold at the door. So we're hoping it's going to be sold out, but um if for whatever reason, um we can uh uh we we could figure that out. But just again, as we always say on this program, please come and support Beetlejuice Jr., but support any and all theater in your area at whatever level it is, whether it's a duck scooting across a second grade stage, sounds familiar, or whether it's a Broadway stage or a regional stage or a community theater stage or a high school stage, go out and support. It means the world for those that put that time and effort that we get to talk to and find out about. It means the world to see people come out and give up their time and see this piece of art. And we always need this art, right? Whether it's something you're familiar with or something you like or dislike, there's there's something you can gain from seeing uh a person up on stage bear themselves in whatever manner it is, sing. You can learn a lot about someone watching them sing, and you can feel a lot about that power that they're bringing. So um thank you so much, everyone. We really appreciate it. It was fantastic getting to meet you all. This was a very fun discussion, and I'm gonna even enjoy this more editing than deciding whether if I want to take something out or not. I might just leave it all in because it was just a lot of fun. So, Don Lugo Theater Company, everyone, please follow them. Please support, please come see their production of Beetlejuice Jr. But again, please support any and all theater in your area. It is so important. And please follow us, please support, like, review, all of those things. It does help greatly. Thank you, everyone. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Steps to the Stage, a 7 Street Community Theater podcast. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform and leave us a review and a five-star rating. It really helps. You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Special thanks to Chino Community Theater and Chino Community Children's Theater for their generous support. And very special thank you to the listeners. Steps to the Stage was created by Joey Rice and Kirk Lane. Logo created by Marley Lane. Original music by Joey Rice. Your host, Kirk Lane. Engineer and producer, Joey Rice, engineer and executive producer, Kirk Lane.
