North Coast Repertory Theatre Presents Student One Act Festival 5/14-16

Four young people, ranging in age from 11 to 16, met the challenge of writing, directing and producing their own plays for the 2010 One Act Festival at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. The One Act Festival will be presented on May 14-16. The plays include: "A Walk in the Park" by Peter Lillian; "Super Pi" by Joelle Leib; "Who's on Alpha?" by theatre school director Matt Thompson; "The Purple Peach and the Punctuated People" by ; and "Revived Hearts" by Kari Benirschke.

Jacob Surovsky, Joelle Leib, Peter Lillian and Kari Benirschke in The Theatre School @ North Coast Rep's Annual Student One Act Festival.

In "A Walk in the Park," a mother, father and teenage daughter are out for a stroll when two aliens touch down on earth. Their spaceship has run out of fuel. The family is petrified of the aliens and tries to avoid them. The aliens hound the family for plasma fuel even though their spaceship's locator indicates that none exists for hundreds of miles. This hysterical play will make you laugh at loud.

"Super Pi" chronicles the story of two nerds, two ping pong jocks, and one beautiful girl. When nerdy Francis begins to talk to the pretty Amber, Amber's tough boyfriend, Sean, organizes a fight to give Francis the message to "back off." This play gives the epic and eternal battle of nerds and jocks a unique twist.

When the Captain and First Officer of a spaceship land on a distant planet and begin arguing over baseball, it results in the hilarious "Who's on Alpha?" This two-man play follows the fight between the Captain and the First Officer of who's on first, what's on second, and I don't know on third.

In "Purple Peach and the Punctuated People", two spies, Period and Question Mark, are called to the scene when their spymaster, Ms. Comma, falls into a coma. The two spies are informed that the only cure is the purple peach, a marvelous fruit guarded by Exclamation Point, Colon, and Semi-Colon. The two spies attempt to steal the purple peach in this exciting adventure that includes a shocking end.

The final one act is "Revived Hearts," which tells the story of a Jewish family during the Holocaust. While the family is in hiding, the mother becomes ill and the father is sent to war. The three young children must learn to take care of each other and work together through trying times in this heartfelt play.

The One Act Festival showcases the talent of an impressive array of young playwrights and actors. The one acts will transport you to the future and the past, make you laugh and cry, and entertain young and old alike. Come share in the creativity fostered by North Coast Repertory Theatre School.

What: The 2010 One Act Festival
When: May 14 at 5 p.m., May 15 at 5 p.m., and May 16 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Where: 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Suite D, Solana Beach, CA 92075
Ticket Price: $9 to $12. Advance purchase recommended as performances do sell out. To purchase tickets please call North Coast Repertory Theatre's box office 858-481-1055 or order online at www.northcoastrep.org.

Matt Thompson (Theatre School Director)

BIOGRAPHY
An actor, director, playwright and teacher, Matt is very happy to call North Coast Repertory Theatre home. His plays have been published through Dramatic, Brooklyn, and Heuer Publishing, respectively. Matt is also an actor as you may have seen him here on stage in many North Coast Repertory Theatre shows. A director of over thirty plays, including last season's Hansel & Gretel, right here at North Coast Rep. He has also acted with Lamb's Players, The Theatre in Old Town, The Falcon Theatre, The Road Theatre, Sierra Repertory Theatre and The Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival. For over 10 years Matt has also worked at The Disneyland Resort and Sea World of California as a performer. Matt is the former artistic director of Compass Theatre in San Diego.

TRAINING
Matt received his B.A. in theatre from SDSU and is currently working on his Master's Degree in Theatre Education. Matt was trained at The Second City Improv troupe where he learned improvisation and the art of sketch comedy writing. Also versed in stage combat and fencing through Sword Play Studios in Burbank. Matt worked for several season at the North County Shakespeare Festival working on Shakespeare's language and dialects. He studied Shakespeare Intensives with Richard Easton at The Old Globe, right here in San Diego. For over 10 years Matt has worked at Disneyland as a performer in a variety of shows and for five years he performed at Sea World of California working every show in the park, including The Sea Lion & Otter Show where he used clowning and miming techniques on a daily basis.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Matt has taught in-school residencies and master classes through The La Jolla Playhouse education department for the past two years. Subjects have including, Acting for Stage, Greek & Shakespeare Studies, Improvisation and Playwriting. Matt has also taught a multitude of theatrical subjects including Shakespeare Studies through The Kingsmen Shakespeare Company, sketch comedy and improvisation through The Second City and the Comedy Store, and Creative Drama through Monart School for the Arts. He has also taught acting for TV and film through Mackerstar Entertainment, The San Diego Workshop Studios, and San Diego Acting Lab.

PHILOSOPHY
"Acting from the heart is the most sincere form of performance."

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