The Sylvania Community Arts Commission (SCAC) promotes artistic events with monthly art walks and the Tree City Film Festival. The organization's latest endeavor is the new theatre group, Tree City Playhouse.
Creative collaboration
Tree City Playhouse was created to advance the group’s mission “to promote the awareness, interest and understanding of performing arts, arts education and visual arts.” According to Keith Ramsdell, Tree City Playhouse Artistic Director and former Lourdes University Drama Society advisor, Lourdes contacted SCAC “to expand campus activities into the community,” pitching the idea of collaboration for the University’s Festival of One Acts, an annual occurrence over the last eight years, featuring Lourdes students and alumni. This year’s collaboration opens the production to the community.. “It’s a fantastic mix, and we’re very excited,” Ramsdell said.
Performance premieres
Five years ago, Lourdes began a competition where playwrights can submit original one act plays with an 8-15 minute time limit, and a script that has not been published or produced outside of an academic setting.
According to Ramsdell, the scripts are judged based on concept, action,characterization, and dialogue. “We use a blind reading process… so when we read the scripts we don’t know who the playwrights are.”
Those selected by the committee as the top three finalists, not only receive a cash prize, but they also have their script performed at the Festival of One Acts.
This past year’s winners, and three of the ten one acts to be performed, are “A Losing Proposition” by Dan Borengasser, “Chipotle” by Laura Londagin, and “La Vie en Rose” by Allan Provost. The remaining seven one acts are comprised of entries from years past or pre-published scripts.
Branching out
Along with their collaboration on A Festival of One Acts, Tree City Playhouse has been offering youth theater classes. Those interested in learning more about Tree City Playhouse’s upcoming summer youth theater workshop can find additional information and registration at sylvaniaarts.org/theater/.
Ramsdell explained that Sylvania Community Arts Commission’s Tree City Playhouse plans to eventually stage their own productions, but first, “We want to gauge community response… we thought this [collaborating on A Festival of One Acts] would be a great stepping stone.”
A Festival of One Acts will take place at 8pm on Friday, April 8 & Saturday, April 9, 2pm on Sunday, April 10.
$10/general admission, $8/seniors, free for Lourdes students.
Lourdes University Franciscan Center, 6832 Convent Blvd., Sylvania. sylvaniaarts.org/theater
