Under the stage lights, the 5C theater community comes together to tell stories to packed audiences. But once the curtain falls, the connections between the artists who bring those stories to life often fades with it.
Every year, the Pomona College Department of Theatre produces four shows in Seaver Theatre, in addition to the many different shows that student-run groups produce — Spotlight produces a musical every semester, and the Claremont Chinese Theatre Group puts on a wide range of Chinese shows.
Yet, outside of individual productions, the theater community at the 5Cs often feels siloed.
“There is obviously a very thriving theater community at the 5Cs,” Leo Friedman PO ’27 said. “But it feels disjointed. You have the musical theater kids, you have the people who like plays, department shows [or] student theater, and different groups arise from each show.”
This year, Friedman and Dew Tienwadee Tungkaplin PZ ’27 have decided to address this gap. Two dedicated theater majors who have each directed student productions, Friedman and Tungkaplin set out to create a space for theater artists to connect. This semester, they launched Offstage, a club focused on building a community for students interested in theater at the 5Cs.
Offstage hosts social events for theater lovers, most recently an open mic night on Sept. 15. They are also planning trips into Los Angeles to see theatrical productions, attend professional development sessions and much more.
Friedman and Tungkaplin created the club with the broader theater community in mind.
“The goal and the hope and the dream of this is that it could be a space where people could have a reason to go meet other theatermakers without committing to a two-month process of doing a show,” Tungkaplin said.
“The goal and the hope and the dream of this is that it could be a space where people could have a reason to go meet other theatermakers without committing to a two-month process of doing a show,” Tungkaplin said.
Getting more involved in the Southern California theater scene is also a priority for the leaders, who feel professional opportunities are somewhat lacking in the current 5C theater space. Tungkaplin emphasized the challenge of Claremont’s distance from LA as well as difficulties navigating public transportation in Southern California.
“I feel like we are very isolated from the entire theater ecosystem,” Tungkaplin said.
Offstage plans to help bridge that gap by offering students the chance to go see productions outside of the local area.
“Seeing theater does help you become a better theatermaker, and some people just like going to see shows,” Tungkaplin said. “They just like to see theater. So it will benefit them too.”
This coming Saturday, they’re leading a trip to watch a production of Jaclyn Backhaus’ play “Wives,” put on by East West Players, an Asian American theater organization in LA.
Offstage has received a very warm welcome from the broader 5C theater community. Thanks to the graphic design and social media skills of Tungkaplin, who also makes content for the official Pomona theater department Instagram page, they were able to get the word out about their club right away.
“So many people came towards this new idea and were excited about it pretty immediately,” Friedman said. “It surprised me how much support we got so quickly from the theater community for this new club, and I think it just shows that this was something that people needed.”
The community concurs. Josh Mercer PO ’28, a theater major, has found the opportunities to connect with off-campus theater to be both fun and educational. He recently performed at Offstage’s open mic.
“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity for contact with the outside world,” Mercer said. “[Offstage] provides a really important connection to the actual professional world of theater, which, as a theater student, is really important to supplement the academic things we do here on campus.”
Mercer, who spends much of his time working on student theater productions, noted that he was excited to see people from all different branches of 5C theater coming together to support each other.
For Offstage, that sense of connection is not limited to performances. The organization also aims to help students build the professional skills and networks they will carry beyond the 5Cs, hearing from seasoned voices both in and outside of the Claremont community.
“The community can have the chance to hear from someone outside the community, but also [from] theater majors who are seniors right now,” Friedman said of the club’s planned professional development sessions. “To see what they’ve done, and how the people coming up to that space can get ahead on what they need to do.”
However, Offstage is certainly not just for those who wish to pursue theater professionally. Students with interest in any area of theater are welcome and encouraged to participate, whether that’s performing at an open mic, signing up to go see a show in LA or participating in any of the other opportunities the club looks forward to offering.
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