In the world of theater where name recognition is everything for a performance company, Renegade Theater is firmly stamping its signature on the Santa Cruz theater scene.
Armed with talent, passion and a thirst for diversity, the theater troupe—founded by Kyle Vasquez (she/her) in September 2023—is clamoring its way into known stage-based circles while infusing life and bravado into material that begs to be revisited.
Take, for example, its newest production of “Heathers: The Musical.” Vasquez, who plays double-duty as artistic director and CEO of the theater troupe, has attracted local talent to help hype the power quotient: Ana Bogren, Wyatt Troxell, Jenny Johnston, Kaylee Leal and Molly Donahue.
“Heathers,” which debuted as a 1988 film starring Winona Ryder, Kim Walker, Lisanne Falk, Shannen Doherty and Christian Slater, became a cult classic following its release, and helped to catapult members of its cast into starring roles.
The film tells the story of a clique of popular girls, all named Heather, and the introduction of Veronica, a “normal” girl who joins the clique to better navigate the halls of her high school. As tensions rise at Westerburg High, new student Slater attaches himself to Ryder’s Veronica, and the two embark on a vicious cycle of hate, indifference and murder.
As for Vasquez, she’s excited to bring Renegade’s version of the cult musical to the renowned Actors’ Theater in Santa Cruz.
“I’ve been directing locally for years now, mostly youth theater, and at a certain point I found myself feeling creatively stagnant in the options I had as a director and frustrated by the fact that the shows I was most excited about were never an option for me to direct,” Vasquez said. “I founded Renegade Theater Co. in order to change that—to make space for shows that I was inspired by and that felt like they spoke to a wider range of performers than standard community theater. ‘Heathers’ was my No. 1 motivator for that decision; it was a show that I was extremely passionate about, that I knew so many talented local performers were desperate to be in, but that was considered too risky or controversial for other companies that I pitched it to.”
Vasquez said the highlight of this experience bringing “Heathers” to life has been watching the cast “bond over how passionate they are about this show and seeing them bring new interpretations to these characters in ways that are incredibly inspiring.”
“I think hardcore ‘Heathers’ fans will see this show and feel the excitement seeing a show they love done such justice, as well as discovering new levels of meaning in it from the way our actors are approaching these characters,” she added. “The cast is such an incredibly talented group of people, and such a tight and supportive community, it’s impossible to watch them perform together and not be moved.”
Troxell, whose theater roots extend to his childhood experience with Little People’s Repertory Theatre and the years since involved with Mountain Community Theater (both housed at Park Hall in Ben Lomond), finds that being technical director of the musical while simultaneously playing antagonist Jason “J.D.” Dean is a big lift, but one he’s got his arms around.
“It’s tricky, but wearing multiple hats has always been my thing. I feel as though it’s impossible for me not to be more involved in any show I’m working on,” Troxell said. “A great advantage of being an actor as well as technical director is getting to know the show inside and out rather than just from a design perspective. It’s a full-time job as technical director, and a hobby to act. I’m just lucky enough to do both for the same production.”
Each of the female stars in Renegade’s production are excited to participate in the story that’s a blend of “dark comedy, satire and musical theater,” according to Bogren, who plays Heather Chandler.
“The characters are portrayed with a level of complexity and emotional depth not always seen in high school-themed productions,” Bogren explained. “My character is a perfect example of this complex and emotional depth; she craves and wields power so heavily that everyone is terrified of her. Unlike traditional high school musicals that often focus on romance and self-discovery, ‘Heathers’ delves into the darker aspects of adolescent life, using sharp wit and edgy content to challenge societal norms.”
Johnston also sees the benefits of putting “Heathers” on stage.
“Building ‘Heathers’ with Renegade Theater has been a wonderful community theater experience. It’s all hands on deck, the passion is real, and we are all putting on this show because we are in love with it,” Johnston said. “I hope audiences take away the honest truth that high school is hard, being a teenager is hard. We experience the death of our childhood and are shoved into faux-adulthood with often no validation of our natural and huge feelings. We all want to be loved, to be seen, to be listened to, to be respected, to be beautiful. How do we do that for ourselves, and for each other?”
As for Leal, who plays Heather McNamara, she added, “My goal is to capture her nuance in my performance and to humanize her as much as possible. I’ve been wanting to do this show since I myself was a high school student facing the hardships of social hierarchy and societal expectations. Working on this production has truly been a dream come true and I couldn’t have asked for a better cast and director to be part of it. It feels very full circle for me and I couldn’t be more fulfilled.”
Donahue, who has dipped her toe into a variety of local stages, said the story “highlights that if people feel they have the option to be good, they will choose it.”
“Once we’re able to let go of our fear of being alone, only then can we truly connect with those around us,” she continued. “‘Heathers’ has stood the test of time for a reason, and deeply resonates with audiences of all ages. I’ve loved this show since I was in middle school, and it was always a source of joy for me that reminded me I wasn’t alone. I truly hope that audiences can feel how much this show means to our cast, and that they walk away feeling that same sense of joy.”
Come find joy with Renegade Theater’s production of “Heathers” at London Nelson Community Center in Santa Cruz, performing Aug. 16-18 and 22-24 with matinee and evening performances. Showtime and ticket information can be found online at renegadetheaterco.org/heathers-the-musical.html.
