Powerful Class: Social Justice Meets Theatre

INSIDE USD — Every few minutes, the room went pitch black, followed by eerily silence and a mixture of feelings —uncertainty and, at the same time, excitement — for what would emerge.

Darkness, though, soon gave way to a bright spotlight that illuminated USD’s Studio Theatre, where 15 enlightened expressions, “one-acts,” were performed by students in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Associate Professor Evelyn Diaz Cruz’s powerful course, Theatre and Community.

There was Jose Galvan’s gripping opener, “Littlest Lives”; Connor Sullivan’s act of homeless enlightenment in “The Play”; Sara Padilla’s beautifully crafted “Dreamers’ Dance” as famous poet Maya Angelou voiced “Still I Rise”; spoken-word veracity of Tarez Lemmons’ “Mirrors,” and guest poets Karla Cordero and Stacy Dyson; and the serious reflection put forth by Jalen Angel, Toney Sawyer and Lemmons in “Hopeful.” A fun, upbeat rap, “Ride Together,” brought smiles and the entire student cast out for a final bow and an impromptu group dance. (full article).