Readings by students of the Creative Writing Program and Writer-in- Residence Bill Gaston 7:30pm, Douglas Room March 7 International Women’s Day Dinner and Unsung Heroine awards ceremony 6pm; $15 general admission, $5 for students 604-527-5148, line 2 March 14 to 22 ONstage! at Douglas College presents Sophocles’ Electra A modern adaptation by Jonathan Christensen, Denise Kenney and Joey Tremblay directed by Denise Kenney Studio Theatre Times, ticket information and reservations: 604-527-5488 March 15 Single Parent Forum Morning: legal information for single parents Afternoon: parenting children with challenging behaviours Info: 604-527-5148, line 2 Deviant prisoners and witches come to College stages Justice is a freak show and the prisoners are the main attraction in Electra, running March 14-22. They're deviant, they’re violent, and they are losing track of reality. This is one production where the audience will appreciate that the buffer zone between the stage and the theatre seats is sealed off by prison bars. These twisted, loopy women are disturbing. This adapted adaptation of Electra depicts five violent female offenders re-enacting the ancient Greek story in which Electra and her brother Orestes kill their mother in an act of revenge for their father’s murder. As the prisoners take on their roles in Electra, they forget who they are as the lines between themselves and their characters blur. “Tt’s a dark satire done by clowns gone bad,” says Director Denise Kenney, who has an MFA in Film Directing from UBC and has worked in theatre, film and television. The original adaptation by Jonathan Christenson and Joey Tremblay based the prisoner's stories on crimes ripped from the headlines, demonstrating that the cycle of violence and revenge is just as relevant today as it was when Electra was first written 2,400 years ago. Kenney further adapted the play to suit her cast of five Douglas College Theatre students. “The play explores how we tend to polarize good and evil,” says Kenney. “It asks the question, “What is revenge and what is justice?’ It’s looking the monster in the eye and seeing some of your own reflection. We all like to point the finger but in doing so do we become the very monster we are seeking to slay?” Electra, an ONstage! presentation of Douglas College’s Theatre and Stagecraft departments, runs March 14 to 22, evenings at 7:30pm with a matinee on Saturday, March 22 and no Sunday show. Performances take place in the Studio Theatre. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors. To order tickets, contact the box office at 604-527- 5488. For group bookings, call 604-527-5279. Lady Macbeth succumbs to the witches’ whims in Macbeth, showing March 21-29. When one Macbeth is no longer enough, call in the alter egos. And while youre at it, twist time, give the three witches the starring roles they deserve, and shift the setting from Scotland to a netherworld controlled by witches. “Tt’s Macbeth twisted but still very much the brilliant product of Shakespeare’s imagination,” says Douglas College Theatre instructor Allan Lysell, who is directing his students in Charles Marowitz’s 1969 Diversity Week focuses on the big questions Are there times when a person's individual rights impinge on the collective rights of others? Should freedom of expression be limited if the idea could cause harm to others? Or is freedom of expression so important to a vibrant democracy that it should not be restrained in any way? Mary-Woo Sims, the former Chief Commissioner of the BC Human Rights Commission, will share her reflections on these questions dealing with individual and collective rights, as part of Diversity Week at Douglas College from March 17 to 21. Sims’ work in human rights epitomizes the spirt of Diversity Week. “Diversity Week is about taking a stand,” says Helen Aqua, Chair of the Diversity Week : Committee. “It’s a time of pride and appreciation for the diversity at Douglas College. We have students, faculty and staff from many different places and backgrounds. And we're all focusing on the same thing -- learning.” Another Diversity Week event focuses on the incredible endurance and spirt of one Japanese- Canadian woman. Linda Ohama will screen and discuss her film Obaachan’s Garden (Grandmother’s Garden) in which one woman's family secrets spur four generations of women from a Japanese family to seek and realize a dream, revealing the magic of life. These are just two of many events celebrating Diversity Week at Douglas College. There will also be discussion table topics on each table in the cafeteria, encouraging debate on subjects like “What is the difference between ae adaptation of the tragedy. Presented by the Theatre and Stagecraft Departments, the bloodshed takes place March 21 to 29 at Douglas College’s Performing Arts Theatre. In many ways, this version is the witches’ play. “There is no other path for Macbeth,” says Lysell. “He is at the whim of the witches. The implication is that we are already predisposed toward evil. The witches just nudge us towards our evil thoughts.” And they have a very good time doing it. Lysell says: tolerance and acceptance?’ and ‘Why are we afraid of people who think, act or look different?’ Sometimes we forget to acknowledge our diversity. “We all walk around wearing blue jeans and we all meld together,” says Aqua. “But we are also very different. And it’s important to celebrate that.” Mary-Woo Sims speaks on Wednesday, March 19 “They are very mean witches. They speak in riddles. To quote MacDuff, ‘They lie, they lie.’ They enjoy seeing people hurt each other and they enjoy seeing people get hurt.” The play reflects Elizabethan times when everyone believed in the power of the devil and the notion of succumbing to the dark forces. “It's bloody,” emphasizes Lysell. “We have blood on people, we have blood on costumes, we have a head that drips blood.” There will also be swordfights, ghosts and apparitions. “Macbeth is a really great horror story,” says Lysell. “But it’s truly horrible because we identify with Macbeth and see his destruction. He is a bad guy, but everyone understands it.” Macbeth, an ONstage! presentation of Douglas College’s Theatre and Stagecraft departments, runs March 21 to 29, evenings at 7:30pm with a Saturday March 29 matinee and no Sunday show. Performances take place in the Performing Arts Theatre. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors. To order tickets, contact the box office at 604-527- 5488. For group bookings, call 604-527-5279. from 12 to 2pm in the Boardroom (room 4920), New Westminster Campus. Linda Ohama’s screening of Obaachan’s Garden takes place Thursday, March 20 from 7 to 9 pm in the Boardroom (roorn 4920), New Westminster Campus. For more information about Diversity Week at Douglas College, please call 604-527-5419.