Valencia Character Co Presents In the Latter Days 4/6-10

The Valencia Character Company will present the first staging of playwright Ann Magaha's original play, "In the Latter Days." Show times are April 6-9 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 2 p.m. The April 8 performance will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the writers and actors.

"In the Latter Days" is the winning script from Valencia's 20th annual Florida playwright competition. Magaha's play was selected from among 40 submissions of full-length, never-produced original manuscripts.

"In the Latter Days" follows the journey of a pair of sisters, orphaned by the Civil War, who follow a handsome and devoted missionary west to Utah territory, never dreaming of how much their lives would change.

Magaha began writing adaptations of classical literature as a means of engaging her students during her tenure as a humanities professor at Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach. More recently, she has begun writing for venues outside of academia. Seven of her one-act plays have been produced in New York City, and last year, "In the Latter Days" received a staged reading at New World Repertory Theater in Chicago.

Valencia Artistic Director Julia Allardice Gagne directs the cast of Valencia theater students. In addition to writing the play, Magaha was involved in the pre-production.

All performances will be in the Black Box Theater on Valencia's East Campus, 701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail in Orlando. Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for students, seniors and Valencia staff, and free for Valencia students with ID. Seating is limited in the Black Box, so reservations and arriving 30 minutes prior to curtain are suggested. To purchase tickets, call the box office at 407-582-2900 or go to www.redchairproject.com.

For information on the 2010-11 season: www.valenciacc.edu/artsandentertainment/Theater.