Victor Valley High School drama alumni get back to their ‘Roots’ with stage production

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·4 min read
Victor Valley High School student Liz Sandoval, left, rehearses for the play “Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” along with Yaya Paez and Danny Gutierrez-Garcia at the VVHS Performing Arts Center. The play will be shown as part of the “Roots” double feature starting Sept. 28 at VVHS in Victorville.
Victor Valley High School student Liz Sandoval, left, rehearses for the play “Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” along with Yaya Paez and Danny Gutierrez-Garcia at the VVHS Performing Arts Center. The play will be shown as part of the “Roots” double feature starting Sept. 28 at VVHS in Victorville.

Three Victor Valley High School graduates are giving back to the drama program that helped launch their theater careers by presenting a three-day stage production.

Beginning Wednesday, VVHS Troupe 2757 will present “Roots,” a double feature containing two plays written by Jackrabbit alumni Larry Mayorquin’s award-winning play “Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” and Josiah Delgado’s playwriting debut “Mars in the Mountain.”

The stage presentations will be performed together at Victor Valley High School’s Performing Arts Center starting Wednesday.

'Roots'

The name “Roots” was chosen for the production because both young playwrights shared how they can trace their careers back to the VVHS drama program.

A third former Jackrabbit, Theresa Murray, is now a professional stage actress who has attended rehearsals and given notes to the young actors.

“It’s fantastic to see that the VVHS drama program not only allows students to explore their passions and interests while in high school, but it can also lead to rewarding careers in the future,” said Victor Valley Union High School District Superintendent Carl J. Coles.

“Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” follows seven Latin American migrant women in their quest for a better life. It was shown last year at the Los Angeles theater festival Hollywood Fringe.

At the festival, the presentation garnered the Hollywood Encore Producers’ Award, “Pick of the Fringe,” and the Diversity Scholarship, in addition to being nominated for Best Drama.

“I watched ‘Caminos’ at Hollywood Fringe, and I loved it,” longtime VVHS drama teacher Jennifer Nocera said.

Victor Valley High School students, left to right, Yaya Paez, Liz Sandoval, Kimora Williams, Danny Gutierrez-Garcia, and Karla Salcidi rehearse for the play “Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” at the VVHS Performing Arts Center. The play will be shown as part of the “Roots” double feature starting Sept. 28 at VVHS in Victorville.
Victor Valley High School students, left to right, Yaya Paez, Liz Sandoval, Kimora Williams, Danny Gutierrez-Garcia, and Karla Salcidi rehearse for the play “Caminos: A Mother’s Journey” at the VVHS Performing Arts Center. The play will be shown as part of the “Roots” double feature starting Sept. 28 at VVHS in Victorville.

Nocera asked 2014 graduate Mayorquin if VVHS could stage “Caminos” production, and he agreed. Around that same time, Delgado reached out to Nocera about premiering his first play at VVHS, and the two one-act spaces were combined into a single production.

Delgado’s “Mars in the Mountain” is a dystopian sci-fi thriller set about 30 years into the future. Delgado, a 2012 VVHS class alumnus, said his work “urges the audience to question the world that they are in” and that the young actors found a correlation to their own lives, inspiring them to question the things they are told.

“These projects lend a voice to people who are usually silenced in this country,” said Brynne Elmore, one of the student actors.

After a recent rehearsal, Murray said she was impressed with the performances and the state-of-the-art PAC, a major facility upgrade for VVHS that was completed in 2019 but hasn’t yet hosted many concerts due to the pandemic.

Theater launchpad

“It’s so rewarding to return to my alma mater; this theater space is amazing, and it’s so wonderful that (the new PAC) has finally come,” said Murray, a 2007 grad. “My time at Victor really was my launchpad, and Mrs. Nocera has always been in my corner. None of these kids have to do (theater) professionally, but there are so many life skills to be learned: teamwork, problem-solving, the list goes on and on.”

Danny Gutierrez-Garcia is a ninth grader who will appear on the VVHS stage for the first time and play the character of Sam in Mars in the Mountain and Linda in Caminos, A Mother’s Journey.

“I love the adrenaline, excitement, and pride when performing well. The whole process of learning about a character and becoming them is also something really special to me," Gutierrez-Garcia said. "I love that in theatre; you get to not only tell a story but be a part of it. It is also such a blessing how united and welcoming the theatre community is. It truly feels like a safe space and an escape from reality in the best way possible.”

Nocera is in her 25th year as the theatre director at VVHS. During her time here, she has directed hundreds of shows. Her favorite thing about her job is the confidence that students develop while in her program, she said.

Stage Manager Zoey Brooks is a sophomore and a member of Thespian Troupe 2757, and Roots is Zoey's first production as stage manager. This is her second year in the technical theatre program.

Showtimes

“Roots” will be performed Sept. 28-30 at Victor Valley High and live-streamed. The Sept. 28 and Sept. 30 shows begin at 7 p.m., and the Sept. 29 show starts at 4 p.m.

“Roots” will be performed at 7 p.m on Wednesday, 4 p.m. on Thursday, and 7 p.m. on Friday at the VVHS PAC, 16500 Mojave Drive in Victorville.

Pre-sale tickets are $10 for general admission, $12 at the door, and $5 for students.

For tickets, streaming, cast and crew information, visit onthestage.tickets/show/victor-valley-high-school/6303eb7e8a687313a1e7aac1

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: VVHS drama alumni get back to their ‘Roots’ with stage production