Moorpark College Fall 2009 Student One Acts

Written and Directed by
Tyler Bianchi

Assistant Directors
Vincent Miller and Eric Carranco

"The Z-Word" takes place not long after the zombie apocalypse, leaving mankind to do whatever it can to survive. Amongst the many survivors are an odd couple pair of gentlemen who use the break room at a local Wal-Mart to keep themselves hidden and alive. Jack, Erick Rozet, is a bitter cynic who's lost all hope for a better tomorrow, whereas his unwanted roommate, Max, Jesse Taylor, is a naïve optimist determined to maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of certain death. Their desperation and will to survive are about to take a turn from existential to unbearable when Max proposes his idea to redeem mankind.

"I'm fortunate to have such a great cast and crew," said Bianchi. "I've known Vincent for years, and he's got the experience in the theater that a guy like me could use. This is my first time directing a play and it's a real help to have an experienced AD. It also doesn't hurt to have a second AD, Eric, for a extra help! On top of that, we've got a wonderful and enthusiastic cast to help make my script come to life." Fellow newcomer and assistant director Eric Carranco said, "Our cast is full of talent and will indeed fullfill our highest of expectations."



Written and Directed by Kristine Purcell "Strangers Like Me" centers around the romance between Bex and Larissa. Larissa, who suffers from congenital heart failure, is confined to the hospital, in rapidly deteriorating condition. It's up to Bex, her lover, to keep her spirits up and keep fighting for her life, and deal with the intrusions of her homophobic mother. "Strangers Like Me" is an immediate and emotionally intense play dealing with complex themes of intolerance, love, and family. "I wanted to write a play that would touch on the social issues of our time in a sympathetic and passionate way", says writer and director, Kristine Purcell. The play features Michele Chung of Vancouver, Charles Match of Moorpark, Sally Cortenbach of Simi Valley, Morgan Lewis of San Francisco, and Crystal Sloan of Simi Valley.	Written and Directed by Robyn Thomas "House of Cards" takes a brief look into the lives of six friends who must deal with the destruction of one couples' relationship and the realizations of how deeply it affects each of them. "This story is not about anyone in particular," insists the writer. "Though it may have been sparked by a specific instance, it quickly melded into a compilation of similar situations lived by four other couples in my own life. Though the details are different, the feelings are very much the same." Directed by Robyn Thomas under the watchful eye of Professor John Loprieno, the cast includes a blend of first and second-year students: Kristle Protacio from Camarillo; Melissa Armstrong and Pierre Alexander Smith from Thousand Oaks; and Jessie Bruno, Chris Guerrero, and Ryan Lefton from Simi Valley. "Ours is a dream cast," said the director, Robyn Thomas. "Individuals who are not only interested in honing their own skills, but who are looking to create a quality piece of theatre art together. Their support of one another, both onstage and off, is remarkable."	Written and Directed by Tyler Bianchi Assistant Directors Vincent Miller and Eric Carranco "The Z-Word" takes place not long after the zombie apocalypse, leaving mankind to do whatever it can to survive. Amongst the many survivors are an odd couple pair of gentlemen who use the break room at a local Wal-Mart to keep themselves hidden and alive. Jack, Erick Rozet, is a bitter cynic who's lost all hope for a better tomorrow, whereas his unwanted roommate, Max, Jesse Taylor, is a naïve optimist determined to maintain a positive attitude, even in the face of certain death. Their desperation and will to survive are about to take a turn from existential to unbearable when Max proposes his idea to redeem mankind. "I'm fortunate to have such a great cast and crew," said Bianchi. "I've known Vincent for years, and he's got the experience in the theater that a guy like me could use. This is my first time directing a play and it's a real help to have an experienced AD. It also doesn't hurt to have a second AD, Eric, for a extra help! On top of that, we've got a wonderful and enthusiastic cast to help make my script come to life." Fellow newcomer and assistant director Eric Carranco said, "Our cast is full of talent and will indeed fullfill our highest of expectations."

Written and Directed by Jenna Zoleman Assistant Directors Stacy Treible "Lovesick" is a heartfelt romantic comedy begging for proof that true love does exist. The story focuses on two friends and their romantic relationships. Iris rejects an emotional connection and struggles to find herself solely through physical intimacy with men, while her best friend Aubrey can't even be around them without getting nauseous. Things get interesting when the girls find themselves in association with friends Tyler and Xander. Directed by students Jenna Zollman and Stacy Treible, the cast features Rebecka Pruett, Lindsay Strickland, Max Rockwell, Eric Austin, Sarah Schindler, Luke Lippold, and Maggie Darlington all from Simi Valley. Assistant Director Stacy Treible is pleased with the current outcome. "The show is coming together very nicely. To take a fresh well-written show and cast it with such creative and committed actors this production is bound to be a success." Director/Writer Jenna Zollman is thrilled about the progress being made. "My Assistant director has so many great ideas, it's truly amazing. I am always surprised by how Stacy is able to comprehend what I try to communicate through the script without even asking me. It is so much fun to be on the other side of the actor - director relationship. I am really surprised at how talented and understanding our actors are! We are dealing with how difficult it is to find love that is physical AND emotional. I want audiences to realize how lucky it is to find true friendship and love."	Written and Directed by Kelce Casey Assistant Directors Jelena Djokic "Bibliophilia" is the dark and twisted story of Cyrus, Christopher Mamian, with an ultimate obsession with books, and Kennet, Philip Sanders, whose destruction of one book leads to the end of his life. As Cyrus relates his tale to the audience, we are taken into his memory as he shows us his entire thought process behand the gruesome act. This "Psycho-drama" will be directed by Kelce Casey and Jelena Djokic and includes the wonderful talents of actors, Christopher Mamian of Hollywood, California, and Philip Sanders of Simi Valley, California. "I am very happy to be working with these great people." says Kelce Casey, writer and director of Bibliophilia. "I know this play will be a very well done work and that people will enjoy watching these powerful performances." Says Jelena Djokic, "The play will be such a creative porthole through which we get to go through the mind of a mad man. Moorpark College has always been nice enough to allow young talented students such as Kelce Casey use the black box theater to let the Simi Valley, Moorpark, and Thousand Oaks citizens see the new-coming talent on campus today."	Written by Kris Doyle Directed by Korinne Wilkening “Memorial Day” was first written back in 1998, although back then it wasn’t intended to be a play. Its original title was “An Open Letter to a Cop Killer”. The author, Kris Doyle, wrote the piece in letter format and submitted it to the Editorial Section of the Los Angeles Daily News. She was contacted by the paper and they ran the letter on the front page just a few weeks shy of National Law Enforcement Memorial Day. “Growing up with a police officer for a father, then going on to work in the field of law enforcement myself sort of made me immune to the potential dangers involved in police work.”, explains Doyle, “ It had been there, all my life, so I grew complacent of the everyday risks. It wasn’t until after I married a cop that I began being nervous about sending him off to work in a uniform. Then when I gave birth to our children, it completely terrified me. The knowledge that someone out there could so easily rip apart our family was a very humbling experience. But something else began to happen. As I looked at my children, their innocent little faces looking up to me for approval and validation, I began to reach into my soul and ultimately found a compassion I never knew existed. So I wrote this piece to help explore and perhaps shed light on two very different ends of a very complicated spectrum. And I feel so honored to have the opportunity to see my work come to life on stage.”