From Mendocino College
The Mendocino College Theatre Arts Department will present the 18th Annual Festival of New Plays on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 15, 16, and 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the College’s Little Theatre on the Ukiah campus.
The annual Mendocino College Festival of New Plays is a homegrown feast of local talent. (Contributed)The festival is a beloved Ukiah theatre tradition. This year’s festival features eight new plays by local playwrights. Each play is approximately 10 minutes long and will be presented at each performance. The plays were selected from an impressive collection of 86 scripts submitted by writers from throughout Mendocino and other nearby counties.
The play directors are students in the Mendocino College theatrical directing class taught by Professor Reid Edelman. Professor and professional writer Jody Gehrman is the festival dramaturge, working with playwrights to develop their scripts.
Gehrman and Edelman launched the festival over 18 years ago, and with Edelman’s upcoming retirement after 25 years at Mendocino College, this year’s festival will be particularly special.
Festival actors include students in the college’s conservatory cohort group, as well as other local students and community members. The short plays cover a wide range of topics and performance styles. The festival features original scenery, props, costumes and lighting under the direction of college professor of Technical Theatre Steve Decker and Theatre Technician David Wolf.
According to Edelman, “This annual festival is one of the college theatre program’s most exciting projects, and we are delighted to provide this creative forum for our community.”
This year’s festival opens with Erin Gardiner’s “Full Moon-New Moon.” In this play, a young college student walks in to discover her grandmother in the process of writing her eulogy. The conversation that follows is full of honesty, tenderness and humor. The special bond between the two allows them gently to navigate the topic of death and acceptance of inevitable loss. The cast, directed by Phaedra Swearengin, features Virginia Hanley, Heidi Peterman and Kristin Hills.
Next, “Upcycle” by Bethany Keech and directed by Heidi Peterman, is a memory-like play which touches on the true but dark reality of emotionally abusive relationships. In this play, we follow a young woman named Chloe, played by Megan Regan, as she heals, and discovers that what is meant for her will find her in the end. The play also features Aria Silveira, Sesilia Rios, Eli Fowler and Lalo Torres.
In Joni McLeod’s adorably funny “If She Wanted To, She Would,” three politely intrusive baristas at “Espresso Yourself” Cafe help Lyra, a patron wanting only to read her books in silence, realize the truth of her current “relationship.” Directed by Aria Eva Silveira, and performed by local actors Kayla Harrison, Joe Swearengin, Skyler Ito-Lutz, Elizabeth Leach, and Eduardo (Lalo) Torres.
Next, “Mother Daughter” by Kyle Whiterock, is a poignant coming of age love story between a proud Mother, who is seeing her baby girl go off to college, and her trepidatious Daughter, who is not so sure she is ready to spread her wings and fly just yet. The all-Native America ensemble, under the direction of TinaMarie Spagnolo, includes Kelly Alvarez and Sesilia Rios.
Stan Kaplan’s play “Cocktail Hour in Transylvania,” directed by Percival Knutson, explores the complexities of our current healthcare system. The cast features Eli Fowler, Joe Swearengin, Aria Eva Silveira, and Elizabeth Leach. Kaplan’s title reflects the grim recognition that without medical insurance, those needing to go to the hospital may face the choice of losing everything or facing death. For the most vulnerable, debt collectors may appear as bloodsucking vampires.
Next, John Pegan is directing Bill Stafford’s play “Explicit Language,” which explores the questions of friendship, loss, grief, and what it means to move on – or not. Two friends, Dennis, played by Jim Williams; and Bob, played by Rick Williams, try to adjust to life and find answers, after the death of their spouses.
In her comedy “Post Toast,” playwright Audrey Wells bakes up a world of laughter with her director Tom Simons. Postman Bob, played by Eduardo “Lalo” Torres, goes on a wild ride after receiving a questionable “Special Delivery” from the colorful senior Mrs. L’Aura, played by Sharon Gorman.
Finally, the evening concludes with “Two Feet! Two Feet!” This humorous yet disturbingly timely play by Michael Riedell imagines a world in which one’s personal choices and opinions are strictly controlled, in which thinking for oneself could be against the law. Directed by Maria Monti, the cast includes Jasmine Norris, Kayla Harrison, Kristin Hills, Esteban Orozco, and Virginia Hanley.
Tickets are available in Ukiah at the Mendocino Book Company and online at www.ArtsMendocino.org, and at the door as available. This production is recommended for ages 13 and up. Admission is $10. The performance on Thursday, May 15 is a ”pay what you wish” preview. Audience members are encouraged to purchase tickets early.
For more information, call Reid Edelman at 707-468-3172.
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