MCS’ Theatre Club turns 10

Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club is inviting the CNMI community to join them as they celebrate their 10th anniversary tomorrow with a dinner show featuring William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, at 6pm at the Fiesta Resort & Spa.

School principal Galvin Deleon Guerrero said the club’s anniversary is an opportunity for current members and club alumni to look back on a legacy that began many years ago with the singular hope to stage a play.

“I remember just wanting to put on one play,” said Deleon Guerrero, who is also the founder and now the adviser of the club.

He recalled producing and directing, alongside student director Jackie San Nicolas, the club’s first production in school year 1996-1997, a modernized version Romeo & Juliet.

Since then, the club has seen “hundreds of students perform and over 20 plays staged in 10 years.”

Deleon Guerrero said the theater club remains strong as it celebrates its first decade of existence with this re-staging of the William Shakespeare classic.

A look back

Deleon Guerrero, a graduate of Mount Carmel School in 1991, finished college in 1996 and immediately returned to his alma mater to teach.

“I was involved in college theatre and got hooked. So I wanted to see if we could pull it off here, at least once. Thus began what would evolve into a 10-year love affair with theater,” he said. “But I never thought it would grow into what it is today. In fact, if you had asked me back in 1996 if we would put up 19 more plays, I probably would’ve laughed in your face.”

Since then, productions have run a wide range of genres, from musicals, comedies, and tragedies, to social issue plays. The Theatre Club staged 19 more plays since 1997’s production of Romeo & Juliet.

“Some productions, however, stood out as performances that put the club on the map,” he added.

Deleon Guerrero cited the club’s production of Grease at the Hard Rock Café in 2000 that drew almost 1,000 viewers and garnered the attention of Hard Rock officials for being the first theatrical production ever staged at a premier bar and restaurant.

That popularity has been matched recently by the club’s December 2005 production of Anastasia that brought in over a thousand viewers to standing-room-only performances.

But Deleon Guerrero said Shakespeare’s masterpieces have always been the favorite of the club, managing to produce seven of the bard’s plays, including what has been called the Mount Everest of drama, Hamlet, in 2005.

Over the years, the Theatre Club has engaged hundreds of students in a variety of roles, from actors on stage to technical crewmembers back stage. The club has touched the lives of 800 students with each of the 20 productions averaging a cast and crew of 40, not to mention the thousands of people who have seen the plays throughout the years.

Former member and actress Florence Calvo also never thought the Theatre Club would come a long way.

“I am proud to know that the MCS Theatre Club has taken what started out to be something small and…well…sending it right to the moon! I commend them for helping establish a legacy. Good job, everyone!” she said.

Alumnae and sisters Karen and Brenda Cabrera also said they are happy to have been part of the Theatre Club’s history.

Karen said, “I see the anniversary of the theater club as a sign of its success and the dedication of its students to keep it alive. Without the skilled actors and the many people who support drama through their attendance and various contributions, the students would not have an extracurricular activity that not only gets them involved but allows them to give back to the community.”

Her sister Brenda added, “I love how the productions get bigger and better every year! I am so proud to have been a part of the club and celebrate its success as it turns 10.”