>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

DIRECTOR, WRITER: Eastern senior theater major Shannon Rempel of Bend works with playwright series participants. She directs and writes plays. (The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK).

Jeff Petersen

Staff Writer

Joyce, Wilde, Shaw, Swift, Simon.

Famous playwrights had to get their start somewhere.

So why not at the seventh annual New Playwright Series?

"It's fun watching your play get its feet," says Shannon Rempel. "I was excited when I heard the news (my plays would be staged). A lot of time young playwrights have to wait a long while to see their work produced."

The senior theater major from Bend, whose emphasis is on directing, is among the playwrights seeing pieces of their shows being staged tonight and Friday night at 8.

The site? Eastern Oregon University's Schwarz Theatre. Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for students and seniors, or $8 for both nights.

The series is a spotlight for local playwrights.

"Often it's the actors or the director who gets the attention for a show, but this series puts them at the back and brings the playwrights to the forefront," says John Nehlich, EOU theater student who is the series' artistic director as well as an actor and director for a few scenes and plays.

This two-night event lasts about an hour and half each night and consists of short scenes and plays from EOU students, EOU faculty and local community members.

The 17 scenes or plays range from the dramatic to the comedic to action/adventure oriented.

Rempel will have two shows staged — "Drive-by," a three-minute comedy, and "I Have Her Beat by Three," a 10-minute action-adventure-thriller-comedy.

She will also direct pieces of plays by three other playwrights — "Jolly Jack Tar" by Observer sports writer Tony Adame, "The Mannequin Play" by EOU theater faculty member April Curtis and "Linna and Garrett" by Abby Tuttle.

Rempel previously had her play "Resting Shame" staged during last year's Spring Symposium at EOU.

This is the seventh year for the series. The show was put on hold last year.

Faculty Advisor Curtis and Nehlich requested scripts in December and were amazed at the turnout.

"I am looking forward to the presentations." Nehlich says, "and would encourage anyone who wishes to hear the works of local playwrights to come."

The scenes or plays will be presented in Reader's Theatre style, using minimal props and blocking. Actors will be dressed in black and will have scripts in hand. It's very simplistic so the focus is directly on the words, the scenes and plays themselves.

Some of the scenes/plays are directed to a more mature audience so be advised.