Editor’s Note: This story includes mention of potentially triggering situations, such as abortion.
Master of Fine Arts directing candidate Samwell Rose showcased “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord” from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center, attached to the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, selling out all three nights. The play follows four teenage girls living in Miami, Florida, during the 2008 presidential election.
In the play, the girls were a part of the Dead Leaders Club, which had been permanently suspended because of their fixations with controversial political leaders, such as Pablo Esobar and Sadam Hussien. Unknown to parents and other students, the DLC takes a different approach to studying these figures by summoning their ghosts.
The director of “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord,” Rose, is in their second year of their Master of Fine Arts program at IU and working toward a degree in directing. This show served as one of their required directing credits to be completed each term.
“It’s one of the best scripts I’ve ever read of a play, ever,” Rose said. “I really like how it flirts with realism and mysticism, and it’s a really dangerous play in a really juicy way as a creator.”
Rose handpicked the small group of four cast members, plus someone to pull off a sneaky appearance from Escobar. They hoped to create a safe environment for actors to build trust together.
“I reached out to all of these individuals, not just because they’re extremely talented human beings, but also because I knew that they were really empathetic, warm people who are collaborative,” Rose said.
These four students – sophomore Hassena Shabazz, junior Brynn Schwartzman and seniors Isabella Galloza and Natalie Nuñez – spent 90 uninterrupted minutes in front of the audience.
Galloza, who played Kit, said she is proud of the production because it is the first time she has acted since she was 13, rekindling her love for acting.
“I was pretty heavily bullied in middle school for being in theater, so I was not super strong willed at that age. So, I let that get to me,” Galloza said. “I quit, and I know I quit something that was really important to me. So, to be able to come back and to do something that I was really passionate about and was good at is really important to that person inside of me still.”
This was Shabazz’s first play, and she was recruited by Rose because she took their Introduction to Acting class last semester. Shabazz played the role of Squeeze.
“For it to be my first role, I think it furthers my comprehension skills and being able to understand people in different perspectives, and the idea that even if you are from different backgrounds, there’s some kind of common ground,” Shabazz said.
Shabazz views her role in the play and the experience she gained in a positive light. She plans to audition for more plays within the theater community in Bloomington.
“I’ve done something that I’ve never thought I could honestly do before,” Shabazz said.
Although these four actors had all once been teenage girls, they were not in high school in 2008. Now, 17 years later, “Our Dear Dead Drug Lord” dissects the political landscape of that time — mentioning gay marriage, Sarah Palin and the 2008 presidential election.
Megan Gray Lederman, working toward a Master of Fine Arts in dramaturg at IU, served as the dramaturg for the play and guided the cast through the political and pop-cultural references the script contained. Her role as dramaturg was to be a historical consultant for shows.
Specifically, she helped the actors gauge why Escobar was the man who held the DLC’s affections, and why they would choose to summon him.
“Pablo Escobar is, like, hot, and it’s a conversation that comes up. We went through a lot of reasons on why or why not?” Lederman said. “He has this power about him, which is very sexy but also scary.”
Additionally, Lederman guided actors through the emotional ties to events that happened in 2008. From references about the London metro attacks in 2005 to “I can see Russia from my house,” she gave guidance on which references were mocking and which were to be taken seriously.
“In 2008, there was this real feeling of hope and change,” Lederman said. “That was the whole thing that Obama ran on, this idea of hope.”
With the help of Lederman, the actors attempted to convey the references to their audience of IU students. On a deeper level, Rose said they wanted to help audiences connect with the DLC, hoping that they saw themselves reflected on stage. The actors collectively stated they wanted to make the audience feel something.
Terrence Ampey, a theater major, frequently attends and acts in IU Theater Department productions. He attended the performance Sunday to support his friends in the cast.
“I was literally in shock the entire time,” Ampey said. “What stood out to me was the abortion scene. I was like, this can’t be... they aren’t about to... then they did it.”
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify the performance is in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center.
