Hollister
– Trying to get ahead on credits, Christian Berrera, a shy boy
who read quietly alone during lunch, signed up for a drama class at
San Benito High School. From his first scene, he knew he wanted to
spend the rest of his life on stage.
Hollister – Trying to get ahead on credits, Christian Berrera, a shy boy who read quietly alone during lunch, signed up for a drama class at San Benito High School. From his first scene, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life on stage.
“It just hooked me – I can be someone completely different,” Berrera said.
Berrera, now 29, works as a cook at Cozy Cup Cafe in Hollister. But he splits his time between his paying job and his other love: theater.
Berrera, who devotes much of his time to the local community theater, is currently playing one of the leads in the San Benito Stage Company’s “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” which runs through March 24 at Ridgemark Golf and Country Club.
Berrera has been involved with the community theater company since its first production, and continues to play a huge role in all aspects of staging the group’s performances.
“He’s just been one of the major people in the stage company,” said Shirley Sargent, 77, who has been involved with the theater company for the past seven years. “When he first started out he was just a young fella and had just been in high school plays, basically. Then he took on this major role, and then he became a director.”
The San Benito Stage Company was founded in 1999 out of a need some people felt to develop theater locally in Hollister. The first play the company produced was “The Wizard of Oz.”
Barrera’s involvement in this play was almost pure chance: He was walking with a friend in downtown Hollister and saw a sign for open auditions that day. Totally unprepared, Berrera went to the audition and landed the part of the Tin Man.
Since then, Berrera has been involved in more than 30 shows with the company in some capacity or another.
“Everybody usually takes on two or three different roles,” said Berrera, who explained that he had done everything from building sets, to stage managing, to directing, to acting. Currently, Berrera serves as a board member for the company.
Nancy Perales, the president of the board, said the theater group thrives off volunteer support.
“It’s all run on volunteers. If something has to be done, someone has to jump in and fill that spot,” Perales said.
In “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” Berrera explained that he was not exclusively acting in the play but had also built the set and filled many other roles. He said he hopes it will pay off, with a large audience turning out for the musical comedy.
This musical, which is a dinner show, is one of four plays the company will produce this year. Each year it tries to put on a dinner theater production, a children’s play, a teen play and a big summer show.
This year’s schedule represents significant growth from the company’s first year, when it put on just one production. Those involved with the company are hoping it will continue to grow and be supported by the community.
“Our company is trying to bring the community theater to people who wouldn’t normally get to go out and see it,” Perales said.
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. She can be reached at 637-5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
