CSULB's Theater Arts department preparing for a big semester

By Janina Quintana
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing writer

Students and theater fans alike now have reason to rejoice, as the 2004 theater season for the University Players kicks off with productions like "Cloud Nine," "Stand and Deliver," and "On the Verge." The Players' first production, "Cloud Nine," is a British satire that takes place in Victorian era Africa and into the 1970s of London.

Although spending money on a night at the theater is not a part of students' regular weekend activities, the Players have made it a likeable option available on campus.

It's an opportunity to be part of an audience of a live production, where you actually have to think about what you're seeing. While anyone can go watch a movie, it takes an intelligent individual to really "get it," said MacKenzie Meehan, Cal State Long Beach student and cast member of "Cloud Nine." According to Meehan, "Nothing beats live entertainment; you never know what's going to happen."

According to Ben Graney, another Cal State Long Beach student and cast member of "Cloud Nine," "In theater you're engaged. The audience is an integral part of the play…It's different every night. You can't just sit there, eat popcorn, and go."

Cast members like Meehan and Graney have been working hard with guest director Tom Cooke. Meehan and Graney spent six weeks of their summer in a New York actor's center training precisely for this. And this is why they came to Cal State Long Beach — for its excellent theater department and actor community, said Meehan and Graney.

"Cloud Nine" covers homosexuality, gender roles, and social change in a humorous, British satire context, and according to Graney, "there's a lot of body humor."

Students may find this live theater to be a refreshing change from their typical evening out, and may even prefer it to that funny movie and bucket of popcorn. It's an option available to students by students, and something to check out.

Meehan reminds us all, "It's important to support other students and see what they're doing with their lives."

"Cloud Nine," by Caryl Churchill, is scheduled to run Oct. 8 through Oct. 23 at CSULB's Theater Arts building.

University Players is also presenting "Stand and Deliver," by Ramon Menendez and Tom Musca, as adapted from the Oscar-nominated motion picture by Robert Bella. It tells the true story of a dedicated East Los Angeles teacher and his quest to turn inner-city kids into whiz kids. "Stand and Deliver" is scheduled to run Nov. 12 through Nov. 20 at CSULB's Theater Arts Building.

"On the Verge," also presented by the University Players and written by Eric Overmeyer, is described as a contemporary American comedy written in the English masters of wit style. This is the story of three Victorian era American ladies who travel through time to prove that they have "the right stuff." Along their journey some unlikely guides help them until they eventually come to an understanding of the present. "On the Verge" is scheduled to run Nov. 19 through Dec. 11, also at CSULB's Theater Arts Building.

If students find these interesting, an off-campus group, the California Reparatory Company will be showing productions of "The Cider House Rules" at the Edison Theater in Downtown Long Beach starting Oct. 22.

For ticket information contact the Carpenter Performing Arts Center box office at (562) 985-7000 or the Edison Theater box office (562) 432-1818. Enjoy your night at the theater!