‘Insanity’ he can live with

Angelique Flores

With Madonna as his inspiration, his sister to rouse a sense of humor and

influence from comic books, Chris Secor doesn’t have much trouble writing

a play.

The 21-year-old Fountain Valley native is enjoying his first professional

production of “The Stop My Insanity Trilogy” -- a collection of three

one-act plays he wrote over the past three years. A main character links

the three plays, which he titled “The Mad Telemarketer From San Luis

Obispo,” “Stop My Insanity” and “Accidental Carcass.” His work is being

performed at the Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills

“It’s technically a professional play because now I get paid,” he joked.

Secor has written seven plays over the past three years, five of which

have been produced at Orange Coast College, where he was a student.

“The other two plays were more for me, just for fun,” Secor said.

Majoring in drama with an emphasis on literature, he now attends UCI.

With a grade point average of 3.8, he hopes his writing won’t interfere

with his academics.

But his academics have positively interfered with his writing.

Secor wrote his first play as a class assignment while attending the

Costa Mesa college. During this time, Secor had wanted to become an

actor, not a playwright. But he had trouble getting cast in productions,

so he decided to produce his own play. His figured he’d write the play so

he could cast himself in it and finally get a shot at acting.

“The audience reaction to it was so generous,” he said. “I realized this

is what I have to do. It was electric.”

After leaving the community college, Secor wasn’t sure he’d find a

playhouse that would accept his work. Getting the call from the Chance

Theater for his trilogy eased that concern.

“It was scary when I left Orange Coast,” he said. “So it was reassuring

to find a place that would do my work.”

Outside the theater, Secor spends his spare time -- what little he has --

playing chess online and video games, and reading comic books. His

favorite comics? The X-Men, The Fantastic Four and The Avengers.

“Comic books influence my writing with their over-the-top dialogue and

conflict,” Secor said.

Secor’s playwriting style tends to be farcical, anarchic and comedic, and

usually features a character who rises up against an institution.

“It’s a healthy outlet for frustration,” he explained. “I’m vicariously

living through the plays where the character wins against the

institution.”

Although comedy is an essential ingredient for a Secor play, he doesn’t

stop there.

“They have always had an underlying meaning in them,” said Rebecca

Muhleman, an actress who has been cast in Secor’s plays.Besides writing,

Secor has also acted and directed. Behind the scenes, he has worked as

stage manager and lighting technician.

Talent seems to run in the family. His mother is a painter, his father is

a sculptor, and his sister is an actress who has appeared in some of his

plays.

“My sister helps me fashion my sense of humor,” he said.

Still, his inspiration comes from Madonna, the ever-controversial pop

queen.

“I’ve learned a lot from watching her,” Secor said. “She has shown it’s

OK to push the envelope.”

He said he admires Madonna’s ability to present a contentious idea with

artistic merit behind it. Secor hopes to do the same with his own plays.

“I write plays for people who don’t like theater, using different ideas

such as presenting a cat fight on stage,” he said.

While Secor wants to write distinctive plays, he doesn’t want to be

distinct because of them.

“I don’t want to be defined by what I do, but by what I am,” he said.

For now, Secor plans to write another full-length play and possibly

publish some of his original work.

“It’s going to be a long process, but that doesn’t bother me,” Secor

said.

FYI

“The Stop My Insanity Trilogy” will be performed at 10:30 p.m. Friday and

Saturday and 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills. For

tickets, call 777-3033 or order them online at

https://www.chancetheater.com.