By KATHERINE ZEHNDER
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Editor’s note: Katherine Zehnder joins the News-Press today as one of our writers.
The UCSB Department of Theater and Dance is presenting “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind.”
The show will open on Saturday and run through Nov. 14 at the UCSB Performing Arts Center.
The curtain will rise at 7 p.m. Nov. 6, 9, 10, 12 and 13. Matinees are 1 p.m. Nov. 6, 7, 13 and 14.
“One of the main objectives for me while working on this play was finding ways to make the cast feel empowered and in control,” so UCSB students in the cast can take ownership of the play in their own right, said Michael Bernard, the director of the show and a UCSB lecturer.
The play originally opened in Chicago in 1988 and was created by Greg Allen. The show ran for 50 weekends a year until 2016.
“Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind” is a unique attempt by Mr. Allen to present 35 plays in 70 minutes, according to a news release. Each individual play is only two minutes long.
Another unique aspect is that the show relies heavily on audience participation.
Audience members are given a program or “menu” listing all 35 plays. They shout out which play they would like to see next, so the plays run in no particular order. That keeps the cast members from falling into a routine of well memorized lines and knowing exactly what happens next.
So the show is different every time and takes both the audience and the cast on an adventure during the performance.
Tickets in advance cost $17 for general admission and $13 for UCSB faculty, staff, alumni and students, seniors and children. To purchase, call the box office at 805-893-2064 or go to www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu.
Tickets on the day of the play cost an additional $2.
email: dmason@newspress.com
