Spring production Rancho Mirage cast begins rehearsals
The first 2024 theater production will feature veterans and newcomers alike.
The Fall Fest musical, The Addams Family, was a smash hit on Bethel’s campus, becoming one of the few shows to completely sell out Krehbiel Auditorium. With a comedy-filled script, a strong cast and crew, and the leadership of first-time Bethel theater director Damon Klassen, The Addams Family left big shoes to fill for the next production.
And though this one may not be as familiar, the 2024 spring show still has big plans.
Rancho Mirage was announced as the semester’s production in an email from Klassen this past December. Auditions were hosted in January, and a cast of seven students was selected to portray the cast of Steven Dietz’s 2012 play. These students range from veterans of Bethel theater to newcomers who haven’t performed on stage since high school.
Rancho Mirage shows three couples celebrating a night of friendship together in the home of one of the couples living in the gated Californian community, Rancho Mirage. However, as the night drags on and things begin to go wrong, tensions rise, secrets are revealed, and friendships are put on the line. Each couple harbors a devastating secret, and when these secrets are revealed, what’s left is a darkly humorous comedy that rides the tension through Act Two.
Klassen himself has high hopes for the show. Although he admitted “I doubt that a regional-theater-originated-non-musical-satirical-comedy-that-no-one-has-ever-heard-of can truly compete with a big name musical peppered with characters beloved by generations of pop culture fans,” he believes Rancho Mirage is a nice change of pace from previous shows.
Klassen also expressed that he’s “super excited to have hired Jocelyn Wilkinson as our new Technical Director of Theater. Her passion for the craft and her knack for design are just what the department needs. … I’m also thrilled with my cast and crew. We have quite a few familiar faces and a couple brand new ones.”
Rancho Mirage will be hosted in Krehbiel Auditorium later in the Spring 2024 semester. Though scheduling conflicts have plagued the show, Klassen remains optimistic: “This show has it all. Beer. Wine. Pizza. Popcorn. Deception. Intrigue. Sexual exploits. Partial nudity. What more could you want? Oh, yeah, and Convo credit.”