The Cerritos College Theater Department will be hosting two productions this semester: “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot” and “Reefer Madness.”

“The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” debuting on March 5, is a humorous play about the hypothetical court case deciding the ultimate fate of Judas.

John Zamora, a theater arts instructor at Cerritos, is directing “Last Days”.

“Reefer Madness,” which debuts May 6, is a musical satire of the 1936 anti-marijuana propaganda film of the same name.

Patrick Pearson, also a Cerritos instructor, is directing “Reefer Madness.”

“The script is very funny, the characters are over-the-top, and I believe it will be great to work on,” Pearson says about directing the play.

He also cited the play’s raciness as a potential draw.

“Cerritos students should be excited because the Theater Department is potentially taking a big risk by doing a show with this title.”

Department Chair Georgia Well said, “This season is geared to appeal to a younger audience.”

Both plays are notorious for being controversial, as they deal with religion and drugs.

Renee Bloch, performing arts promotions specialist for the Theater Department, said she commends its willingness to put such plays on.

“These shows are not for the faint-of-heart, to be sure, and promise to bring bawdy, over-the-top humor to the campus this semester,” she said.

“In such dire times with the war effort still trudging on, seemingly without an end in sight, and with the California state budget in dire straits, we can only release the pressure of these stressors by rejoicing in humor and celebrating one of the truly beautiful things about our culture: our ability and willingness to poke fun at ourselves and even the things we often-times hold sacred.”