Andrew Edwards

Donovan Dueck sat in the audience, watching a tense dramatization of a toxic relationship, when he left his seat and stepped into the role of someone breaking off a failed romance.The CSULB student had no script. When a performer, acting as a desperate partner, threatened self-harm if he did not stay, Dueck had to trust his gut and find the presence of mind to insist the relationship was over and walk away.It was all fictional, but in that moment, the emotions felt genuine.“I was very aware that this could be real,” said Dueck, a first-year public relations student.