Play by play

From tales of quirky genius boys to stories of dysfunctional
families involved in hit-and-run accidents, there are so many
stories to be told, but in the competitive world of playwrighting
many of these stories will never make it to the stage.

Started in 1989 by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and
Television, the New Play Festival gives student playwrights in the
Master of Fine Arts program a chance to write and have their plays
staged.

This year there are four playwrights displaying their work: Rose
Martula, Jesse Spero, Marlene Shelton and Benjamin Lomoso.

“It’s basically our only time to show our work to
the public and to begin creating a name for ourselves,” said
Martula, a third-year MFA student. “While it’s a good
opportunity for us, it’s also one of the few, if not the only
time, we have to present our work, which is unfortunate.”

The festival, presenting a play each week for a month, was
created by the faculty as a means of giving the playwrights a
chance to learn how plays are produced and executed.

“The New Play Festival is one of two chances the
playwrights have to present their work here,” said Edit
Villarreal, chair of the graduate playwriting program. “The
festival is mainly for experience; we want the playwrights to see
how their play is handled in the hands of other people in a full
length production.”

While the festival is specifically for second-year MFA
playwriting students, this year, as a result of the theater
department extending the playwriting program to three years, there
are students returning to the festival to showcase a new play for
another year.

“I’m excited about showing a new play this
year,” said Spero, a third-year MFA student. “After
participating in the show last year, I learned that I get some of
the best rewrites after rehearsals and after hearing what the
actors and the directors have to say about the play.”

While these students toil to create plays that are different and
edgy, they also want to be able to create a name for themselves in
the theater industry to prepare themselves after graduation.

One student, Brian Davidson, a 1996 graduate from the
playwriting program, participated in this event and will have his
play, “War Times,” performed at the Geffen Playhouse
next winter.

Writing his play after the New

Play Festival, Davidson used the skills gained from working with
directors and actors to incorporate them into his creation.

“We encourage students to be creative in these
pieces,” said Villarreal. “I want them to take chances
and take risks ““ especially because it exposes them to new
theatrical ways which they definitely benefit from.”

While some students may not have the immediate success of
Davidson, they will gain valuable experience by learning how to
adapt their plays to different actors and directors.

According to Spero, it’s most important for the
playwrights to gain experience and taking that experience and using
it for future productions.

The plays, while helping the playwrights gain pertinent
experience in their field, also aim to provoke audience members to
think about their own lives. While most of the plays focus on
familial ideas and relationships, the playwrights hope to create a
scene that audience members can relate to.

“I want my audience walking out reflecting back on their
own lives,” said Spero. “I want the play to speak to
them about deeper issues that encompass everyone’s lives
““ if I can do this, my play would have been a
success.”