theater
BY ANNA GRACE
Lord Leebrick Theatre
William Shakespeare’s
The Taming
of the Shrew
Directed by Judith
“Sparky” Roberts
Blue Door Theatre
Building 6, Main Campus
Kim Donahey and Richard
Leebrick on stage at last
year’s NXNW 10 fest
Fresh and Local
Thursday - Saturdays,
April 7-23
8pm Curtain
Area playwrights celebrate two world premieres
W
hy import expensive plays
from New York or London’s
West End when you can
enjoy homegrown work conceived and
staged fresh right here in town? If you’re
hungry for something a little different this
weekend, two venues are serving up the
original fare of local playwrights.
First, Lord Leebrick Theatre hosts a festival
of short plays, North by Northwest Ten! The
lime-green press release came sailing in on
a brightly colored toy bi-plane, signaling the
return of a free-spirited, fast-paced evening
of theater. The Annual Northwest Festival
of 10-Minute plays stages eight complete
plays, one rolling in right after the next. With
submissions coming in from every corner of
our state, only the very best were selected,
solidifying a line up where each play is not
only quick but quality theater.
Ten-minute plays are great fun, as one
story completely unfolds and wraps up
before you know it, in a jumble of themes
and styles. It’s like ordering tapas —
there’s bound to be something you really
like. And if a writer happens to serve up
a story that doesn’t cut it for you, guess
what? It’s only ten minutes!
This year’s plays range from quirky
comedy to serious drama, and your inner
ADD spirit will enjoy the quick fl ips of
concept and character. I mean, really, where
else are you going to see the Brangelia and
Satan on stage in the same evening?
Executive producer Paul Calandrino
has marshaled seven directors and 19
actors to perform the handful of original
plays. Local favorites like Bill Campbell
and Lynn Berg grace the stage to celebrate
the work of new authors. Join them in
an evening that quite literally promises
something for everyone.
Paradise: If you think it’s lost, you can
recover yours this weekend as the Unity
of the Valley Coming Alive Players stage
Paradise, an original musical by Sunny
Schneider.
Imagine an island utopia, founded
by suffragettes in the tumultuous years
following the American Civil War. Now
picture that society seventy years later,
when peace and cooperation rule the day
as women take the lead in governing. It’s a
beautiful world, but something’s missing;
then, in 1944, a wounded army doctor
washes up on shore. Love battles duty as
the characters croon their way to a surprise
ending.
“It seemed to write itself,” Schneider
says of the script that unfurled from her
fi ngers in four short months. When I ask
about the style of music, Schneider says,
“Defi nitely old Broadway. The songs
are romantic and heartfelt, like a classic
musical.”
What could be more innovative than a
weighty utopia put to catchy show tunes?
It’s as if Marge Piercy had a hand in
writing South Pacifi c.
Produced by The Unity of the Valley
Coming Alive Players, an ongoing theater
troupe connected with the church, this play
has been a labor of love and cooperation.
“Every theater production takes a
community of effort and is a wonderful
model for how we can live our lives,”
says Schneider. “This is how they live on
Paradise Island. They are waiting for us to
join them.”
ew
North By Northwest Ten! runs at Lord Leebrick Theatre
April 1-9. Paradise runs at The Unity of the Valley Church
April 2 at 7 pm (5:30 for dinner) and April 3 at 2 pm
(12:30 for lunch); a meal and the play is $10, the play
is by donation.
The 2011 Festival
of 10 Minute Plays
Tickets: 541.465.1506
or lordeebrick.com
Coming in May
Shakespeare’s
Sunday Matinee
April 17 2pm
$10 General;
$8 Students & Seniors.
Group discounts.
No one under
10 admitted.
The Winter’s Tale
directed by John Schmor
Registering Now
Spring Acting Classes
SUMMER CAMPS
Shakespeare Camp
Fractured Fairytales
Comedy Crew
Teen Acting Intensive
BOX OFFICE
541-463-5761
ONLINE SALES
www.lanecc.edu/tickets
Call 541.684.6988
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EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 31, 2011 35