Drama program presents Spring 2023 Festival of New Works

Yakima Valley College’s Playmasters presents its Spring 2023 Festival of New Works – Playmasters Premiere this April featuring original short plays written by YVC students and community members. The event will include three original plays, “Realistic Fairy Tales” written by YVC student Dalilah Nelson, “Heckling the Psycho Killer” written by incoming YVC student Kaitlyn Rodriguez, and “The Ballad of Phil Garko” written by community member Michael LeCompte.

Performances will be held April 20, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. in YVC’s Kendall Hall, Building #12, Black Box Theatre. Admission is $5 for general public and tickets can be purchased at the door; entry is free for YVC students, faculty and staff as well as other high school and college students with a student ID.

“Heckling the Psycho Killer” is a satire of horror/slasher films such as “Scream.” Directed by Alicia Bickley, director of drama, cast members include YVC students Madisyn Cuevas, Drew Lynch and Harmony Methgen and community member Matthew Marquez.

“The Ballad of Phil Garko” is a memory play about bowling the perfect game. Directed by Dalilah Nelson, cast members include YVC students Drew Lynch, Brooke Mason and Victoria Lockheart.

“Realistic Fairy Tales” is a gently satirical updating of common fairytales such as “Puss in Boots.” Directed by Kaitlyn Rodriguez, cast members include YVC students Makadie Miller, Brooke Mason, Abel Palmandez, Victoria Lockheart, Harmony Methgen and Obi Naze along with YVC alum Danica Jenck and community members Matthew Marquez and Hannah Ryan.

Bickley said the annual new works series provides an opportunity for YVC drama students to grow as playwrights, directors and actors as they participate in the process of creating and staging their own work.

“Through writing their own plays and collaborating with student directors and actors or even community or faculty directors and actors to workshop these plays, students have the unique opportunity to craft a play from the page all the way to the stage,” Bickley said.

Bickley said the April 21 performance will be a special “Freaky Friday” event with cast members in each play not knowing which character they will play until drawing names at the beginning of the show.

The plays may not be suitable for children.

For more information about the Festival of New Works contact Alicia Bickley at abickley@yvcc.edu or Ray Pritchard at rpritchard@yvcc.edu.

Press Release Contacts:
Dustin Wunderlich / 509.574.6870 / dwunderlich@yvcc.edu
Stefanie Menard / 509.574.4646 / smenard@yvcc.edu