47th annual Bonitafest Melodrama 'Thin Skins and Hayseeds'

47th Bonitafest Melodrama: September 25-28

Bonitafest Melodrama “Thin Skins and Hayseeds” Recalls the Great Sweetwater Valley Flood

South County’s 47th annual Bonitafest Melodrama will look a lot like the first.

“Thin Skins and Hayseeds,” the popular musical-comedy produced as the first ever Melodrama in 1978, returns in September, freshened up and still rich with South Bay history. It is the true story of the epic Sweetwater Valley Flood of 1916 sprinkled with poetic license, including a dash of “Romeo and Juliet.”

“Thin Skins and Hayseeds” runs September 25-28 at the Sweetwater Church Theater, 5305 Sweetwater Road. Curtain time is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available by calling (619) 850-7126.

“The flooding of the Sweetwater and Otay Valleys in January 1916 remain the most remarkable historical events of this region,” said Bonitafest Melodrama Artistic Director Max Branscomb, a journalism professor at Southwestern College. “Weeks of epic rain caused the Sweetwater Dam to wash out and the Otay Dam to fail. Hundreds of people were killed and everything in the path of the water was destroyed.”

Though the backdrop of the story was a dark moment in South County history, Branscomb said the production is driven by catchy songs and abundant humor…not to mention some “star cross’d lovers” from a pair of feuding farm families.

“It is definitely a fun family show that we hope will leave our audiences humming the tunes and curious about our region’s amazing history,” Branscomb said.

The Bonitafest Melodrama debuted in 1978 and is now San Diego County’s longest-running theatrical production. Branscomb – then a 20-year-old SDSU journalism student – teamed with 26-year-old Bonita Vista Junior High School drama teacher Loren Lindsey to create the original production. It was staged in a rented circus tent pitched on Bonita Road at the site of what is now the Bonita-Sunnyside Library.

“We literally had hay bales on the stage and straw on the dirt floor,” Branscomb recalled. “It was low budget and absent of any real production values, but people liked the story and the songs. Loren and I thought it was going to be a one-off project, but here we are 47 years later still creating shows about our community.”

Branscomb extended the original script in 1984 and updated it again this year with the assistance of gifted 16-year-old actor-singer-writer Ella Aldridge, a Bonita native and junior at the San Diego School of the Creative and Performing Arts. Aldridge also stars as Sadie, the Juliet-tinged lemon farmer’s daughter.

“It was fun to contribute some ideas and new moments to the show,” said Aldridge, who performed in “Thin Skins and Hayseeds” as a 10-year-old in 2018. “This was one of my first shows. I am so happy for the opportunity to play Sadie. I’ve wanted to since I saw Shae-Linn Carr play her so well in 2018.”

Aldridge was the title character in last year’s Melodrama, “Ms. Sweetwater Valley” and played the chameleonic teenage Archangel Gabriel in the 2023 Christmas comedy “La Pastorela de los Transfronterizos” which aired on KNSJ radio and streamed to cities across the United States and Canada. Aldridge also co-wrote the rhyming script. She received glowing reviews for her impersonations of Barbie and Taylor Swift. This summer she played the title role in the Disney musical “The Little Mermaid.”

“Everybody should come watch Ella now so you can say ‘I saw her when…’,” Branscomb said. “She’s a real talent.”

Southwestern College student Trevor Braaten plays opposite Aldridge as Buck Gurnsey, the son of a lima bean farmer. Evil villains Cadwell Von Fowl and Lickpenny are played by Kaede Muller, Tim Evans and Donavan Hash. Syara Platero and Evelyn Sugapong are Carmelita and Lee, the storytellers. Sofia Petroulias plays Helen Bookmiser, the lonely schoolteacher.

Other featured members of the cast include Tanya Carr, Alexis Luna, Lily Hobson, Isla Hobson, Randy Phillips, Malachi Veglia, Shay Alexander, Dalia Candelario, Mackenzie Koeppen, Estrella Luna, Brissamar Luna, Caleigh Miller, Lorenzo Malatag, Rose Ingram and Keira Sugapong.

Ken Santillan is the musical director. Alexis Luna is the vocal director. Musicians are Patrick Noyes, Karl Muller, Keiler Avery and Michaelangelo Campos. Kerie Muller is the producer and stage manager.

The Bonitafest Melodrama has been honored for theatrical excellence, providing opportunities for underrepresented performing artists, promoting community, teaching history and reflecting multiculturalism. It is funded in part by the San Diego County Community Enhancement Program.

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