10-Minute Play Festival Thurs. Aug. 5 and Fri. Aug. 6

TADW actors, playwrights and directors are busy in dress rehearsals as they prepare for opening night of the 10-Minute Play Festival on Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010  (Photos from today's dress-tech rehearsal are up on our Flicker page here and here.)

Updated Ticket Availability for Remaining TADW Performances!!

As of Aug. 2, tickets are still available for the following performances:

• "Seussical" on Wed. Aug. 4 at 7 p.m.
• "Seussical" on Thurs. Aug. 5 at 11 a.m. (just a few!!)
• "Seussical" on Fri. Aug. 6 at 11 a.m.
• "Alice in Wonderland" on Sat. Aug. 7 at 11 a.m.

Call the AS Ticket Office at (818) 677-2488.


Please note that the following performances are SOLD OUT*: 
Seussical and Alice in Wonderland - 11 a.m. on 8/4
Alice in Wonderland - 11 a.m. on 8/5
10-Minute Play Festival - 7 p.m. on 8/5
Alice in Wonderland - 11 a.m. on 8/6
10-Minute Play Festival - 7 p.m. on 8/6
*For sold-out performances, a standby line will form at the TADW concession table. Admission is not guaranteed.

Backstage Glimpses: Improv Class

Students in the Teenage Drama Workshop's Improvisation Elective got a workout today as instructor Ronnie Sperling put them through their creative paces. 

Working in pairs, students created short scenes based on suggestions from the class. After running their scenes twice, the students had to think on their feet as Sperling changed things up, asking them to re-do the scene in a different genre. 

Students acting as home-repairmen suddenly had to redo their scene as a horror movie and as an MTV reality show.  A scene involving a pregnant woman and her husband stuck in an elevator suddenly became a game show, then was redone in the style of "Glee."  Another scene involving astronauts battling an asteroid field was redone as a samurai film and then as a Nickelodeon cartoon. 

Later, students worked in groups to tell a short story, with each actor adding the next word, one at a time.  After that, students played an improv game called, "Clue," in which an actor tries to convey the details of a crime using only gestures, movement and gibberish. Lots of laughter ensued, but the kids came away with real-life acting skills, too.

Sperling encouraged the class to stretch their imaginations--and their vocabularies--in their scene work. 

Beginning next week, students in the improvisation class will be cast in plays written by students in the play writing elective.  The short plays will be featured in TADW's upcoming "10-Minute Play Festival," which will run Aug. 5 and 6 in the Studio Theatre in Nordhoff Hall.

How to Get Tickets to TADW Shows

Now is the time to get your tickets for the Teenage Drama Workshop's 2010 summer plays for youth.

Because our productions are so popular with local camp groups, we already have some weekday matinees that are sold out! So don't delay. Get your tickets today!  Here are some helpful hints for your ticket-buying:

If you want tickets for the Teenage Drama Workshop's upcoming productions of "Seussical," "Alice in Wonderland" or the "10-Minute Play Festival," you have several options:

1.  Visit the Associated Students Ticket Office on the CSUN campus in person.  This allows you to avoid all fees.  The ticket office is located near Plaza Del Sol in the University Student Union complex on the Zelzah Ave. side of campus. Due to construction in the area, the closest parking is lot G3. (See campus map for reference.) The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. (Note: You can request a free 30-minute parking pass to visit the ticket office from the parking guard gate in lot G4.  Or, if you've already purchased a one-day pass in another lot, you can use it on the same day in lot G3 or G4.)

2.  Call the AS Ticket Office and place an order by phone.  There is a small service charge applied to the entire order and your tickets will be mailed to you.  The phone number is (818) 677-2488.

3.  Order online via Ticketmaster.  This may be convenient for out-of-town guests, however a service charge is applied to each ticket.

4.  Use the onsite ticket booth in Nordhoff Hall. The AS Ticket Office will operate a satellite ticket office in Nordhoff Hall once our shows are up-and-running.  The box office will open two hours before each show and you can purchase tickets for same-day performances or in advance for other TADW performances.

5. Take advantage of our group rate.  If you are organizing lots of friends and family to see our shows, take advantage of our group rate of $7 per ticket for groups of 10 or more.  All tickets for a particular performance must be purchased together to get this special rate.

TADW Playwrights Hard at Work

Students in the Teenage Drama Workshop's playwriting elective are putting the finishing touches on their short plays in advance of meeting with their directors for the first time later this week.  The student-written plays will be featured in TADW's upcoming "10-Minute Play Festival."

Once scripts are finalized, the short plays will be cast with students from TADW's improvisation elective, explained playwriting teacher Doug Kaback.

The 10-Minute Play Festival runs two nights only, Aug. 5 and 6, in the Studio Theatre in Nordhoff Hall.  Annually, this program always sells out, so buy tickets early.  (Note: Some themes may not be suitable for very young children. Parental guidance is suggested.)

Techies Hard At Work Backstage

Students in TADW's Design-Tech Program are already hard at work, learning the ropes back stage. Under the direction of Caroline Law, the "techies" are working in the scene shop on sets and props.

Over the next few weeks, they'll also assist with lighting, sound, costumes and other "stagecrafts". 

Now in its 2nd year, TADW's Design-Tech program is growing by leaps and bounds. Up from four students last summer, the program has 16 students this year. And all their hard work will pay off when TADW's productions of "Alice in Wonderland," "Seussical" and the "10-Minute Play Festival" open in a few short weeks.

10-Minute Play Festival: Final Showcase Tonight

Pictured: A few scenes from the Teenage Drama Workshop's "10-Minute Play Festival," which concludes tonight in the Studio Theatre.

10-Minute Play Festival Opens Thursday

Nine short plays by students in the 52nd Teenage Drama Workshop will be featured in the "10-Minute Play Festival" on Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 in the Studio Theatre in Nordhoff Hall at CSUN. (Both nights feature the same lineup.) All roles are filled by students in TADW's "improv" elective. Parents are encouraged to purchase tickets ASAP because the 90-seat Studio Theatre sells out every year. For tickets, please visit www.csun.edu/tadw.

Recent Alumni Return to Work 52nd Teenage Drama Workshop

If a few of this summer's Assistant Stage Managers look familiar, it is because they are very recent alumni of the Teenage Drama Workshop. Pictured from left, Zach Graber, Becca Lasky, and William Coates were students in last summer's 51st Teenage Drama Workshop (and many workshops before that!). All three came back to work at TADW this summer. Graber, who is studying anthropology at CSUN, is the ASM for “The Wiz”. Lasky, who attends Pierce College, and Coates, who is studying English and history at CSUN, are ASMs for “Pinocchio.” Additionally, all three are directing student-written plays for the upcoming “10-Minute Play Festival.”

10-Minute Plays: Rehearsals Underway

Casting is complete and rehearsals are underway on the nine short works to be featured in this year's "10-Minute Play Festival." Written by students in the Teenage Drama Workshop's playwriting elective, the plays will be presented on two nights only: Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 in the Studio Theatre. Tickets will go fast! Buy yours today at www.csun.edu/tadw. (Pictured: Director Chris Halsted works with the cast of Cambria Denim's 10-minute play.)

Young Writers Prepare for “10 Minute Play Festival"

For students in TADW’s playwriting elective, this is crunch time. Already, the young writers are busy putting the finishing touches on their one-act plays, which will be cast (using actors from TADW’s improvisation elective), rehearsed, and staged in the Studio Theatre on July 30 and July 31 during the annual “10 Minute Play Festival.” “From relationships to family life, and from fantasy to reality—everything is fair game for these playwrights,” says TADW director Doug Kaback, who teaches the playwriting class with CSUN students Toon Sie, Melissa Fillbeck and William Coates. Kaback urges parents and friends to get their tickets early, because this event is usually a sell-out. (For tickets, visit www.csun.edu/tadw.) Some material may not be suitable for very young children.