Contact:
Jim Linnell, 505-277-2416
Laurie Mellas-Ramirez, 277-5915

November 1, 2001

UNM FESTIVAL SHOWCASES NEW PLAYS, READINGS, RADIO SHOW

"Words Afire: The Edmund Evans New Works Festival," showcasing new plays from the University of New Mexico's Dramatic Writing Program, will be held Nov. 7-Dec. 2 at four venues - the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Outpost Performance Space, Riverside Theatre and UNM's Theatre X.

A total of 29 showings over a period of 27 nights are the result of more than 100 UNM students who labored in every aspect of stage production from writing and directing to scene design, costuming and lighting.

"You've got it wrong if you think the youth of America are unfocused or unwilling. Here are a group of young artists bursting with desire to say, to act, to capture your attention," says Jim Linnell, professor in the UNM Dramatic Writing program.

Celebrating the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in the Department of Theater and Dance, the festival features 12 short works, three full-length pieces, two concert readings and a radio show.

Susan Erickson and Howie Kaibel, graduate students in the final year of UNM's recently expanded Dramatic Writing MFA program, will premier full-length works.

Elizabeth Kay Otero, who completed her undergraduate degree this summer, will premiere her new full-length play "Gas" at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, a newly added venue.

A complete schedule of events is as follows:

Week one (Nov. 7-11)

Bon Fires: Three short works playing at UNM's Theatre X - "Mama's Boy" by Jason Nious, the story of a truly soulful soul food café; "Tale" by Jason Witter, a strictly adult-themed take on some fairy-tale standards; and "Bloody Hot Days" by Maria Johnson, a comedic road trip to a desert land where the real men are women.

Wild Fires: Two short works playing at the Riverside Theatre - "Boy from Ohio" by Curtis Child, featuring the last day in the life of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer; and "Kitty Kitty Kitty" by David Landry, a story featuring the world's first talking house cat (unless, of course, you already own one).

Week two (Nov. 14-18)

Brush Fires: Four short works playing at UNM's Theatre X - "A Beautiful Day for a Sunday Drive" by Barbara Schmider, in which two families mourn their wartime losses when a young girl commits an incomprehensible act; "Glimpses" by Crystal Jo Massoth, which shows the unseen forces lurking behind any relationship; "Unbalanced"
by Lea Atherton, a script that faces the question of what to do when grandma's a kleptomaniac?; and "Prospect Angel" by Steven Pinzone, a fast-paced punk rock song of a play about boys going ga-ga for girls.

Back Fires: Two medium-length works playing at the Riverside Theatre - "I Go to Pieces" by Dusty McGowan, the tale of a idealistic paparazzo losing his professional innocence; and "Bubba" by David Velarde, in which a terminally ill Apache wishes to prolong his life through not-so-traditional means.

"Gas:" A full-length work by Elizabeth Kay Otero playing at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Set in Las Vegas, New Mexico, "Gas" investigates cross-cultural romance in a gas station populated with a legion of slightly tweaked (yet oh-so-familiar) characters.

Readings: Two full-length works given as concert readings at UNM's Theatre X - "King Harald" by David Landry, in which Hamlet's successor plays comedic havoc with Danish politics; and "True North," a story of a family outing gone bad after a crash landing at the North Pole.

Week three (Nov. 28-Dec. 2)

"Windchill:" A full-length work by Howie Kaibel playing at UNM's Theatre X. "Windchill" is a comedy drama where the past returns to haunt the present. One family hashes it out within the confines of an ice fishing house in Minnesota.

"33 on 66! 33 play in 66 minutes:" A full-length work by Susan Erickson playing at the Riverside Theatre. At a breakneck pace, almost three dozen short plays are strung together in a frenzy of theatre action.

"Green Chile Stew:" A full-length radio comedy show to be recorded at the Outpost Performance Space. Perhaps the most unique event of the festival - "Green Chile Stew" promises to deliver cold irony and hot political humor, with no topic too taboo. Written by several students from the writing program and directed by Joe Pesce of the Riverside Repertory Ensemble.

All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with the following exceptions: Sunday performances at the Riverside Theatre begin at 6 p.m.; the Nov. 18 matinee at the Cultural Center begins at 2 p.m.; and play readings at Theatre X begin at 2 p.m.

Performances at the National Hispanic Cultural Center are free and seating is limited. At other venues, prices are $7 general and $5 for students, UNM faculty/staff and seniors.

For reservations and information, contact the venues: National Hispanic Cultural Center, 246-2261; Outpost Performance Space, 268-0044; Riverside Theatre, 254-8393; Theatre X, 277-4569.

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