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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  

March 24, 2022
Contact: Reid Edelman
Phone: (707) 468-3172

WHAT: 16th Annual Festival of New Plays. Eight short plays written by local playwrights.

WHO: ���������� Theatre Arts Department

WHEN: April 7, 8 & 9, 7:30 PM

WHERE: MENDOCINO COLLEGE, Center Theatre,1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah.

TICKETS: Available at the Mendocino Book Company and online at . April 7 performance is a “pay what you wish” preview. April 8 & 9, all tickets $10

COVID SAFETY:  All cast and crew are vaccinated.  All audience members must show valid ID and proof of vaccination to enter the theatre; no exceptions.  Performers will be unmasked; masks are recommended, but not required for audience members.

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16th Annual Festival of New Plays at ����������

After a two-year hiatus, the ���������� Theatre Arts Department will present the 16th Annual Festival of New Plays on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 7, 8 & 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center Theatre at the Ukiah campus. This festival marks the return of a beloved Ukiah theatre tradition, which was put on hold due to the covid pandemic. 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 among over 80 scripts submitted by writers from throughout Mendocino and other nearby counties.

The play directors are students in the ���������� theatrical directing class taught by Professor Reid Edelman. 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 also features original set designs, lighting and technical support by students under the direction of college Technical Director Steve Decker. In particular, student Jordan Wegner, a student in the college’s new Technical Theatre certificate program, is designing lights for the full production. Music and sound effects edited by Theatre Technician David Wolf will help sustain the high-energy spirit of the production. According to Edelman, “This annual festival is one of the college theatre program’s most exciting projects, and we are delighted to be able to bring the event back to life once again.”

This year’s festival opens with Logan Silva’s stylized comedy "All Power to the McSoviet" in which Vladimir Lenin spars with an American capitalist in a fast food restaurant, raising questions about whether any ideology can ever really benefit real people. The director is college theatre major Alexander Marsh; the cast includes conservatory cohort students Ari Sunbeam and Dakota Laiwa McKay as well as Julayne Ringstrom and Madison McDonald.

Next, “Little Book of Fears” by David Burton explores the layers of a troubled marital relationship. The cast includes Andrea McCullough and Pat Nunes under the direction of conservatory cohort student Gwendolen van Wyk.

Kyle Whiterock’s play “Match Made” evokes the feeling of a classic black and white Christmas movie as two angels come back to earth to arrange a romance for their surviving boyfriend and brother respectively. The cast includes Dakota Laiwa McKay, Brisa Yepez and Ari Sunbeam. Christian Avalos is the director.

Phaedra Kincaid  Swearengin is directing Michael Riedell’s play “Crazier Train Fundraiser” in which young man hides out in a tax office after the jewelry heist to fund his musical pursuits goes wrong. The cast features Matt McClelland, Maria Monti, Pat Nunes, and Gwendolen van Wyk.

“Mari,” by Shannon Sawyer, powerfully and personally confronts the issue of mental illness, and its impact on a relationship. The cast includes Joni Marie McLeod and Jasmine Norris. The director is Brittani McKemy.

In Natasha Yim’s comedic play “Salsa Dancing” three generations of characters confront relationships and the enjoyment of life and love at different stages of maturity. Dakota Laiwa McKay directs actors Rosemary Eddy, Megan Regan, and Les Clow.

“Making It” by Chris Douthit and directed by Kelly Alvarez, is a touching drama about two lovers’ final days together as one faces the end stage of a terminal illness. Their shared love and imminent loss is reflected in the food they have been creating together from a special recipe book.  The cast includes Jordan Wegner, Todd Hale and Janet Denninger.  

Finally, the evening ends with a magical celebration of all who have died before us.  Jessica Lee’s “Amma’s Dance Party” takes place in a kitchen in which food, music and dance unite a family and celebrate the spirits of those who have passed.  John Pegan directs a cast which includes Brittani McKemy, Rickie Emilie Farah and Gwendolen van Wyk. 

Tickets are available in Ukiah at the Mendocino Book Company and online at , and at the door as available. This production is recommended for ages 12 and up. Admission is $10. Audience members are encouraged to purchase tickets early. For more information, call Reid Edelman at 707-468-3172.​

Please note regarding the ���������� Covid Safety Policy: ���������� has adopted a vaccine mandate for indoor events. All guests must show proof of full vaccination (two doses of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) in order to enter the theatre. Masks are recommended, but not required.

Each audience member will need to present proof of vaccination upon entry. This can include: screen-shot of a valid CA digital vaccine card or QR code, physical CDC vaccination card, or a screen-shot or photo of a CDC vaccination card on a phone. Photo ID or an accompanying roster for children who do not have identification must accompany all health documents.

The annual ���������� New Play Festival is a homegrown feast of local talent.