Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 1/13-1/17

This year, 83 schools from region II of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival staged 210 productions. Of those 210, 68 were nominated to participate at the festival January 14 - 17 at The University of the Arts. Through a blind selection process, nine were selected for staging, and include everything from the classic Shakespeare comedy "Love's Labour's Lost" to new student-written and directed productions. $10 general admission tickets can be purchased for 45 minutes before the show. For information and inquiries, call 215/717-6499 or email sotatickets@uarts.edu.

Big Love by Charles L. Mee (PSU - Altoona)
Charles L. Mee's play is based on "The Suppliant Women" by Aeschylus, but Mee takes this ancient plot and updates it. It's a zany tragicomedy about marriage and love. A Curtain Up review states "Mee turns the ancient story of 50 brides who rebel against their arranged marriages to 50 grooms into nothing less than a theatrical free-for-all. How Mee handles this explosive material, turning it at once into a somber mediation on the ancient themes of justice and revenge and at the same time into a wild celebration of the enduring power of love, is nothing less than inspiring. From the arrival in Italy of the fleeing brides as they invade and occupy the grand villa they mistake for a hotel to the maniacal dance macabre of the homicidal brides and their bloodied grooms at play's end, this production takes its audience for a ride which literally leaves it gasping. Exhilarating is too weak a word to capture Big Love's full force." Directed by Robin Reese.
Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 14, 8:30 p.m.

Love's Labours' Lost by William Shakespeare (Albright College)
The King of Navarre decides to dedicate his court to serious academic study, with no girls allowed! But when a diplomatic delegation of noblewomen arrives, the men rapidly shift their study to the art of flirtation. The young (and not-so-young) scholars of Shakespeare's comedy put on quite a show of their learning and language for their guests, but will their labors of love be sufficient? Directed by Julie Matthews.
Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 15, 12:30 p.m.

Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind (Rowan College)
A story of developing bodies, raging emotions, friendships that last forever, and love worth dying for, Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening follows a group of teenagers as they grapple with their sexual awakening in Victorian Europe. Written in 1891 and banned for over 60 years, Spring Awakening deals with homosexuality, abortion, masturbation and other controversial topics without pulling any punches. Translation by Douglas Langworthy. Directed by Lane Savadove
Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 15, 8:30 p.m.

Color Blind by Tom Flannery (SUNY - Brockport)
The Katrina Monologues looks at the experience of New Orleans through the eyes of nine specific people. Not nine officials or business leaders, but regular people, like us, whose voices we need to take the time to listen to. Some are the ghosts that have come back to try to make things right. Others are alive, practicing the tradition of speaking truth to power. Directed by Trish Ralph.
Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 16, 12:30 p.m.

Violet Sharp by William Cameron (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)
Violet Sharp is a new play by William Cameron set against the backdrop of one of America's most notorious crimes - the 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping case. Winner of the 2006 Julie Harris Playwright Award, Violet Sharp is about a twenty-seven-year-old domestic servant of Charles Lindbergh's family that is suspected of kidnapping the Lindbergh's infant son. As the police rigorously pursue a confession, it becomes clear that Violet is being pursued just as fervently by her own personal demons. Directed by Brian Jones.
Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 16, 8:30 p.m.

7:32 by KT Peterson (Towson University)
The centennial year of a young country already in need of revival. The railroad giant Cornelius Vanderbilt is at the end of his life. The abundant working class is lifting the progress of the world onto its shoulders-all to the tune of circuses and dressed in the candlelight of spiritualist mediums. Based on the events of the Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster, this new play explores the collapse of a bridge and the collapse of a man in 1876 America. Student directed by David Gregory.
Merriam Theater (250 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 17, 12:30 p.m.

Honor and the River by Anton Dudly (SUNY - Oswego)
Eliot, the boy who can't swim, is paired with Honor, a star athlete on the rowing team. Honor seems to be the expert, training Eliot to conquer his fear of the water. Manipulation, betrayal and deception test the limits of friendship when it becomes apparent that Eliot has a great deal to teach Honor about the nature of honesty and vulnerability. Set in a boy's prep school, this coming-of-age story examines friendship, family and the courage needed to take responsibility for one's emotions. Written by Anton Dudley. Directed by Kevin Hollenbeck.
Arts Bank (601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 14, 5 p.m., January 15, 9:30 a.m.

La Bete by David Hirson (Grove City College)
La Bête is set in France in 1654 and revolves around an upheaval in a famous acting troupe. Its patron, Prince Conti, feels the troupe's work has grown stagnant and so has capriciously forced the street performer Valere upon them to enliven things. Elomire, the troupe's renowned leader, finds Valere revolting and base and can barely restrain his contempt. What ensues is a dialectical word ballet on the subject of art. While author David Hirson never provides any definitive answers on the subject, he certainly raises some important questions. What is good art? Is our culture's standard slipping so fast that we are in perilous danger of churning out nothing but drivel because it pays well? Do we even know that it is drivel we are watching? Have we come, as the character Elomire describes, to a place "That mediocrity is all we know?" and maybe more dangerously, all we want? Certainly questions worth our consideration.
Arts Bank (601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 15, 5 p.m., January 16, 9:30 a.m.

Jesus Hops the A Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Queensborough Community College)
A war of the heavens is waged in the violent cells of New York City's penal system. Charged with murdering a cult leader, Angel Cruz befriends a serial killer and the battle for his soul and survival plays out before us. Guirguis' searing drama is written in language of the streets and voiced by demons and angels. Student directed by Georgia McGill
Arts Bank (601 S. Broad St., Philadelphia)
January 16, 5 p.m., January 17, 9:30 a.m.