Joel Solis/The Collegian
HOPE SMITH
campus editor
hope.smith393@my.tccd.edu
Convenient is it that two exes ends up in the same craft brewery, even more so is the large monster terrorizing a city just outside of it.
For SE Campus’ “Que Sera, Giant Monster” drama production, written and directed by Brad McEntire, that is exactly what happens to the main characters Katherine and Charles. Set to debut Nov. 16-18 at 7:30 p.m., the production is described as both serious and humorous, SE student and actor Lily Clouse said.
SE student DaShaun Ellis, who plays Charles, said the shows’ mood is calm, apart from one exception.
“Most of the time it’s a pretty chill type of vibe around it outside of like one character being frantic because of the giant monster,” he said.
McEntire, an adjunct in the SE drama department teaching mainly cinema and theater classes, wanted the play to reflect certain theatrical aspects into his production.
“It’s a little bit autobiographical in some places, and it’s a little bit of things I like to see on stage,” he said. “I like to see broken people try to figure stuff out, I like misunderstandings, I like people giving other people hard times, so that kind of stuff that I like to see in plays is what I try to put into this play.”
The characters were people trying to get by, as McEntire says, figure out and navigate their lives trying to understand themselves and the people around them.
“A lot of trouble that we get into in life is we don’t understand what we’re trying to do and we don’t understand what the people around us are trying to get from us and what they want as well,” he said.
Because of that, the characters felt relatable to the cast, like Clouse, who acknowledged Katherine’s character.
“At the start of the show, she had just worked a double,” Clouse said. “She’s tired, she’s fed up, she doesn’t have time for anybody’s crap, and you know what? I feel that.”
Stage manager and SE student Marc Aldridge noted the character’s ability to be read in various ways, explaining they were structured but still interpetable. Assistant manager and SE student Mikayla Everheart had also attributed a relatability with Charles’ character.
“I feel that Charles’ character is very relatable in the wanting to be very ‘Stay in your comfort zone!,’ ‘Don’t change anything!’ ‘Everything must stay the same!’ Because I am an older sister, everything must be controlled,” she said.
SE student Toni Colbert, acting as the Uber driver in a Toyota Corolla, had hinted at her character’s involvement.
“My character, she’s very interesting. She’s very dedicated to her job,” said Colbert, refusing to give away too much of the plot.
The process had the cast focused on learning, especially new skills. Clouse was given the task of learning guitar for Katherine’s role, something she noted as a challenge.
“I wasn’t surprised, but I did not know how quickly time would fly and how difficult guitar is,” she said.
Isara Al-Hilo, a SE student who acts as Beth, also included her newly founded skill.
“I learned how to box, like boxing techniques,” she said. “Put me in a ring, I’ll be fine.”
The characters will change progressively through the show, and an ironic twist will cause the characters to change in certain ways, Clouse explains.
“Katherine starts out a certain way, ends up the complete opposite. Charles ends up a certain way, turns into the complete opposite,” she said. “That’s kind of one of the most interesting things about watching the show, Charles and Katherine are like polar opposites the entire time, but they kind of switch.”
