Interview: Creative Lead and Director Alex Borja of Immersive DEBATE NIGHT by Last Call Theatre

The world premiere of Debate Night, a raucous political satire that aims to give audiences something to laugh about again when it comes to politics, continues Last Call Theatre’s 4th season with its 13th immersive production to date – perfectly timed as the mid-term elections approach. The satirical comedy puts viewers in the driver’s seat behind the scenes of a political campaign in which audience members are volunteers on the night of the last primary debate for the presidential campaign of a U.S. Senator running for the nomination of the Dignity Party. With the Senator’s political future hanging in the balance, audience members must assist her staff as they put the finishing touches on the Senator’s debate prep before she takes the stage. And in this immersive, interactive experience, choices made could very well make or break the debate performance of the Senator, handing her - or costing her - the party's nomination. And maybe even more!

I spoke with the production’s Creative Lead and Director Alex Borja about his ongoing involvement with Last Call Theatre, his vision for the production, its many choices leading to a variety of outcomes, and what he hopes audiences will be talking about after participating in the show.

Debate Night's Creative Lead/Director Alex Borja
Photo courtesy of Last Call Theatre
Production photos will be added when received.

Thanks for speaking with me, Alex. What drew you to direct Debate Night?

Happy to chat with you! I've been working with Last Call Theatre’s immersive/interactive theatre for a while now - first as a performer in Love Game (2024), and then as assistant director on two of their previous shows. During Love Game, the wheels started turning in my head about what kind of show I could see myself creating in this fascinating format of theatre. And before I went to school for theatre, I was a political science major and I still follow politics very closely as an interest of mine. So it's really a confluence of many of my interests: immersive theatre, electoral politics, and workplace comedies - all into one!

How does your creative background align with Last Call Theatre’s mission and style? 

In immersive theatre performed by Last Call Theatre, much of the actors' dialogue is improvised. A lot of my performing background is in improv comedy, so my first experience performing in a Last Call show really clicked with me. It's so fun to just develop a character and then see what they would do in any possible situation that could present itself in the show. The more out-there, the better.

What is your vision for the balance between political satire, workplace comedy, and audience participation in this production? 

Debate Night takes place in a world with fictional political parties and made-up political issues. My sincere hope for this immersive experience is that audiences come into the space and feel like they are making real contributions to a presidential campaign, but that the stakes of the story feel silly enough that the show is an escape from real life; while at the same time giving you something to think about - namely, why is American politics such a joke?

How has your previous experience working on Last Call Theatre productions impacted your choices directing Debate Night?

Developing a show for Last Call Theatre is a lot of game building, and my previous experiences with Love Game, Worlds Collide, and The Liminary really informed me as to how we can create experiences that are much more engaging and fun for audiences. This show is one where you as an audience member are on your feet and moving around accomplishing tasks for the characters.

Describe your approach to leading a creative team through this high‑stakes, collaborative production, especially how you foster a collaborative rehearsal environment that encourages creativity from actors, designers, and technical staff.

Early on in developing this show, I knew that I wanted to borrow a creative direction concept that was present in other Last Call Theatre shows in which I have participated. In the Debate Night writing process, I left a lot of details for each character purposefully vague since I wanted to allow the actors a lot of creative control over the characteristics, traits, and back stories of their own characters. The initial casting call for the show simply listed each character's job title and a bit about what they contribute to the story. From there, the actors came up with their characters' names and personalities, often informed by their own identities and worldview. The process of developing these characters along with the actors really trickled down into turning many other parts of the rehearsal process into collaborative efforts where the actors (as well as me) would know how the characters would handle these situations.

In staging an immersive, interactive political satire, how do you manage technical and logistical challenges, given how many diverse scenes will be required?

We really try to plan ahead so that any possible outcomes of the show are within the parameters of what's possible with our production elements. The actors do have a lot of paths that they can take the audience down, and they have the skills and wit to improvise their way out of anything. 

How did you approach casting for a role‑rich, ensemble‑driven show like Debate Night, especially when comedic timing and improvisation are key?

We went about looking for really gutsy confident people who can take charge and get whatever job done. During rehearsals, one of us noted that a majority of the characters are "Type-A personalities", and our cast has really masterfully heightened the chaos that ensues when those personalities clash.

The cast includes Adrián Genesius Barrón, Michu Cure, Envy!, Danny Herman, Cameron Lopez, Elli Luke, Rebecca Oca-Nussbaum, and Bryan Siu with swings Grace "West" Lyde and Aleen Vartivarian. Please describe the characters they portray in the show.

I am so excited for audiences to see the relationships and dynamics that we've been developing together with these strong, passionate, funny characters, who are mainly made up of the staff of the Schubert presidential campaign, as well as some people involved in the campaign in other ways.

Adrián plays Joaquín Hidalgo, a reporter who is tasked with writing a profile on the operations of the campaign on the night of the debate. Michu plays Victoria, the policy director of the campaign who is maniacally obsessed with developing a policy to improve service at airport luggage pickup. Envy plays Persephone, the campaign’s new Gen-Z press secretary who might not be totally qualified to be working on a presidential campaign. Danny plays Charlie, the buttoned-up speechwriter of the campaign who is unexpectedly reintroduced to a past romantic prospect. Cameron plays Congressman Jasper Lee T. Wells, the campaign's top surrogate who is terrible at hiding his desire to be the Senator's running mate.

Elli plays Rochelle, the no-nonsense campaign manager who strikes fear into the hearts of every incompetent employee in her path. Rebecca plays Senator Melanie Schubert herself, the humiliatingly ambitious candidate running for the presidential nomination of the Dignity Party. Bryan plays her husband Laurence who would much prefer to stay out of the spotlight that his wife is chasing.

Grace West is the swing for the policy director and surrogate characters, bringing those two to life as Judith and Congresswoman Mandy Jane Brigham, respectively. Finally, Aleen is the swing for the press secretary and campaign manager characters, bringing those two to life as Stephanie and Ani, respectively.

What methods do you use to help actors embody the chaotic, high‑stakes political campaign world?

During our rehearsals, we have a lot of discussions about the political news of the week (of which there is no shortage during this chaotic midterm season), and a lot of times we wind up discussing what we find funny about the ridiculous situations that our real world is spitting up at us. I'm so happy with the group of smart funny people that we have collaborating with on this because everyone is being so much creativity and hilarity to the table during every rehearsal. 

With a preview being held on November 3 on the evening of the upcoming mid-term election, how will you respond if audience feedback suggests a major change to the show’s structure or tone?

With immersive shows such as these, we never really know for sure what's going to work until we put it in front of audiences. Luckily, Last Call Theatre has this form of theatre down to a science and we always welcome a play testing audience to preview the show - even before the preview to test all of the mechanics and story elements as they're all being run together. 

With performances being held in a public place, how do you go about setting up for each show? And do you have to completely remove all staging elements and put them up again each time?

Debate Night will be performing at "The Teapot" at Geeky Teas and Games, a games shop and event space in Burbank. Our scenic designer Tyler Neufeld has designed an incredible space for us in which to host our experience. Tyler previously was scenic designer for The Liminary and we're thrilled to be working with him again. We're fortunate to be able to keep our set in place for the entirety of each weekend of performances, only needing to strike the set at the end of each weekend. 

With Last Call Theatre’s trademark quests and choose-your-own adventure style, it is entirely in the audience’s hands whether the Senator will succeed in her presidential bid or not. How are you incorporating audience members who just want to watch the show and not participate?

While interactivity and being directly involved in the action is the primary way to enjoy a Last Call Theatre experience, audience members always have the option to stand by and just listen. Any audience member who would prefer not to interact with the characters can tell our box office when checking in and get a special signifier that will alert any cast members not to interact with that person. 

Debate Night will also incorporate a new multimedia element, with filmed portions playing throughout the piece. Are they part of the action or serve as background for audience member choices to be made?

The video elements of the show are absolutely part of the action. Without giving too much away, some pretty major parts of the story will hinge on what you see on the TV in the room.

How many onsite staff members are required to run each performance, given all the choices that might happen?

Our whole production team is essential to running this type of performance. I will be working onsite during each show, along with our Assistant Director Michael DiNardo, our Stage Manager Dhara Shah, and our ASM Jadyn Iinuma, with all of us coordinating behind the scenes to make sure that every story element and technical element happens right on cue. 

What do you hope audiences are talking about after participating in the play?

I hope audience members will be talking about the choices that they made, but also why they made each choice and what influenced each one. At the heart of it, this show is about the difference between leading with your values and leading with pragmatism. In doing so, audiences will have the opportunity to make decisions that impact the outcome of the show - and I hope that they think hard about what they believe in when making those decisions. 

Anything else you would like to add about Debate Night?

For anyone paying attention to politics in the last ten years, the only conclusion you could arrive at is that American politics is a complete joke - and I completely agree. Debate Night brings audiences into a made-up world of fictional political parties to put their real decision-making skills to work against a crew of cutthroat political operatives. I can’t wait to welcome people into this ridiculous world we’ve created and see what they can take away back to our own.

Thanks so much!