Original plays at OCC’s festival

Summertime traditionally sees collegiate actors resting after an active season and gearing up for the new round of fall shows.

Not at Orange Coast College, however. There the hyperactive Theater Arts Department will be staging a festival of five original short plays for two weekends, beginning July 7.

One of the shows, “The Wetlands Project,” is geared toward children and was written by OCC instructor David Scaglione. The play describes the animals of the wetlands, their environment and the problems endangering them.

The show ? which includes interaction with the cast and a question-and-answer session ? is the opening production in the evening (or afternoon) of originals. Four one-act plays, more adult-oriented, will follow ? including another written by Scaglione, OCC’s resident set designer ? and the other three by students at the Costa Mesa college.

Certain to strike a nerve is “Nobody Loves a Telemarketer” by Sean Engard. It’s a comedy about the loves, lives and, well, hang-ups of a telemarketing company for a theater troupe.

Marie Farrell will showcase her original play, “An Exercise in Futility,” which focuses on a dream about the apocalypse and one woman’s efforts to save the world. Farrell is directing the piece as well.

Scaglione returns with his “Pee in a Bottle.” This one involves two men who consider the cosmic ramifications of a bottle of wine and promises to be a bit less serious than “The Wetlands Project.”

“The Mortal Menagerie” by Eric Stayberg and Ryan P. Fialcowitz will close the program. It’s a fantasy about a group of people trapped in a house surrounded by monsters.

Performances will be given July 7 through 9 and 12 through 15 with evening curtains at 7 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 in advance, $7 at the door, and may be reserved by calling (714) 432-5880.