Theatre--Performance

Cite des Arts is proud to present a theatre event unlike any the Acadiana area has seen -- the second annual Hub City Theatre Festival, a three-day theatre festival presenting original and published theatre work from local and national writers.

The Hub City Theatre Festival will present the world premieres of seven theatre pieces, the reprise of one piece by a local artist, and two performances of pieces from published playwrights. Local theatre companies and independent artists from across the Acadiana area are producing the pieces, and local audiences can expect a diverse offering of theatre visions -- from the comic to the thought-provoking, from the socially relevant to the personally intimate, from the solo performance to larger cast pieces.

Performances begin on Thursday, July 10 and run through Saturday, July 12. All pieces will alternate performances between Cite’s Mainstage Theatre and Cite’s Second Stage space. The final performance schedule will be announced shortly.

The Hub City Theatre Festival will also incorporate two new divisions to the festival. The first, HCTF Interactive, will include activities for the audience and participants to provide feedback on the festival as it is happening. The second, HCTF Kids, will be a series of interactive workshops scheduled on the morning of Saturday July 12, 2008.

The pieces selected for this year’s festival are:

* The Lamp by Cindy Brown.
This world premiere comedy takes a humorous and introspective look at life with Charlene and her middle-aged friends as they blossom and explore new possibilities. Directed by Dana Reed, this one act play marks the second year that the playwright has participated in the Hub City Theatre Festival.

* To Protect And Sever by Steven Cooper.
A world premier short play by local writer Steven Cooper. This short piece takes a darkly comic approach to the rising threat of terrorism, domestic spying, and the education of our youth.

* Gertrude Stein And A Companion by Win Wells
Firelight Theatre will present the first published work of the festival with their first HCTF production. This memory play presents snapshots of the strong relationship across time between Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Through reflective and intimate storytelling, incorporating some of Gertrude Stein's own writings, the play reveals the fascinating journey of their remarkable life together in a time before such liaisons achieved any measure of social acceptance.

* The Exile of Joe Gagliano by Chere Coen
Gris-Gris Productions joins HCTF for the second year with its world premiere production. Bruce and Chere Coen pair together to bring us a funny yet touching portrayal of a New Orleans family evacuated during hurricane Katrina and adjusting to relocating in Lafayette.

* Momma Jass by Austin Sonnier, Jr.
The established Louisiana playwright will reprise this production for the HCTF stage. This one woman show starring Bria Hobgood explores the history of jazz.

* Willie And Me by Kimberly Johnson-Nagle.
The 2007 HCTF Best Play winning playwright and Best Production winning director Dr. Alex C. Marshall have paired together once again to present this world premiere production. Imagine, William Shakespeare in present day Louisiana and a troubled young lady who is trying to guide him through this new world. Can these strangers become friends or are there differences too much to overcome?

* Exile by Maureen Brennan and Valerian Smith
Brenrose Productions will present the debut of this work in progress. Focusing on the final days of Napoleon’s exile to the Caribbean island of St. Helen, this piece relies on gospel music to help tell the story.

* Last Night Of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry
Eunice Player’s Theatre brings their version of this Tony Award winning play to the Lafayette area. This charming and bittersweet comedy is set in 1939 in Atlanta, where Gone With the Wind is premiering. A segment of Atlanta’s Jewish elite is more concerned with who will be attending Ballyhoo, the social event of the season, than Hitler’s invasion of Poland. The arrival of a handsome businessman from New York forces the Freitag family to deal with who they really are as they are pulled apart and mended again with plenty of gentle comedy, sweet romance, and unexpected turns.

* Regarding Moore by Christine Baniewicz and Nick Hwang
In Baniewicz’s second year of HCTF, she has teamed up with a fellow LSU student to present the world premiere of this work in progress musical. In the scenes presented, English professor Dr. Steven Moore confronts two conflicting forces: his recent literary fame and his unique relationship with a 19-year-old student.

* Committed: Gay Marriage And Other Nightmares of Middle America by Cody Daigle.
Committed is a solo exploration of love, marriage, and commitment in the age of same-sex marriage. Weaving together the history of the fight for same-sex marriage in America and the personal history of the playwright, Committed makes the modest proposal that, gay or straight, marriage is good for us all.

Additional programming will fill out the festival, including a playwrights roundtable, a storytelling event, and other events to be announced.

The Hub City Theatre Festival is offering a variety of ticketing options for patrons to fully enjoy the festival. Festival passes, which gives patrons admission to every show in the festival are sold for $50.00. Saturday passes, which gives patrons admission to the full Saturday slate of shows are sold for $25.00. General admission tickets are also available for $5.00 per performance. For more information on purchasing a Festival pass or Saturday pass, call 291-1122.

The Hub City Theatre Festival is a one-of-a-kind theatre event for the Acadiana area that should not be missed. For more information on the festival lineup, the individual shows, ticketing options, and any other questions, call Cite des Arts at 291-1122 or visit Cite on the web at www.citedesarts.org.