On Stage This Week - New Works Festival

Coming up this week at Marshall University is the latest edition of the outstanding New Works Festival. It's a chance to check out creative new plays and musicals, and it's highly recommended.

Here's the story from the Herald-Dispatch:

Five new plays and an original film short by local and national playwrights will premiere Thursday through Saturday, June 17-19, in The New Works Festival 2010 at Marshall University.

The festival, presented by the Marshall University Theatre Alliance and the Marshall University College of Fine Arts, will include both staged and unstaged readings.

All readings will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center. Each evening's readings will be followed by a discussion/question-and-answer session with the playwright, director and cast. Participation is both welcome and encouraged.

Admission to this year's festival is by donation on a nightly basis. All admission money goes towards the New Works Festival Fund in the Marshall University Foundation and is tax deductible.

The schedule includes:

Thursday, June 17: "Kiss Off," by Jonathan Joy, is the third in a growing series of 10-minute plays that revolve around an argumentative husband and wife and various holiday/special events. The first two plays in that series -- "The War on Halloween" and "An Inappropriate Christmas Story" -- have been performed on stages in three West Virginia cities (Huntington, Charleston and Wheeling) and at the Wings Theatre in Greenwich Village in New York City.

In the latest entry, "Kiss Off," Mark arrives home early to surprise his wife on their anniversary. He could have never imagined how the tables would turn when he is the one left shocked at the end of evening. It is a domestic comedy about love, marriage and irreconcilable differences.

Thursday, June 17: "Coney," by David Johnston, takes place on New York City's Coney Island, where people from all walks come together and break apart. "Coney" is a new play/work in progress from David Johnston, author of the award-winning "Candy & Dorothy" and "Conversations on Russian Literature."

Friday, June 18: Marshall University Professor Kellie Bean's "Close to Mourning" tells the story of a mother and daughter who confront a shared and painful secret that has nearly cost them their relationship. A story of a mother visiting her widowed, middle-aged daughter after a long separation, this play explores the pain of family secrets.

Friday, June 18: Closing out the Friday night performances is something for audiences who love musicals. "Effie Jean in Tahiti," by David Johnston, music and lyrics by Stephen Speights, tells the story of Princess Effie Jean who has made a bargain with Proteus, the Old Man of the Sea, and is now stuck in Tahiti guarding his jewels.

Saturday, June 19: "The Date," an original comedic short film written and directed by Mike Murdock, asks the question, "Can you think of anyone better to prepare you for a blind date than your two best friends?" Maybe you should start looking now.

Closing out this year's festival is "War of the Welles," by Michael Weber, which takes place on Halloween Eve, 1938. A shaken America struggles to recover from economic collapse as Hitler threatens the future of the Free World.

Call 304-696-6395 for tickets and information on The New Works Festival 2010 at Marshall University.