Downieville Students Perform “Driving Me Crazy” Play

DOWNIEVILLE — Early last Friday evening, the Downieville Jr/Sr High School Drama Club took the stage at the Yuba Theatre to perform “You’re Driving Me Crazy,” a collection of four short comedies about students and driver training.

During the opening scene, members of the audience watched an unlicensed instructor, Mr. Pinkley (played by Chris Nevarez) - who had never driven an automobile - while he failed in his attempt to train a student (played by Cosmo Carr without a dress or wig) on what to do behind the steering wheel.

In the second sketch, Carr acted out the role of the driving instructor, Mr. Sanchez, while the student driver, Ben (played by Kyler Ledesma), was being distracted by another student and an ex-girlfriend, Ashley (Abbey Daniel), who was sitting in the back seat of the instructor’s vehicle.

Then, after a brief intermission, Jackson Stringer, in the role of instructor Mr. Granville, was “driven crazy” by his inability to compete with the smartphone his student (Kendra, played by Abbey Daniel) constantly put to use.

In the closing scene, Stringer again played the driving instructor (this time named Mr. Van De Groot), and Daniel played Brooke (the student). But this time, the instructor didn’t have to contend with a smartphone. No, De Groot was “driven crazy” by the antics of Brooke’s Mom (Kyler Ledesma in a nice dress), her sister, Little Susie (Khloe Knoeffler), and her grandma (Cosmo Carr, also wearing gender-bending attire).

The kids, all from the junior high school wing of Downieville’s school, had much more stage presence than should be expected from such youthful actors. Yes, the Director, Siobhan Markee, had to provide a few prompts from her front-row seat, and some of the lines, as is true with most amateur thespians, could have been delivered more slowly. But, overall, the production, sponsored by the Sierra County Arts Council and aided by sound and lighting effects delivered by Colin O’Mara-Green and Stephanie Villa, was a resounding success. We are definitely looking forward to seeing this Drama Club present more productions.