Upcoming show gives honest portrayal of student life

By Maggie Beidelman

If you're interested in being touched, surprised or amazed at seeing the comedy and tragedy that is your life performed, and if you'd like to liberate your solitary self from the bondage of isolation, then attend "Cool for One Night" on Friday, March 16, at 8 p.m.

"Cool for One Night" is a production that we can all relate to. One would hardly imagine that the plot is based off of the personal experiences of writer and director David Wonpu, as issues common to most every young adult's own life surface in this ever-familiar coming of age story.

The relationships that transform our lives, the loves that shape us, the decisions that forever stick with us -- they can all be found here in this unforgettable story about life.

"We're college students, and it's about this guy who comes back home after going away to college to find that everything he was familiar with, the whole situation, has changed," said junior Marisa Nakasone, who plays the protagonist's life-long love, Chelsea. "It's about planning out who you are, realizing your goals and what you want out of life, and not feeling confined by external factors."

The Chinese Student Association is funding the play as the fifth annual cultural show at Santa Clara. "CSA really wanted to do something that people could actually relate to," said Wonpu, a senior English major. Previous CSA events have focused on traditional food and cultural activities. "There's a pervasive sense on this campus that culture is history," said Wonpu. "That certainly is a part of culture, but that's not all it is."

Wonpu stressed the need for minorities to be recognized as real people with the same problems and triumphs as everyone else, "as if people saw other minorities as real people and not just in this bubble of coloredness."

The multiracial cast represents stock characters found in the everyday lives of real people from all racial groups. You don't need to be Asian-American to identify with the main character, Jason (played by Wonpu), or his relationships with the recognizably unstable Chelsea or the self-actualized Pella. It would be easier to identify with Jason if instead you've ever felt uncertain, insecure or confused.

You also don't have to be black, Caucasian, Latino or born in Las Vegas to appreciate the difficulties and successes of the relatable characters of Deon, Krystal, Mike or Jason's mom. "Each character has elements of all my friends," said Wonpu.

Nakasone felt a common bond between herself and her character. "I found that when I got the full script and read it, (Chelsea) is a bit of a disillusioned character, and in that sense, I kind of identified with her," said the art history major. "She went to college and began to question, but she still wants to hold on to the past and this preconceived image of herself -- something all college students can identify with."

Although this play is familiar in theme, it has a unique multimedia structure that makes it refreshingly contemporary. The scenes set in the protagonist's hometown of Las Vegas are performed live onstage. The scenes that take place at Santa Clara have been filmed by MCTV and will appear on screen during the performance.

"With this play specifically, my mission was to make theater that my friends would like," said Wonpu.

"Most people have a really bad image of what the theater is," said Wonpu. "They think it's cheesy musicals and Shakespeare. That's not true."

As an expression about the people of our generation, this production is highly approachable in its avant-garde construction. "I really think with the dialogue, with the music, with the fact that some of the scenes are filmed, the multiracial past -- this is something that people from our generation can really identify with because we do live in that kind of world," said Wonpu, who is also a staff writer for The Santa Clara.

"I wanted to show Santa Clara people the world that I'm from," said Wonpu, "which is, not everyone goes to college, and not all of your friends are blonde. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I just want people to see that there's a world outside of here, and it's no less valid."

Contact Maggie Beidelman at (408) 551-1918 or mbeidleman@scu.edu.