The Glendale College theater arts production “The Lesbian Witches of Ojai,” written by Brian Dembkoski, was selected to take part in the Region VIII American College Theatre Festival, put on by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at Utah State University in Logan Feb. 11 to 16.

From that four-piece production, two pieces — “The Lesbian Witches of Ojai” and “One Bullet” — were chosen as the best new plays produced in a six-state region.

A Kennedy Center national selection team viewed the GCC production, along with other new works from seven other regional festivals around the country.

The ACTF program started in 1969 by the Kennedy Center’s founding chairman Roger L. Stevens.

This year, ACTF has viewed more than 400,000 college theater students.
The state, regional and national festivals honor overall productions as well as artists’ individual efforts through scholarships and awards in categories including acting, criticism, directing, design and playwriting.

According to the Kennedy Center, ACTF’s goal is “to encourage, recognize, and celebrate the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs.”

The first piece, “The Lesbian Witches of Ojai,” introduced two overly excited men, Todd (Jeff Leatherwood) and Colin (Benjamin Magallanes Jr.) who dress up in women’s Shakespearian costumes to crash a lesbian party located in a cemetery in Ojai.

The second play, “The Bullet,” focuses on one of 10 executioners on a death squad, where only one bullet is placed in one gun. The executioner has a one-in-10 chance of being the “murderer.”

“Lesbian Witches” and “One Bullet” were performed in a Cauble’s Corner performance along with Cal State L.A.’s “One-O-Eight Fragment” written by JooYoung Song at USU’s Caine Lyric Theatre in downtown Logan.