Festival of Original Plays “From Page to Stage” at Berea College Feb. 26 – March 1

The Berea College Theatre Laboratory serves up the Festival of Original Plays, “From Page to Stage,” Monday through Sunday, February 26 through March 1 at 7 p.m. each evening. Students from the fall playwriting class, taught by Shan Ayers, director of design and technology, will have their original works directed by both directing students and theatre faculty on the main stage. This festival is designed to emphasize the emerging voices of student playwrights as part of the process of writing, work-shopping and developing their work.

“The level of writing talent surprised even the students,” states Ayers. “The faculty knew we had good writers, but the students proved it to themselves with the quality of this collection of plays.”

The themes of the ten plays vary from personal relationships, science fiction and quilting to absurdist commentary and war. “There is an amazing diversity of subject matter and voice,” states Director of Theatre Deborah Martin. “Certainly, audiences will find something that resonates with them in this eclectic collection.”

In addition to the student-written plays, Berea College is participating in an international showcase of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks’ cycle of 365Plays/365Days.

For a year, Parks wrote a play every day. Since November, the plays have been showcased on college/university campuses and professional companies throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and South America. Each week a company premieres the plays during the week they were written. Berea College was given the opportunity to produce week number 16 which contains eight plays (one for leap year). “We are only one of two campuses in Kentucky who have been given this amazing opportunity,” states Martin. Audiences may remember Parks’ play TopDog/UnderDog produced by the Theatre Laboratory in the fall of 2004.

Performances of the eighteen plays will take place Monday – Sunday, February 26 through March 1, at 7 p.m. in the McGaw Theatre. Ticket price of $5-10 (Berea College students are admitted free of charge) covers admission to all festival performances. For reservations or tickets call the Theatre Laboratory box office at (859) 985-3300.

Note: These plays contain adult language and situations and may not be suitable for young children. Audiences should take note of the earlier curtain time of 7 p.m.