The SFCC drama program put on the play “Six Rounds of Vengeance” on Nov. 16, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 24.  The drama program worked on this production for seven to eight weeks prior to opening night. Ashley DeMoville, the director of drama and an instructor at SFCC, said the people involved in this play worked tirelessly from start to finish.
“There’s a different kind of commitment required,” DeMoville said. “Students put in far more hours than the class requires.”
The program even brought in a professional fight choreographer from Los Angeles, for a four-day training for the fight scenes in the play, Christian Chan. DeMoville said before I watched the play that “It’s a crazy fun show that was written for shock value, intended for adult audiences.”
Every word of that statement made by DeMoville was true and much more. Not only were the performers into their parts, but the audience was captivated as well. The crowd’s reactions to jokes, serious moments and the standing ovation at the end spoke for itself. The play’s jokes weren’t the only things that kept the crowd laughing, but the program got very creative with the visuals they showed behind the actors, explaining the backstories in the play.
The screen on the stage showed hilarious images and videos of Lego people and animals re-enacting the scenes being talked about. When they were describing a great war, they had a funny video of bunnies fighting, playing on the screen. It was wild, different, and extremely entertaining.
The fight scenes were fun to watch, and more realistic than what was expected, thanks to the training they received from the choreographer.
The lead actress Jaycelane Fortin, who portrayed the character Jess, was captivating, hilarious and put her heart into the character’s spunk. Dennis Burgess lll who portrayed the character Lucky, made us believe in both the lovable goofy side to his character and the twisted, evil side. The play’s plot twists and shocking moments kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
The play had LGBTQ representation, as well. The loving backstory for the characters Malcolm, played by Dahveed Bullis, and Nathaniel, played by Herron Davidson, was heartwarming and pulled on the heartstrings of the audience throughout the play. Both actors were dedicated to their roles. Bullis executed the jokes perfectly and made us all feel for his character in painful moments.

The play wasn’t just hilarious with its adult jokes, and heartwarming with the passion and love the characters had but also very intense. The character Gabby, played by Sarah Plumb, took the cake for grabbing the audience’s attention in the more serious moments of the play. The realistic acting from all the actors in these intense moments of the show really pulled the audience in and made us care about the characters.
Students can get more involved by signing up for the class Rehearsal and Performance, and students in this class are guaranteed to be involved if enrolled. There are open auditions for the public but parts are favored toward the students. Not only that, but the drama program also works with ALS students studying to be interpreters, who stand next to the stage to interpret the play for deaf audience members.
The next play for the winter quarter will be “Fire Melt Stone.” This play was written by faculty member Kemuel DeMoville. This play was set in Spokane in 1889 during the Great Spokane Fire. DeMovilles students put on an excellent show, and their hard work shows in their performance.