From poetry to freestyle rap, annual showcase celebrates Toros’ creativity.
By Luis Diaz, Staff Reporter
When “The S#!t Show” began at CSUDH in 2020, it was a space for traditionally marginalized voices in the arts. Four years later, the showcase has become one of campus’ most outlandish displays of student talent.
The Oct. 23 event at the Edison Theatre brought together music, poetry, dance and comedy in a night of creativity and community. Organized by the Theatre Arts Department, Equality Task Force, and CSUDH Forensics Team, the show aims to be a celebration of inclusivity and self-expression.
“Our department created the Equality Task Force to really look for ways to make sure we were serving the students in our departments who were from underrepresented groups,” said Shaunte’ Caraballo, theatre arts professor and CSUDH Forensics coach.
Theatre Arts professor Jozben Barrett, who last month directed the play “Clyde’s” to open the fall production season, offered opening remarks. Barrett described the ethos of the performance “as sh– or the sh–,” adding that the student performers not only represented the Theatre Department but the campus at-large.
“We want to give people a space, where they can feel free to do what they love without judgement,” Barrett explained. “Giving voice, visibility and a place where people can come together and have fun as a DH community.”
The afternoon opened with Courtney Brooks, a senior business marketing and dance student, performing the song “In My Bed” by the R&B group Dru Hill. It was Brooks’ third time taking the stage at the showcase.
“I grew up singing and dancing,” Brooks told The Bulletin. “I always knew how to sing and how to dance, and it came from seeing my mom and dad.”
Other performances included a poem by Melissa Jimenez about her family, and a tribute to the late pop icon Michael Jackson by Joshua Zuniga. The showcase concluded with student rapper Chandler King, who performed an original song and encouraged the audience to wave the flashlights on their phones.
The fall “S#!t Show” will be the last held in the Edison Theatre, according to organizers. The event will be hosted at the University Theatre next semester to accommodate a growing audience, Barrett said.
“Events on campus allow people to take more from this campus than education,” Barrett explained. “This gives people that freedom of expression.”