LYNNFIELD – Lynnfield resident Sabrina Ornae is making her stage debut in Moonstruck Theater Company’s “Reefer Madness,” running Aug. 14-23 at The Rockwell in Somerville.
Ornae, currently working as a mail carrier in Lynnfield, graduated from Salem State University in 2020 and has been in an estimated 20 shows since she was a kid. Her latest was “Nevermore” at the Theatre Company of Saugus just last year.
In “Reefer Madness,” Ornae plays multiple roles in the production and also serves as the show’s photographer.
“I’m in the ensemble. I’m playing a brownie, a Founding Father, and the main character’s dad,” she said.
A few years back, chance had it that the brownie costume was fitted on Ornae while she was working on another show. She joked that this was a real “full circle moment,” as she has now come to play “the role of her dreams.”
“Reefer Madness” is Moonstruck Theater Company’s first mainstage production since its eight-year hiatus. The musical – based on a 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film – skewers the country’s history with moral panics through satire and theatrical chaos.
Ornae explained that the show is a satire of the public advertisement framing marijuana – “reefer” – as a madness-inducing substance.
“It’s a bit of a rated R show,” she said with a laugh. “It’s very, very ridiculous and over-exaggerated.”
The Moonstruck Theater Company is a nonprofit Massachusetts-based performing arts organization founded in 2006. Known for its bold and subversive programming, the company has produced more than 20 mainstage productions.
“Sabrina is both a technically flawless performer and the personification of chaotic joy,” said Executive Director Caroline Fonseca. “She’ll hit the choreography, then throw in a facial expression that steals the whole scene.
“She’s also one of the reasons our promotional photos look so good,” Fonseca added.
Ornae recommends people come see the show in Somerville this August.
“Our entire cast is really talented and incredible,” she said. “If you want to laugh – because we need it – come see the show.”
