Out and about

Madcap comedies and intense dramas are the cornerstone of this year’s Outworks play festival at LSU, which features six original one-act plays centering on gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer themes.

This year the LSU Department of Theatre received more than 160 submissions from playwrights across the country seeking inclusion in the 3-year-old festival showcasing GLBTQ theater.

“Universities really need to have some component of new play production,” says Vastine Stabler, director of marketing and public relations for LSU theatre. “This started as a really great way for us to do that while incorporating queer theory. It’s just grown ever since.”

Produced in conjunction with the LSU Theatre Studio Season, Outworks will present Call Girl by Carol Mullen, Liberal Arts by Don LaPlant, Lesbian Nightmare by Corinne J. Kawecki, Where Things Are by Steven Schutzman, Dog Tag by Anne Bertram and Matthew A. Everett and The Heinrich Maneuver by Mark Harvey Levine.

The festival runs Jan. 22-27 at the Hatcher Hall Theatre. The plays will be split into two three-play bills performed on alternating days. Performances will run Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday on 2 p.m. A special performance will include all six plays 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are a $6 suggested donation and are only available at the door. theatre.lsu.edu