Hey there AWC Folk,

Our fall faculty production of "Stand and Deliver" closed this past Sunday to a large audience who offered a standing ovation to the cast at the end of a very successful run. As director I am incredibly proud of the work the cast and crew did to bring this production to our stage. Each and every member of the production deserves recognition for their efforts and commitment.

This time around AWCTheatre had some vitally important help in presenting this play. Maria Aguirre who heads the AWC Office of Diversity (I hope I got her title correct) was integral to getting this production paid for and she worked quite hard to get the folks from south county involved and informed. Without her help on many fronts, AWCTheatre would not have been able to bring this story to our audience. So, thanks Maria, we really appreciate all your work.

AWCTheatre is blessed to have some amazing supporting characters. The staff in the HUMD office (Ronni, Karen and Delma) have helped immensely and I could not do what I do without their wonderful help. They each deserve raises! Get on that administrators.

I must commend AWC employee Ericka Vasquez-Aguilar for her performance and the willingness to offer her time for this production. The role she played so well did not foster much in the way of audience approval since the character is that of the teacher we all fear we will become, but she did that role extremely well and I am grateful she chose to play with us. Thanks Sempi, domo arogato, gozimus!

The few evenings that I actually watched the show I noticed several faculty members, and I also noticed that some like math professor Light Bryant saw the play at least twice. Other faculty provided incentives to their students to see the play and I presume saw it themselves. Some faculty like Ellen Riek stopped me on the pathway and expressed their strong and positive impressions of the show and the folk involved. Others sent voice or E mails to let me know how much they had enjoyed the show and we received a nice and complementary message from Dr. Soulsby who was able to attend.

I also must commend the audience who showed up and appreciated the AWC brand of quality theatre. This audience provided over 400 pounds of food to donate to the Yuma Food Bank, and 49 bags of clothing to donate to the Crossroad's Mission. They also spent money at our concessions (such as they were for the opening weekend), and AWCTheatre is well on its way to the annual end-of-year trip to San Diego to see a profession show. Thank you audience!

Now specifically, I must praise the two people most responsible for making the show a success: the Assistant Director and the Stage Manager. Shane McGraw is an AWCTheatre major and hopeful future director. For much of our rehearsal process Shane was the driving force. I was ill and or in severe pain for much of the semester and Shane ran many of our rehearsal. He is developing a specific and thorough eye for direction and he really grew as an individual and shone as a committed theatre practitioner. I am very proud of him and what he accomplished for the play. Our Stage manager Tiffany Mullennix (also a theatre major) began the semester with trepidation since this was her first time as stage manager. Over the weeks of rehearsal she grew into the position and became a respected, admired, and beloved part of the production team. Once the play opened she was in charge and she took over the reins and delivered a fabulous performance almost every night. These two people have proven that with determination and effort and desire (ganas) an individual can and will succeed. I am really grateful to both of them.

There is third production crew member who took an Honor's class and created a project and ... Anabel Magallon enrolled in a theatre history class and asked if she could work on the play as part of her honor's contract. I willingly accepted and knew she had no idea of what she was getting into. After the first week of rehearsal she knew she had bitten off an extremely large chunk of something that was alternately really tasty and awfully chewy. She made her commitment and she stuck with it. Ultimately she brought her boyfriend in to be one of our "gang" members. She did many things back stage and in pre-production about which the audience will never know, and she always seemed to have a smile on her face: almost as if she knew this was the only time in her life she would ever work this hard and have this amount of fun. I am grateful for her work, too.

Finally I need to commend our technical director, Michael Kennedy, for bringing the visual and practical worlds together for this play. His set and mural design (mural painted by the THE 130 Class) really brought the attention of the audience to the right place at the exactly right time. I heard so many comments from audience members about how they were reminded of their high school classes because of the set and how the mural really spoke to them and then united the action with the vision. Thanks you Mr. Kennedy! I know we do not pay you anywhere near enough for all the work you put in for the Theatre Department and the Theatre Students. I know that you do this mostly for the love of the art and for the kids.

Thanks to each and all of these people and to so many more who make AWCTheatre the gold standard of Yuma theatre. Without them and their efforts, none of what we do (at least five productions a semester) would get done. Thanks to all! Now, go get some turkey and stuff yourselves. Have a great Thanksgiving break and we will begin all over again on Tuesday and Wednesday November 29th and 30th with auditions for next semester's two student productions.

Sincerely and proudly,

Chip Straley

AWCTheatre

By Nicole Northcutt

Sometimes just being entertained isn't enough. There needs to be a "wow" factor that either makes you laugh, cry, cringe, or maybe even takes your breath away. Lucky for Arizona Western College, the Theatre Program accomplished that through its last production of the Fall semester, Stand and Deliver.

This play takes place primarily in a classroom setting where students from all different backgrounds and personalities are prepped for the AP Calculus exam by their teacher Jamie Escalante (Jonathan Close). Working against the disbelief of administrators and students, Escalante teaches the students Calculus in a way that brings Garfield High School's accreditation back.

Theatre Professor Chip Straley, has done an amazing job of directing the cast. Each actor stays in character -- an amazing feat since, for several cast members, this is the first time in a theatrical production.

Most impressive is Sergio Munoz, who plays Angel Guerra, one of the students least expected to finish the Calculus class being a stereotypical gang member. MuÒoz is entertaining and funny, but also has his moments of seriousness. His monologue is moving, almost making the audience cringe at times from the realism of its delivery.

Another great actress is Leslie Soto, who plays Claudia Camejo, a pretty, feisty, popular girl with an attitude. Soto has a strong, magnetic presence throughout the play. She is very convincing and her monologue conveys a clear message that many girls can relate to.

Also well thought out is the lighting and blocking of the production. One of the most compelling features is the students' monologues set down in front of the stage, with everything dark except the spotlight on the actor, making a deeper connection with the audience.

When actors are on stage, only the stage is lit; but when they are at the sides of the audience, the house is lit as well. The use of the aisles makes the audience members feel that they are a part of the action instead of mere bystanders.

Overall, the play is very well executed. The set is perfect for the setting that the plot demands and the cast is just right. Kudos to Chip Straley for directing, and kudos to the Theatre department, cast and crew for ending the Fall semester with an excellent production.

Scheduling for the production continues as follows:

11/16/2011 7:30 PM Main Campus - Theatre TH
11/17/2011 7:30 PM Main Campus - Theatre TH
11/18/2011 7:30 PM Main Campus - Theatre TH
11/19/2011 7:30 PM Main Campus - Theatre TH
11/20/2011 2:30 PM Main Campus - Theatre TH

As always, the AWC Theatre does not charge admission, but they do request a $5 donation, two dry good food items or gently used clothing to offer the Yuma community.