The third Stage on Screen (SOS) Theatre Fest: International, where plays will be presented by theaters from countries around the world, Santa Clarita’s live online theatre festival will launch on January 22, 2021, and will run
through March 12, 2021.
During the SOS Theatre Fest, spectators can expect to enjoy interactive stories, compelling
dramas, original one-acts and more, featuring international artists! This is a FREE
eight-week festival that includes a MAINcast interview and performance of a play every
week.
The festival’s featured productions include “Casting K. Perry,” “Screwball,” “Zoom
Zone,” “Black Women Dating White Men,” “Antonia Wishes to Take a Walk Through the
Fields & DESAZOOM,” With Our Uniform,” “Knackered,” and “Unpack & The People’s
Toast.” The MAIN kicks-off each week with the ‘MAINcast Interview’ on Facebook.
Hosted by Festival Co-Producers Stephan Nieman and Calliope Weisman, the interview
is curated to take an in-depth look at the week’s featured production with the director
and select cast members. ‘MAINcast Interviews’ are scheduled for every Tuesday at 7:00
pm PST on Facebook, from January 19 until March 9, 2021. Every Friday evening from January 22 through March 12, the theatrical
performances go live on Zoom Webinar and are followed by an audience ‘Talkback.’
Many shows will begin at 7:00 pm PST, but some shows that feature audience
participation will start at 5:00pm PST / 8:00 pm EST to involve a wider audience.
Virtual doors will open to audience members 15 minutes before the show starts. All
productions will be shown on Zoom Webinar: Meeting ID-99907497020
Password-SOSfest. This information will also be posted on the pertaining ‘Virtual Event
– SOS Theatre Fest’ Facebook event page as well as all promotional material. The live stream of the entire performance (plus more details about each SOS show) will also be
available on Facebook Live at facebook.com/themainnewhall.
The MAIN invites
guests to stay for the audience ‘Talkback’ after the show (not available on FB Live).
Stephan Nieman will moderate the post-performance ‘Q & A’ which offers the audience
a chance to inquire about the play with the director and cast. Unlike the MAINcast
Interview’ which is curated, the ‘Talkback’ is an opportunity for the community to
connect and engage with the performers in real time.
While the shows are free, if the audience would like to support the talented cast and
crew, there will be a link during each performance to make a donation. SOS Theatre Fest gives audiences a unique inside perspective of international theater in hopes of broadening the worldview of the Santa Clarita community. In turn, we provide artists
with a virtual stage to create and collaborate from all around the world. We invite our
community to support and partake in the thrill of live theatre from the comfort of your
own home.
Here is the line-up for the International SOS Theatre Festival:
Week 1 – Casting K. Perry, a collective creation by Drama Club Company in
SANTIAGO, CHILE – Three women face a series of tests to become the new version of
American singer Katy Perry, chosen in real time by the audience. Performed in Chilean
Spanish with English subtitles. (Interview: January 19, Show: January 22)
Week 2 – Screwball, written and directed by Michael Monroe of Glass Walls in
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – At the intersection of desperation and depression, a
gallery-owner and her star-artist argue over whether positive or negative art has greater
impact. Performed in English with a Scottish dialect, plus American English subtitles.
(Interview: January 26, Show: January 29)
Week 3 – Zoom Zone, presented by New York Mandarin Playback in NEW YORK
and SHANGHAI, CHINA – This is a performance where audience members are invited
to share their stories about this new norm for connecting. In turn, our performers will
create an improvised play based on what is shared. Performed in Mandarin Chinese and
English with English subtitles. (Interview: February 2, Show: February 5)
Week 4 – Black Women Dating White Men, written by Somebody Jones and
directed by Khadifa Wong in GREAT BRITAIN – This show features a Zoom support
group of (you guessed it) Black women who are in long-term relationships (plus two marriages) with white men. Expect talks about privilege, activism, and the mystery of
headscarves. Performed in British and American English with American English
subtitles. (Interview: February 9, Show: February 12)
Week 5 – Antonia Wishes to Take a Walk Through the Fields and DESAZOOM in
ARGENTINA – Antonia is written and directed by Leandro Montgomery. Will Antonia
be able to create her own identity and free herself of the labels that imprison her? Or will
she be condemned to repeat this cycle that can last an eternity? // DESAZOOM, written
by Leticia Arbelo and Mariangeles Aduco, shows the other side of the reality of teaching
during this quarantine, where the difficulties faced by teachers and assistants are
accentuated by the demands of the institutions and families of the students. Both
performed in Argentine Spanish with English subtitles. (Interview: February 16, Show:
February 19)
Week 6 – With Our Uniform, written by Olutayo Irantiola and directed by Lanre
Lekan Quadri of Peo Davies Players in LAGOS, NIGERIA – This is a satirical play about
the Police force and their various actions against the civilians and the order of the
Inspector General of Police (IGP). It brings to the forefront the societal decadence and
the use of force to crush the spirit of those agitating for change. Performed in Pidgin
English with English subtitles. (Interview: February 23, Show: February 26)
Week 7 – Knackered, written by Oonagh Wall of anseo|anois theatre in TIPPERARY,
IRELAND – Two police officers attempt to solve a crime that has been committed in the
fictional rural Irish village of Dunabree. This play explores the harsh realities of the
contained Irish community in the face of globalisation, and reveals the detrimental
effect that excessive pride- of-place can wreak upon the people who reside there.
Performed in English with an Irish dialect, plus American English subtitles. (Interview:
March 2, Show: March 5)
Week 8 – Unpack from THE BALKANS, ROMANIA and The People’s Toast from
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – Unpack, written by Dr. Catalina Florescu and directed
by Leo Bacica, is a moving play about a father and daughter during the communist years
in Romania (and beyond). It brings on stage the atmosphere of a region in Europe
known as The Balkans. // The People’s Toast, written by Ellis Stump, was inspired by
Czech playwright and political protester Vaclav Havel (1936-2011) and his Vanek Plays.
This three-part one-act contemporization considers activism, communication, and
creative success as the characters spiral any remaining “normalcy” into existential,experimental absurdism. Both performed in English with English subtitles. (Interview:
March 9, Show: March 12)
Learn more about SOS Theatre Fest: International and other upcoming virtual
events on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheMAINNewhall. For additional
information and updates, subscribe to our eNotify email list by visiting us at
AtTheMAIN.org.
