DRAMA PRODUCTION
- Name
- Russell (Tres) Dean
- Position
- Performing Arts Department Chair, Musical Theatre & Stage Tech Director
- Send email
- Other
- Russell (Tres) Dean, originally from the mighty metropolis of Tutor Key, Kentucky, has written, directed, and performed for Disney, Norwegian Cruise Lines, The Groundlings, iO West, The Comedy Central Stage, TMI Hollywood, and regional theaters across the country. He is currently the Director of the Louie Armstrong Middle School Musical Theatre and Stage Direction Production program. While at Louie Armstrong, he has directed, co-written or adapted the main stage productions of Once Upon A Time, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Mysterious Creatures, Sketch, The Princess and the Pea, and Jack. Prior to coming to Louie Armstrong, he was the Director of Theatre and Assistant Professor of Theatre at College of the Desert in Palm Desert, CA. Some of his other previous directing credits include productions of A Flea in Her Ear, The Happiest Days of Your Life, All in the Timing, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Will Any Gentleman?, Buried Child, The Rocky Horror Show, Is He Dead?, Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, Jack, The Secret Garden, Lysistrata Sings the Blues, P.S. I Love You Hair, Beyond Therapy, 'Dentity Crisis, The Tarantino Variations, Medea, Antigone, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tempest, and Vanya, Sonia, Masha, & Spike. As a performer, Tres has appeared in such roles as Leo Bloom (The Producers), Banquo (Macbeth), Huckleberry Finn (Big River), Barney Cashman (Last of the Red Hot Lovers), Arles & Company (Greater Tuna), The Tin Man (The Wizard of Oz), King Herod (Jesus Christ Superstar), Hero (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Banjo (The Man Who Came to Dinner), Jacquot (Carnival), Billy Bibbit (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest), and Bob Cratchit (A Christmas Carol). He has appeared in both short and feature films including Shakespeare’s Cat, Dirty Souls, The Latest Thing, L.A. Paranormal, The Green Fairy, A Crooked Somebody, and the Sci-Fi channel originals Mind Blown and Doomsday Device. He is the Co-Artistic Director of A Prima Vista Productions with his beautiful and talented wife, Noemi. They live in L.A. with their children Viktorria, Miles, Christian, and Miranda.
WELCOME!
Welcome to the Award-Winning Millikan Drama Production Program! Aligned with the California State Standards, this course is designed to provide advanced theory and practical application of stage and film acting techniques, advanced theatre history, character development, improvisation, movement, monologue preparation & performance, and scene study. The students will also use their skills in analyzing, visualization, play-writing, scene study, and performance preparation, while increasing their working knowledge of theatre and academic specific vocabulary. Students will also focus on acting genres and styles including Greek, Shakespeare, and pre-1920’s styles. This course also provides students with the opportunity to participate in the Spring Theatrical Production along with the Drama Teachers’ Association of Southern California Fall and Shakespeare Festivals.
DOWNLOAD THE DRAMA PRODUCTION AUDITION APPLICATION BELOW:
Past
Productions
Fall 2020
MACBETH
A post-apocalyptic world
plays host to one of
Shakespeare’s most popular
and wicked tragedies. It’s the
infamous chronicle of a
once brave hero’s fall from
grace, through spellbound
seduction and the
unrestrained pursuit of power.
Shakespeare’s study of
ambition leads us from
Macbeth’s most glorious
victory
to the bloody assassination
that gains him the crown, and
the final decisions that cost
him his soul and ultimate
demise. Though Macbeth’s
ambitions are powerful, it is
Lady Macbeth whose
ruthlessness sets off a
string of murders that
unravels the merciless
coupleinto all-consuming
guilt and paranoia.
MYSTERIOUS CREATURES
Truth is stranger than fiction, yet people are stranger than truth. In order to investigate these epiphanies and more, the Millikan Middle School Drama Production Department presents Mysterious Creatures: Twisted Tales of Life, Love, & Madness.
Inspired by the works of master comedic playwrights David Ives, Shel Silverstein, and Christopher Durang, this hysterical production features a diversely irreverent cornucopia of stories that delve into the most basic needs and desires of earth’s most mysterious creatures – humans. It’s an absurdly witty, romantic, wicked little romp through the many different layers of the human condition.
SKETCH
Things are about to get very sketchy on the campus of Millikan Middle School as the Drama Production Department presents SKETCH: A Madcap Comedylive and living color! Inspired by shows such as Saturday Night Live, Mad TV, and In Living Color, the production will feature a raucous blend of original sketch comedy, music, and dance. With special tributes to the comedy of Abbott & Costello and George Carlin, the show promises to be one of the rowdiest (and most unique) theatre going experiences of the year!
In a laugh-out-loud, updated version of this classic story, a young, out-of-sorts prince finds himself thrust into the daunting challenge of finding a bride. A spiteful enchantress, however, hatches an evil plan in hopes of altering the prince’s future and gaining control of the kingdom.
SPRING 2016
JACK
In this updated version of the timeless classic, a young girl (interestingly enough named Jack) is determined to leave childhood behind and, in turn, is slowly losing the ability to tap into her imagination until she finds herself magically trapped in the story of Jack and his magic beans. The only way out of the story is to become the title character, slay the Giant and rescue the Queen, or stay trapped in the fairy tale world forever. You thought you knew the fairy tale, but you don’t know Jack.