NEWS RELEASE

News Bureau . Schofield Hall 201 . Eau Claire, WI 54702
phone: (715) 836-4741
fax: (715) 836-2900

EAU CLAIRE - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Spring Short Play Festival will take place in the Kjer Theatre, Thursday through Friday, April 24-25. Students from a directing class produce short plays for their final projects.
The following 10-minute plays will be performed beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday and 8 p.m. on Friday.

• "The Man Who Couldn't Dance" by Jason Katims is directed by senior Chandra LaViolette, Manitowoc. Is the inability to dance a reason to end a relationship? Will Gail and Eric discover the truth over Elizabeth's crib? Senior Anna Jeanette Figlesthaler, Fox Point, plays Gail and UW-Eau Claire alumnus Rob Susedik plays Eric.
  
• "Arizona Anniversaries" by John Bishop is directed by senior Monica Raymond, Wausau. Loneliness and death sure do have a knack for bringing people together. Thirty-something David tells the story of the birthday he spent in Arizona with his mother and a woman he met at the mall, of all places. Senior Kent Hranicka, Cottage Grove, Minn., plays David; senior Kathy Andersen, Watertown, plays Sarah; and junior Suzanne Parish, Maplewood, Minn., plays Ann.
  
• "Mother Knows Best" by Don Parker is directed by senior Amber Johnson, Lakeville, Minn. Vera gives her 17 year-old son Jason a motherly talk about sex and some advice on doing well in school. Why is Jason so eager to end their talk and "go to bed?" Figlesthaler plays Vera and sophomore Dan Largent, Mondovi, plays Jason.
  
• "Compatible" by Anna Li is directed by graduate student Iman Basha, Eau Claire. A man and a woman are dinning together to celebrate the man's birthday, and the woman decides to tell the man that she loves him and prove that he loves her in return. Sophomore Steve Davis, West Allis, plays the man and sophomore Sarah Coyer, Medford, plays the woman.
  
• "The Interrogation" by Murphy Guyer is directed by senior Amanda Kowalsky, Mabel, Minn. Meeting an old flame in a bar nine months after breaking up, how do you ask the question that you know is on both of your minds ... how many people have you slept with since we broke up? Parish plays the woman and junior Tim Brennan, Eden Prairie, Minn., plays the man.
  
• "After You" by Steven Dietz is directed by senior Katie Klabunde, West Bend. Ben and Amy's breakup over a year ago left both with unanswered questions and unfulfilled desires. Is an evening at Amy's apartment and a clean shave all the two need to let go and move on? Freshman Nicole Kohnen, Eau Claire, plays Amy and senior Brian Johnson, Faribault, Minn., plays Ben.
  The following 10-minute plays will be performed beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday and 4 p.m. on Friday.
  
• "Misreadings" by Neena Beber is directed by senior Ilana Swerdlin, Richland Center. A literature professor is reading her students' final exams. The two sentences that a failing student wrote speak to her. Has she finally understood her tragic end? Sophomore Sarah Edwards, Eau Claire, plays Ruth and sophomore Leahkim Gannett, Pepin, plays Simone.
  
• "Slop-Culture" by Robb Bedlam is directed by junior Kelly Mariska, Maple Grove, Minn. Danielle's earliest and fondest childhood memory is watching the opening credits to "Tom and Jerry," but writing this on a job application will never land her a job. Will she lie and deny her TV-filled cultural heritage or tell the truth? Freshman Bria Fraundorf, Janesville, plays Danielle; junior Abigail Rindo, Eau Claire, plays Cindy; sophomore Colin Wanke, St. Paul, Minn., plays Dylan; and freshman Aaron Loy, Rosemount, Minn., plays Brain.
  
• "Visiting Dad" by Judith Fein is directed by senior Kim Lucas, Green Bay. A young man is introduced to the father of his fiancée. The only problem is that her father is dead. Will they get her father's blessing ... or do the dead know more than we think? Freshman Natalie Chmiel, Stevens Point, plays Laura; freshman Alex Garcia, Eau Claire, plays Mike; and junior Joseph Dauer, Mound, Minn., plays the father.
  
• "Footfalls" by Samuel Beckett is directed by senior Brian Benson, Rhinelander. How do you deal with problems from childhood as an adult? May is revolving all of this in her mind, with a little help from her mother. Sophomore Ashley Smith, Lone Rock, plays May and sophomore Sara Kostreva, Oconto Falls, is the voice.
  
• "Eye to Eye" by Christopher Graybill is directed by junior Sara Danke, Wales. A man and a woman are on a first date, which is not going well. The woman would like to pay for the bill, but the man insists. They decide to have a staring contest to see who the winner is and who will pay for this terrible date gone wrong. Freshman Mark Saienga, Lakeville, Minn., plays the man; Chmiel plays the woman; and sophomore Barby Dallman, Greenwood, plays the waiter.

Tickets for the Short Play Festival are $2 and may be purchased at the University Service Center or at the door.

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KH/NW

Judy Berthiaume, Director
UW-Eau Claire News Bureau
Schofield 201
(715) 836-4741
newsbur@uwec.edu

Updated: April 16, 2003