Theatre Club explores teen angst with The Breakfast Club

Next week, Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club will present its stage adaptation of the classic 1980s film, The Breakfast Club, which follows the adventures of five teens stuck in a Saturday detention.

The production is directed by school president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, and stars Lance Deleon Guerrero as John Bender “The Criminal,” Keona Camacho as Claire Standish “The Princess,” Markel Toves as Andrew Clark “The Jock,” Brianna Hunter as Allison Reynolds “The Basket Case,” Michael Ortizo as Brian Johnson “The Brain,” and Sam Soledad as Mr. Vernon.

“Aside from the nostalgic appeal of this great movie, I think its themes and message are timeless and universal,” said Galvin Deleon Guerrero when asked why he decided to stage The Breakfast Club. “We’ve all been teenagers before, and I believe that we continue dealing with the alienation, turbulence, and angst of adolescence long into adulthood. So I hope this show will help all of us be more honest with ourselves and with each other about these issues.”

For the actors in the show, who are all teenagers, dealing with the challenges of adolescence is a fresh experience for which the show has been therapeutic. 

For Toves, playing “The Jock” hits close to home because he’s also his basketball team’s captain in real life. “I can definitely relate to and learn from this character, who shows that even if it looks like you’re doing well like Andrew, deep down inside, you’re hurting.”

Hunter echoed Toves, saying that playing the role of Allison “is like connecting to a character who I feel, inside, is also a part of me.”

Ortizo put it more bluntly. “Brian is a character I’ve been playing my entire life; playing it now just reflects who I am. I hope audience members will see that just because it looks like you’re doing okay, it doesn’t mean you’re okay emotionally.”

Despite the emotional weight of the show, the actors have also enjoyed having fun with their roles. As Lance Deleon Guerrero put it, “It’s been a lot of fun, honestly, to play the criminal. It lets me be the bad guy that I’m not allowed to be, that I choose not to be.”

Or, as Camacho put it, “I feel pretty excited to play Claire because I can bring out my goofiness in this role, being sassy as an actual character.”

The Breakfast Club will be performed on Thursday, Nov. 19; Friday, Nov. 20; and Saturday, Nov. 21, in the Mount Carmel School library. Doors open at 6:30pm and admission is $5. Tickets can be purchased at the school’s Business Office or at the door. However, due to limited seating, advanced purchase of tickets is recommended. Also, due to the mature content and graphic language of the play, parental discretion is strongly advised.

The Breakfast Club is being staged as part of the Theatre Club’s 20th anniversary. The club will continue its celebration with more productions this school year, including White Christmas in December and Disney’s The Lion King in May next year.

For more information, call 234-6184 or visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. (MCS)