Stetson University continues its 110^th season with the Student-Directed One-Act Play Festival, beginning Thurs., Apr. 14, in Stetson Theatre Arts’ “Second Stage” located inside the Museum of Art-DeLand, 600 N. Woodland Blvd., adjacent to the DeLand campus. The festival runs through Sun., Apr. 17.

The Student-Directed One Act Play Festival is a potpourri of short plays, infused with that special energy that radiates from the students working together.

The four plays are: “English Made Simple” by David Ives, directed by Michael Allan Galvez; “Home Free!” by Lanford Wilson, directed by Arielle Pennington; “I Thought I Liked Girls” by Nicole Pandolfo, directed by Samantha Williams; and “Long Ago and Far Away” by David Ives, directed by senior Kerry Lynch.

“Long Ago and Far Away” is a surrealist fantasy in which a young wife transcends time and dimensions. As a young couple spends their last night before moving out of their apartment, the wife finds herself extremely aware of more than one reality to her life.

The cast of “Long Ago and Far Away” features Alex Schelb, Chelsea Cameron, Nicholas Bouwmans, and Lily Desenberg.

“English Made Simple” is a play about two people and the party that brings them together. They meet, they talk awkwardly, they say goodbye–or at least, that’s what a Voice, dictating their every move, wants. It’s a comedy that reaches into the unwritten rules of language, relationships, and fate before deciding to break all of it.

The cast of “English Made Simple” features Aimee Foster, Anders Hammerstrom, and Elijah McCoy.

In “I Thought I Liked Girls” the character of Lucy has some big news for her parents—after 10 years of being a lesbian, she’s coming out as straight.

The cast of “I Thought I Liked Girls” features Sabrina Lemar, Emily Marston, and Alex Schelb.

“Home Free!” revolves around an unusual pair of siblings who isolate themselves as best as they can from the outside world. As a result, they’ve created a world of their own, and decided to open up that world to two imaginary children, and another child yet to be born.

The cast of “Home Free!” features Justin Corris and Kitty Geoghan. (Corris and Grace Aguda are pictured in the large photo on the front page of Stetson Today, from the play, “Home Free.”)

All four plays are performed together; the show times are: 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, Apr. 14-16. On Sunday, Apr. 17, there will be a matinee at 3 p.m.

Admission for this performance is $12 for adults, and $10 for seniors and students. Stetson students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a valid ID. Tickets will be available at the door and reserved tickets must be picked up 30 minutes prior to the start of the show. Box office will be open one hour prior to curtain. 

For information or reservations, call Stetson Theatre’s “Second Stage” box office at (386) 822-8700. See more at Stetson University Creative Arts Programs. More information: [email protected]. The production schedule is also posted on Stetson’s online calendar found on Stetson Today. (Photos by Ken McCoy, Ph.D., professor of theatre arts.)

By Mimi Shimkovska