Previewing the New Works Festival 2009

The driving force behind Marshall University's New Works Festival is my pal Jack Cirillo, who's a terrific instructor, director and actor (among his many talents).

I did a quick email interview with him about the festival (which starts tomorrow night), and here's what he had to say:

Q: This is the third year for the Festival - what's different this time around, and what hasn't changed?

Jack: This year we're adding a new element. We have a "resident company" of student theatre artists who have developed some original material - DEVISED WORK is the hep term for it. Over the course of the last month the student group - about 12 in all - have gathered regularly and have collaboratively worked to create several short (very short) scenes and monologues that will be featured throughout the festival as what we're calling "Interludes." They're all very innovative and are a very important contribution to this year's presentations.

Q: Why would you recommend the Festival to theatre fans out there?

Jack: This is the only theatre presentation in the area that invites the audience to not only witness the birth of a new play, but offers a forum to contribute to its development in the post-show discussion each of the three evenings. This kind of work is a staple to theatre communities in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and throughout the country and is the only one in our Tri-State Region.

Thanks, Jack!

The three-night festival will present both staged and unstaged readings of four new plays over three consecutive evenings, June 18-20, 2009. All readings will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Francis Booth Experimental Theatre of the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse.

For tickets or information, call 304-696-ARTS (2787). Tickets are priced at $12 per show or a full festival pass (all three nights) for $20.

Don't miss it!