Students at Sonoma State University are putting on an entirely student-run production in March as a senior project for Theater major Natasha Renae Potts, who is directing this production. Although the students have received support from the university, the show itself is entirely of their making.
Potts chose “Sunday on the Rocks” by Theresa Rebeck because she felt it was fitting for the current times.
“The reason I chose this play is because of the message behind it. It’s an all women show, and it really dives deep into their experiences and how they deal with things,” Potts said. “It’s really interesting to be a part of, especially now with everything that’s happening with women.” According to Potts, most of the crew is also female, although there are some males involved.
The play, which is set in the 90’s, is about three women in their 30’s who all live together. One Sunday morning two of those women begin drinking scotch when the other comes home. Tension ensues and the dynamics of the women’s relationships and characters come out. “I think it’s really powerful, the problems and situations that these women are going through. I think these are situations that a lot of women go through in their lives,” Potts said.
‘Sunday on the Rocks’ will run from March 7 – 10.
Aliya Bacal-Peterson, a double major including Theater Arts with a concentration in acting, plays one of the main characters, Gayle. She feels that working on an all-student production is a unique experience.
“It’s really interesting because you have this closeness with everyone that you’re working with,” she said. “You’ve worked with them as fellow students before, so you understand how to work with them, but you still have a level of professionalism because at the end of the day you want to put out a really good show.”
Working on an all-student play does present a unique set of challenges. Potts, who is taking a full course load and working part time, has not directed since middle school. Many of the other students working on the production are doing their jobs for the first time, so Potts has to learn their jobs in order to teach them. “It’s a lot of me learning everything that I need to learn in order to teach people,” she said.
Julie Anne Vargas, Technical Theater Arts major and costume designer for “Sunday on the Rocks,” is excited about working on a show that is set in the 90’s. “I get to explore and watch 90’s TV shows, like ‘Friends,’ and get a lot of inspiration from different fashion trends,” she said. “I went down the rabbit hole of denim on denim. It was really interesting to get to dive into the 90’s.”
Potts hopes that the show will reach women and give them a way to identify with the characters. “It’s really about the perseverance of having all these things occur in your life and having people tell you the way that you should be living, or the actions that you should be taking,” she said. “It’s about standing your ground and being the person that you’ve created.”
“Sunday on the Rocks” will be performed March 7-10 at 7:30 pm in Ives 76, which is being repainted for the show. Tickets are available on the “Sunday on the Rocks” Facebook page.
