Bonita Vista High School Music Machine alumnus Giancarlo Dongo will always have a song in his voice and a spring in his step, even if his career goal is to become a speech therapist.
“I’ll still perform once in a while, I’ll still do some shows when I have time,” he said.
Dongo recently stole the show as the lead character in September’s Bonitafest Melodrama “When Dinosaurs Roamed the Valley.”
Dongo played Jerry Gauss, the creator of the dinosaur sculptures now on permanent display along Bonita Road. Director/producer Max Branscomb lauded Dongo’s performance.
“Max talked to my mom and his daughter Chantal texted me asking me if I were interested in being the main role in their play,” Dongo explained. “I was hesitant at first but decided to audition … It was mainly for fun.”
Dongo admitted it was a challenge switching into an acting mode instead of a musician mode.
“I had to be creative and think of how my character would have reacted in different situations. It was also hard actually playing a character who existed because I had to make sure I represented him correctly to the best of my ability. With the stories Mr. Branscomb told me about him it gave me a clear idea of who he was and how he would have acted.”
The show took place Sept. 24-27 at the Sweetwater Community Church.
Branscomb said the show was well attended and owed much success to this year’s group of talented young actors.
“The melodrama had such a talented cast that it made everything go a lot smoother and was more enjoyable,” Dongo said. “Plus, they were all some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. The character of Jerry Gauss, being a real person, was really interesting to play because the more I learned about him, the more I found out that he was similar to my personality, which provided that extra click in becoming that persona.”
Dongo has been involved in performing arts since elementary school where he would act and sing in school plays. He said music helps calm stress and anxiety. “It helps me deal with emotions by expressing them in a musical form,” he said.
He said he enjoys singing and playing instruments over “everything else because I have full control of what the outcome is.”
Dongo was awarded outstanding tenor vocalist for two consecutive years while performing in the Music Machine. He also received the Stephen Bailey memorial scholarship, chosen by Music Machine director Gail Kennedy.
He is now a freshman at Southwestern College.
Dongo, who played roller hockey and lacrosse while attending BVHS, admits a bit of stage fright.
“But I’m pretty good about channeling it into energy for a performance,” he said. “The Music Machine has trained me well in this.”
During his time with the Music Machine, Dongo performed at large public events such as December Nights (Christmas on the Prado) and the SoCal show choir festival. He also performed at different competitions in Los Angeles, Orlando, Boston and New York that were attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
“The Music Machine has definitely taught me what it is to be professional and how to treat anybody with respect,” he said. “It has also taught me about working as a team to achieve a goal. And has also taught me the importance of being punctual to different events.”
Dongo’s parents are Peruvian, and the family had the chance to take a trip to visit relatives in the South American country earlier this summer. Dongo spent three weeks in Peru. He and his family toured both the country’s scenic mountains and jungle.
Among the sightseeing stops was the fabled Machu Picchu, the Incans’ legendary mountaintop city. Dongo and his family visited the 15th century site, thought by some to be a royal retreat and by others a religious temple complex, during the annual sun god festival.
“It was cool,” Dongo said. “It wasn’t really that high up (7,970 feet) but it was huge. It was bigger than you thought it would be. You can walk around for hours.”
Dongo’s next entertainment gig will be serving as emcee of the BVHS vocal music department’s annual “Scream” presentation Oct. 18 and 25 in the school’s quad.
Guests may enjoy a “spooktacular” musical review, “freakishly fantastic” food, a haunted hallway, face painting, a scary film, games and more.
Tickets are $20 each at the door. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. on both dates.
