La Sierra University’s English department will present a festival of two-page plays this weekend titled DNA Play Festival; The Lime & the Lobster. The event is themed after a student production last year involving lime and lobster costumes. Cash prizes for best play, determined by audience ballot, will be awarded in amounts of $150 for first place, $75 for second place and $50 for third.

The festival will be Sat., May 31 and Sun., June 1 at 8 p.m. in Matheson Hall. General admission is $6. Call the box office at 951-785-2241 for tickets. Additional information is at (951) 785-2274. The campus map is at http://www.lasierra.edu/resources/campusmap/.

Just as DNA is life’s biological building block, the two-page play is the creative building block from which a writer can fashion or test the theatricality of an idea. The DNA Festival is a truly unique event showcasing short dramatic writing for both stage and screen in its germinal stage.

The goal of the DNA Festival is to present the world premieres of a string of original two-page plays. The plays will be produced "without decor," in order to place the focus squarely on the theatricality of the writing itself.

The two-page play provides the writer freedom to discover, in the most succinct and concise ways, the dramatic potential of a mere crumb of an idea. The DNA Festival is a truly unique event showcasing short dramatic writing for both stage and screen. Writers are challenged to rely on metaphor and the economy of language, and audiences will be intrigued by the variety and complexity of these highly polished gems of creative expression. One of the thrilling aspects of this “down-sized” venue of original work is seeing how different writers approach the same topic.

In recent years, the American Theatre has witnessed a sharp rise in the popularity of short plays. Short dramatic writing provides an opportunity for a playwright to hone their craft, try something new by experimenting with form and theme, and learn to trust their voices by relying on metaphor and the economy of language.

The lime and lobster motif of this year’s DNA Play Festival stems from the work of LSU English major, Marcus Chapman, who wrote a play last year entitled, “What Now?” The production starred Mike Tyler and Steph Troyer dressed in fabulous lobster and lime costumes.

The question of what to do with these unique costumes arose and the inspired answer involved building an entire festival around them—ergo the theme for the first annual DNA play festival was born.

The following are this year’s festival playwrights.

• Mona Bascoy, presenting “Beach Day,” “Hollywood,” “Mexico,” “Monopoly” and “The Happiest Place on Earth.”

• Marcus Chapman, presenting “Inappropriate,” “The Label” and “Scorbutus.”

• Heather Corona, presenting “Flying Fish” and “When Mom Gets Home.”

• Rebecca Renee Hess, presenting “A Bad Idea,” “A Home Cooked Meal” and “La Lucha Libra.”

• Andrew Howe, presenting “Happy Hour.”

• Winona Howe, presenting “A Short Engagement.”

• Megan McDonough, presenting “Learning to Fly” and “Subtitles.”

• L. Kelly Reed, presenting “Still Life.”

• Dan Tinianow, presenting “Homage to Monty Python.”

Play directors will include; Megan McDonough, L. Kelly Reed, Will Williams, Kyle Dever, Matt Huston, Priscilla Santos, Rebby Kern and Dan Tinianow.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)