Theater of New Voices illuminates the Doré Theater stage with a Tour De force from Cal State students.

Hector Soto, Sports Writer

April 29, 2024

The entire cast of “Theater of New Voices,” hold hands to demonstrate a team effort as they take a bow to thank the audience for attending.

Last Saturday, April 13, was a day full of drama, comedy, and even romance from our Cal
State Bakersfield students and faculty members. From April 11-14, ‘Theater of New Voices’
presented one-act plays to the public, written and directed by CSUB students that brought their written works to life. These plays consisted of: “Mirror Rorrim,” directed by Ivy Hasselbar, “Bathroom Terrors,” directed by Gissela V. Zelaya, “Rendezvous,” directed by Divyang Motavar, “Lamp Light,” directed by Michael Hendrix, and “Moving On,” directed by Molly Jiron which delivered a unique style to the Doré Theater stage.

One could experience the scenic elements as if they were part of the play. The stage
backdrop held an overcast vibrant orange, red, and yellow banner with floating windows that delivered a levitating illusion.

The climax of “Rendezvous,” directed by Vanessa Beltrán, is depicted as a comical achievement. One could see the assassin, played by Justine Luevano, poison the waiter, played by Jacob Cota, as he struggles to reach for help. (Hector Soto)

Doré Theater Technical Supervisor, Frank Robinson, expresses the process of the overall
production and student projects that went into “Theater of New Voices.”

“There are five student-written shows, and each show is directed by different students.
They get to have auditions and they get to pick which students they want as actors. Some of the students who wrote the plays get to be in other people’s plays. Overall, it’s a big cooperation of the students,” said Robinson.

One could see the dedication and exceptional work ethic that went into each play. From
the narration to the mood shift of every act, each play brought forth a portrayal of daily struggle with some comic relief. The audience members were engaged from beginning to end.

For some students, this production marked their directorial debut, one being theater major
Ivy Hasselbar, Director of “Mirror Rorrim.”

“It was fabulous, we put a lot of hard work into it and my actors came through. I think
once we started performing in front of a crowd, they started bringing it and it’s been a wonderful process of learning how to direct and what my directing style is. These are things that I never had to explore before,” said Hasselbar

In “Bathroom Terrors,” directed by Micheal Hendrix, the ghost of Dalliah,
played by Yelitza Amador Orozco, explains to the protagonist how she ended up dead in the bathroom stall. (Hector Soto)

Certainly, a monumental achievement that resonated from “Mirror Rorrin.” A story from
playwriter and English major, Jessica Espinoza, which connects our world with a parallel
universe. In this act, the protagonist, played by actress Maritza Macias, is trapped in a mirror by her reflection who wishes to escape and create its own identity and existence in the real world.

The creativity and production of the set were exemplary of adaptation from screenplay to on-
stage.

These plays represent a drive toward ambition that was inspired by CSUB students. A
sense of human nature that is reflected in an art form through the elements of drama. One could only hope that they can experience an event like “Theater of New Voices” during their time at CSUB.