With deep family and personal roots in Mendocino County, actor, producer, writer and educator Lucas Near-Verbrugghe will soon be filling the formidable shoes of retiring Mendocino College Theater Department instructor Reid Edelman.
Near-Verbrugghe received his BFA in Fine Arts from UC Santa Barbara, followed by a MFA from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He has spent time on the stage, television and the silver screen, with over 30 credits to his name. He played in 20th Century Woman, Lazy Eye and Our Idiot Brother, with his most recent role as Woodrow Booker in the 2024 horror film Thine Ears Shall Bleed. He has appeared in numerous television shows, including Dickenson, Splitting Up Together, Ten Days in the Valley, Fridays, Grimm, and both iterations of Law and Order. He has performed on the stage as Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Public Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Additional stage credits include on and off-Broadway performances in A Cult of Love at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Common Pursuit with the Roundabout Theatre Company, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Ritz, Love’s Labors Lost, performed in Central Park and many more.
Locally, Near-Verbrugghe, is the nephew of Laurel Near, co-founder of SPACE Performing Arts. He has spent considerable time playing and working in Mendocino County- teaching at SPACE and working with the Gloriana Musical Theatre and the Mendocino Theatre Company, as well as teaching at Mendocino College prior to being selected as Edelman’s replacement.
Edelman and Near-Verbrugghe have a unique history. “Reid was my high school drama instructor,” he explains. “He credits me for putting Ukiah on his radar, because when I heard he was applying for a job at Mendocino College, I mentioned that Laurel lived here, and I put them in touch with each other.” It’s a perfect beginning for Near-Verbrugghe’s latest life chapter.
“Even though I spent a lot of time here as a young person, attending summer camp at SPACE every year, the last thing I thought I’d be doing was coming back here to teach,” he smiles. “But I’ve reached an age where I’ve been looking at the things that nurtured me, that set me on my path- even things that were unexpected, and returning to one’s roots is such a nice thing to find yourself doing, whether consciously or through following the flow of your life.”
Even though he didn’t technically grow up here, Near-Verbrugghe continues to feel that moving to Ukiah feels akin to a homecoming. “I had so much exposure to the arts here when I was young- through Laurel and Paulette Arnold and Kate Magruder. I can remember all the original musicals we did. As I grew older, I took it for granted that every community had a place like SPACE and the Ukiah Players Theatre. I thought what happened here happened everywhere.”
Near-Verbrugghe has taught at Mendocino College for the past four years.
“This college is a unique gathering place for a very diverse group of people- people on different life paths. We teach everyone from retirees to homeschooled youth taking their first class with other students. And one of the most unique things we have to offer is a training program for people who are interested in the performing arts as a career path, alongside people who want to be involved in a community theater and tell stories locally.”
The history of the performing arts in the greater Ukiah area is linked to the establishment of SPACE and the Ukiah Players Theater- organizations that Near-Verbrugghe has had years of connection with.
“I have a deep appreciation for nurturing young people’s creativity. That’s really come forward in the pedagogy of SPACE and UPT. I love that we are training human beings to exist in the world and participate in the community, as opposed to being a training ground for Broadway actors. We’re giving people life skills that have to do with listening, empathy, introspection and understanding others. It feels good to be part of a performance community that is putting this out in a conscious way.”
Another important part of Near-Verbrugghe’s ethos is his commitment to storytelling. Having been part of the storytelling projects led by Kate Magruder, Ellen Weed and most recently, co-teaching “The Journalism of Hanging Out” with Dan Hoyle, he intends to continue what has become an important tradition within the Mendocino County theatre community.
“There’s always a need to locate ourselves in history and figure out what our stories are. This is what I did with Dan and with Kate and Ellen in their performances of Telling the Truth in a Small Town. There is something powerful about the simple act of taking the time to listen to people- to be curious, shut up for a few moments and just listen. Listening makes the room for someone to tell their stories.”
Near-Verbrugghe intends to collaborate as much as possible with other theater groups.
“Any community is going to be stronger with a community theater, and the college is in a unique position to help. The reality is that the arts are being threatened big time. Community theaters are well versed at making something out of close to nothing. We are constantly being threatened and yet, we keep surviving. It is already hard to be a non-profit theater, so it’s important to circle our wagons.”
Near-Verbrugghe is beginning the semester directing Big Love- a play by the acclaimed Charles Mee- not to be confused with the television series. “Chares Mee is an interesting playwright. He has secured a patron that allows him to put all his plays online for free. He works in the postmodern space, borrowing from ancient, older texts in the same way that Shakespeare did. He invites people to take his plays, chop them up and make them their own.”
Big Love is based on one of the earliest surviving scripts in theater: The Danaids by Aeschylus. Set on the Amalfi Coast, a group of women have been betrothed to their cousins, so they seek refuge in another kingdom to avoid the forced marriages.
“The play is a wild romp about people seeking asylum, the things that happen when our rights are taken away and what recourse we have in society. There are long scenes with quite a bit of physicality. We’re putting the actors into stress points where they’re contending with fighting for their lives as they speak. This hardwires us to the raw emotion of what it means to be fighting for your freedom. I think we can all find resonance in the idea of how we care for each other when our rights are being threatened. Where does our responsibility lie?“
Auditions for Big Love will take place on August 11th and 12thfrom 6:00-9:00. “Check the college webpage and follow the Theater’s FB Page for the latest information. We’re looking for people of all experiences and all levels of acting. There are a variety of speaking and non-speaking roles that will be fun and exciting. Regardless of your experience, if you’re curious about theater, come to the audition.” He notes that there will also be opportunities to work backstage with the crew, doing design and costumes. “The dress is very haute couture, so there will be juicy opportunities for the costumers.”
The more that Near-Verbrugghe discovers the contours of his new job, the more he appreciates the legacy left by Reid Edelman. “We have an amazing series of classes, opportunities to work in plays and a student cohort program where people can obtain an acting degree. I 100 percent plan on continuing and nurturing all these components. Whether a student wants to gain a strong foundation for acting training, whether they intend to move to a four-year program or pursue another type of arts career- we can provide them with everything they need.
“Along with that, I think that the history of community storytelling that exists here is important to continue at the colleges- The foundation that Kate, Ellen and Dan created has built a really rich tradition of telling stories, rooted right here in this county. We have an amazing history of doing work this for decades, and I would like to see that continue. Theater is not an insular thing. It needs to continue to invite people into our homes, into our spaces- not just to watch, but to be a place for conversations to happen- to be in community with each other and honor each other’s stories. Maybe we have post-show discussions, coordinate with other events on campus or bring our work into the community.
“It feels good to be here, in a small town where people show up for each other.”
For more information on the Mendocino College Theater program, visit their Facebook page or www.mendocino.edu.
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