A Behind the Scenes look at Angels in America
Starting Sept. 27, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Theatre Arts department will put on their rendition of “Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches.” This performance takes a look at the sexual, religious, and social implications of the deadly illness AIDS.
Walking into Director Adrianne “Doc” Harrop’s office before the dress rehearsal, a brief and sweet interview with Harrop gave a clear explanation of how she balances the creative and technical aspects of the show, the most challenging parts of bringing the script to life on stage, and her expectations for how the audience will react on opening night.
In response to balancing the creative and technical aspects of the play, Harrop said, “They blend together. They're- It’s not hard. I mean, whichever of the need comes first, the other one seems to fit in. So, you know, if I find in that scene that I need something– that just gets put in. It’s symbiotic.” She added, “It’s close, and I think that's partially because of the people I'm working with, my faculty and staff, the set, the lights, we just have a good rapport.”
When asked about the challenging parts of bringing the script to life, Harrop said, “The sexual parts, yeah. I mean, we put a thing in the program in the original announcement when you sit down that says this is sexually graphic material, So if you don’t wanna watch it, uh take some discretion.”
Regarding the expectations for opening night, Harrop said, “I hope they will feel part of themselves and the exploration of the characters. I hope they will not be offended by the sexual aspects we explore.” She added, “I’ve directed 45 years and opening night has got me a little more nervous than usual because of the material in the show.”
Walking backstage, the atmosphere is positively chaotic – dim lights; actors and the tech crew walking fast, their feet clicking against the floor; small chatter between cast members only to be heard when walking past doorways. The importance of the show and making sure everything is done seamlessly is weaved through the cast's actions. Makeup being done, costumes being put on; everyone is in their element.
Heidi Laubach, a tech crew member, spoke about her experience behind the scenes, explaining her perspective on being more on the technical side of the show and how she enjoys it. Laubach said, “I love that it’s given me a chance to meet so many different people and get experience working with different people as well.” She added, “Because even in backstage in theater, you’re building relationships and trust with people, and I think it’s good to get experience doing that. It’s also really fun getting to watch the process of, like, when going from casting all the way to the end of a run of a show.”
In response to how collaboration with director Adrianne Harrop and other cast members have shaped the portrayal of the characters, Ye Dyke, who is playing a Jewish rabbi and a character named Martin, said, “every day I learn from my director and my cast members to improve myself as well. I worked with [Harrop] in Snoopy as well, and she’s really great.” Dyke added “With my cast members, they were just really amazing and if I don’t know what to do with some of my lines, they would help me up. So I think a lot of them have influence on my roles and characters.”
Dereck J. Gallardo, the actor playing Louis, talked about what he hopes the audience takes away from his character or the show as a whole. Gallardo said, “Well, I hope they learn a little bit more about the time period in the 80s and how it was for gay men experiencing with AIDS and how AIDS was badly put out there into the world and seen.” He added, “There’s a lot of heavy topics we talk about, so I hope that the audience when they come out, they feel a sense of appreciation for us dealing with certain issues and dialogue that we have in Angels of America.”
Nikola Milicevic, who portrays Roy C, talked about the most rewarding part of working on this production. Milicevic said, “I mean, yes, it’s great to go on stage and do a scene and everyones like, wow, you did a great job, don’t get me wrong, that’s great. But I feel like when you’re able to grab the audience, like really give them something that has nothing to do with me, it’s about this bigger idea.”
Daniela Talleda, who plays a few smaller roles in the production, talked about her experience working with Harrop on “Angels in America.” Talleda said, “This is my first experience working with Doc, like period. She really helped me come out of my shell as an actor. I think beforehand, I don’t know, I was just very shy with my acting. I was slow to make big choices. Doc really helped me coax the character out by saying no, I want you to be as big as possible.”
With effervescent lighting, these actors stepped into the story of “Angels in America,” and dove head first into becoming the best versions of these characters achievable. There's so many key factors that go into a good production, each actor showing a little bit of themselves in the character they were chosen to play. This play highlights the queer struggles that are intertwined with Judaism and Mormonism, and highlights the tragic impact of AIDS.
“Angels in America” is a show that’s hard to look away from, wanting each moment to be remembered. A play dealing with such heavy subjects, but still finding a way to incorporate humor and lightheartedness. A play that’s immensely rich, with beautiful acting and a wonderful cast.
“Angels in America” opens on Sept. 27 at the SMC Main Stage on the main campus. The show will run from Sept. 27 through Sept. 29 and from Oct. 4 through Oct. 6. You can buy tickets at https://www.smc.edu/calendar/tickets.php or by calling 310-434-4165.