UVU’s Short Attention Span is Worth Paying Attention To!

Short Attention Span Theatre 2014

Ah, Spring. With it comes UVU’s annual student written, directed and performed ten minute play festival. This is the twelfth year that UVU has put on SAST. The venue for SAST is small and intimate. The Exbox Theatre holds just over sixty audience members and everyone has a good seat. The set is just a few tables and chairs and the actors are costumed in black and white. It is simple, but effective. The motto for the show is: “If you don’t like this one, wait ten minutes”. There are eight short shows in the production. Many actors play multiple parts. It is a challenge to go from one play to another with little to no time to adjust to a new character, but these UVU performers are up to the task. From comedy to drama and back again, the versatility of the actors is impressive.

God is Great is the first show and is written by Jared Bridegan. The student director is Amber M. Cummings. Javi Ybarra plays a nervous, Middle Eastern terrorist. The other passengers on the train are played by Jessie Lynn Pusey, Erika Ovuoba, Kacey Spadafora and Angela Nibley. As a result of the acting and directing, I was surprised at where my sympathies lay. “Through the Lens” is a show about a family that is coming apart. It is written by Romona Brown and directed by Emily Griffith. Jason Evans shows great emotion as a father who is struggling to know what his role in the family has been. Kayley Azure Green is the angry, adult daughter who cannot accept what is happening in her family. “Tax Dollars”, written by Daniel Paredes and directed by David Beach, is a political piece, complete with a corrupt, Southern politician and scandalous liaisons. Don’t let that fool you, it is hilarious. Javi Ybarra jumps from a dramatic role to a comedic one in this show. He and Collin Thomas play self serving, irreverent congressmen. Ann Thomas’ performance as the intern is spot on. She is a young woman in control. Scott Twitchel and Wade Johnson are the tough guys in the show. Tim Peay is the yes man. This is just a very funny cast who work together and make the script come alive. “Rank” brings us back into drama again. It is written by Daniel Paredes and directed by Jordan Cummings. This time Collin Thomas is coming directly from a comedy role into a very serious role. He and Paige Porter are parents who are manipulated by their ecclesiastical leader (Lucas Stewart). To save their family and themselves, they do things that are inconsistent with their beliefs and morals. It is powerful show that is powerfully acted. Written by Chantel Ficklin and directed by Lisa Edwards, “Between the Pages” is a story about a young man (Tim Peay) who has run into trouble and lands in jail. His friend (Alex Rettie) and his little sister (Kayley Azure Green, in her second role) visit him there. While there are many things the guard (Collin Thomas) does not notice, there are some that he does. “Mobsters” is a show directed by Jacob Squire and written by Trevor Newsome. While other shows have a message—this one is just absurd and funny. Javi Ybarra gets another chance to use his skill with accents, as a Mexican detective. His daughter (Rachel Bigler) has unknowingly gotten in with mobsters (Tony Soriano and Kacey Spadafora). Tim Peay plays. . . well, you’ll just have to go see the show to find out his third role. Written by Teresa Thomas and directed by Ben Henderson, “Guidance Program” is about young women who feel they are miles apart but come to understand each other better through the course of the show. Maddy Forsyth and Emma Robinson play two popular girls. I was particularly appreciative of Hannah Scharman’s thoughtful performance as the girl who is sent for guidance. The young women discover that they have more to offer one another than they first believed.

Another funny show, “Mad, Mad Love”, is written by David Pate and directed by Cameron Garcia. Two young friends (Erika Ovouba and Wade Johnson, in their second roles) call their friends together to explain “the elephant in the room”. The two are not on the same page about what the elephant is, though. The two main characters worked very well together. In his third role, Kacey Spadafora is quite creepy as the creepy friend. Clarissa Knotts and Lucas Stewart (second role) are amusing as the other two friends. This play is unique in that it has a bit of audience participation. Utah Valley University is really coming up in the theatre world. They are earning more and more awards and well deserved accolades. To get a taste of the kind of theatre UVU puts on, try Short Attention Span Theatre. There are four more performances in UVU’s Exbox Theatre (in the Gunther Trades Building). You can see it Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th of March. Two shows each night at 7 pm and 9 pm.