As a former journalist and longtime journalism professor at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Max Branscomb loves delving into past history and current events when he pens his new scripts each year for “La Pastorela.”
Pastorelas are traditional Mexican Christmas play about shepherds traveling to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. But the stories are set in the present day and are filled with topical jokes and satire. Angels oversee the shepherds on their journey to protect them from the devil’s influence and the seven deadly sins.
For this year’s script — his 31st since the tradition began in the early 1990s — Branscomb threw in a few pop culture references for 2023, namely Barbie, Oppenheimer and Taylor Swift.
Over the years, Branscomb’s pastorelas have been performed at the Old Globe and the former San Diego Repertory Theatre. Then, when the pandemic closed theaters in 2020, he began recording the scripts with a group of voice actors in a radio play format produced with the help of audio engineer David Rivas.
This year’s play, “La Pastorela de los Transfronterizos,” is also a recorded audio play. Branscomb said he’d love to return to producing the shows onstage, but probably not until after he retires from his job at Southwestern and has more free time.
The theme of this year’s play was inspired by the many Southwestern College students who commute to the campus from across the Mexican border (transfronterizos translates as “cross-border”).
“Transfronterizo was originally a term heard in Mexican commerce referring to products shipped over the border in either direction. Southwestern College students started referring to themselves ,tongue in cheek, as transfronterizos and transfronterizas a couple years ago and the term has become a part of borderlands slang,” Branscomb said. “It led me to think about the mass movement of refugees around the world who are crossing borders in search of a better life. The shepherds in the Christmas story also crossed borders, though their crossing was less about political borders than about entering into a new era.”
Usually each year, Branscomb researches and writes his scripts alone, but for the first time this year he had a co-author: Ella Aldridge. The 15-year-old sophomore at the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, not only co-wrote the script, she also stars in the play as the Barbie and Taylor Swift, among other characters.
“She gave ‘La Pastorela’ a real lift with her youthful insights and humor. During read-throughs Ella’s lines got the biggest laughs,” Branscomb said. “It is always inspiring to run into a rare young genius like Ella, and I hope I live long enough to have the chance to see what she accomplishes in her life. She wants to attend Brown University as an English literature major. She plans to be a university professor/film maker/actor like Spike Lee. My money is on Ella.”
Another actors featured in this year’s audio play is Syara Platero, 13, who plays Moloch, a juvenile delinquent devil who temps the shepherds during their journey. She is bilingual , a school forensics competition champion and hopes to become a lawyer.
Branscomb’s daughter, Chantal, is also performing in the play as the devil-in-chief, Lucifer, and is the lead singer for most of the songs in this year’s show. A professional voice-over actor as a child, Chantal is now a graduate of UC Irvine’s theater program and she works as a choreographer for the Bonita Vista High School Music Machine and Sound Unlimited show choirs.
Other cast members include David Rivas, Alexis Luna,Vanessa Lopez and Kieler Avery.
“La Pastorela de los Transfronterizos” will be available for streaming on KNSJ 89.1 FM during the month of December.
San Diego actor and composer Tyler Tafolla, seen here in costume for his 2022 musical “Scott Robbins and the Traveling Show.”
(Courtesy of Sarah Schuhler)
Tafolla brings his ‘Seasons’ song cycle home to San Diego
Tyler Tafolla, a longtime San Diego musical theater composer, playwright and performer, will present the San Diego debut of “Seasons: A New Musical Song Cycle” at the Oceanside Theatre Company in December.
The 18-song piece follows six childhood friends on a journey over six years of their lives through milestones that include leaving home, starting new careers, establishing new relationships and examining lifelong connections.
“Seasons” was developed in 2020 as a concept album and then remastered and re-released with Broadway Records and Theatre Barn Records in January 2022. It has since been staged in Los Angeles and New York.
“It’s such a joy to bring this show back home to San Diego. ‘Seasons’ was created during a time when I myself was going through some big milestone changes in my life similar to the characters in this piece,” said Tafolla, in a statement. “I hope this show speaks to young people going through that today, and reminds them that change, though scary at times, is such a good thing. I hope they are reminded to enjoy each season of life they are in through this show.”
The production will feature singers Mikaela Rae Macias, Kylie Young, Adelaida Maria Martinez, Tyler Sanderlin and E.Y. Washington, as well as Kevin “Blax” Burroughs, who is Oceanside Theatre Company’s associate artistic director.
“I’ve been a fan of Tyler’s work both on and off the stage for a while now,” Burroughs said. “When I found out he released a cast recording on Spotify, I immediately went to take a listen. Producing new work in any kind of aspect is such an exhilarating experience, whether it be a concert style reading or a fully staged production. Because this piece speaks directly to change within, I felt as if it was a perfect way to help bring in the new year, but also the new season of OTC having me in an artistic position.”
“Seasons” will be presented at 8 p.m. Dec. 8, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 9 and 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Brooks Theater, 217 N. Coast Highway Oceanside. Tickets are $20. Call (760) 433-8900 or visit oceansidetheatre.org.
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
