Attention all Bakersfield College students: the Theatre Club is back. The Theatre Club has been in existence since 2004, according to Blake Clendenen, current Theatre Club president, although it was shut down in the past semesters due to a lack of members and involvement.
The Theatre Club resurrection was due to Clendenen and BC professor Kimberley Chin. Also, the refurbishing of the theaters brought a new wave of students interested in joining the club.
The freshly restarted Theatre Club has a new cabinet, which consists of Clendenen, vice president Henley Pearson, secretary Monique Hanson-Garcia, and treasurer Kaylee Underwood. Chin is the club’s adviser.
Clendenen noted the goal of the club: “To have outreach and support for anyone who wants to learn about art and acting through the means of improv and theater games and stage direction and acting in general,” he said.
The club currently consists of 15-16 members, all of whom are BC students.
When asked about upcoming events, Clendenen mentioned a festival in November. It will be known as the Bakersfield College Theatre Club Second One Act Festival, taking place Nov. 19 thru 21. The festival will start at 7 p.m. and go until 8:30 p.m. The festival will take place at the Black Box Theater in the SPARC building, with free admissions, though the Theatre Club is asking for suggested donations of $5.
There will be six plays shown each night. They are “Family: The Proposal,” written and directed by Reginald Autwell, “Out of the Closet” and “Into the Fire co-written by Clendenen and Jess Akinson and directed by Clendenen, “Trouble in Eden,” written and directed by Clendenen, “Da Artist House,” written by Chin and directed by Clendenen, and “Laboring Storm and Echoes in the Night,” written and directed by Jess Akinson.
The Theatre Club will also be fundraising at the Kern Shakespeare Festival, selling concessions. The festival continues until Oct. 26 at the outdoor theater.
Club meetings are the first and third Thursdays of the month, with make-up dates on Mondays of every month (a total of four make-up meetings). The club can be found on Facebook by searching for BC Theatre Club.
In the semester to come, spring 2015, the Bakersfield College Third One Act Festival will take place around March, according to Clendenen. The Theatre Club will be taking submissions of plays from new playwrights who want to act or direct during the winter break. Anyone interested in joining, auditioning, submitting acts, or general information can reach the Clendenen by email at [email protected].