Colton, CA– For the past few months, the Drama Club has been one of the most active clubs on campus. From after school rehearsals, to club meetings, to personal time set aside, the culmination of the club’s efforts debuts on Wednesday, March 13th: their first, completely original play: “The King’s Rebellion.”
This is the CHS Drama Department’s first production since the school district was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The play stars Noah Toro as King Alfred, Ja’Len Terry as Liam, a rebel leader, and Mardell Jones as John, a peasant thirsting for revenge. In supporting roles, Brianna Gil is the executioner Gertrude, Anthony Ureno a rebel priest, and Michael Gil plays Abel, a barkeep.
On the production side, the play was directed by Drama teacher Sarah Hantuli and assistant directors Shelby Montez and Abigail Humphrey. Theater tech was performed by Jinx Jackson and Damaris Coto.
“The King’s Rebellion” is the story of a kingdom torn apart by war and the desire for peace and understanding. A rebellious uprising inspires conflict throughout the Kingdom between the monarchy and the people. Though the King wants nothing more than to have a peaceful rule over his Kingdom, he finds himself in a situation where his people despise him.
The play explores how war, and particularly revenge, affects citizens from various backgrounds with how they choose to act on their feelings. All the while throwing in some comedic lines here and there that hit right on the target and will definitely make you chuckle.
With multiple scenes, all of which use sets built by Whitmer manager Roger Burgett, and a moderate-sized cast and tech crew, the Drama Club put together a compelling story that touches on the variety of conflicts found during wartime.
The road to opening “The King’s Rebellion” was long and winding. Drama Club President Noah Toro initially spearheaded the project himself, despite the fact he had no prior theatre experience. Toro, with Ja’len Terry, wrote the play with an idea to perform it. From there he persevered through the entire process, writing, casting, acting in, and at one point directing the play himself. Each step in the process was touched by Noah’s creative vision.
“Because budget was such a major issue, I was like: I could just write it,” Noah explained, “So that’s literally what happened. I came up with the whole plot kind of, or at least the initial idea of King and Rebel; three lives are affected, and how does it play out. And some things were changed a lot.”
He wasn’t alone in the process though. Each cast member had a large role to play, even if they technically performed minor ones. With the help of creative writing and English teachers Cody McKay and Abigail Humphrey, as well as CHS alum Shelby Montez, the script and acting for the play was heavily revised to performance standard.
“It’s been very rewarding. We came in, we were kinda working from the bare bones of it,” said Ms. Humphrey, “So seeing the commitment of the cast and the crew has been really great. I’ve watched it go from just a script to a fully realized work.”
Seeing “The King’s Rebellion” become fully realized on stage has indeed taken lots of time and effort from the Drama Club’s members. The play was made possible through the determination to make something for the stage. Without the students wanting to create something, there wouldn’t have been a play.
Though it sounds like a big responsibility, the Drama members were doing it because they simply just find theater fun.
Sophomore Camila Hernandez, who plays Bella, the hilarious peasant who harasses her local priest with redundant confessions, found herself enjoying every moment spent on stage.
“I’ve done acting in the past, but this is the first time I’ve ever had to work with a big group and I’m not going to lie, I love everybody here,” Hernandez confessed. “Everybody has always been so supportive. There have been a couple of setbacks, but I think overall I’ve loved it and this is just paradise. I can’t wait to perform for my family members tomorrow, and friends.”
A couple of students in the play didn’t think they’d become part of the Drama Club and of this production as closely as they ended up to be. Ja’len Terry for example, who plays the big role of the rebellion’s leader Liam, was introduced to the production through the Creative Writing Club and Noah’s insistent nature.
The King’s Rebellion is something extremely special to our Drama Club students. And as dramatic as it sounds, it would be an absolute travesty if anyone were to miss it. Its opening night is Wednesday, March 13 at 6 p.m. in the Whitmer Auditorium, and its last showing is this Friday, March 15 at 6 p.m.
The play is free for students with school ID. Non-students can purchase tickets through GoFan.com for only $3.
