SPECIAL ONLY ON KNSJ
Sat 12/21 7pm, Mon 12/23 4pm, Christmas Eve 7pm, Sun 12/29 10am, New Year’s Day 2pm
LA PASTORELA DE CORAJE
San Diego County’s longest running and most popular holiday theater production.
Lucifer has made a comeback.
Once tossed from Heaven, the Prince of Darkness is planning an ambitious global revenge tour.
The good guys are ready. Armed with courage fueled by hope and love, they are prepared to push back in a big way.
“La Pastorela de Coraje” is a fresh installment of San Diego County’s longest running and most popular holiday theater production. It will air and stream free of charge in December on KNSJ 89.1 FM.
Written by Max Branscomb and Ella Aldridge, “La Pastorela de Coraje” features the best and worst of popular culture and politics from 2024 in a celestial costume party of disguises by devils eager to thwart the first Christmas and angels battling to save the day against the wicked.
Speaking of “Wicked,” Johnny Cash and June Carter battle the Wicked Green Witch, Beetlejuice and Cruella DeVille in a celestial, high stakes version of “American Idol.” The Evil Ones then return as the nasty LA Dodgers to face off against the brown and gold good guys from San Diego. The rollicking comedy also features beautiful bilingual Christmas music.
“La Pastorela de Coraje” is the 34th consecutive production of “La Pastorela.” It was produced by TMM at the Old Globe, San Diego REP and other venues until the 2020 pandemic closed down live theater. It has aired it as a radio show by Teatro Pastorela on KNSJ 89.1 FM since then.
“La Pastorela de los Coraje” is a reminder that even in challenging times people of goodwill can make a difference, said Branscomb.
“Coraje means courage, which the shepherds in the Christmas story had to find,” he said. “They were tired, hungry and cold, but they did not quit. They pushed on through their darkest moments and found success. They were able to make a difference. That’s what everyday heroes must do.”
Branscomb said the musical is a gift to the borderlands community, especially his diverse Southwestern College students who need courage to face looming challenges.
Returning as co-writer is Ella Aldridge, the gifted 16-year-old writer-actor-singer-songwriter who is a junior at the San Diego School of the Creative and Performing Arts. Aldridge was recently honored as one of San Diego County’s 25 Most Remarkable Teens by the Public Defenders Office and by San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas, who declared December 14 “Ella Aldridge Day” for her contributions to the community and K-12 performing artists. Aldridge plays the sassy teenage Archangel Gabriel.
“It is always such a pleasure to work with Ella,” Branscomb said. “She is very creative and brings so many great ideas to ‘la pastorela.’ She is a human chameleon as an actor who can morph into any character. Her Gabriel is so funny and her June Carter is killer! Our cast is so talented and that allows Ella and I to write practically anything because we know our actors can perform it.”
Aldridge said “La Pastorela de Coraje” was fun to create and perform, but its message is what matters.
“The performing arts should inspire people to think about our world and all its living things,” she said. “The arts teach us about others and encourage empathy for people who may be different than us in some ways but are alike us in the most important ways. San Diego County is wonderfully diverse and such an amazing place to live, but that comes with challenges. Our art can help us to learn how to get along with each other and walk together into our futures.”
Lucifer is played by Chantal Branscomb, a 27-year-old UC Irvine Theater Arts graduate. She was a professional child voiceover actor who can do scores of voices. She is the choreographer for the Bonita Vista High School Music Machine and Sound Unlimited show choirs as well as regional dance companies. She first played Lucifer as a sixth grader in a production of “La Pastorela” at Sunnyside Elementary School in Bonita. She is also the lead singer of most of the songs in this year’s show.
David Rivas returns as Vato Satan, the character he honed on stage at the Old Globe and San Diego REP. Rivas is a popular voiceover actor on animated series and video games, including “Star Trek.” He is a busy stage actor as well as host of “Your Spotlight” on KNSJ and a voice talent for the station. Dave makes “La Pastorela” possible with his engineering and editing talents.
Alexis Luna (Michael the Archangel) is an SDSU graduate in Music Studies. He is a sought-after bass who performs with the Coronado Community Church and other choirs. He is the piano accompanist for the BVHS Vocal Music Department and the keytarist for the prog band Appease the Skeleton. Luna also conducts professional and academic choirs.
Gifted 14-year-old Syara Platero is the cast’s other prodigy. She plays Moloch, the mouthy juvenile delinquent devil. A freshman at Bonita Vista High School, Platero is the 2024 Chula Vista Speech Competition champion and a BVHS volleyball player.
Veteran San Diego actor Vanessa Lopez returns as Menga, the grumpy shepherdess who undergoes a spiritual transformation during the journey. Menga represents the fear and doubt we all must overcome to reach our potential.
Branscomb said Teatro Pastorela enjoys its relationship with KNSJ and the support of the San Diego County Community Enhancement Program funding provided by Supervisor Nora Vargas.
“CE funding allows us to create a free-of-charge holiday show that can be enjoyed by working class families and people with mobility challenges,” he said. “Unfortunately, not everyone in our region can afford to attend live theater, so we offer our radio version of ‘la pastorela’ as a holiday gift to our entire community.”
