By Bren Belmonte, October 13, 2026
Surrounded by greasy fries, hamburger patties, burger buns and milkshakes, a fast-food worker goes through an existential crisis during her 2 a.m. shift wondering, ‘Is this how I’m going to spend my 20s?’
Cal Poly Pomona’s Department of Theatre & New Dance presents “The Graveyard Shift,” a dark comedy containing grief, human connection and minimum-wage struggle as its first play of fall 2026. The play takes place at Sparky’s Burger Barn, a fictional mom-and-pop burger establishment in 2012 during the graveyard shift from 2 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.
What starts off as a regular shift for Sparky’s Burger Barn employees Marley, played by theater arts student Nicollette Davis, and Dev, theater education and community engagement student Emmett Grey, becomes a twisted prank war with the McDonald’s graveyard shift employees.
Playwright and publicist for the Department of Theater and New Dance Chelsea Sutton wrote the play in her 20s based on her experience working in the fast-food industry.
“I’ve been telling the cast and director that those two characters are sort of the two halves of my own personality and brain, so it’s sort of just me arguing with myself for 90 minutes,” Sutton said.
Sparky’s Burger Barn is inspired by Sutton’s experience at Bella’s Pizza Villa, a mom and pop in Murrieta, California. Sutton said it was her first job at 16 years old and worked there as a summer job for high school and college.
The set is the back kitchen of Sparky’s Burger Barn consisting of a large, centered counter, deep fryers, milkshake machine, a drive thru window and storage boxes.
Marley is a quirky, ambitious woman who failed at her dream architect job in New York and ended up back in her hometown of Murrieta, California.
“At the beginning of the play, I feel like Marley is not much of a rule breaker, sticking to the code and rules of making burgers,” Davis said. “At the end, she’s experienced so much in one night and blossoms into being powerful.”
Contrasting Marley’s personality, Dev is a nonchalant, unaffected man who gets high during the show. Grey said Dev is experiencing a Gen Z mentality of, “I will work for what you pay me,” because Burger Barn employees are only paid $8 an hour.
Grey said it took more focus for him to portray a character who easily stays nonchalant because Dev is always convincing Marley and the audience he is never feeling deep emotions.
“Dev is sleeping all of the time in the first half of the show,” Grey said. “He has a little bed underneath the kitchen island that he’s always retreating back in to sleep on top of hamburger buns and tuck his baseball cap over his face or read a book.”
At the beginning of the show, the neighboring McDonald’s employees declare war by throwing dog poop disguised as a milkshake at Marley in the drive-thru. As the play progresses, the pranks become increasingly severe and bizarre.
The food props are real, consisting of tomatoes, whipped cream, milkshakes, cherries, sauces, French fries, burger buns and meat.
“This is a shocker for Marley, and this is a completely new experience for me,” Davis said. “We have to make burgers and throw them around. Most of the budget is buying new food because it has to be fresh.”
Director Carly Bones collaborated with Sutton in other productions such as “I’ll Be Your Villain” and “The Abundance.” Bones said they have adopted an approach of prioritizing values over vision, fostering an environment in which each actor shows up as the best version of themself.
During rehearsals, Bones leads the actors in vocal and diaphragm exercises, a fight call where the actors practice the intensity of choreographed fights or slaps and an intention circle where everyone mentally brings in an intention they want to fulfill. Greysaid the intentions change with the progression of rehearsals. He personally started with needing to memorize and understand the play, but evolved to having fun.
“Even in a comedy, characters have different wounds and different serious backstories,” Bones said. “And I think that just being able to find friendship and belonging is really at the heart of the story.”
Spanning the course of a 96-page scene with no breaks, Bones said they unofficially broke down the scenes for rehearsal purposes. Their first impression while reading the script was the characters are smart and quick-witted, which gave the play a fast paceamidst taking orders and making burgers.
While the prank war serves as the comedic catalyst, Dev and Marley settle their differences at an emotional turning point physically tied up to each other. As Dev speaks about his past of losing a loved one to Marley in the scene, Davis said she thinks about her deceased grandma.
“My grandma was a second mom to me and channeling that into the character really makes me feel a connection to Marley,” Davis said. “I feel like Marley is also reminiscing on someone that she has lost and that she’s loved.”
The vulnerability Marley and Dev shared during the prank war fostered connection between the characters by conveying their loneliness, eventually finding meaning during the early morning shift, according to Bones.
“The Graveyard Shift” contains flashing lights, depictions of smoking and a warning for the audience in the front row who face the left side as they may receive a few splatters on their feet or a burger bun underneath their chair, according to Bones.
The production is located at the Studio Theatre in Building 25, Room 110 from Oct. 9-18. Online ticket prices range from $9.50 to $16.50 with opening and closing nights sold out.
“You get 90 minutes of an escape,” Grey said. “Whatever struggles going on in your life doesn’t exist. The only thing that exists for these 90 minutes is whatever silly antics or touching moments that these crazy characters (are doing).”