Entranced by the art of theatre, Đỗ Ngọc Cát Từơng also known as Kay Do, the 99th student president of Las Mascaras, found her passion.
If there are lights and a stage, one might find Do correcting the acting, changing the lighting, discussing the production, or better yet, setting the stage. A stage where her fellow Las Mas officers hone their skills and creativity.
Do got her start within theatre as a lighting operator and designer in her high school’s performance of “Little Shop of Horrors.” The effect the show had on her as a 17-year-old was that she is “doing something right.” The “something” she felt at 17 was only the beginning.
Once joining TJC and Las Mas, she worked hard to perfect her craft. Do’s designs enthrall her audience with the tasseled curtains of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the rubble beneath the stage of “Antigone,” and stratospheres seen above in “James and the Giant Peach.” Her works not only leave a mark on her audience; they continue Las Mas’ legacy through lighting, mechanics, and connections on and offstage.
The previous 98th Student Senate Representative, Kema Amine, convinced Do to join Las Mas. Do remembers Amine encouraging her by saying “it’s a room full of nerds, and you’re the biggest nerd I know, so get in there.”
A pivotal person to Las Mas’ legacy and Do’s journey is David W. Crawford, who was a director and professor for 49 years. Do served as the director’s assistant for Crawford’s last production, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” in February 2025.
“It was such a hectic show, but I enjoyed every moment of chaos. I mean, everyone was just working their ass off to make it happen and to make it good,” Do said.
The 2025 production served not only as “Doc’s last show” and “like his final adieu,” it lit a fire within Do, kindled with a “strong memory.”
“Him telling me that was my last show, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else, but this group, was just very special to hear,” Do said.
This motivated Do to become the 99th student president of Las Mas. Las Mas Sargent at Arms, Sydney Quintana, describes Do as a “strong woman.”
“She’s stage manager often. She just knows how to, like, run people, you know, like, she just knows how to do it,” Quintana said.
A runner is nothing without a track, and Do’s stage directing “track” record sets more than the pace.
It sets the story.
As a stage director, Do acts as an overseer of the productions and acts as a bridge between the script and the stage. A director must understand the play from the inside out (lighting, actors, scenery changes, how costumes look during the performance, and more) and make sure everything stays at its pace. Like how the Earth revolves around the Sun, Do is the light that makes everyone’s work shine.
“Stage management is a very difficult job that people don’t really think about when it comes to how a show runs, but it’s just such an integral part of getting a show done, period,” Do said. “I personally love it, because I get to be the bridge of the director to the technicians, to the actors, and it’s nice knowing that I’m what keeps everyone on the same page.”
Las Mas not only provided a stage for Do, but her chosen family found in the Green Room, Las Mas’ studio room.Do didn’t find a part of herself within Las Mas. She uncovered the heart that was already there.
A major piece within her Las Mas journey was how it reconnected her with a best friend, previous Las Mas’ Secretary, Amaya Perkins.
“Through Las Mas, I found a lot of what I view now as my family. I found really lasting friendships there, and those bonds I really, really cherish,” Do said. “These bonds not only push me to be a better technician, better artist, but they’re extremely important to my life.”
These bonds are impactful to her fellow officers, as well. Las Mas Student Senate Representative Halle Dunn was convinced by Do to learn the one theatrical element Dunn vowed to never touch, “lighting.”
“Kay Do, our president, is one of my favorite people that I’ve ever met in my life. She is so impactful to me. She has taught me about lighting,” Dunn said. “I had lighting practicum with Kay Do, and I would get up on the scaffolding with her, and I would just have a good time every time, even if I felt so awful because I’m always sick, and she’s just such a joy to be around.”
Las Mas secretary, Soda Walker, also shares how Do makes her feel appreciated.
“She’s always one of the first to say thank you,” Walker said. “That always makes me feel good.”
What inspired Do to hone her craft is one of the bases expressed by TJC’ Professor and Department Chair for Speech and Theatre, Lara Smith.
“The biggest thing that Las Mas gives to our students is a foundation for their passion in theatre while they are here at TJC in our program,” Smith said. “It allows that passion to continue after TJC, because we have such a legacy of so many former members now we still consider them a lifetime member.”
Las Mas helped Do realize theatre is a combination of voices, passions and aspirations shown within a play.
“I like the idea of theatre showing messages, or how do I say this, telling stories that aren’t usually told, and I think right now, a lot of voices need to be heard, because there’s a lot of suppression that has happened,” Do said.
For Do, theatre is more than a Playbill.
“It’s like a lesson or a call for help or, you know, call for a strike,” Do said. “I like to think of theatre as a form of rebelling, a form of protest, or just voicing a suppressed voice, a silenced voice. Art is political. Period.”
