Live theatre, an original student film, and documentary photography come together in the transmedia storytelling event of the year! University of the Pacific's Department of Theatre Arts immerses itself in the "across media" phenomenon that is emerging across the nation as an innovative form of storytelling. By combining three well-known platforms of narrative theatre, film, and photography Condemned emerges in a three-dimensional portrait about the struggles of homelessness.
The piece will consist of three parts, knit together with a soundscape created by an improve troupe that used Twitter and a blog as their medium.
The inspiration was live theatre. Foremost American playwright Tennessee Williams is known for his emotional relationship with his sister Rose. That inner maelstrom comes alive onstage in This Property Is Condemned, a tale about a starry-eyed waif wandering the railroad tracks searching for a way to move forward in life, without the help of family, friends, or community.
The students' focus this semester is the creation of an original film. From the Fall 2014 Playwriting course, student Austen Yip's stage play was chosen to be the film portion of Condemned. Alva was edited into a screenplay by director Gary Armagnac, It explores the troubled upbringing of sisters Alva and Willie, who is the central character in the stage play This Property Is Condemned. It is a prequel to Williams's famous one-act play
Photography students are also participating. Three visual arts courses taught by Professor Jennifer Little explore the harsh reality of homelessness through the medium of photography. Willie of This Property Is Condemned becomes homeless through circumstances out of her control, and the visual arts students capture what it means to be homeless through a lens of their own.
Condemned will be performed in University of the Pacific's Thomas J. Long Theatre. The show runs April 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8:00pm, April 16 at 7:30pm, and April 12 at 2:00pm. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students, seniors, and educators. Group discounts are available. Tickets can be purchased online at condemned.brownpapertickets.com.