Geek! High School Edition
at Tesoro

Reviewed on November 14, 2019

Catlinh Phan
Mission Viejo
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies

"Geek!"ing Out at Tesoro's Con
written by Catlinh Phan, a junior at Mission Viejo High School

"Geek!" follows the journey of two adventurous cosplayers attending Ohio's Dante's Fire-Con, Danya (Montana Wood) and Honey (Brooke Semelsberger), whose dreams are to meet their favorite manga creator, Samagashi (Sarah Dao). While there, they are forced to face their personal demons. "Geek!" at Tesoro captures the true power of acceptance and friendship that unite people.

Fiona Meehan embodies her villainous persona through her character Gwen. Strutting in scarlet heels and head held high with confidence, she emphasizes Gwen's spiteful attitude thus capturing attention. Meehan adds a wide range of layers to her character, making her one of the realist characters in this production.

Along with the cast comes Squeaker, played by Hunter Keene, who inevitably becomes one of the most lovable characters in "Geek!". With excellent comedic timing during the dark and melancholic scenes, Keene impressively embodies his character through his emphasized physicality, mannerisms and a costume that almost covers his entire body.

The creepy, doll-like Amanda Shea exquisitely captures the essence of Miss Cosy through her clean, robotic movements with a consistent high-pitched, anime voice, filling the room with energy and smiles. Shea personifies evilness in Miss Cosy when Danya and Honey try to surpass her.

With a serious, passionate persona, the Announcer (Luke Schoettger) wonderfully presents himself with an abundance of energy, stealing the spotlight every time he steps onto the stage. With his animated gestures, Schoettger hilariously mimics George Lucas and Samuel L. Jackson, entertaining and pumping up the audience.

Filling the room with pep and energy are the Steampunk Lieutenants and their Army who rise above in their first introduction where they are seen rapping. The Steampunk ensemble is a vital factor to the story, fantastically adding on to the intensity of the show and creating the environment of a con.

The costumes are wonderfully designed and made by Tesoro's Costume Design. Each piece sets the mood and environment of a con, elaborately portrays the personality of each character, big or small, and distinguishes each individual character from one another. The costumes fill the stage with vibrant colors which florescence when lights are flashed.

Tesoro's "Geek!" is a cohesive thrilling experience filled with intensity, radiance, and dazzle.

Maya Romero
Laguna Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Tesoro's "Geek!" Isn't Cosplaying Around!
written by Maya Romero, a senior at Laguna Hills High School

Cosplay, an anime convention, and the grief of losing a loved one magically combine in "Geek!", a contemporary and heartwarming show. When avid cosplayer Ellen takes her own life, her sister, Honey, and best friend, Danya, decide to attend an anime convention in Ellen's honor and deliver a gift to her favorite anime manga write, Samagashi.

From the beginning, Danya, played by Montana Wood, has a fiery personality that is evident through her strong character choices. Her excited outbursts and quick movements make her stand out on stage. However, as the show progresses and Danya must deal with the emotions of losing her friend, Wood uses soft gestures to show her vulnerability and grief.

Contrasting Danya is lovable Honey, played by Brooke Semelsberg. Her youthful personality and naivety come out as she excitedly moves onstage. On top of her accurate portrayal of a young teenager, Semelsberg is also skillfully able to show the pain Honey feels from the loss of her sister. Although they are two very different emotions, Semelsberg perfectly captures both the joy and grief of her character.

Wonderful physicality and a strong comedic presence is delivered from Squeaker (Hunter Keene) from the moment he steps onstage. Although he is covered in a large, dome shaped costume with nothing but feet visible, his large movements and animated gestures make his endearing character hilarious as well.

The costumes for this show create the extravagant yet accurate atmosphere of an anime convention. Characters such as Squeaker have bright, large, and detailed costumes, representing the truly dedicated cosplayers, while others onstage simply wear convention t-shirts and lanyards, showing the different levels of involvement a convention would have.

Stage manager Carly Sherman ensures the execution of the show is perfect. Although there are hundreds of cues to call, she makes sure each one is precisely timed, allowing for a cohesive performance that matches the fast paced feeling of a real anime convention.

Tesoro's Geek! uses clear choices and precision to create a surreal experience that is the perfect mix of real emotions and larger than life comedy.

Katie Romero
Laguna Hills
Submitted for publication to OC Cappies Facebook

Last day of Fire-Con at Tesoro High School
written by Katie Romero, a senior at Laguna Hills High School

"Geek!" Follows the journey of Danya and Honey as they battle their way through the floors of Fire-Con to show anime creator Samagashi the videos they made with Ellen, the friend and sister they lost to suicide. While there are numerous hilarious moments, Tesoro's production addresses profound themes about friends, enemies, and coping with loss.

Danya, played by Montana Wood, is Ellen's fiery best friend. Shifting from a tooth-bearing snarl and a firm fighting stance with tight fists and bouncing toes, ready to pounce in the blink of an eye, to a collapse on the floor, head buried in knees, sobbing softly, Wood beautifully captures Danya's emotional battle to understand Ellen's decision.

Brooke Semelsberger portrayed Ellen's adorable little sister, Honey. Semelsberger embodies jovial youth and innocence by always walking close behind Danya with short, eager steps. She listens with wide eyes and a soft smile to everyone, and frequently reacts by striking anime peace poses with a smooth delivery that reveals how carefully Honey practiced in the mirror.

The electronic Fire-Con guide, Miss Cosy, is played by Amanda Shea. Shea breaks each motion down into individual steps. Each step is quick and jerks to a sudden stop for a split second before initiating the next step. Her voice follows a repetitive cadence and each sentence ends in a high pitch with a giggle. Shea's astounding execution makes her appear as though she were truly programmed.

Costume designers Sam Lapp, Faith Moore, Kellie Petrosian, and Kendall Wood created beautiful costumes with bright colors and creative crafting to show how each character planned their Fire-Con costume. The Steampunk Army dressed in dark, sweeping clothing with bright gold gears incorporated onto their hats and jackets. The devils all wore black and blood red, but their wings and shoes varied from soft to angular to reflect their ages.

The set, designed by Brenna Alexander, Allie Bierman, Carly Sherman, and Caitlyn Wilt, truly transported the characters to Fire-Con. The dark platforms had neon lines bursting out at various angles to mimic anime battle scenes. Large panels were suspended from cables and brilliantly used as portals, elevator doors, and walls. The half static, half moving approach lent itself extremely well to portraying floors that were clearly different, but part of the same building.

Tesoro's entertaining production of Geek! is an exciting, memorable journey through Fire-Con, friendship, and understanding.