MCS Theatre Club releases Zero2Hero for free on YouTube

A look behind the scenes shows Mount Carmel School junior Jill Mallari, left, who plays Re’ha, and senior Aleia Santos, who plays Roze in the MCS Theatre Club’s latest movie, Zero2Hero, which will premiere for free on YouTube on Christmas Eve. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Mount Carmel School’s Theatre Club announced yesterday that it is treating everyone to a special Christmas gift with the release of Zero2Hero for free on the school’s official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/c/MountCarmelSchool. The movie will premiere on Christmas Eve, Friday, Dec. 24, at 6pm.

A sequel to Zero2Hero, which was released 10 years ago, Zero2Hero continues a club tradition of having students direct shows, with this movie being directed by MCS senior Jedric Villar.

Villar is no stranger to performing, having been a crew member on several Theatre Club productions and being an active member of the school’s music program. Directing Zero2Hero, however, has been his biggest role, which he says “has been amazing!” As he puts it, “Directing the sequel wasn’t only fun, but it’s also been inspiring to see both cast and crew so enthusiastic.”

Zero2Hero stars Jill Mallari and Aleia Santos as Re’ha and Roze, two school rivals who are mentored by their older cousins, Richard and Zero, played by the two stars of the first film, Kevin Bautista and Victor Cabrera. The movie is directed by Villar and was written by school president and the director of the first movie, Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero, along with Theatre Club AlumKnight Justin Ocampo.

Zero2Hero is part of the Theatre Club’s ongoing celebration of its 25th anniversary. Launched in 1996, the MCS Theatre Club celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, commemorating over 50 theatrical and cinematic productions, including several Disney musicals, numerous Shakespeare plays, and a number of original productions. The club started this year’s celebration in February with the sold-out premiere of the latest entry in its award-winning We Drank Our Tears series, the stories of Visitacion, Henry, and Dave at American Memorial Park. Those films were followed up by April’s sold-out performances of the club’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic comedy, As You Like It. Next year, the club will conclude the celebration with the classic musical, The Sound of Music.

Zero2Hero was made possible by the generous support of Frances Sablan Arriola, Great Harvest Bread Co., KKMP, Northern Marianas College, the Northern Marianas Sports Association, Saipan Iceland Amusement Arcade, San Vicente Elementary School, and Triple J Enterprises.

Funding for this production is provided by the CNMI CARES Relief Fund for Organizations and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. For more information, visit www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. (PR)