Plays by young writers, “The Playwrights Project” is 34 years
old this year. If you want to know what
the future generation of up and coming young thinkers have on their minds you
will want to attend any number of the new plays on tap through Jan. 26th.
415 scripts by youngsters ranging in ages 11-18 were submitted
this year. Festival Artistic Director Ruff Yeager, in his opening remarks,
assured the audience that each and every work submitted was read and judged
accordingly.
On opening nigh of the festival two finished and fully
produced plays and one musical were highlighted: “Sea Of Fog” by Jack
Ventimillia, “A Mother’s Mother” by Emma Kuli and “Trash! The Musical”, by
Naomi Melville. Each was given the full treatment with professional directors,
set designers, lighting designers, costume and sound.
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| Jalani Blankenship and Daniel Woods as Daxx |
Sixteen year old Jack Ventimilia’s “Sea of Fog” delves into
the challenges two ‘outsiders struggle with to understand’ and define religion in
the modern world. Daxx (Daniel Woods) and Denise (Jalani Blankenship) meet by
chance in a familiar area outside the local church graveyard.
Denise is overly religious and depends on God for favor and
acceptance. Daxx on the other hand is more simplistic in his beliefs. He is
preoccupied with saving his sister from a possible date that might go wrong. He shows up with a knife, she is bible bound. The two go
back and forth citing confessions they each made in their group therapy as they try to find common ground and close the wedge that separates them.
Both young actors deserve kudos for their realistic
interpretation of the playwright’s messages. Woods pushes through as his
character Daxx questions and then walks away from Blankenship’s Denise strict dogma.
Blankenship is a third year theatre major at UC San Diego and
no stranger to acting. This is Woods’ first role acting in a play and he’s off
to a great start.
George Yé directs.
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“A Mother’s Mother” by 18-year-old Emma Kuli is an insightful
look at a teen pregnancy through the lens of a 17year old girl, Billie (Nancy
Batres) whose own mother, Willa (Lettie S. De Anda) was confronted with the
same uncertainties of being an unwed mother, that her daughter is now facing.
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| Lettie S. De Anda and Nancy Batres |
Directed with a caring eye by Deborah Salzer (founding
mother of Y.P.P. in 1985), 'Mother's' opens innocently enough as the two argue about what to order out for lunch. They go back and forth and as the topics of spicy food vs. added expenses for extra salsa for their tacos to
the stigma of being an unwed teen mother turns serious, the play takes a turn for Willa to share her story with her young daughter, one that was never talked about until now.
Willa tells her daughter that she was given the silent treatment by her own mother and then shipped off to an uncaring aunt miles away when her mother learned of her own daughter's pregnancy. She would never do that to her own daughter.
Willa tells her daughter that she was given the silent treatment by her own mother and then shipped off to an uncaring aunt miles away when her mother learned of her own daughter's pregnancy. She would never do that to her own daughter.
Eighteen -year old Ms. Kuli, a freshman at Santa Clara
University and is as big as a minute, has captured a moment in a
mother/daughter relationship that will cement the two together in the years to
come.
As birth control becomes more difficult to obtain more talks like this will be happening across the nation. Rather than looking with disdain, acceptance is a must. Miss Kuli, more mature than her age defines has found a compromise that should work for both mothers'; the one that is and the one that is to be.
As birth control becomes more difficult to obtain more talks like this will be happening across the nation. Rather than looking with disdain, acceptance is a must. Miss Kuli, more mature than her age defines has found a compromise that should work for both mothers'; the one that is and the one that is to be.
Thanks to the dedicated and realistic acting of both women
yours truly felt the bonding as the food fetishes slipped away and a coming
together began to grow.
Miss De Anda was an Aubrey Award Nominee –Best Actress in
“This”. Ms Batres received her MFA in Theatre Performance from University of
Texas, El Paso. Hats off to all four women whose understanding of women makes
this new play and young playwright so valuable.
****************************************
The Peace de Resistance is 17- year old Naomi Melville’s
“Trash! The Musical” directed by Ruff Yeager with music direction by Michelle
Gray on piano, choreographed by Dana Maue and mentored by Thomas Hodges was the
highlight and most creative of the evening.
Melville, a senior at Mt Carmel High School wrote her first
‘script in middle school’, is involved in the drama department and is the
Co-Captain of the Improv Team.
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| Diego Castro in background, Tommy Tran and Claudette Santiago |
No question this now generation is, what I refer to ‘as the
throw away generation’. Nothing of value has value when something bigger and
better comes along. It was just a matter of time that some young, bright, clever
and vigilant writer would pen a play or musical about TRASH!
Four characters in the cast of Trash! The Musical” make this
entry special: Trash (Claudette Santiago), Rusty (Diego Castro), Texas, (Tommy
Tran) and Dolly, (Amy Perkins) all find themselves outside, in the alleyway of
a building complex, today.
It all begins when writer (Krista Wilford) bounces into the
alley and drops some no longer used paper into the trash. Rusty welcomes a newcomer, Trash, who pops
out of a trashcan dressed in a paper dress held together with notepaper, as she
ponders just how and why she’s there. (“Welcome to trash”)
Each of the characters is accordingly named, as they are
dressed. Texas is a discarded Texas Instrument calculator cleverly dressed with
discarded wires and circuit boards attached to his clothes. His with robotic
movements are in keeping with his name.
Rusty’s braided hair and rusty face and clothes is a
discarded and rusty steel drum. He seems to be the spokesperson for the group. Doll, a toy is dressed in a pink ballerina outfit from head to
toe claiming she’s there by mistake.
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| Tommy Tran, Amy Perkins (center) and Claudette Santiago |
Melville’s eye for comedy, music and relevance in today’s
world of throw away is exceptional as her musical journey is about to begin. Hats
off to this talented cast and especially playwright Melville.
And… be on the lookout for this show to be produced on a
larger scale in the not too distant future.
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Other plays included in this years program (that I did not
see) and will be given staged readings include ”Just Let Me Help” by 14 year
old Marco Herrera and Chris Johnson and “Have Hope” by 11 year old Shyla de
Hoop.
Check out their web site for more information at
playwrightsproject.org.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through Jan 26th
Organization: Young Playwrights Project
Phone: 858-384-2970
Where: 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park
Web: playwrightsproject.org
Venue: Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre
Photo: Ken Jacques
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