New Village Arts Festival to Include MACHINE GUNNER, CHRISTMAS CAROL, et al.

New Village Arts, Carlsbad's award-winning, professional theatre, continues to honor its commitment to bringing new works of art to the San Diego community with a month-long festival of World Premiere plays.  Yury Klavdiev's I AM THE MACHINE GUNNER, Renee Moreno's PICTURING MY SISTER and Rachael VanWormer and Brian Mackey's new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL comprise this thrilling, eclectic festival of new plays, running November 12 - 28 at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad Village (2787 State Street, Carlsbad, CA 92008).  Tickets are $15 per show or $39 for a Festival Pass to all three performances and can be purchased at www.NewVillageArts.org or by calling 760-433-3245.

Running November 12-14, 2010 will be I AM THE MACHINE GUNNER, on the third stop in its World Premiere tour.  In a poetic, vulgar, violent and aggressive translation, John Freedman presents Yury Klavdiev's work that transcends time, place and person to capture the struggle of a young Russian gang member trying to find the same honor in his own battles that his grandfather found fighting Germany in World War II.  This one man show features Equity actor James Knight, most recently seen in San Diego in ALIVE AND WELL at the Old Globe Theatre and is directed by David M. White. 

In development since June of 2008, I AM THE MACHINE GUNNER has been translated into English by John Freedman, theatre critic for the Moscow Times. The development of this piece began at WordBRIDGE 2008 and has traveled to Connecticut, New York, Maryland and Moscow, Russia before a workshop production at WordBRIDGE 2009.   New Village Arts is the third stop in I AM THE MACHINE GUNNER's World Premiere Tour, which started at the Baltimore Theatre Project, continues to Chicago's Raue Center and has its West Coast Premiere at New Village Arts.   I AM THE MACHINE GUNNER is intended for mature audiences only.

Next up will be a workshop production of Renee Moreno's PICTURING MY SISTER, running November 19-21, 2010.  NVA produced a reading of this play last year and will now take it to the next level, with a fully staged performance with minimal technical elements.  PICTURING MY SISTER is an incredibly timely romantic comic-drama about a young woman preparing for her sister's wedding while unable to get married herself because she loves another woman.  Her story is intermingled with that of her Mexican-American grandfather who was a soldier in World War II.  This beautiful piece about civil rights, love and understanding will be directed by NVA's Executive Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner.

Closing the New Play Festival will be a workshop production of a new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, written by NVA Ensemble Member Rachael VanWormer and Brian Mackey.  This minimalist telling of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol celebrates the language of the novel, with ninety-eight percent of the script taken verbatim from Dickens' own words.  The pared back production focuses on the humanity of the characters, the idea of appreciating however much - or little - one has, and hones in on, as Dickens' wrote in the forward to the book, "raising the ghost of an idea" - that, despite the worst odds, any individual has within them the power to change for the better.
 
Playwright Rachael VanWormer comments, "Despite the literally hundreds of adaptations of A Christmas Carol that exist in the world the story never ceases to excite, intrigue and entertain.  After re-reading the book one year it struck me that, although the characters and the story are engaging in themselves, what I loved so much was not necessarily what was being told, as how it was being told.  The narrative voice is a very real character in the book that offers opinions, criticisms, and excuses for and about the characters, as well as social and political commentary.  There is a humor and warmth that comes through this narrative voice that takes on its own personality and identity at times.  As wonderful as it is to read the words, it is even more wonderful to hear them spoken aloud.  Our adaptation literally puts the narrative voice onstage as a character who assists in narrating and, periodically, participating directly in the action. In doing so the audience is offered the opportunity for a fresh perspective and deeper insight into a familiar and well-loved classic."
 
In addition to writing the adaptation Ms. VanWormer and Mr. Mackey will also co-direct and act in the production.  New Village Arts Ensemble and Actors Equity Member Ron Choularton will be featured as Scrooge.

The performance schedule for the NEW PLAY FESTIVAL is Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM.  Tickets are $15 per performance or $39 for a Festival Pass, good for unlimited access to all three shows.  Tickets are available at www.NewVillageArts.org or by phoning 760-433-3245.

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