Late Night Theatre Co. Presents their Inaugural Festival of Student Written Short Plays

University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Department of Theatre + Dance and Kennedy Theatre are proud to present Late Night Theatre Company's first annual production of Running Out the Clock: a festival of student written shorts.

The student-run Late Night Theatre Company's season finale premieres five new works in one jam-packed evening of digital theatre streaming for three nights. This production is driven by the diverse student body of the Department of Theatre + Dance and features puppets, futuristic avatars, magic, superheroes and an awkward date night. Undergraduate and graduate students alike direct, design, perform and create as part of Late Night Theatre Company's first annual festival of student written short plays. The production will stream online on April 30 & May 1 at 9:30pm and Sunday May 2 at 7:30pm. Special streaming ticket prices range from $5-$10.

Kōkua! Ayudarse!, written and directed by MFA Theatre for Young Audiences candidate Audrey Casteñeda-Walker, and a selected scene from Unruly Chinese Woman, written by PhD in Performance Studies candidate Crystal Kwok and directed by undergraduate Academy of Creative Media major Jordan Jackson, explore themes of racial tension and cross-cultural communication. Casteñeda-Walker's puppet play is set on a hot July day in Waimea 1833, where two men, one a Mexican vaquero and the other a Kānaka Maoli, must overcome their linguistic differences to tame a wild horse. Kwok's work features the intimacy of a secret date where Pearl, a young Chinese American woman, desperately tries to break free from the oppressive life she leads over dinner with an equally defiant African American man, Cleveland. Both of these new works effectively draw on history to create worlds that challenge the white supremacy of the past.

Whether depicting the past or the fantastical future our students are continuing to challenge media representation of minorities. Super Rainbow Squad's performance introduces superheroes who openly represent the performer's gender and sexual identity. The devised performance is an epilogue to the full length production that features, "a completely original script devised by LGBTQIA+ identifying performers...with the goal of creating realistic and relatable characters who are also strong-willed and able to persevere despite difficulties" says devising leader and MFA Acting candidate Catherine Ann Restivo.

The evening of shorts is rounded out by two fan fiction plays based on popular games, one analog, the Ouija board, and one digital, Among Us. Knock! Knock! written and directed by MFA Directing candidate Andrew Klaus-Vinyard features long-time friends Carly and Priyanka who attempt to curse a former friend who has outgrown them for a more popular clique, when the unexpected starts to occur. The Mission written by undergraduate English and Communicology major Candice Sarangay and directed by undergraduate Theatre major Alyssa Reyes, is a murder mystery where astronauts find themselves in danger as fellow crewmates' dead bodies start piling up on their voyage to the stars. Running Out the Clock exemplifies Late Night Theatre Co.'s commitment to producing work that highlights student abilities and reflects the diversity of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

Performances of Running Out the Clock will be streamed online April 30, May 1, at 9:30 and May 2, at 7:30pm. Run time is approximately 65 minutes. Show information along with a link to purchase tickets can be found on the show website at: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/liveonstage/runningout/. For more information about cast and crew or to watch a sneak preview of each show follow Late Night Theatre on Instagram and Facebook @latenighttheatreuhm.

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