TwoFifty briefs—May 9, 2007

Ampersand Arts presents "Polaroid Stories," written by Naomi Iizuka and directed by Greg A. Beam, on May 11-12 and 18-19 on the second floor of Sunspots Studios, located at 202 S. Lewis Street in historic downtown Staunton. Admission will be $8 per person, at the door. Show time for each performance will be 8 p.m. May 10 will be the preview and pay-what-you-will night. Half of the proceeds from the May 10 performance will be donated to the SAW 2010 gang prevention project.

A visceral blend of classical mythology and real life stories told by street kids, Naomi Iizuka's "Polaroid Stories" journeys into a dangerous world where myth-making fulfills a fierce need for transcendence, where storytelling has the power to transform a reality in which character's lives are continually threatened, devalued and effaced. Not all the stories these characters tell are true; some are lies, wild yarns, clever deceits and baroque fabrications. But whether a homeless kid invents an incredible history for himself isn't the point. All these stories and lies add up to something like truth.

Inspired in part by Ovid's "Metamorphoses," Iizuka's "Polaroid Stories" takes you to an abandoned place where serpentine routes from the street to the heart, which characterize the interactions in the spellbinding tale of young people, pushed to society's fringe. "Polaroid Stories" conveys a whirlwind of psychic disturbance, confusion and longing. Like their mythic counterparts, these modern-day mortals are engulfed by needs that burn and consume. Their language mixes poetry and profanity, imbuing the space with lyricism and great theatrical forces.

For directions to SUNSPOTS Studios, please visit http://www.sunspots.com or call 540-885-0678. For specific information about "Polaroid Stories" or Ampersand Arts, please call Greg Beam at 540-448-3724.

MBC holds one-act festival

Audiences need only purchase one ticket to enjoy a night of six student-directed one-act plays as the Mary Baldwin College Theatre wraps up its season with "Curtain Calls." The six shows range from knee-slapping comedies to tear-jerking dramas - all in one night!

Performances will be in the Fletcher Collins Theatre in Deming Hall on Wednesday, May 9, through Sunday, May 13. Wednesday through Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and the Sunday matinee performance begins at 2 p.m.

The playbill includes "Actor's Nightmare," Christopher Durang's wacky comedy about every actor's worst fear; and "Happy Ending," a new play by Mary Baldwin alumna Christina Sayer, about a grieving family who finds a way to live happily ever after; both directed by junior Betsy Shortt.

Sophomore Rachael Phipps directs two one-acts: Wendy Wasserstein's "Medea," a hilarious comedy that draws from various Greek tragedies and contemplates what a woman scorned will do for revenge and whether a happy ending can always be made or found; and "The Second Beam" by Joan Ackermann, in which four women competing for the same role as a scientist in a new play discuss what constitutes a good acting choice, lipstick colors, light and the jerk director.

MBC junior Max Hoskins directs Dan LeFranc's "Hippy Van Gumdrop," a story that explores the psychological ramifications of death as two sisters confront each other following the death of their mother, and "Sure Thing," which follows the multiple paths to happiness in a brilliant farcical one-act by David Ives.

Tickets are $5 for students and senior citizens and $7 for adults. Tickets may be purchased at the box office Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or reserved by credit card by calling 540-887-7189 during regular box office hours.