MONTE VISTA —The Church Project owner Madeleine Ahlborn was all smiles on the second night of the opening of the community play at her building.
The play, “Knocking on the Devil’s Door,” was the first to be held at the Church Project and was a riveting experience from beginning to end. Ahlborn was happy with the turnout of around 27 people for the play.
“It’s very exciting, seeing all of this really happening and coming to life. The cast has been practicing for about a month, and they are super excited to be putting this play on for everyone tonight,” she said.
“Knocking on the Devil’s Door” was written and directed by Isaac Anthony Sisneros, a resident of Monte Vista. Sisneros also portrays the play’s lead character “Tony”.
Sisneros was a theatre major and received a bachelor’s in theatre. Sisneros said he wants to continue writing and directing for the rest of his life.
“I originally wrote and directed the show for my senior thesis at Adams State University,” he said.
Sisneros said that for anyone that has seen the play, he can guarantee that it is completely different this go-around. The play is set in the town of Monte Vista and was originally written that way. Sisneros will soon be leaving the San Luis Valley, but would like to thank Ahlborn, and the cast and team for helping him reproduce the play for Monte Vista. Sisneros said that the play is his goodbye to the town of Monte Vista, which was wonderful, but also not so wonderful at times.
The play is a real account of what could happen to a child growing up in a small town. The lead character Tony begins his story with two friends, Rodney and Melvin, who are played by Benjamin Alexander as Rodney and Carson Phillip Leaf as Melvin.
Melvin is a motivated person, and talks with Tony about his inspirations, and his dreams of writing a book, and going to college, while Rodney wants Tony to get into his lifestyle, which is a gang lifestyle selling drugs and being a gang member.
In the play, Tony’s smokes marijuana, and did recently break up with his childhood and high school sweetheart, Carmen, because he attended a party with his friend Rodney, became intoxicated and ended up cheating on Carmen, who is played by Ash Fox. After losing his girlfriend, he considers not finishing a book that he is writing or going to college and considers the gang lifestyle.
In the play, Tony goes through memories of his relationship with Carmen, when they first started dating and fell in love.
Tony goes to Carmen’s house to apologize for cheating, but ends up with Carmen telling him to leave, and Carmen’s dad Devin showing up and telling Tony to leave.
As the play progresses, Rodney further pushes Tony to become part of his gangster lifestyle and sell drugs, while Melvin continues to plead with Tony not to do it, and to stick to pursuing his dreams by going to college and finishing his book.
Tony sits and after thinking about everything, is leaning toward the gangster lifestyle, until Carmen shows up and tells him she wants to forgive him, because she found out she is pregnant with his baby and wants to try to get back together and have the baby with him.
Tony tells Melvin that he decided not to become a gangster and decided to pursue his dreams and go to college. Melvin is happy for Tony, but when Tony tells Rodney, Rodney gets upset, and shoots and kills Tony.
Carmen’s dad Devin, who is played by Nathan Pooler, becomes angry when he hears of Tony dying and wants to avenge Tony’s death, and with Melvin’s help, they find Rodney and a fight ensues until they kill Rodney.
The end of the play shows Rodney waking up, in the afterlife and seeing Tony and telling him he remembers killing him, with Tony saying that it’s not Rodney’s hell that he is in, he is in his own personal afterlife hell. The play also shows Carmen crying at the end, and trying to figure out life by herself, with a baby to raise alone.
The play shows what can happen to anyone if they continue to knock on the devil’s door, according to Sisneros.
Cast member Benjamin Alexander, who played Rodney, said that it was fun playing the bad guy.
Pooler said that he enjoyed playing Carmen’s dad but admits to being a little nervous at first.
Leaf, who played Melvin, said that he enjoyed doing the play, and felt it had real scenes.
Ash, who played Carmen, said that her favorite part was working alongside some of her closest friends.
Sisneros was proud of his play, his directing, and the successful production of the play.
The actors said they were excited about doing the play at the Church Project.
Stage manager and assistant director Caitie Adams said that the Church Project has “a lot of potential, and she cannot wait to see it grow.”
Ahlborn thanked the actors and the audience.
“I aspire to help the arts grow. Ninety percent of the revenue generated tonight, and every night this play is performed, goes back to the performers. I want to make it happen for them, by helping to jumpstart their careers in the performing arts,” Ahlborn said.
