An out-of-this-world play filled with heroics, crazy wigs and a grand battle of good versus evil is debuting in Tucson this weekend at the Live Theatre Workshopβs Childrenβs Theatre.
The heartfelt satirical show, βNo Other Nemesis,β written and musically composed by 17-year-old playwright Catherine Oda breaks tradition at the local theaterΒ β it's the first play written by aΒ teenΒ playwright to debut in the childrenβs regular theatrical season.Β
Most productions at the childrenβs theater are written by adult, professional playwrights within the community and filled with prerecorded music tracks. βNo Other Nemesisβ will feature live music played by Oda herself when the show opens on Jan. 28.
βThere are the short plays that end up being produced within the Young Playwrights (competition) and the fact that βNo Other Nemesisβ made it to our regular children's theater season is really the exception,β said David Ragland, Live Theatre Workshopβs marketing and communications director. βLike, this does not happen. This is the first time that it has ever happened.β
For Oda, Live Theatre Workshop has been a constant throughout her childhood as she and her siblings have been involved with the theater from a young age. She actually wrote the first draft ofΒ βNo Other Nemesisβ four years ago.
βI've been doing theater for longer than I can remember,β she said.
Catherine Oda gives the audience directions on how to react to the villain in a scene from the play βNo Other Nemesis.β Oda, 17, wrote both the script and the music for the play.
Oda originally submitted βNo Other Nemesisβ for the childrenβs theaterβs Young Playwrights of Tucson competition β an annual competition where local students from sixth to 12th grade submit original plays for a shot of having them produced during a week-long workshop, versus Oda's that was selected to be put on during the regular season.
Last year, Live Theatre Workshop received between 45 and 50 submissions and approved six of those submissions for production, according to Amanda Gremel, Live Theatre Workshopβs director of childrenβs programming.
βWhen she submitted βNo Other Nemesis,β I instantly knew that could be one of our shows,β she said. βShe didn't even know at the time that she writes in our genre β it's a children's theater show that can be fun for all ages. And Catherine is such a smart and witty playwright that there was no way I was gonna not have this show someday on our stage.β
Odaβs play revolves around a couple of characters β a heroic alien and karate expert played by Gremel and a villainous doctor played by Holli Diffin, whose rocky relationship is put to the limits when a new villain arrives in the city they are constantly fighting over, according to Live Theatre Workshopβs website. Odaβs sister, Claire, has a role in the production, too.
βI love this show a lot,β Oda said. βIt has a special place in my heart because this was actually, I think, the first play that I ever finished, the first draft I submitted to the very first Young Playwrights like four years ago. And so the process of coming up with this show was just like, βI think that more children's plays should be about superheroes.β So I wrote a superhero show and then it got selected (in the competition). ... And then it sort of gradually turned into an entire musical about the power of friendship and punches.β
Space Lady, played by Amanda Gremel, lays a punch on Dr. V, Holli Diffin, in a scene from βNo Other Nemesisβ during a rehearsal.
Oda worked on the script for βNo Other Nemesisβ on and off for around four to five months with the assistance of mentors at the theater who helped her evolve the storyβs plot. Since her time with the theater, she has written over 15 short plays.
Although βNo Other Nemesisβ was written and composed by a teenager (soon-to-be adult) and features βsilly tropes of wacky wild villains and over-the-top heroes,β Oda said, the production isnβt just for kids but for the whole family.
βI am really proud of this show,β she said. βAnd I know that anyone who goes to see it will have a great time because it's a great time with the actors and our amazing director and the stage manager and it's live music, which is always really fun. So, I'm really nervous, but I'm also super excited. And I know that all the hard work that everyone's done will pay off.β
Odaβs play is set to run from Jan. 28 to Feb. 12 at the Live Theatre Workshopβs Childrenβs Theatre, located at 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road.
The theater has gone through a few changes over the last couple of years β most notably, a venue change in 2020 from its previous location on Speedway.
The Masqueraider, played by Gianbari Deebom, left, and Claire Oda as Toby/Reporter in a scene from "No Other Nemesis" at the Live Theatre Workshop's Children's Theatre on Jan. 25, 2023.
But something that hasnβt changed over its 20-year history is providing a stage and second home for those who are passionate about all things theater.
βI've seen potential in Catherine ever since she walked through our doors,β Gremel said. βShe talks about being shy and when I started at Live Theatre Workshop as a senior in high school, I was very introverted (too). And once you catch that theater bug, it's in you for life, you don't get rid of that bug. And with Catherine, I could tell she was maybe a little bit shy. But once we got going, she soon really came out of her shell and started to show us her personality, which is lovely and delightful.β
Oda plans to attend the University of Arizona to study creative writing and film after she graduates from high school this spring. She hopesΒ to work on childrenβs television shows once sheβs done with college.
βI have addressed before how kind of shy and antisocial I was and theater hasn't really changed my personality a lot,β Oda said. βBut it's really helped me find where I fit within this amazing opportunity. Because at first, I was acting and that was amazing. It really helped with my confidence as a speaker and as just a person in life. But what I really love is how I found a place that is perfect for me as someone who is not necessarily the person who wants to be in the spotlight, where I get to write and I get to help behind the scenes. So something that theater has really taught me is how to fit every role, but also how to find the role that was specifically almost curated for you as a person.β
If you go
What: βNo Other NemesisβΒ written and musically composed by Catherine Oda.
Where: Live Theatre Workshopβs Childrenβs Theatre, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road.
When: 5 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 4 and 11; 1 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 29, Feb. 5 and 12.
Cost: $10 per child, $12 per adult. COVID-19 guidelines can be found here.
For more information, visit the theater's website.
Catherina Oda, 17, is a local teen playwright who has been composing plays since she was a child. She has written over 15 short plays, including "No Other Nemesis" which debuts at Live Theatre Workshop in Tucson this weekend.
