UNM’s Theatre X announces the sixth annual Words Afire Festival, running Nov. 2 – 20. The festival celebrates The New Wave of UNM Playwrights, a showcase of original works including full-length plays, plays for young audiences and one-act and ten-minute plays written by MFA and undergraduate writers in the Robert Hartung Endowed Dramatic Writing Program in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Plays are world premiere productions written, directed, acted and designed by emerging artists.
This November, the festival will present 13 world premiere productions, six staged readings of new plays in progress and a free feature event by Elana Greenfield at UNM’s Rodey Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5.
Greenfield, an established playwright and Whiting award winner, is a guest artist with the Dramatic Writing Program at UNM this fall. She will speak after staged readings of her works “Nine Come” and “Possessed by a Demon,” featuring members of the Tricklock Company.
Other events at UNM include:
· “The Family Frost” by Terry Davis at Theatre X, Nov. 2 – 5 at 7:30 p.m.
· “Let it Get to You” by Kristen Simpson at Theatre X, Nov. 9 – 12 at 7:30 p.m. (Contains mature content and adult language.)
· “I Sea” by Lou Clark at Theatre X, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m., Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. (Recommended for ages 12 and up.)
· “Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire…Then Ashley” by Don Garcia at Theatre X, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m., Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. (Recommended for middle school audiences.)
· “The Zombie Musical” by Marisa DeMarco & Pam Herrington at Theatre X, Nov. 18 – 19 at 10 p.m.
· Staged MFA readings by Maryl McNally, Matt Diel and Lou Clark
Other plays and readings by emerging artists will be performed at Sol Arts (712 Central Ave. SE), Gorilla Tango (519 Central Ave. NW) and the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 4th St. NW).
Ticket prices range from $3.98 to $7. School matinees and most staged reading performances are free. Tickets are available through the UNM ticket office at 925-5858, Tickets.com outlets or online at www.unmtickets.com. For general information call the Words Afire hotline at 277- 7331 or visit: www.unm.edu/~theatre/td/.
Contact: Jim Linnell, (505) 277-2416