Yessi Dersham is set to take the stage as a member of the chorus on Feb. 4-7 in DU Theatre’s “Madea.” Written by Euripides, “Madea” is being directed by Assistant Professor Brandon Bruce, who also adapted the play. 

“Madea” follows the titular character, navigating a conflict with her husband and the father of her children, Jason, who has decided to marry the Princess of Corinth. Madea is pressured to leave with her children by King Creon. Feeling betrayed, Madea seeks revenge on Jason and plots to murder his new bride. She also faces an internal battle with herself, contemplating whether she should murder her own children to truly ruin Jason.

Dersham is a first-year transfer student majoring in theatre. She was previously seen in “Who Do You Think You Are?” directed by Professor and Department Chair Anne Penner, as well as “Ugly Lies the Bones” by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by senior Marleigh Hickey. She got her start in acting by simply trying it. 

“I was like, ‘Oh! This is cool. I love doing this.’ It just started from there, I tried it, and here I am,” said Dersham. 

She explained that her favorite part of doing theatre is pretending to be someone else on stage and taking in the energy from the audience.

Her mom’s status as a DU graduate school alumna was a factor in her choosing to come to the University of Denver. Dersham was also interested in being a part of a smaller and much more intimate theatre department. She previously attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York and refers to her teachers from that institution as creative influences, along with peers and directors she’s worked with at DU.

Dersham’s favorite part of working on “Madea” has been meeting and working with new peers from the theatre program. She acknowledged her appreciation for Professor Bruce’s dedication to adapting the story of “Madea.”

“We’re doing something very original and something that I don’t think a lot of other places and people would want to do,” she explained.

As a student who identifies as Latina, Dersham expresses that she feels honored to be cast at a predominantly white institution and pushes for diversity in creative spaces.

In 2022, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences found that 37.5 percent of students of color received bachelor’s degrees in humanities, nearly double the share in 1997. Hispanic/Latine graduates carry the largest share of that percentage by 17.6 percent, while 15.8 percent have received a humanities degree in fine and performing arts.