NEWS

Louisiana Tech’s Fall Theatre Festival, featuring eight short original works written and directed by Tech students, runs Thursday through Sunday (Oct. 20-23) in Stone Theatre.

Showtimes for “Invisible Voices,” the theme of this year’s festival, are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Each session will offer all eight performances — six plays and two films — each roughly 8-12 minutes long.

Not every playwright, actor, director or technical hand is a theater major, so expect an eclectic run of art in these works, with titles “The Dating Pool Has Pee In It” and “Human Garbage” and “Untitled Horror Anthology” and more.

In a similar way, Tech has long been celebrating students’ work. Every quarter for years, the Tech Theatre Players would have a “one day only” performance of original work. Just as is the case this weekend, 10-minute scripts were handed in, a committee selected the ones to be produced, then the works were offered to directors, auditions took place, and the works were rehearsed on a Saturday and performed, script-in-hand, that evening.

This fall, that “one day only” event has taken over both the fall’s production slot and the Fall Theatre Festival. More time was invested in each work, and theatre fans get a chance to see each one — and more than once if they wish.

“This gets these playwrights and young directors and performers the opportunity to get more stage time and a much better production value,” School of Theatre Director Mark Guinn said. “The Festival has grown out of something the students have been doing for years, but now more people can enjoy it and we can get behind each work more.”

Tickets prices are $10 for adults, $2 for youth, and $5 for both students (with valid Student ID) and senior citizens ages 65 and older.

Call the School of Theatre (318.257.2711) or the Stone Theatre (318.257.3942, 1:30-4:45 p.m. each afternoon) for more information.