For Isabella Lobaina, CommUnity Arts Collective’s production of “Water by the Spoonful” is more than an opportunity to step into the role of director for the first time. The play’s exploration of cultural identity and military experience is a story she’s carried with her since her freshman year at USC, when she first encountered it in a critical theater studies class.
Lobaina is a junior studying theater and public relations and advertising, and a member of CAC, an independent student production group dedicated to, as its mission statement reads, “making theatre accessible to all regardless of background, beliefs, experiences and abilities.”
“Water by the Spoonful” follows two parallel worlds: the life of Elliot Ortiz, an Iraq War veteran struggling with addiction, and his biological mother, Odessa Ortiz, who leads an online forum for recovering addicts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play is the second in a trilogy that follows Elliot and explores themes of addiction and its lasting effects on familial relationships. It was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and runs Nov. 19-22 at the Scene Dock Theater.
Lobaina first encountered the play in THTR 125: Text Studies for Production, a course typically taken by first-year School of Dramatic Arts students. As a Cuban American and child of a military family, she said the play, which follows a Puerto Rican American marine, really drew her in.
“It was just very beautiful,” Lobaina said. “I just kind of held it onto my heart this whole time.”
When the time for director applications came around in the spring, Lobaina, who is the treasurer for CAC, said the support she saw from her fellow executive board members encouraged her to apply. Lobaina hopes to bring an authentic portrayal of Hispanic voices to the stage.
“I really wanted to highlight Hispanic voices. I feel like there are a lot of aspects of theater that really don’t,” Lobaina said. “If they highlight Hispanic voices, sometimes it’s very stereotypical.”
For the cast, “Water by the Spoonful” offers an opportunity to see their identities reflected on stage.
Daphne Ruiz, a junior transfer student majoring in theater, plays Yazmin Ortiz, Elliot’s cousin. As a first-generation Mexican-American, Ruiz said Yazmin’s story and struggle with her identity resonate with her.
After transferring from Bakersfield College, which she described as having a large Hispanic population, Ruiz noticed a difference in Latino representation at USC. Ruiz said she, along with other students she met, has felt underrepresented at the SDA. She said the opportunity to portray a Hispanic character was especially important to her because of this.
“I had not seen a lot of shows that were happening right now that had Latinx representation,” Ruiz said. “I thought that I might not get this opportunity again. I want to be able to serve my story at least once while I’m here.”
Fabian Gutierrez, a senior majoring in theater and political economy and CAC’s assistant treasurer, plays Elliot Ortiz. Gutierrez, originally from Costa Rica, said he feels that there is a lack of Hispanic representation in the student body and the School of Dramatic Arts.
“Truthfully, I could never conceive of a show like this being produced at this university. It feels like our voices and our stories are seldom told despite the fact that this is an institution of higher education in the middle of South Central,” Gutierrez said. “It’s important to have faces and names like ours up on stage.”
Eileen Kang, a freshman studying theater who plays the ghost, amongst other characters, says producing “Water by the Spoonful” at USC is especially important for the visibility it brings to addiction.
“I’ve seen the worst of addiction, and I’ve seen people strive to get out of it and fail,” Kang said. “We are in such close proximity to downtown L.A. When you walk down the streets of downtown L.A., you’ll see the issue… but we’re in such a little bubble in a society that faces addiction every single day, and I think that it’s so important for USC students specifically to learn about addiction.”
For CAC, creating a space where even non-SDA majors can join theater is a priority. According to Maia Tumbokon, a theatrical design major and president of CAC, this is how the Independent Student Production eliminates barriers.
“We love having people of non-SDA majors, maybe people that have done theater in high school and they want to ignite that fire back into their life,” Tumbokon said. “It’s all about community and friendship, and I think that we’ve really created such a safe and friendly environment and space, and I think it’s really beautiful.”
CAC was awarded the 2026 Paul Backer ISP award for the 2025-2026 academic year, a faculty-nominated award presented to a student who shows exemplary talent in the production of new plays and musicals within the ISP community. This year’s fall production marks a change for the organization. CAC typically holds an arts festival in the fall and stages a full production in the spring.
According to Sarah Brewer, a senior majoring in theater and CAC’s production manager, the board wanted to challenge itself after the success of its previous production.
Brewer said Lobaina’s pitch for “Water by the Spoonful” stood out because of her passion for the project. She said the show is especially impactful because anyone can connect to it.
“Bella’s pitch for Water by the spoonful was just so incredibly passionate, which was really exciting,” Brewer said.
Edited by Nina Kremer and Zayane El Solh