Where to Drop Off Your Ballot • Cabrillo Stage Presents A Fresh Take on a Familiar Story: ‘Grease’, By Mindy Pedlar

COMMUNITY NEWS

Where to Drop Off Your Ballot

Ballots have already been mailed to Santa Cruz County voters for the June 7 election, and the Elections Department has set up 24-hour drop boxes at the following locations: • Aptos — Resurrection Church, 7600

Soquel Drive. • Aptos — Cabrillo College parking lot

R by stadium, 3732 Cabrillo College

Dr. • Aptos — Polo Grounds near the dog park, 2255 Huntington Drive • Ben Lomond — Highlands Park, 8500

Highway 9 • Boulder Creek — Community Church, 12465 Highway 9 • Capitola — 420 Capitola Ave. in the

City Hall parking lot • Capitola — Mall parking lot, 1855 41st

Ave., near Capitola Rd entrance • Capitola — Library, 2005 Wharf Road • Corralitos — Community Center - 35

Browns Valley Road • Felton — Covered Bridge Park parking lot, Mt. Hermon and Graham Hill Road • Los Gatos — Summit Store, 24197

Summit Road • Santa Cruz — 701 Ocean St. in front of the County Government Center • Santa Cruz — 212 Church St. in the public parking lot #16 • Santa Cruz — UCSC Quarry Plaza • Scotts Valley — 1 Civic Center Drive in the City Hall parking lot • Watsonville — 316 Rodriguez St in municipal public parking lot 14 • Watsonville — County Health Center parking lot, 1432 Freedom Blvd.

Other options include: • Return your ballot in person before and including Election Day at the

County Elections Office or any of the

City Clerks’ offices. • Return it to a voter service center, open Saturday, May 28, to Tuesday,

June 7. • Mail it so it is received on time — ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received by June 14 will be considered received on time. n •••

Information: https://www.votescount.us/ Home/Elections/June2022CaliforniaPrimaryElection/BallotDropBoxes.aspx

Cabrillo Stage Presents A Fresh Take on a Familiar Story: ‘Grease’

By Mindy Pedlar

Cassie Nordgren directs and choreographs Cabrillo Stage’s summer production of Grease. She comes from a very musical family. Not only are her father and uncles musicians, her mother owns and operates an acclaimed dance academy near Oakland.

Cassie took her first official dance class at age 3, but she began giving recitals at home as soon as she could walk.

In Cassie’s words, “Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I think I first realized my love of storytelling on stage in 7th grade when I was cast as Clara in The Nutcracker. It was my first time being on stage for more than a 3-minute song, and I LOVED it. I am not sure if I fully recognized Clara’s character arc at that point in my theatrical journey, but I remember enjoying being a character as much as dancing a character.”

When asked which choreography award has been most meaningful, she replied that it’s more about the project than the award.

“I have twice had the opportunity to collaborate with Michael Butler, the former

artistic director of Center REP in Walnut Creek,” she explained. “He is wonderfully quirky and creative. I was brought in to choreograph transitions on David Ives’ adaptation of The Liar. Under Michael’s direction, I got to choreograph these wildly fun scene changes that turned the cast into rock stars using ‘60s French pop songs, all while moving pieces of scenery. To receive an “Outstanding Choreography” nomination by Theatre Bay Area for my work on the transitions in that play was just the cherry on top of an extremely rewarding experience. “ Cassie also is an accomCassie Nordgren plished director in the process of obtaining a master’s degree in directing from Baylor University. In describing her artistic vision for Grease, Cassie says, “There are two big ideas guiding this production. The first is nostalgia. Most people don’t know this, but the script of Grease actually starts at a high school reunion with Miss Lynch, Eugene, and Patty welcoming everyone and reminiscing about the years gone by. It’s a weak framing device, but I have chosen not to cut it because I think it is a great reminder that this show is looking back in time, at an era when life was simple and music was rockin.’ There are some things that the characters do or say in this show that we as humans living in 2022 wouldn’t do or say today. The second idea is acceptance. Universally, that is what high school is about, right? Learning to accept yourself and doing crazy things so others will accept you.

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