LALT NEWS RELEASE
Los Alamos Little Theatre will perform “8x10s: 7 Come 11” January 6 – 21 at the Performing Arts Center, 1670 Nectar Street.
Shows are 7:30 pm Fridays and Saturdays, with a matinee 2 pm Sunday, Jan. 15.
This is the seventh time LALT has offered this format of individual short plays, solicited from local playwrights.
“If you’re looking for an evening of variety, this is it,” said producer John Gustafson. “We will present eight short plays, most of them comedic and some that are serious, but all offering food for thought.”
The 8x10s also give a chance for new directors — including one high school student — to cut their teeth.
“Come and see the creativity they’ve channeled to bring a script alive on stage,” Gustafson said.
“I’m learning so much about how the staging affects the overall effectiveness of the play,” said first-time director Kelly Dolejsi. “And I love the ideas my talented actors come up with.”
Situations presented in the plays include the modern hell known as a dinner party, doing a favor for a stranger that reveals a lost passion, the importance of choosing the correct tie, barbecuing shrimp amidst alien abduction, and riding a train along a path of quantum uncertainty.
Terry Beery, who directs “Alphabet Soup,” said, “Who knew three cave people discovering letters could be so much fun? The characters are engaging and unique and brought to life by our amazing cast.”
Jazmine Torres, who was so enthusiastic she signed up to direct two plays, said, ”It has been a real pleasure to work with people who are so invested in building a performance from text that touched them. Because our plays are from local playwrights, we get to have input from the individuals who have written the plays — not everyone gets a chance for that sort of perspective.
“Everyone — from actors and directors to crew, designers, and producers — have really been supportive of one another. So, yeah, I’d say our show is pretty special. You should come see it!”
Torres directs “An Unusual Bird” by Vicki Meagher and “Gun Play” by Dale Dunn.
The other plays in the show are:
— Aliens by Stephanie Karr and Mark Watts
— All Aboard! by Michael Burgan
— Necktie by Cunningham North
— Tenth Circle of Hell by Fred Berl
— Sleeping Through Armageddon by Tess Light
“Gun Play deals with themes of domestic violence and is intense, so younger audience members or those for whom the play might be upsetting should step out for that one,” Gustafson said.
Tickets — $20 General Admission and $15 for Seniors or Students — are available online at Event Brite and also may be purchased at the door.
The link for the online tickets is https://www.eventbrite.com/e/8x10s7-come-11-tickets-490206800737
Los Alamos Little Theatre is a 501(c)3 organization that has presented theatrical productions since 1943. LALT manages the Performing Arts Center under a contract with Los Alamos County.