San Diego Theater Preview: Poefest in Old Town, WOW, Seven, and Intimate Apparel

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – There are several new theater shows and events taking place throughout the month. KUSI Theater Contributor Joey Landwehr told us all about some of them on Good Morning San Diego.

Here are the four he spoke about:

2ND ANNUAL POEFEST IN OLD TOWN
Write Out Loud (Old Town)
October 11-26 Friday & Saturday Nights 7:00 & 8:30pm
This is Write Out Loud’s second annual POEFEST which takes place at the historic Adobe Chapel in Old Town. These are staged performances of works by Edgar Allan Poe and other authors of the phantasmic in partnership with Save Our Heritage Organisation. Just in time for Halloween – there will be three Poevocative weekend of Ghostly Stories with the wonderful backdrop of the historic Adobe Church in Old Town.
• Write Out Loud has a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud. You may be familiar with some of their other programs – the annual Twainfest that has been going on for 10 years each summer, their 6 season series of StoryConcerts at the Old Town Theatre, Poetry Out Loud, a poetry recitation competition for students among others.
• Performers will be sharing such classic Poe favorites as The Pit and the Pendulum, The Imp of the Perverse, The Black Cat, The Little Frenchman and The Oval Portrait and also The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Performing by candlelight in the unique and historic Adobe Chapel in Old Town adds a wonderful atmosphere to these classic pieces.

WOW (WITH-OUT-WALLS FESTIVAL)
La Jolla Playhouse (ARTS DISTRICT – Liberty Station)
October 17-20
La Jolla Playhouse’s 4th biennial WOW Festival is a 4-day explosion of site-based and immersive performances by more than 20 local, national and international artists/companies. Since its inception in 2011, Without Walls (WOW) has become one of San Diego’s most popular and acclaimed performance programs. WOW productions are interactive, immersive and take place in fun and unique locations—all outside the walls of a theater. There truly will be something to appeal to everyone, as festival celebrates San Diego community’s adventurous spirit and rich cultural diversity.
• This year’s event will be at ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station, a wonderful city-wide gathering spot, offering many dining options and free parking.
• Admission to the festival is free — half the individual shows are free; the rest are just $20.
• Ikaros, by the internationally-renowned, New York-based Third Rail Projects
• Las Quinceañeras, by acclaimed local artist David Israel Reynoso/Optika Moderna
• Written in Stone, a series of five 10-minute plays all set at Stone Brewery
• Family-Friendly programming: Tall Tales of the High Seas and Boats , large-scale, interactive pieces from Australia; Peregrinus (Poland), Vuela (Mexico)
• Projects from San Diego Circus Center, Malashock Dance, San Diego Ballet, and more.

LA THEATRE WORKS: SEVEN
San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS (UTC Area)
October 12 @ 7pm (One Night Only)
Seven is a riveting documentary play in which seven women give voice to the voiceless. Created with the support of Vital Voices Global Partnership, the play is a collaboration between the playwrights and seven female activists from around the globe who faced life-threatening obstacles before bringing heroic changes to their home countries of Pakistan, Nigeria, Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Russia and Cambodia. Their stories of overcoming adversity to effect real change and improve the lives of women will inspire everyone. L.A. Theatre Works has been the foremost radio theater company in the United States for four decades and is broadcast weekly on public radio stations and the BBC. The cast includes recognizable and respected television, theater, and film actors.
• Written by: Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith, and Susan Yankowitz
• “L.A. Theatre Works is a national theatrical treasure…”-The Philadelphia Inquirer

INTIMATE APPAREL
New Village Arts (Carlsbad)
Through October 20
Wearing her heart on her sleeve while sewing intimates for her clientele, Esther is the talented African American seamstress in turn-of-the-century New York who has built a savings for herself making beautiful undergarments—while earnestly daydreaming of new beginnings, romantic possibilities, and the lingering affection she shares with a Jewish fabric merchant. But when an egregious deception cuts short heartfelt desires, can class, culture and circumstance outmatch the strength of human spirit?
• Inspired by a true story, Intimate Apparel is a heart-rending contemporary work in the style of an enduring classic—from the first female playwright to win two Pulitzers.
• Winner of the 2004 New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle Awards.
• “…thoughtful, affecting…The play offers poignant commentary on an era when the cut and color of one’s dress—and of course, skin—determined whom one could and could not marry, sleep with, even talk to in public.” —Variety