Students in this semester’s “Devised Theatre” class have spent weeks crafting a storyline, writing dialogue for characters and creating giant puppets that soon will take over the Fullerton Arboretum.
“Day of the Dead” is a student-created, 50-minute production that tells the story of Ally, who wishes to honor her deceased friend yet meets resistance from different sides and from her own inner demons, only to have her faith restored.
Students will perform “Day of the Dead” Wednesday, Oct. 24, and Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. in five different locations throughout the Fullerton Arboretum. The audience will be led from location to location by flashlights.
The students were charged with putting together the entire production, including the original concept. Under the expert assistance of the college’s stage management crew, students also built the set and puppets.
Faculty member Kennedy Brown, who is teaching the “Devised Theatre” class, says the experience stems from community-based theater and gives students the chance to tell their own stories.
“They started the first week of school. Concept, writing, rehearsing and designing all happened simultaneously — and that’s not the way traditional theater works,” he says, adding that the experience has been “a thrill ride” for the students. “It gives them a sense of being able to do theater themselves.”
The show is recommended for ages 12 and up. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Tickets are $5 and available online.