Theater fest to feature variety of student acts

It's new and improved, larger and longer, but still has 100 percent original flavor. It's the New Theater Project, the expanded version of previous years' Collaborative One Acts, in which several student playwrights will see their original scripts performed on stage for the very first time. But unlike in years past, the Project will be more festival-oriented, lasting several days and showcasing not just original one act plays in campus theaters but also short performance pieces to be played in open areas around campus. The One Acts were started several years ago to attract more diverse audiences to student shows as well as to encourage inexperienced but interested students to try their hands at writing for the theater. College junior Christopher Campbell, one of the board members, said the Project will feature three distinct types of theatrical entertainment. The first will be three traditional Mainstage productions, which will feature students' original scripts. The shows will be performed in the Annenberg Center's Harold Prince Theater. Campbell said that for students interested in the technical side of theater, these Mainstage productions will be an excellent opportunity for them to gain entry into the world of University theater in a small-scale environment. "People shouldn't shy away from applying for production positions just because they haven't done any college theater yet," Campbell said. "We're not looking for long resumes. We want to give the new people a chance to break into Penn theater on a low-pressure show." "The Project is just as much about production as it is about creating new and original theater," he added. The second group of shows will be comprised of several pieces, complete works and individual scenes, staged in alternative, more intimate environments such as a Rathskellar or the Underground Cafe. The board said it hopes these pieces will also be original, but Campbell said that other, non-original pieces will also be considered. "These alternative productions are a chance for directors to stage a scene they've always wanted to direct, or direct actors they've always wanted to work with," Campbell said. For this reason directors of these shows will be asked to exclusively do their own casting independent of the group auditions which will be held for the mainstage productions. The third group of productions will be a series of "sideshows" -- short pieces in which actors, writers, and directors will let their creative imaginations "go wild." "It's really an open invitation for people to blow off steam theatrically," Campbell said. "It's a chance to try something you never considered possible in an non-traditional setting like Hill Field or Superblock." College senior Joshua Goldsmith had his one-act play produced last year and said that the experience proved to be invaluable. "Writing, for me, is the purest form of expression," Goldsmith said. "Its a new and exciting feeling to watch your words and emotions played out on stage by other people." Goldsmith encouraged student playwrights not to be afraid to submit their scripts for the Project. "There's no other forum for student-written theater on this campus," he said. "And such a wonderful opportunity to see your work realized on stage may never present itself again." Campbell said that the deadline for the submission of scripts is tomorrow. Interviews for those interested in working on the Project's production staff will be held on November 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and the Project itself will be held the last weekend in January.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.