Category Archives: theater

She Kills Monsters (Drama 101)

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Monster Time!!!

Students work on numerous Costume and/or Monster building activities on a Wednesday afternoon at Company.
So whether you know what it means to LARP (Live Action Role Play) or maybe you remember D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) or maybe you just felt like the odd kid out, this play’s for you.
The fall production of She Kills Monsters is in full swing and Wednesday afternoons are Monster building time.
We have goblins, demons, kobalds, succubi, and so much more.

We also need to build the armor that will protect our heroine and her crew as they fight these monsters.

On any given Wednesday the Costume room at the theatre could have as many as 10 students working on building the monster costumes. While it can be hectic, I find it is quite fun to be moving around the room helping students troubleshoot their costume construction hurdles or suggest other methods for getting a similar result.

Emily Walsh as a “BugBear”.
Emily, a sophomore, serves as Costumes Crew Head and is designing and building 6 BugBear costumes for the play.

(While I was in the process of writing this blog, I was asked to write a blurb for the Alumnae Newsletter and I think it does a great job of expressing my feelings about working with Company).

When I graduated in 1998, I never thought I would one day be back and teaching at Carondelet. But after working as an elementary School Librarian in San Francisco for four years, and getting tired of using all my money on rent, I felt the need to return to the East Bay.

As I was looking to see what was available for someone with a Masters in Library & Information Science (San Jose State ’05) and a love of Theatre Arts, I found a posting for a Library Assistant position at Carondelet. While I knew I was over qualified, I was also drawn to opportunity to work at my Alma Mater, to give back to the school that had helped shape me. 


Now as I start my 13th year on campus as a Faculty member and I can’t help but look back at all the students I have worked with and the opportunities that have come my way since I returned in the fall of 2007 to Carondelet. 

I am told that I wear a lot of hats on campus: I am the Librarian & Textbook Manager, the Yearbook Advisor, teach in the Visual & Performing Arts Department, and help moderate Company, our amazing theater program with De La Salle. As a student, it was through Company that I found my place and explored my passion for sewing and costume design which led me to major in Theatre Arts in college with an emphasis in Costume Design & Arts Management (BA Theatre Arts, Notre Dame de Namur University ’02). Now it is my pleasure to help guide and mentor students interested in Costume, MakeUp or Hair design. Three days a week after school, you can find me at the DLS Theater in the old band room working with students on the current show.

This year’s fall production of She Kill Monsters really takes me back to high school. It is set in 1995 in a small midwest high school and focuses on a pair of sisters, Agnes and Tilly. She Kill Monsters is a comedic and action-packed story about a high school girl who discovers her dead little sister had a life she knew nothing about. Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-Playing Game was Tilly’s refuge and a place of freedom.  By the end of the story, the audience can decide who the real monsters are. Helping my students recreate the look and feel of 1995 (grunge, preppy, etc) as well as creating the fantasy characters in D&D has been so much fun. I hope you can join us!

Stepping Back and Letting Go

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We all want to move toward a student centered environment where the students take the lead and help lead and share their knowledge with one another.

I have been looking forward to Company this spring, since for the first time in 10 years, I won’t be designing the main stage production. Instead, Zoe Heilmann, will be in charge of the Costume Design and the Costumes Crew for Pygmalion.


However as Monday taught me, Zoe and I might both be ready for her to take lead, but the other students on the crew aren’t so sure about it. I spent most of the 2 hours after school telling students to “Ask Zoe”, “Show Zoe”, “Zoe come here and answer____ question.”

Since the show is a work in progress, I plan to give updates here all semester, so check back to see how we do.

Zoe Heilmann measures Dante Williams for his costume.

Puppets & Play (Learning by Trial and Error)

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Watching the Muppets on Seasame Street and Fraggle Rock made my imagination grow, and I am still fascinated with puppets today. Which is why I was so excited to be part of the Audrey II team and work with the students to build the 4 puppets needed for our spring production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Making the Audrey II puppets started in August with a workshop and have continued 2-3 days a week since then. Since January it has been 4-5 days a week afterschool and at lunch/x-block.

Kameron, Zoe and Rachel learn from a puppeteer from Cal Shakes.

Rachel shows the beginning of Audrey II, a complete top mouth with teeth.
Audrey II.1, Audrey II.2 & Audrey II.3 are mostly done–final paint stage. 
Zoe works on the detail painting for Audrey II.3

Audrey II.3 had probably gone through the most  transformation in it’s structure and looks from the drawing in August. This was also a spot in the projects where the students learned that communication is key–that you can’t “assume” that someone else “knows” what they are doing.

Rachel and Zoe both had a lot of fun while making their puppets. Even when the spray glue wouldn’t stick and they had to sew more than they planned or when the paint wouldn’t stick to the pot–these two persevered to bring their creations to the stage.

Fully assembled Alex Lewald (playing Seymour) tries out the puppet that he will have to manipulate during the show.
 Now it is time to make the man-eating largest version of Audrey II. 

Kameron and Zoe have directed most of the Audrey II puppet builds.
Here they test that she her big enough to “eat” people.
The top of the mouth now has “skin”, onto the bottom and insides.
In reflection with the students there was a lot of trial and error on figuring how to make these puppets. No matter if it was the smallest or the largest, each had their own unique challenges.
They appreciated being able to “try things out” and that it was “okay to fail” while figuring out the best way to do something. They also liked that the teachers took a step back and that it was up to them to experiment how to build the puppets and not follow exactly what a teacher told them to do. They like “owning” the project/puppets and look forward to showing them off in April.
In the end the students that worked the hardest, the ones that kept trying to figure it out are the most satisfied with the project.

“Have I told you, I love my job”

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“Have I told you, I love my job” another teacher whispered to me as we watched  Chiana Lee get up on stage and give the “Director’s Welcoming” at the Thursday 11/16 performance of The Outsiders. This statement really made me stop and think–and you know what I had to agree. I do love my job.

At a time of year when usually all you hear is the complaining of “When will Christmas Break” get here, I took the time to reflect on my experiences working with the students during The Outsiders. I feel so fortunate that I get to be employed using both of my college degrees. During the morning, I am the Librarian–able to use my Master’s degree and share my love of stories and the written work. After school, I am the Costume, Hair & Make Up Designer –sharing my love of clothing and design (the reason I went to college–BA in Theatre Arts).

I love roaming the Theatre as the show gets ready to go, seeing our students putting into practice what they have learned in the classroom and through observation.

New to Make-Up Crew. Wriley and Alex observe Malena and Nadya applying their make up.

Ted joined us as a “newbie” in High School Musical–now he is on his 3rd show.

It is especially wonderful when students jump out of their comfort zones and try something new–such as the baseball players who took part in The Outsiders. One student’s mom, told me more than once how much her son loves Company–that now “he comes home smiling”. And now that he has baseball practice and can’t do Company–his mom tell me how much he misses it and how much he wished he could do both.

Joe was recruited for The Outsiders and now he is back for Little Shop.

And isn’t that what we ultimately want? Students who are invested in their learning, that want to be there and give it their all?

Several students like to say they “Live at the Theatre”, but remarkable most have good school/life/theater balance.

Cast & Crew of The Outisders–This is our Company family.

Now with Little Shop on it way–as I move around the theater and work with students building the Audrey II puppets, rehearsing musical numbers and generally having a really good time with each other. I am reminded again–how much I really do love my job.