by Nels Nelsen

The theater program at St. John Bosco put on their annual Spring Coffeehouse and Improv on Friday, May 2, 2025, where audience members saw a variety of performances done by students at Bosco and St. Joseph’s.

The coffeehouse performances were done as a first act where there were singers, dancers, actors and a jazz band. Everyone who had stepped up had something interesting to offer like singing their favorite song or acting out a monologue.

Improv was after the intermission, which had a Minecraft theme consisting of a cast of actors who did games on stage where they had to improvise their own lines and commit to a character on the spot from the recent Minecraft movie.

The energy on the night of the performance was electric. Everyone who came focused on the show, and the engaged audience just kept feeding energy to the performers on stage.

Bosco Theater Director and Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair, Mr. Martin Lang, had hopeful expectations going into the night of the show, which were clearly satisfied.

“I have great hopes that it’s going to be a great show” said Mr. Lang “I know the acts are good. I know the comedians. They are sharp and funny, and so I’m hoping it is a great way to end the year.”

Mr. Lang puts on shows like these so that people can feel free to perform and show their talent on stage. It is an opportunity for letting loose and trying out something new.

Jayden Garcia, a junior and actor from Bosco who came to support the show, particularly enjoyed it. 

“I just wanted to help support them and be able to do future productions,” said Jayden.

His favorite part of the show was the second half with the improv. To him, it was just funny, and he had a blast watching the performance. On a scale of one to ten with ten being the highest, Jayden Garcia rated the show a ten.

He highly recommends the show next year for others because it is just a genuinely good time with people laughing and live musical performances.

Noah Villalobos is a sophomore at Bosco who also attended the show. His favorite part was the jazz band during the coffeehouse performances because most of the people who played in the band are friends of his.

Sophomore actor, Jacob Perez, performed in the improv and dressed up as the Minecraft movie’s rendition of the character Steve.

Before the show, he had some rather typical emotions for someone in his place.

“I’m a little nervous, but I’m excited and optimistic about it,” said Jacob.

The kind of mindset he had before the show was that not everything he said needed to be funny, but it needed to build the character he was acting as in the current moment. Another thing is that he also does not focus on what the audience thinks.

Jacob believes that what sets improv apart from traditional acting is the emotion. In a play, you stay in a limited range of emotion since the characters have a specific way they need to be portrayed. With improv, you get to express yourself more in a character.

After the show, Jacob was happy with his performance, but he thinks that there is still room for improvement. 

In his head, he always tries to find what is right for the scene, to stay in character and to keep it funny. Even though it was not as good as it could have been, Jacob would still want to perform again because he loves going on stage with all his friends.

“Mr. Lang says not to see it as a family, but I kind of disobey it and like to speak about all of us as family,” Jacob Perez said.

by Augustus Rodriguez, Lampoon Editor

Stephen King’s newest book combines all types of horror with many short stories.

Stephen King is a famous horror author with him writing classic horror novels like Carrie, The Shining and IT. 

Now Stephen King’s newest book, You Like It Darker, has left readers with horrors they haven’t read before in a Stephen King story. 

The newest book is a treat to Stephen King fans, as all of these short stories come from scrapped ideas from throughout his whole career. 

The story consists of twelve unique short stories: “Two Talented Bastids,” “The Fifth Step,” “Willie the Weirdo,” “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” “Finn,” “On Slide Inn Road,” “Red Screen,” “The Turbulence Expert,” “Laurie,” “Rattlesnakes,” “The Dreamers,” and “The Answer Man.”

He did not just pick up these scrapped ideas; rather, he reshaped them into their own standalone stories. 

These scrapped stories include a sequel of Cujo, one of his previous novels, various scrapped characters, a different ending to one of his works titled Salem’s Lot and even ideas for previous known books that didn’t make it to the final products. 

It’s also very impressive that Stephen King has different types of horror for each story. This allows the stories to be able to stand on their own two feet. If a short story doesn’t suit your liking or isn’t your type of horror, then Stephen King will offer you something new in the next story. 

Although Stephen King is known for psychological horror, he seems to experiment with new types of horror. These range from Gothic fiction, religious horror, folk tale horror and even experiments with “Lovecraftian” horror. 

Each one of these stories has its own thrills and joys when reading it. They almost mimic Stephen King’s old works, which shows that he still has the momentum to write as he did so many years ago.

These new stories bring in a sort of fresh air into the horror genre, as most horror stories today struggle with personal narratives when it comes to their characters. 

With this book, the characters of every short story are easy to remember, and it is easy to see what the characters are going through and their struggles. 

The ideas of the stories come from different parts of King’s career as a writer. The unpublished stories can range from the early 1970s – before King got his big break – to all the way in the 2000s.

It’s really easy to know which stories come from each time period. The short stories have a great way of telling what the tropes are.

Many of these stories deal with content that Stephen King never really touched upon—hence why they became scrapped ideas.

His mastery of storytelling and character development makes these short stories feel like full-fledged novels, not unlike those that he usually puts out. 

His mastery in the horror genre is impressive, as he almost has dipped his toes in every type of horror and has made it feel like he usually writes in these new styles. Instead of writing about how scary the dark is, he usually writes about what’s inside the darkness and why you should fear it. 

It’s a bit similar to another book that is related to Stephen King. In the 1990s, writer Stephen J. Spignesi compiled The Lost Works of Stephen King, which showcases all of Stephen King’s unpublished works. 

The only difference between the two books is that You Like It Darker sticks to a theme really well, while the latter is just a bunch of Stephen King stories bunched together. 

The only major con of this book is pretty straight forward: some of the stories are really a testament of their bygone time. They would have really been instant classics if Stephen King were to release them during the era that they were written in. 

The stories are well written, but as the popularity of elevated horror and psychological horror rises in the genre, these scrapped stories really show their age. 

Another potential issue is how abrupt some of the stories end, and how they move on to the next story. Certain stories in You Like It Darker, however, have wonderful and clear cut endings like “Rattlesnakes” and “Two Talented Bastids.” 

It felt like Stephen King prioritized some stories to give his full attention, instead of giving that same full attention to all of the stories. The stories are wonderful to read, but some of them would have been better if they had gotten a bit more love to them and some more pages to read. 

Even with these issues, the book still has its moments and is a genuinely great read. It’s also very beginner friendly for those who want to get into the horror genre but don’t know where to start. 

If you want to have a good scare or read some never-before-seen Stephen King book ideas, You Like It Darker is a good pick to read. You can pick up You Like it Darker at your nearest bookstore.

by Nicholas Valenzuela

Snow White bombs the box office with a pitiful 87.3 million dollar global launch. Where did it go wrong?

Over the past couple of years, Disney has heavily led into live action remakes, with many movies being recreated including The Little Mermaid, Dumbo and Aladdin, with the newest live action movie being Snow White.

Snow White has been plagued with controversy for as long as it was announced, and most of the controversy stems from the princess herself, or the actor who plays her, Rachel Zegler.

Zegler made several comments talking poorly of the original story, saying that the story is a love story of a man who “stalks” her and calling it dated. She said that they changed the story, and Snow White won’t care about true love. She will be dreaming of becoming the leader she knows she can be.

On top of that, the seven dwarfs did not have any dwarves casted, and instead had people from many different races casted as them. After comments from actor Peter Dinklage, Disney changed the dwarves to be CGI in the “live action” Snow White. It left many people angry, feeling like many dwarves had been robbed of the most recognizable role. 

Rachel Zegler also commented on the Israel-Palestine conflict in support of Palestine, despite her co-star, Gal Gadot being from Israel and previously serving in the Israeli army. This caused so much controversy that Disney had to hire extra protection for Gal Gadot.

Something that definitely had an effect on the box office bomb of Snow White was the 2024 presidential race. When the results came out that President Donald Trump had won the election, Rachel Zegler took to social media to post on Instagram Stories, saying 

“i echo ethel cain’s statement more than anything. may trump supporters and trump voters and trump himself never know peace,” said Zegler on an Instagram post.

This decision proved tone deaf, alienating a portion of the film’s potential audience. Now, despite the major controversy, I went to see the movie on March 20th, a screening at my local theater that happened a day before the movie was released. How was the actual movie, and is it worth the time and money to see it?

When I went with my sister and mother, we decided to go and try to get the tickets at the door, something that my older sister thought would be difficult, because Disney movies typically have a large amount of people going to see the movie, and on top of that, we arrived around five minutes late, so we missed some of the previews, which was sad because honestly that would’ve been the best part of this movie experience.

When we got there, we realized how lucky we were to have any pick of seats in the whole theater because it was completely empty! We went in and another family sat next to us despite having the whole theater free.

One part I have to say, Rachel Zegler does not fit Snow White’s character. Snow White’s character in the original Disney story was very soft and demure, and Rachel Zegler’s voice is very powerful and loud. She objectively has a good voice, but it didn’t seem to fit the character.

The story starts off with Snow White as a child, given the name Snow White for surviving a blizzard. This is not a huge change that really matters, but one change that does matter is the exclusion of the prince. The prince does not exist in the remake. He is replaced by a revolutionary that goes by the name Jonathan, and Snow White meets him when he is stealing from the Evil Queen. 

Speaking of the Evil Queen, Gal Gadot’s acting as the evil queen was absolutely pitiful. Her acting came off as very blank, like she did not want to be there. Her singing felt off in this movie as well, as it just did not feel like there was any force or passion behind her singing. It felt very artificial.

The dwarves were actually one of the better parts of the movie, despite the fact that the CGI was not that good.

Speaking about CGI, the animals in the movie also appear to have the same problems that the dwarves have. They don’t show up as often. The original movie had the animals as a big part of the movie, giving them a ton of personality, but in the remake, they felt very shooed in, like they were just there because they were in the original and not like they were given any love or importance to the story.

One of the biggest differences between the original and the remake was the death scene of the Evil Queen. In the remake, Snow White decides to take on the queen herself after being revived from a true love’s kiss. She eventually runs the tide by convincing the soldiers to turn on the queen by simply remembering their names to change their loyalty.

The Evil Queen runs to the castle and smashes the Magic Mirror, which in return kills the Evil Queen. Although it is never explained how, she just vanishes into dust sucked in by the mirror.

In the original, the Evil Queen falls off a cliff after the rock is struck by lightning, but before that, the dwarves chased her with their pickaxes. If it wasn’t for the lightning being struck on the rock, the dwarves would have for sure killed her. In the remake, the death feels very artificial and not integral to the story. While in the original, it’s one of the most iconic scenes.

In the end, the movie was changed a lot and not for the better, which is clear by the box office performance. It felt like the movie was changed for the sake of changing it, and frankly, Disney might’ve had more success releasing a remastered version of the original 1930s cartoon. Save your money, and if you really want to see how bad it is for yourself, wait a month for it to be out on Disney+.

by Nicholas Valenzuela, A+E Editor

Originality in Hollywood has been decreasing over the last few years, specifically with Disney, whose new content is largely live action reboots and sequels.

While it is always fun to see what happened after a story, it quickly gets stale when it’s just a remake. One must innovate, not reiterate. Stories quickly become repetitive if overused.

Newer stories help enhance the library of media, while remakes and sequels leech off of former success and nostalgia. Even when a story isn’t supposed to be “original”, and it comes from another intellectual property (IP), it is important to faithfully and accurately display the IP.

The biggest culprit of the overuse of old IPs is Disney. They constantly put out unoriginal shows on their streaming service, Disney+.

“Maybe it’s to appeal to a sort of nostalgia, or to come back to their origins to keep the original idea of the company in mind,” said junior Gian Paredes.

The Acolyte is one of Disney’s new Star Wars shows that was released on their streaming platform and poorly received by many fans. One of the reasons was for the lackluster special effects and the plot holes. Some Star Wars fans have said that Disney is running out of ideas with many new characters feeling “phoned in.” The show was canceled and will not return for a second season.

Another issue is Disney’s recent trailer of the Snow White remake. It has already garnered the ire of many fans. The trailer’s view-to-like ratio is one like for every 103 views, and the movie has received a lot of backlash. Its poor production looks like a movie no one would pirate, let alone spend money on. The movie debuts on March 21st, 2025.

The movie The Wild Robot is a movie coming out in September by Universal Pictures. It’s based off of the book series by Peter Brown. The trailer’s view-to-like ratio is one like every 92 views, which unsurprisingly outpaces Disney’s Snow White. It’s seems audiences view new concepts more positively than other shows and movies that are derived from an IP.

Mr. Isaac Sanchez, the animation teacher and the moderator for the Braves’ Creative Guild, shares the opinion that remakes specifically can be rather stale.

“So as a working professional animator and editor, I think remakes are a bit of a double edge sword. There’s no real reason to have a remake other than making money on an existing IP,” said Mr. Sanchez. “I can see the value of some ‘remakes’ fostering a creative change and hiring the talent and skills of many people like myself. But it still makes them cheap to me. I don’t care for a remake. it is what it was; that’s all it ever needed to be.”  

Junior Andrew Iona-Tuiviati echoed Mr. Sanchez critique.

“They are blatantly redundant because they are usually a poorer original version. Of course, there is the occasional good live action [film] which can be refreshing, but for the most part, the decline of quality writers has led to bland storytelling,” Andrew said.

Disney and other companies are turning away from animation and leaning more into live action remakes. Despite this, animation is what built these pioneers of the industry. Animation is a huge industry. According to the Academy of Animated Art, the global animation market is predicted to reach $400 billion by the end of the year.

Originality in media and especially in animation are crucial, as it’s what has allowed it to capture consumers and bring in money. It’s important that big media companies don’t forget this, as originality is the secret ingredient to success in the industry.

by Ed Crowe

The space opera film series Star Wars was created by writer and director George Lucas, who was also responsible for writing and directing the classic film American Graffiti. Since the the first theatrical release in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has become one of the most successful and influential motion picture series in the history of filmmaking. 

Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, along with rising from the ashes in the 21st century, this film franchise has touched so many generations. What is also significant about Star Wars is that it actually took four years to film and release it to the public. The reasoning behind this was due to the multiple locations of filming such as Tunisia and Death Valley, as well as soundstages in England. 

Nevertheless, when it was released on May 25, 1977, it took the world by surprise. While the film was only released in 42 different theaters, the film earned almost $3 million in the first week. The movie also grossed $100 million by the end of that summer, which is truly remarkable. The film was also retitled and later renamed, Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (1977). 

Mr. Tommy Johnson, a visual art teacher here at St. John Bosco, actually experienced the original theatrical release of Episode IV and realized then what a great movie it was. Ever since, Mr. Johnson has watched the other movies as well as television series and considers himself a huge fan of the entire franchise.

“I sat through that movie three times because the father that took us did not come back in time, but I remember the introduction because I can never finish reading the abstract at the beginning of the film,” said Tommy Johnson. 

Mr. Johnson can also recall the space guns and the sound effects in film, which was another component that made him so interested in the film at a young age, so much so that he watched it multiple times in one sitting without being bored. 

However, the most influential as well as recognizable piece of the film that stuck with Mr. Johnson as well as other future fans was the soundtrack at the moment the screen read, “Star Wars.” Years later, the Star Wars main theme is recognizable to people who aren’t even fans of the films. 

Since the first Star Wars movie was so successful, Lucas decided to follow up with two sequels, Star Wars: Episode V-The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI-Return of the Jedi (1983), which were once again highly successful films. By then, the Star Wars franchise began to thrive in the late 80s and early 90s through the release of videos and a merchandise line. 

However, 20 years after the first Star Wars was released, Lucasfilm relaunched the film series with a string of prequels, which gave the backstory of Luke Skywalkers’ father and the events leading to the creation of the sinister Darth Vader. Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith (2005) additionally became great successes under the franchise. 

Furthermore, with an incredible film like Star Wars, comes the fans who admire the characters and every part of it. Senior Maximus Stober considers himself a die hard fan and describes his passion for these films and the new concepts they present.

“[It is] Endless. everything you see can be new. The sci-fi concepts and the art styles are what truly make me a true fan of this franchise,” said Maximus.

Maximus has been a huge fan of Star Wars for a long time and has been keeping up with the recent television shows related to the Star Wars story. While many people have not watched the entire series, there are more young people who enjoy watching the Star Wars series The Mandalorian as well as Andor. 

Another major fan of this saga who took a different approach to becoming a so-called Star Wars “nerd” is Mr. Ruben Solorza. His introduction to the Star Wars universe started through the old video games, which later gave him the interest to watch the films and later in his life the television series as well. 

“The old Playstation 2 video games, specifically Battlefront I and II. And then I watched all the movies, and my parents were fans as well, so my dad would always have them on the TV,” said Mr. Solorza. 

He also says that his brother would play the popular video game, Lego Star Wars, which he remembers as one of the best memories he has with his brother. It is through these memories that this franchise has provided many people with a sense of happiness. 

Recently, movie theaters have brought back, Return of the Jedi in preparation for the 40-year anniversary of the release, which will be celebrated on May 25th 2023. These films bring people closer together and the more recent shows present new insight into our world. Ultimately, one has to ask: where would we be without Star Wars?

by Mark Lutke

These films from 2022 reflect several elements of what makes film great – beautiful artistry, powerful messaging and, occasionally, satisfying blockbusters that serve as great eye candy.

1. Cult Classic – Vortex – Gaspar Noé

This movie by French director Gaspar Noé focuses on an elderly couple suffering from dementia. They use various medications to cope with their crumbling reality, in which their son is the only family who they can remember. He tries to take care of them but is held back by drug-problems of his own.

Instead of the descent-into-madness thriller that Noé is known for, this movie serves more as a descent-into-madness drama. That is to say that it makes the viewer think about their own life, rather than just going along for the ride.

For some less-seasoned viewers, it may come across as slow, but for many, it will catalyze the existential crisis that serious film-goers crave.

2. Mainstream Masterpiece – The Banshees of Inisherin – Martin McDonaugh

By all metrics, The Banshees of Inisherin is the most visually beautiful film on this list. Its story is solid, but its cinematography is where it truly shines. 

The film takes viewers on a trip to 1920’s Ireland in the midst of civil war. But this film isn’t about battle strategies or history, rather it’s about the relationships between its characters, who all live on an island.

When Colm (Brendan Gleeson) severs his lifelong friendship with Pádriac (Colin Farrell), each of these character’s worlds begin to change. Pádriac is understandably distraught and much of his character arc is about developing a backbone and learning to live without Colm’s approval.

Pádriac’s sister, Siobhán (Kerry Condon), also has her own plot line. Her story demonstrates the mental and emotional impact that living on an island can have on a person, as well as the effects of finding oneself in isolation.

The Banshees of Inisherin has something to offer for everybody.

Whether one wants a humanistic take on island life, or to be dazzled by beautiful cinematography, this film will undeniably sit well with the masses. Which is why it came as no surprise when it took home three Golden Globe awards (Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Actor (Farrell) Musical or Comedy, and Best Screenplay)

3. Cult Classic – We’re All Going to the World’s Fair – Jane Shoenbrun

Jane Schoenbrun (Collective: Unconscious and The Eyeslicer) has already achieved cult status among fans and critics alike. This is all the more impressive when one considers that they have only released one full-length film. 

We’re All Going To The World’s Fair is a psychological horror-drama that showcases a descent into abstractions and surrealism. It explores themes of isolation, gender identity and existential dread, which Schoenbrun catalyzes with Black Mirror-esque social commentary primarily focused on the isolating effect of technology. 

Alongside these elements stands Anna Cobb’s unassuming yet jarring performance as Casey, a lonesome teenager whose primary motivation is human connection in a lonesome and unaccepting world. To achieve this Casey joins an online role-playing horror game in an attempt to find excitement and adventure. Instead, she is met by JLB (portrayed by Michael J. Rodgers of Beyond the Black Rainbow ). JLB is a sadistic predator who tries to take advantage of Casey’s isolated state. 

We’re All Going To The World’s Fair portrays the internet as a manipulative cesspit full of consumption-driven false promises. This depiction rings true to many who have praised the film’s brutally honest and realistic tone.

Herein lies the essence of We’re all Going to the World’s Fair, a cautionary tale about the dangers of being a disaffected youth with unrestricted internet access and living in a world that seeks to turn everyone and everything into a commodity.

4. Mainstream Masterpiece – Nope – Jordan Peele  

Perhaps no modern American filmmaker is more misunderstood on a than Jordan Peele. His newest film, Nope, is no exception. Many have theorized about this movies’ meaning and many subplots, as there is no discernable connection between story threads on a first viewing.

However, if one looks at Nope as a critique of blockbusters and spectacle, interpreting it becomes a far easier task. In a world full of Superhero movies and shallow action flicks, like Top Gun: Maverick), Nope brings some much needed nuance to the modern blockbuster. The movie’s apparent lack of depth can be deceiving, but it is through this lack of depth that Jordan Peele is able to craft compelling themes. If the movie was less abstract, it wouldn’t be as fun to pick apart.

Furthermore, Daniel Kaluya’s performance as OJ is reminiscent of the stoic personalities often seen in many Western protagonists. This could be seen as Peele referencing the Westerns that shaped the spectacle of old. It could also be seen as a subversion of stereotypical racial dynamics by placing a black actor in a role similar to that of a John Wayne performance (performances that are often portrayed by white male actors, specifically).

Whatever one’s take on Nope is. It is undeniable that Jordan Peele is a master provocateur of serious and productive discussions through cinema.

by Brett Baligad, Senior Editor

Last weekend, St. Joseph’s High School’s Five Sisters Theatre Company presented their first musical of the year, Oklahoma!, with three more shows to come this weekend.

The St. Joseph’s and St. John Bosco go back in time with their rendition of Oklahoma! This musical marks Ms. Kateryn McReynolds directorial debut, as she has taken the reins from long time theatre director Mr. Larry Vandeventer. Ms. McReynolds is an alumna of St. Joseph’s and is a recent graduate of Princeton University.

The musical Oklahoma! takes place in the mid-1800s. A cowboy, Curly, played by senior Connor Sheehan and ranch hand, Jud Fry, played by junior Grant Hidalgo-Villanueva, both fall in love with the town’s sweetheart, Laurey, played by St. Joseph’s sophomore Gemma Villalobos. The classic western love story is chock full of romance, singing and hoedowns. 

Oklahoma! is a unique and interactive play. The Five Sisters Theatre Company featured a stage in the round that had audience members sitting around nearly the entirety of the stage. The musical truly has no bad views, as the audience members witness the action from just a few rows back.

“A round has a couple of platforms in the middle and back for cast members to perform on,” said actor and senior Jack Scalas. “In the very front row, a lot of the actors could sit next to viewers of the play which is pretty cool. Throughout the play, we also call on people, which is pretty interesting as well.”

This concept was received well by the stage crew and audience on opening night.

“I know this type of musical can be done in different ways. However, the way it was done was really good,” said stage crew member and freshman Kai Maldonado.

New actors also had positive feedback on adjusting to the interesting style of delivering the play.

“Although this is my first time performing, I have seen a lot of the [St. Joseph’s and Bosco] plays and seeing the way they set it up. It was cool to have the audience interact and have them see everything that is going on,” said actor and freshman William Pearce.

One of the highlights of the experience were audience members getting picked out of the crowd to come dance with the actors. 

“I was happy to see my friends perform,” said audience member and senior Joaquin Ramirez. “However, I was really shocked to be called up. It was really funny.”

With much of the lead cast starring in the previous, Bosco Theater Company’s Peter and the Starcatcher, Oklahoma! came with only three weeks of uninterrupted rehearsals for the cast. With actors Jack Scales ‘23 and Grant Hidalgo-Villanueva ‘24 coming off their debut performances this past October, there was a lot to look forward to as each of them respectively had a major role in the success of Oklahoma!. 

“We had to rely on Ms. Reynolds, the director, a lot. She did really well at preparing us and getting the cast ready for opening night,” said Jack. “I am really thankful for getting casted and I felt ready for the transition to a bigger role in Oklahoma!”

Overall, St. Joseph’s and Bosco both opened strong in their respective plays, with two more productions to come in the second semester. It is not too late to go out and support the arts. The St. Joseph Theater Company invites everyone to come and see their closing weekend performances this Friday and Saturday at 7:00 pm as well as a closing Sunday performance at 5:30 pm. They also invite anyone interested in the arts to come out and audition for future plays.

by Brett Baligad, Senior Editor

Last weekend, the St. John Bosco Theater Company presented their first play of the year. With many new faces on opening night, there is a lot to look forward to for the theater department.

Directed by Mr. Martin Lang, this year’s fall production, Peter and the Starcatcher, is an origin story to the iconic 1953 Disney film, Peter Pan. The production follows the orphan boy in green played by senior Alex Palmer along with the infamous Black Stache played by senior Connor Sheehan.

The play is filled with plenty of British accents, pirates and magic to keep all ages on the edge of their seat. Although the play is not considered a musical, there is still an enjoyable amount of choreography and live singing. Throughout the production, the cast was complimented by a live percussionist and pianist.

What made the play’s opening weekend stand out the most were all of the new faces in the cast. This production saw six new male cast members to join the St. John Bosco Theater Company, leaving only lead roles Alex Palmer and Connor Sheehan with prior experience. However, these actors did not fall short in talent nor chemistry.

One headline actor was freshmen Kai Maldonado. Kai has years of experience acting, and it showed. As a freshman, Kai still had to acclimate to the acting culture at Bosco leading up to opening night.

“I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know the rest of the cast. The upperclassmen really helped me get to know what theater is all about here at Bosco,” said Kai.

New faces came in all ages, as there were a few new upperclassmen additions as well. Most notably, senior Jack Scalas as well as juniors Daniel Cedillo and Grant Hildalgo-Villanueva made their high school theater debuts this past weekend.

“I used to do theater in middle school. I have always liked doing it,” said Grant. “Since COVID-19, I kind of strayed away from it. However, I am thankful for Alex [Palmer] and Mr. Lang, as they were a big part in why I came back to performing in theater.”

Saint Joseph High School has and will continue to be a large part in Bosco’s biannual productions. The lead female role, Molly, is played by senior Eva Sadler. With Peter and the Starcatcher being her sixth production between St. John Bosco and St. Joseph, Eva is no stranger to Bosco’s crowd. However, there are always learning curves to new roles and personas played by the cast.

“My biggest challenge was learning the lines in which I am speaking “Norse Code” [a fictional nautical language]. Those difficult words really messed with my head,” Eva said.

Even with many new faces, the cast had an exciting and successful opening weekend for their performance of Peter and The Starcatcher. The cast will finish shows this weekend with productions tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm and a closing Sunday show at 2:30pm.

The Bosco Theater Company will then take a much deserved break and pick it back up in the Spring. The Company invites you to get involved in the arts and try out next show.

“Try it out! Theater has been my absolute favorite experience throughout all of high school, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t also the hardest,” said Eva. “The work and dedication you put into a show will reward you on opening night. There’s no feeling like being on stage, especially when you adore the role you’re playing.”

by Brett Baligad

Following two years of COVID-19, St. John Bosco’s Theater Department hosted its first plays of the year last weekend, with more to come this weekend.

The Braves’ Theater Department kicked off the winter season with three productions of the musical “Hands On a Hard Body.”

Directed by Mr. Martin Lang, the story takes place in East Texas, as a small-town Nissan dealership hosts an annual car contest. The story follows a cast of ten Texans who learned what the prize truck really means to them. Over the course of the play, the audience sat at the edge of their seats wondering who will come out on top. The play featured plenty of catchy rock-n-roll, country and gospel scores for everyone to enjoy. On opening night, the nearly sold-out crowd stood in ovation as a musical encore concluded the heartfelt play.

“I was super excited to see the play. I haven’t seen one in person since my sophomore year. I thought it was really well done and I was happy to support the cast,” said senior and opening night viewer Kaimana Storch ‘21.

The first performance was on Friday, December 3, at 7:30 p.m. The cast was greeted by a filled crowd with students, family, friends and faculty. Alumni, such as principal Dr. Anderson ’04 and history teacher Mr. Cordero ‘97, even made an appearance on Friday. Following this successful opening night were two more performances on Saturday and Sunday evening.

The emotional and passionate performance featured St. John Bosco and St. Joseph students. Remarkably, the cast featured many first-time performers. This included lead roles junior Connor Sheehan, senior Zachary Gillett and Brianna Golani, just to name a few. 

Junior, Connor Sheehan, took on the largest and most impactful role as a newcomer. 

“Seeing my friends and family come out to support me was both exciting and anxiety-inducing. With it being my first role and the magnitude of the role, I didn’t want to disappoint. I hope I didn’t,” said Sheehan.

With these new faces to the scene, there were many bumps in the road to reach their success. This included the early learning curve to singing. 

“Some people (new coming performers) were pros, and some had never sung before in their entire life,” said Mr. Lang.

St. John Bosco hosts two plays a year, one being a musical while the other being a non-musical. As Bosco featured constant choreography and witty lyrics, the cast flexed a variety of early talent when it came to singing. By opening night, however, the chemistry and confidence between the performers shined through as demonstrated by the recognition within the crowd.

Another challenge within the program is COVID-19. The Visual and Performing Arts program, along with the whole student body, were waiting for the theater’s comeback all school year. The crowd’s enthusiasm was present as this was Bosco’s first play with a full crowd in over two years. 

“There’s no other feeling greater than performing for people and telling a story in person. Getting those live reactions helps make the story feel more real and sends an overall stronger message,” said junior Kriss Valente. 

The cast was also eager to perform in front of a live audience. Even some members that were considered veterans to the program, such as junior Alex Palmer, had never performed in front of such a large audience because of the pandemic.

Mr. Lang claimed that Bosco’s virtual production of the musical “Working” from earlier this year was very different as it featured even higher COVID-19 restrictions within the production. These restrictions included choosing a play with a smaller cast, constant COVID-19 tests and a heavily limited audience. Due to contact tracing within the production, Mr. Lang himself had to perform a lead role in order to keep the show running. These off-the-cuff adaptations are what made this past weekend’s production more memorable to the program.

As the first semester comes to a close, the theater department will perform three more times this upcoming weekend. This includes a Friday and Saturday night performance at 7:30, along with a closing Sunday night performance at 6:30. Following this upcoming weekend, St. John Bosco’s Theater Department will take a much-deserved break heading into the winter vacation. The unannounced spring play will premiere in April. 

“We want everyone in our school to be involved in something, and why not be a part of something that is creative, exciting, fun, and a way to express yourself,” said Mr. Lang 

The theater department welcomes all of the Brave and Jester community to support them in their final weekend performing “Hands on a Hard Body.” Mr. Lang also invites any students interested in performing in the spring production to try out.