Festival celebrates playwright

photo by Jason Cortez

Senior Kim Reed rehearses her lines as Mrs. Martin in the one-act play “The Bald Soprano," written by Eugene Ionesco. Directed by junior Becky Campana, "The Bald Soprano" will be performed at the Beckett Festival on Sunday. The festival will feature a series of one-act plays by Samuel Beckett and other playwrights, directed by students in the Directing Studio class with sets designed by students in the Design Studio class.

by Adrianna Gardner
Staff Writer

As a follow up to the production of “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett, the University of La Verne theater department staged another round of short plays and pieces by the Nobel Prize laureate.

Next week, the theatre department presents the Samuel Beckett and Friends Festival, a collection of short plays and pieces written by the renowned playwright. The festival will feature eight student directors, 18 set designers and a cast of student actors.

“Beckett is one of the most important directors of the 20th century,” said David Flaten, professor of theater arts.

This showcase hosts directing projects by Beckett and other playwrights who have written in the same style and genre. Topics range from dealing with the psychological and physical conditions of being human, as explored in “Waiting for Godot.”

“This is quite a different bill,” said Flaten, comparing the traditional seating arrangement of the past plays to change in local of these productions.

In contrast, the most interesting part of the festival requires the audience to move from the cabaret to the main stage to an outdoor stage.

The festival will use the three locations during the six shorts plays which are followed by two long pieces. The department invites company for help.

In the play “Prayer for the 21st Century,” the department brings local elementary school students to the stage as cast members. Theater students from Pomona College are also on the list of guests invited to perform.

Another play to look for is “The Bald Soprano” directed by Becky Campana, a classic built around people’s inability to communicate effectively.

“Each project will be both exciting and intriguing,” said senior theatre major Nasir Najieb, director of “A Piece of a Monologue.” also featured in the festival.

“The choice was not arbitrary,” said Flaten about choosing Beckett and Friends as the theme.

The festival begins Sunday and continues Tuesday through Thursday near Cabaret Theatre.