Theater Works' 2015 WESTival Opens This Weekend

Theater Works at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts opens its third annual NewWorks Festival "WESTival" today, July 11, 2015.

"Peoria Center for the Performing Arts is committed to providing new experiences for playwrights, actors and our community. The WESTival Festival is an exciting way to make that happen," commented Dan Schay, Theater Works Executive Director. "We are fortunate to have a thriving selection of talented artists to help us fulfill that commitment."

All performance tickets are $11 including fees for non-members and $8 for Theater Works Members.

---

The schedule of NewWorks performances are as follows:

BENKELMAN
By Kirt Shineman
Directed by Daniel Schay

On the edge of a town, at the edge of the West, sits a trailer. It is the home of Robin-Sue, who is on the edge of a romance, a job, a life. Her friend Kay dresses like Elizabeth Taylor on a JC Penny budget. Her mother Della Mae wants what's best for her daughter - whatever it takes to get it. Her boyfriend likes fast cars and fast times. Benkelman is about the options available (or not available) to women at the dawn of a new era. It is a personal, heartfelt and moving portrait of a time, a place and some very special people.

Saturday, July 11 | 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Sunday, July 12 | 2:00 pm BUY TICKETS

3 NO TRUMP
By Cathy Dresbach
Directed by Debra K. Stevens

A comedy about cards and enduring friendship. The Ladies of the Club have met every other Thursday to play cards, chat, eat, drink and laugh. Sometimes they cry, and then laugh some more. They seek the answers to life's great questions: What's the response to a 2-club opening bid? Why can't the Phoenix Suns make the playoffs? Who is the evil genius that invented pantyhose? Told with humor and heart, 3 No Trump is the story of ordinary women with an extraordinary devotion to each other and the game of Bridge. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely intentional.

Saturday, July 18 | 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Sunday, July 19 | 2:00 pm BUY TICKETS

BLUE WILLOW
Play by Pamela Sterling
Based on the novel by Doris Gates
Directed by Richard Powers Hardt

This is the dramatization of a beloved novel that tells the story of a migrant family during the great depression as they move through the west, pursuing crops and work. Meet Janey Larkin the ten-year-old daughter of a migrant family in San Joaquin Valley, California, in the late 1930s when America is still suffering the effects of the Great Depression. Her most treasured possession is a Blue Willow plate that had once belonged to her great-great-grandmother. The picture of a bridge and a stream and a little house on the willow pattern plate represents the permanent home she dreams of.
Experience life lessons with her as she comes of age, meets good friends and undergoes challenges on the road and in the camps.
The novel upon which this play is based has been a favorite for generations, and has been called a "young persons' GRAPES OF WRATH".

Friday, July 17 | 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Saturday, July 18 | 2:00 pm BUY TICKETS

...AND JULIET
By Robert Caisley
Directed by Jerre Hodgins

Charlie Vaughn, an idealistic young director comes to a small conservative college campus to stage a production of Romeo & Juliet. When he announces his decision to cast a fourteen year-old boy in the role of Juliet, as was the Elizabethan custom, he challenges the "old school" sensibilities of the campus community and invites the wrath of Annie Rice, an ambitious, but unstable young actress who feels the role should be hers. He turns to a veteran colleague for advice, and the plot thickens - onstage and off. Inspired by The Public by Federico Garcia Lorca.

Friday, July 24 | 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Saturday, July 25 | 2:00 pm BUY TICKETS

CONTROLLED BURN
By Lojo Simon
Directed by Layne Racowsky

Claire's house burns down in a California wildfire, setting off a series of events that forces her to face parts of her life she's been denying too long, including her husband's infidelity and her mother's illness. This contemporary, small-cast domestic drama explores the relationship between truth and lies, reality and imagination and how we find hope amidst life's greatest challenges. Nationally-renowned writer Lojo Simon considers how we respond to disaster and the choices we make that offer hope of a better future.

Saturday, July 25 | 7:30 pm BUY TICKETS
Sunday, July 26 | 2:00 pm BUY TICKETS

---

To purchase tickets, please call the Theater Works Box Office at 623.815.7930 Monday - Friday 10am to 4pm. For information on all upcoming shows and events, visit www.theaterworks.org.

Theater Works, at Peoria Center for the Performing Arts is entering its 30th season of providing exceptional theatre to the West Valley. As a destination, it features more then 250 performances a year including: live theater, classical concerts, jazz, popular music, dance, comedy, cultural events, festivals, youth and adult education classes and much more. Theater Works is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, call the Box Office at 623.815.7930 or visit www.theaterworks.org.