UKIAH LAKE AND SONOMA
17th annual Festival of New Plays at Mendocino College seeks new 10-minute scripts
Local writers take note: there has never been a better opportunity to try your hand at playwrighting. Mendocino College is currently seeking short plays by local authors for production on campus in fall 2023.
One of the most exciting events of the college’s theatre season is the annual Festival of New Plays. Once again, theatre professor Reid Edelman will use short plays written by local authors to teach directing and acting students about the joys and challenges of working with new scripts.
This production of student-written scripts is now in its 17th year, and the event has become a highlight of the college’s annual theatre season. Since the festival began, Edelman has worked with Communications Department professor and playwright Jody Gehrman to find and develop student-written plays. Anybody residing in Lake, Sonoma or Mendocino Counties is eligible to submit an original play.
“We clearly have an abundance of talented writers in this area,” says Gehrman, “but only a small percentage of them even think about writing a play. Playwrights aren’t born, they’re coerced by people like us to try it once. After seeing their work produced, most become addicted; it’s a tremendous high to sit in a theater and watch your ideas come to life.”
The deadline for submissions August 1, 2023. There are no limitations in terms of theme or content, but small casts (two to five characters) and minimal technical requirements are recommended for optimal chances at production. Scripts should have a running time of no longer than ten minutes. Electronic submissions should be saved as PDF files and sent to redelman@mendocino.edu as an attachment. For more information, contact Reid Edelman, (707) 468-3172. You can also mail your play to 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah, CA 95482. Performances will be November 2 to 5, 2023. Auditions for actors will be in September.
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LAKEPORT
Controlled burn scheduled in Lakeport for Saturday.
The Lakeport Fire Protection District will be conducting a live fire training burn (weather permitting) Saturday, July 8, 2023 near the intersection of Larrecou Ln. and Lakeport Blvd. The training burn is expected to start at 8 in the morning and last until approximately noon. Smoke will be visible in the surrounding area. Please avoid the area if possible.
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SACRAMENTO
Slow roll to finish California budget
Slowly but surely, Gov. Gavin Newsom is signing key budget bills, often waiting until the drop-dead deadline. But in an effort to secure his infrastructure streamlining proposals, he appears to be waiting to give his final OK to 20 budget-related bills, including trailer bills that fill in the budget’s details and take effect immediately.
Besides signing off on the main budget bills for the 2023-24 fiscal year on June 27 and June 30, the governor also approved one to boost reimbursements for certain Medi-Cal providers by using funds from a bigger tax on health insurance plans.
On Monday, the Assembly finished its votes on Newsom’s series of infrastructure streamlining bills, although not without reservations. Democratic Assemblymember Carlos Villapudua of Stockton, expressed his wish that legislators had “more than a few weeks to flesh this proposal out,” reports Politico.
On Wednesday the Senate was expected to take its final vote on the infrastructure package, agreeing to some Assembly amendments before sending it to Newsom’s desk.
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