Center Theatre Group Blog

We here at PLAY would like to introduce you all to Sarah Guerrero… emerging Theatre Artist and former PLAY intern extraordinaire…

Q: When did you first become involved in the theatre?

Let me start at the very beginning (a very good place to start): I was born and raised in Manila, where I was homeschooled for seven years. Being stuck at home, with only your little brother for company, can get really old, really fast. Mercifully, we owned one functioning VHS tape: The Sound of Music (granted, it skipped every time, so the von Trapp children always marched down the stairs twice when summoned, never failing to confuse me). I suppose it was after hearing me trill “Da hiiiiills aaaaare aliiiiiiiive” one too many times that my parents decided I was too far gone to stop. So to indulge my musical interest, they took me to see a special Manila run of Miss Saigon, starring Lea Salonga (note to other parents: it’s probably NOT a great idea to take your ten-year-old to see said musical, for obvious reasons…opt for Beauty and the Beast, instead). They made me shut my eyes for half of it, and I could barely see the other half thanks to our cheap nosebleed seats, but I loved it anyway. I know everyone says it, but there was something magical about watching real, live people sing and dance and act their hearts out on that stage. It still remains, to this day, one of the most enthralling experiences of my life. When I moved to the United States three years later, I joined my high school’s drama program and have been stuck with theatre ever since.

Q: When did you first become involved with PLAY?

During my freshman year, my high school partnered with PLAY’s Speak to Me residency program to produce its spring show. I heard about it too late to join, but when I saw the final product as an audience member, I was intrigued—I’d never seen anything like it before. This was back when I thought musical theatre was the theatre, and that “regular” plays were rather boring (please don’t judge me! I was a naïve 13-year-old immigrant whose only prior theatregoing experience was Miss Saigon, for goodness’ sake). So when Michael Cohen, our drama director, encouraged me to apply for PLAY’s Young Artists Theatre Series program the next year, I jumped at the chance. I must admit that I did it mostly for the cheap theatre tickets at the time, but little did I know YATS would change my destiny (OK, maybe not, but close). I loved it so much that I did it three times over, and even came back to intern last summer. (It’s amazing these PLAY people haven’t tired of me yet after all that.)

Q: How has your experience interning for PLAY impacted/changed your life?

So since I’ve been doing a lot of confessing, let me share another secret. When I applied to work for PLAY, I didn’t really have an interest in the education side of theatre. I was more interested in getting a chill summer job, and PLAY seemed like a pretty chill place to be, so. But things never work out the way I expect. Working “behind the scenes” made me realize how selfish I had been in my approach to theatre. I had always been concerned about what I had to gain and what I had to learn, when really theatre is about sharing. That summer, I was able to share some of what I had learned with other students, and discovered how incredibly rewarding it is to do so. So much so, that this fall I’m going to be a teaching assistant for an acting intensive at my college, and I even have a fantastical dream of one day bringing a Ready, Set, PLAY-esque program to public schools in the Philippines somehow. I now love being part of the teaching process, because I still learn so much at the same time. That is something about myself I never would have discovered and never would have pursued if I hadn’t interned for PLAY.

Q: Do you think theatre is important for people of your generation? Why? Or why not?

So my initial answer to this question went sort of like this: “The actor/audience dynamic of theatre is an answer to the apathy of a YouTube generation…” but something didn’t feel right. So then I remembered I’m writing a blog, not a term paper, and I was being a bit grandiose because I really don’t have a concrete answer to this question. I think part of it is because by its very nature, theatre is a living and dynamic thing that can mean different things to different people. For me, it was initially about being able to belong to a tight-knit community of people. Now it’s more about being able to learn more about and express myself. I think theatre is so important for young people precisely because it is such an accessible, malleable, and yet empowering art form for young people to express themselves. There’s magic that happens in the theatre that doesn’t happen anywhere else.

Ashley Rumburg works in Development (Devo) as the Corporate Giving Coordinator at Center Theatre Group where she dwells everyday in the sexy world of non-profit fundraising. 

“Why on God’s green earth would you want to work for a non-profit theatre company?!?”

I promise you - this is the first thing that comes out of people’s mouths when they discover what I do for a living.  It is unfathomable to most why I would want to sacrifice my time, my paycheck and my career (in their opinions) for the greater good, the betterment of society or some other equivalent trite expression.  But to me, the answer is simple. 

Back in November, I experienced firsthand how important my work at CTG was when I volunteered to help with a Target Young Audiences Program event surrounding The School of Night.  The entire premise of these performances is to bring students in from underserved schools in the surrounding community and treat them to a free daytime performance and cast Q & A session.  When I arrived my colleagues were ready and raring to go. They explained to me how fulfilling it was to witness the students’ reactions to theatre. I graciously smiled and nodded as I tried to down as much coffee as possible before they started arriving.  It was only when the yellow school busses started pulling up to the curb that I began to see how much a trip to the theatre really impacted these kids.  Their relentless giggling and incessant chatter completely reinforced the idea that we were doing something good - something meaningful. 

After the play, I stuck around to watch the Q & A session with the cast, only to be utterly astounded by the depth of their questions.  By viewing this one play, these students were able to reveal and dissect certain elements of truth that I never understood in my 4+ years at university.  This one performance really affected the way they viewed their own lives, and made me realize the great work that we do at CTG.

It’s imperative that we continue to raise funds so we can provide arts education and vital creative outlets for other Los Angeles natives.  If I can help bring even a little joy to their lives, fulfill their basic needs by nourishing their minds and enable them to have a little fun, then my need has been fulfilled.

Photo caption: Students attend The School of Night during the Target Young Audiences Program. Photo by Kathryn Indeik.