Ellington

This month, the Undergraduate Theater Society, in association with Once Upon a Weekend and The Collective, presents The Big Idea: A Showcase of UW Undergraduate Dramatic Work. Included in this showcase are seven individual events ranging from improv to faculty lectures. It will take place at the Ethnic Cultural Theater and the Cabaret Theater May 16-26.

"This is the first time that all of the opportunities and groups that are involved in UW drama will be showcased in a single event," said Roni Weiss, executive producer of The Big Idea. "The intent of The Big Idea is to showcase to the UW and to the Seattle community at large the assortment of work that UW drama undergrads have to offer. We want people to see the talent that runs through the School of Drama like Speedy Gonzalez through a mousetrap."

Once Upon a Weekend and The Collective have regular shows throughout the school year, but have never been produced in conjunction, and Dracula coincidentally was to run May 16-20 (that's right, folks -- it opens tonight), but the rest of the shows were specifically tailored for The Big Idea.

The Undergraduate Ten-Minute Play Festival, in its second year, will be shown at the Ethnic Cultural Theater and will kick off the series of events. It is written, acted, directed and produced entirely by undergrads and will take place during the U-District's Street Fair, May 18-19.

Senior Spotlight will showcase the talents of the drama class of 2002 with short two-to-five minute scenes. It will also be shown at the Ethnic Cultural Theater and will be followed immediately by Faculty Forums with Jon Jory on May 20 and Herbert Blau on May 21.

The Binge Festival II will present "dramatic, musical, dance and combined performance pieces." Basically, any routine that can be imagined could be performed as part of this wacky festival, though the majority of the pieces will be dramatic. It runs May 22-26 in the Cabaret Theater.

Between the seven events, there will be roughly 50 individual pieces shown, not to mention the faculty lectures. With such a great variety of performances, The Big Idea should appeal to a large audience and participant pool.

"I would say that one of my personal goals is to have the non-drama community be involved in drama at UW. By having this, we will be able to expand our collective knowledge and broaden our experience," said Weiss. "This being said, it is still an undergraduate festival, so the involvement by graduate students and faculty will be limited, and people outside of the University will not be directing or acting."

However, Weiss contends, "The intent is not to take away from our prodigious graduate program, but to show that we complement one another." And graduates will likely participate in the events one way or another, which has been the case often with Once Upon a Weekend.

As for the future of The Big Idea, Weiss said, "The hope is that this will be the first of an annual event that will take place for decades to come. My hope is that The Big Idea will lay the foundation for people outside of drama, and especially people outside of UW, to be able to see the passion that we put into our work and the quality that it brings out in our productions."

Once again, The Big Idea begins May 16 (Hutchinson Hall 205). Tickets are $5 for Binge II, Dracula, The Undergraduate Ten Minute Play Festival and Senior Spotlight/Faculty Forums, $1 for Once Upon A Weekend, and The Collective performances are free. Also, an Unlimited Festival Pass is available for $15. For more information, email uwbigidea@hotmail.com or call The Big Idea Hotline at 934-6230.