Yelena Ovcharenko
Staff Writer

If you walked through the black curtains between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, small tables with velvet tablecloths and tea candles in glass bowls greeted you on the wooden stage of the Jane Dibbell Cabaret Theatre.

An empty stool, a black stand and a mic stood in front of the room with a white projection screen serving as a backdrop. This was the setting for the University of La Verne’s Theatre and Music Department Festival, held during Homecoming weekend.

“I kind of tried to make it like one of those poetry houses in L.A.,” said Tracy Ryan, a 1991 alumna and the event coordinator.

Garlands with tiny purple and white lights were streamed across the ceiling.

An elaborate concession stand featuring everything from sandwiches, sushi and shrimp to the typical veggies, dip and cookies stood to the side of the stage.

In the distance the beating drums of the Homecoming band could be heard.

Occasionally, heads poked through the theater entrance as curious eyes examined the place.

“It finally worked out,” said Kimber Tittle, a 1994 theater major alumna who stopped by the theater festival. “It’s really nice to come back.”

But the event had a sporadic and small turnout.

Less than a dozen people sat in the room at a time, mainly due to the event’s timing, which conflicted with the football game.

“Theater people don’t normally go to the football game so I didn’t think it would be an issue,” Ryan said.

During the event Sean Dillon’s film titled “Doughboy Beware” was one of two shown.

The 10-minute film featured a soldier that constantly got in trouble by buying spoiled cheese and bad rum and accepting offers from ugly showgirls.

The theme of the film was: “The stout of heart resist temptation...after temptation the sin may be worse than death.”

Margaret-Suzanne Tipton read an excerpt from a piece titled “A Belly of a Fish” by V.C. Rhone, an alumna from the University.

“This particular part of the script was written with Jane (Dibbell) in mind,” said Tipton, a 2005 alumna liberal studies major, theater minor.

Tipton posed elaborate yoga moves such as the “cat” and the “cow,” as she brought an aspiring actress to life who learned to invest her heart into minor tasks before tackling more major roles.

Despite the low turnout Ryan was grateful to those that came.

“I appreciated the enthusiasm that you had when you walked through the door,” said Ryan to the audience at the conclusion.

This was Ryan’s second time organizing this event. Upon the late Jane Dibbell’s request, Ryan took over its organization.

All who came seemed to enjoy the event.

“I think it’s great,” Tittle said. “I’m glad they have it.”

Yelena Ovcharenko can be reached at yovcharenko@ulv.edu.