The Ventura College Theatre Arts Department opens the academic year with its Fall 2013 One-Act Play Festival featuring comedies by Ethan Cohen, Christopher Durang, and Woody Allen. “Talking Cure,” written by Ethan Cohen, one of the infamous filmmaking duo, the Cohen Brothers, centers around Jerry, a mailman recently incarcerated in a neuropsychiatric hospital for going postal. Through a series of short scenes directed by student Michael Davis, the audience is entertained with a therapist’s endeavor to gain the upper hand over his ostensible patient who refuses to admit the existence of a problem. "Dentity Crisis,” by Christopher Durang and directed by student Brendan Hutchinson, introduces the audience to Jane, a young woman recovering from a nervous breakdown and suicide attempt, who is tormented by the insane individuals in her life. “Honeymoon Motel,” written by Woody Allen, involves members of a dysfunctional Long Island wedding party gathered to ignite an evening of hilarity and secret spilling. Directed by student Sara Dunham, Allen masterfully creates a relentless string of revelations about each character’s most humiliating defects and intimate personal scandals that soon become a wedding night the audience will not forget.

Performances are November 1-2 and November 7-9 at 8 p.m., with one matinee performance on November 10 at 3 p.m. Enjoy a FREE preview performance on October 31 at 8 p.m. General admission is $7, with student and senior tickets at $5. This production contains strong language and adult content that might not be suitable for children under the age of 13. The Ventura College Performing Arts Center is located at 4700 Loma Vista Road in Ventura, CA. For more information, contact Jay Varela, festival instructor, at tel. (805) 289-6261 or by email at jvarela@vcccd.edu. Performing Arts Information Recorded Message Tel. 805.289.6307; Theatre Calendar: http://www.venturacollege.edu/departments/academic/theatre_arts.