River Valley

Red-Hot Revival

‘Delta-V’ warms up for regional competition

Revivals are often the hottest thing on Broadway, and this weekend, one will heat up the stage at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. "Delta-V," an original work written by UAFS drama students, will return for two shows only, tonight and Saturday.

The shows are, in essence, dress rehearsals with audiences before "Delta-V" competes in the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Feb. 27 in San Angelo, Texas. They're also fundraisers, with the whole of the $15 ticket price going toward the trip.

FAQ

‘Delta-V’

WHEN — 7:30 p.m. today & Saturday

WHERE — Breedlove Auditorium at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith

COST — $15

INFO — 788-7300

NOTE — Delta-V” is rated for ages 16 and up due to adult language, situations and violence.

At the regional level, UAFS competes against colleges in six states -- Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The UAFS show has been selected for regionals for five of the past nine years, says Bob Stevenson, director of theater at the college.

"There is an extremely strong focus on new and upcoming work now [at ACTF], and there didn't used to be," Stevenson says. "We try to do an original show every two years because our students will work on a lot of original shows when they become professionals -- and it's fairly rare for colleges to do that."

"Delta-V" is an autobiographical look at "what students had to say about the direction humanity is going and their lives at their age," Stevenson describes. "The things on their minds, like not feeling in control of their future, racism, being bullied by people, making choices.

"I think the cool and original thing is the actors are playing themselves, not playing characters outside themselves," he adds. "They're just presenting themselves as themselves on stage."

The show is the 11th devised theatrical work and the fifth full-length devised production created at UAFS.

-- Becca Martin-Brown

[email protected]

NAN What's Up on 02/20/2015

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