High school thespians take to the stage in 50th Lenaea Festival

For the 50th year Sacramento State will play host to one of the largest high school drama events of its kind when the 2006 Lenaea Festival opens at the University Jan. 27. More than 1,200 high school students are expected to participate in plays, monologues and, new for this year, musical vignettes, during the three-day, award-winning festival at venues campuswide.

The student performances are critiqued by Sacramento State professors and other acting professionals to assist the budding young actors with the development of their craft. All participants are eligible to apply for the Robert S. Smart Lenaea Scholarship, named after the Sacramento State professor who headed the festival until his death in 2003.

Festival events run from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 27; 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 28 and from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29.

The festival, which hosted 66 high schools last year, is named after the ancient Greek theatrical celebration of the god Dionysus. As in previous years, the top schools will be recommended for inclusion in the American High School Theatre Festival’s contingent to the world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival—the world's largest performing arts festival—set for Aug. 6 to 28 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Festival performances are open to the public, and $5 day and $10 weekend passes are available at the door. For more information, call (916) 278-6702 or see www.csus.edu/lenaea.

Media assistance is available from the Sacramento State Public Affairs office at (916) 278-6156.