By Dominique ROCHA

Throughout Brent Beerman’s life, he has always been center stage. He grew up accompanying his composer father and dancer mother on their life in show business. Similar to his parents, Beerman also wanted to pursue a career on stage. From playwriting to directing to teaching, his career has centered around the theater and he hasn’t strayed from it in retirement. 

“I’ve centered my life around theater, which is a little scary to think about,” Beerman said. “I had the bug for it.” 

After moving from Ohio to Los Angeles to pursue a career in writing, Beerman ended up in La Crescenta and became an accomplished and well-respected theater teacher at Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS). He spent the next 34 years of his life teaching English and theater. 

“With teaching, I was able to put all of my loves in one place,” Beerman said. 

Over the course of his teaching career, Beerman grew the CVHS theater program from one class to six, a feat he says he is most proud of. At one time, the theater program was putting on 10 to 12 shows a year. 

Although he has retired from teaching, Beerman has not yet retired from theater. In what he calls his “Life 2.0,” He now fills his days writing and directing plays. Going from directing students to directing adult professionals has been a difference like night and day. 

“Adults have the skill and experience to make choices on the stage,” Beerman said. “It’s more of a collaboration than with high schoolers.” 

While Beerman may no longer be directing high school students, his most recent play, The Heidi Chronicles, features a cast and crew full of former students, including Amy Earhart, who plays Heidi, Robbie Miles, lighting designer, John Harvey, sound designer and Molly Wolflick, who is Beerman’s assistant director and stage manager. 

“It’s been a little bit of old home week with everybody coming together,” Beerman said. 

The Heidi Chronicles is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Wendy Wasserstein about the progressions of Heidi and her friends across three decades. The play explores topics related to the 1980s Women’s Movement and the evolution of feminist thought.

Beerman’s version aims to give Heidi a more prominent voice than the original does – a criticism of the 1988 play. 

“Without changing any lines and just dealing with intention, Heidi is a much stronger active individual,” Beerman said. 

Beerman feels that in 2025, the message behind The Heidi Chronicles is more pertinent than ever. 

“I believe in art as a form of protest, art as a way of shaking things up,” Beerman said. “I think The Heidi Chronicles does just that.”

Beerman’s rendition of The Heidi Chronicles is at the Group Rep Theater, 10900 Burbank Blvd. in North Hollywood, and continues its run until Aug. 31. 

After the show ends, Beerman plans to continue “Life 2.0” and keep writing and directing plays. 

“I think that’s the beauty of 2.0,” Beerman said. “You’re not limited.”