Aloha Performing Arts Company

6/21/07
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jerry Tracy or Sam Valenti, 322-9924
APAC ANNOUNCES SCRIPTS AND AUDITIONS FOR 14TH ORIGINAL PLAY FESTIVAL

Aloha Performing Arts Company has completed the script selection process for its 14th annual Original Play Festival. From a field of 25 entries from all over the country, five plays were chosen and will be given staged readings August 15-18, at a venue to be announced. A total of 34 roles will be cast at festival auditions Sunday July 8 at 2:30 p.m. and Monday July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the APAC Loft in Kainaliu.

Original Play Festival XIV will be staged Wednesday through Saturday, August 15-18, with all performances beginning at 7:30 p.m. The festival kicks off Wednesday with "Assault," by Oahu playwright Anthony Michael Oliver and directed by Molly McGivern. In this mystery, which has 4 male and 3 female roles, an apparently unprovoked assault at a marina results in an arrest and a trial which result in changes in the lives of members of an affluent New York community.

Thursday night, August 16, a double bill will be offered. First up will be "Cowboy," by Suzanne Bailie of Kailua-Kona and Kent, Washington. This eerie piece has nine characters: 3 men, 3 women, 2 teenage boys, and an 8 year old boy. The action of the play follows the angel of death as he appears as a cowboy to a series of people. Next on the bill will be "South Point Bar and Grail," by Ka'u writer Dick Hershberger. This one-act comedy takes place in a church building that has been converted into a neighborhood watering hole somewhere south of Kona. It has nine characters, 4 men and 5 women. Both plays will be directed by the team of David A. Payne and Kestrel Bishop.

Friday, August 17, "Blind Faith," a mysterious drama by Hilo's Zena Zeller, will be directed by Ken Ross. This script features two men and two women and takes place in a small village chapel in rural England in 1949, where a snowstorm, a secret, and a stranger are the primary dramatic ingredients.

Saturday, August 18, the festival's final reading will be offered: "Ka 'Ikena" by Kealakekua teacher and playwright Diane Aoki. This timely drama about the struggle between development and preservation will be directed by Jerry Tracy. Its five characters, 3 men and 2 women, tell us the back story of the planning of a luxury Kealakekua subdivision and golf course and the surrounding local controversy.

All plays will be presented as staged readings. Each night's performance will be followed by a brief discussion with the audience. Sunday, August 19 will feature a wrap up celebration of the entire festival. Actor/readers who are cast in the festival do not have to memorize lines, as scripts will be carried in all staged readings. Each play rehearses only once a week, and technical presentation will be extremely minimal. Auditions, held at APAC's Loft in Kainaliu at 2:30 pm. Sunday July 8 and 6:30 p.m. Monday July 9, will consist of reading from the scripts. All of the directors will be casting simultaneously, by taking turns auditioning actor/readers. Scripts are available for onsite perusal at the Kailua-Kona Library during regular hours or at the APAC office Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. til 5:00 p.m. For more information, call the APAC office at 322-9924.