{"id":383584,"date":"2023-01-18T06:06:16","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T20:06:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=383584"},"modified":"2023-01-18T06:06:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T20:06:16","slug":"mcs-theatre-club-presents-jukebox-musical-true-colors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mcs-theatre-club-presents-jukebox-musical-true-colors\/","title":{"rendered":"MCS Theatre Club presents jukebox musical, True Colors"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Kyla Cabrera, center, directs Bernice Sabino, left, as Iris and Joey Hong as Luke through a scene in the next production by Mount Carmel School\u2019s Theatre Club, True Colors, an original jukebox musical. (MCS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mount Carmel School\u2019s Theatre Club proudly presents its next theatrical production, True Colors, an original jukebox musical about a girl on the autism spectrum who struggles to find her place and her voice at a new school. As a jukebox musical, the show will blend an original script with pop music favorites from the 1970s through the present, including the show\u2019s title song from Cyndi Lauper.<\/p>\n

The show is directed by senior and Theatre Club veteran Kyla Cabrera, who also co-directed the club\u2019s production of The Sound of Music last year. In preparing for the production, she said, \u201cDirecting this production for me has been an absolute honor and dream. I get to work with so many people who are at different levels of experience and expertise. \u2026I am truly in awe having seen my cast and crew develop as professionals under the guidance of great [advisers]. Witnessing everyone come together to work on this production is what makes me truly grateful and proud to be its director.\u201d<\/p>\n

Junior student Bernice Shane Sabino, who played Maria in last year\u2019s The Sound of Music, is back to play another lead role, this time as Iris, the central character of the story who is on the autism spectrum. Falling on the non-verbal side of the spectrum, Iris communicates primarily through song and dance. While both come naturally for Bernice, who is an esteemed local vocalist, representing autism with dignity and authenticity was a challenge for her. \u201cGetting this role was especially challenging because I have never played a role like this before,\u201d she said. Despite that difficulty, Sabino said, \u201cThankfully, I had a lot of help in finding ways to portray this character with respect. \u2026This is our chance to speak out for voices that aren\u2019t being heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help ensure that the overall show was sensitive toward disabilities, the school enlisted the support of Eileen Babauta, the director for the CNMI\u2019s University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Babauta brought in disability self-advocates from the CNMI\u2019s Consumer Advisory Committee to talk and work with students, helping them learn more about creating a more inclusive and accessible atmosphere for everyone.<\/p>\n

The script for True Colors was written by Theatre club founder and Northern Marianas College president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, Ed.D., who wanted to further explore autism and how it affects adolescents. He said, \u201cBeing a teenager is hard enough as it is, so when we add autism to the mix, it challenges all of us to examine how inclusive we are for those who are different and who struggle to fit in. \u2026And what better way to do that than through the performing arts?\u201d He further noted, \u201cThe music, choreography, acting, sound, lights, and overall art design will help accentuate that struggle within a theatrical context, making it more visceral and engaging for actors and audiences alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

Echoing Deleon Guerrero\u2019s sentiments, Cabrera said, \u201cWe approached the story with respect as our main character is on the autism spectrum and we want to be able to portray her character properly.\u201d She added, \u201cI know that the audience will find this production very relatable and intimate, and in a way, allow themselves to witness and see each person\u2019s true colors through the show before their eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

True Colors will be presented on Jan. 27 and 28 at the Pacific Islands Club\u2019s Charley\u2019s Cabaret with doors opening at 6:30pm each night. Tickets are $25 for limited premium seats and $10 for general admission, and may be purchased at the Mount Carmel School Business Office. For more information, call 234-6184 or visit\u00a0www.mountcarmelsaipan.com. (MCS)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mount Carmel School\u2019s Theatre Club proudly presents its next theatrical production, True Colors, an original…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":383586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-383584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=383584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/383584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=383584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=383584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=383584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}