LSU is set to host its first SciArts New Play Festival in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building from Oct. 20-22. The school hopes that this event will help connect the arts and science communities on campus.
Co-sponsored by the LSU College of Theatre, the LSU College of Science and Office of Research and Economic Development, the festival will feature three staged readings of plays that heavily involve science. There are also keynote speakers scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.
LSU commissioned a national competition for the plays that will be featured at the festival, with the winners decided by a panel of students and staff. There was a prize of $1,000, as well as a paid stay for the duration of the festival for the winners. All three winners were female.
LSU professor George Judy was among the panel of individuals who selected the readings for the festival.
“We read about 200 different scripts that were submitted, and we chose these three plays because they were the best of the plays that we found that brought together this connection between science and the arts,” Judy said. “We’re really excited to bring their expertise and artistry together with the science community.”
LSU School of Theatre Managing Artistic Director Vastine Stabler said that the selection of all-women writers was merely a coincidence, but some are very excited that it happened this way.
“The interesting thing is, it’s [the script submissions] blind copies, so you don’t even know the name of the people who wrote it, and just as a coincidence, all three were written by women, so that’s kind of exciting for some people here because there’s a push to have a growth of women in the arts and obviously in science as well,” Stabler said.
The festival will begin on Sunday with a staged reading of “Another Revolution” by Jacqueline Bircher, which will be directed by Stabler.
“It’s an interesting piece about two PhDs working in a lab together, and they’re working in different disciplines,” Stabler said. “It’s just about the relationship between them.”
Day two will feature a keynote speech by Leigh Fondakowski, author of “Spill” and “The Laramie Project,” followed by a staged reading of “The Surest Poison” by Kristin Idaszak, directed by Judy.
“It’s a musical murder mystery that explores forensic toxicology,” Judy said. “It is a definite mashup, that’s for sure.”
The festival will close with a keynote speech by Dr. Nina Fedoroff, biologist and former Science Advisor to two Secretaries of State, followed by a reading of “Maize” by Judith Pratt and directed by Rachel Aker.
“One of the featured speakers is Nina Fedoroff, who is one of the characters in that play, ‘Maize,’ who actually is the molecular scientist who brought forward many of the discoveries that are encountered in the play,” Judy said. “It will be fascinating to see her response to seeing herself on stage.”
LSU professor of biological sciences and University theatre department adjunct faculty Vincent Licata said the event was not only to highlight the two seemingly opposing communities but to also possibly use one of the readings presented in the festival as a future full production.
“LSU is in the perfect position to take this up, and instead of just saying, ‘oh, you won, here’s a couple thousand dollars,’ we want to do readings and actually let people hear these plays with the intention of potentially using one as a full production,” Licata said.
Admission is free and open to the public.
LSU SciArts New Play Festival hopes to combine disciplines, features women writers
By Ana Block
October 14, 2019
A studio theater in the College of Music & Dramatic Arts on Oct. 15, 2019.