Contact: Bruce Conley, Associate Director of College Relations
Phone: (605) 274-5526
Fax: (605) 274-4903
www.augie.edu

April 11, 2005

Augustana Hosts The ‘8 In 48’ Claire Donaldson Short Play Festival

SIOUX FALLS – Another opening! Another eight shows! The 8 In 48 Claire Donaldson Short Play Festival hits the Edith Mortenson Center main stage Friday and Saturday, May 6-7.

The festival is intentionally designed to be a fast, fun, and productive experience for all involved. Augustana alumni from all eras have been invited back to the boards to reunite, swap stories, and enjoy staging eight new short works of theatre specifically selected for this festival from a slate of more than 200 submissions.

The eight plays will be designed, cast, and rehearsed in just 48 hours! Preparation begins May 5 when directors receive scripts and meet with the production staff. Auditions and rehearsals will be held May 6. Rehearsals resume May 7 and include dress rehearsals.

The curtain goes up May 7, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $5 for the general public, and $3 for students and seniors.
Reservations can be made online or by calling the Theatre Box Office at 274-5320 today!

CLAIRE DONALDSON graduated from Augustana in 2000 with a B.A. in English and theatre. She was seen on the Augustana boards in a number of productions, including Love’s Labours Lost, Defying Gravity, The State of the Union, and The Museum.

Claire was also a distinguished artisan who crafted hair, makeup, and costumes on numerous productions. While pursuing her degree, she was an active independent playwright, crafting and staging one of her earliest original scripts, How Simon Learned to Laugh.

After graduating from Augustana, Claire went on to teach theatre and English studies in the Dallas, Texas, area while continuing to pursue professional opportunities as a playwright. Simon went on to receive two Off-Broadway stagings prior to Claire’s early and untimely death.

While she is most certainly missed, Claire Donaldson is also remembered as an intensely vibrant, funny and bright young woman whose gifts have left a legacy. The Claire Donaldson 8 in 48 Short Play Festival is a testament to the strength of those talents and to her intense love of the written and spoken word.