April 29, 2004
INFORMATION: John McElwain or Bruce Battle, (661) 362-3494 or 3432
Successful New Works Festival Back for Second Season
SANTA CLARITA Following up on the critical success of last-year's festival is a challenge that is in director Nancy Kissam's sights as the College of the Canyons Theater department once again eliminates the stages, scenes and costumes and instead highlights 10 student-actors in nine student-written plays during the Second Annual New Works Festival, running May 6-8.
“This really is a unique experience that allows us to get into the heads of young people," said Kissam. "We get an idea of what concerns them, what makes them tick."
Scheduled to run May 6-8, the festival will be held in the Fine Art Gallery on the college campus sans any of the traditional trappings of live theatre. Performing actors will have minimal wardrobes composed entirely of black, while additional actors behind the scenes will assist the performances by providing any necessary sound effects.
The festival runs for approximately ninety minutes, and each play lasts between five and eight minutes. There are also three monologues that run approximately 3-5 minutes reach. The genres of the plays are "very different from each other," according to Kissam, and range from the funny, such as in Girl Analyzes, a how- to on successfully breaking up with your boyfriend, to the serious, such as in Surprise Party, that examines one family's problems.
“I'm really pleased with this year's quality of writing and acting,” said Kissam.
The New Works Festival will run three times over three days: on Thursday, May 6 at 8 p.m., on Friday, May 7 at 8 p.m. and on Saturday, May 8 at 2 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public.
For more information, please call the Theatre Department Box Office at (661) 362-3070.
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