A little drama never hurt anyone, really

While you've been wallowing in the winter blahs of midterms and rain, the Center of Performing Arts has been busy churning out some of the most controversial and original theatre Santa Clara University has seen in years. So get out of your room and go see these end-of-Winter-Quarter theatre events:

* "The Winter One Act Festival" takes center stage Feb. 18 and 19 at 2 p.m. in the Fess Parker Studio, featuring the directorial talents of four seniors: Jenn Bevard directs Carol Churchill's futuristic "Far Away;" Clifford Odet's politically charged "Waiting for Lefty" is undertaken by Carolina Morones; Elisa Valentine directs "Heaven and Hell (on Earth): A Divine Comedy," by Actors Theatre of Louisville; and A. Zell Williams debuts "Restrictions Apply," a student-written one-act by Santa Clara's own burgeoning new playwright, senior theatre major Maren Lovgren. Tickets are $5.

* Director Tracy Ward brings Frank Wedekind's "Spring Awakening" to the Louis B. Mayer Theatre March 3 - 5 and 8 - 11. The Center has also applied age restrictions: you have to be 18 years old to attend this quarter's main-stage production, which should be reason enough to see it. The content of this German play will shock audiences with its graphic portrayal of sexuality and blunt social commentary on hot-button issues such as rape and abortion.

* "The New Playwrights Festival," to be held on March 16 and 17, will exhibit the talents of Santa Clara's student playwrights. The Fess Parker will house this first-ever two-day event in which student-directed and student-written one-acts will be performed in a series of staged readings. The one-acts are the product of a class taught by playwright Brian Thorstenson in which the students write and workshop their original stage plays over the course of a single quarter.

Tickets are available now at the box office, located in the Louis B. Mayer Theater.

--Katie Dooling