RACINE POST : November 23, 2007

THE JOURNAL TIMES : Sunday, November 25, 2007

THE JOURNAL TIMES : Friday, January 18, 2008

RACINE KIOSK : Friday, January 18, 2008

Racine, Wisconsin The winning titles and their authors:

Enigmatic Lucidity by Len Cuthbert, London, Ontario
A man keeps waking up from a horrible dream only to discover that he’s still dreaming. Or is he?

The Saga of Ginny by Ian August, Highland Park, New Jersey
The story of Ginny’s tragic fall from grace. A hilarious examination of profanity, morality and censorship in today’s society.

Shopko by Joe Thompson, Madison, Wisconsin
Perry goes shopping for Zingers, and that’s exactly what he ends up with.

Shtick Therapy by Lori & Marc Barbeau and Jean & John Lowry, Racine, Wisconsin
With their marriage on the rocks, Mr. and Mrs. Stick Figure agree to a therapy session with Dr. Shtick, world-renowned stick-figure couples’ therapist.

The Crucifixion of Moe and Ira by Lynn-Steven Johanson, Macomb, Illinois
A Judean clown and a Samaritan altar-builder make the best out of an otherwise dire day in Golgotha.

Rats by Shaun Raviv, Washington, D.C.
Rat and Tar debate the morality of grabbing a bite to eat. Behold, the power of Cheese!

Yuppies by Sean Kenealy, Brooklyn, New York
As George and Aaron wait for the train, a woman enters their world and starts a conversation that they won’t soon forget.

Hostage Negotiator by Matt Solomon, Madison, Wisconsin
Meg brings Andy home to meet her dad. Dad is protective of his daughter in his own unique way.

Second to Last by Ignacio Zulueta, Oakland, California
Two ambitious astronauts hatch a plot to move up through the ranks of NASA, despite their richly deserved position at the bottom of the talent pool.

Street Music by Paul Barile, Chicago, Illinois
When Steve meets Maddy, he hears music.

The Snowdance 10 Minute Comedy Festival is a competition of original 10 minute comedies. In the ultimate interactive experience, the audience can vote for the production they enjoyed the most. The votes will be tallied throughout the four weekend festival run, and the Snowdance “Best in Snow” will be awarded after the final performance on February 24th.

A cash award of $300.00 goes to “Best in Snow”, with a $100.00 award going to both second and third place. OOHP presents Snowdance February 1 - 24, 2008; they run four shows each weekend in addition to Wednesday evening bonus shows. Reservations are available at (262)632-6802.

Snowdance has grown into an international festival, but it also has encouraged and promoted local playwrights. This year will be the third festival to feature a finalist from outside the United States; once again, there is a finalist from Racine. In fact, 15 entrees from Racine authors were received. Snowdance also provides audiences with a variety of comedic styles in one performance. Artistic Director Rich Smith elaborates, “We have a number of different types of humor represented by the finalists. Sitcom-style comedy, poignant endings, light romance, ‘twisted’ viewpoints, dark humor, political statements, and classic one-liners will all be part of the evening. Utah has the Sundance, we’re proud Racine now has Snowdance!” Audiences can also anticipate the unique Over Our Head Players approach to the evening, “Once again, audiences can look forward to our signature hyjinx. At last year’s closing ceremonies, we sealed away the ceremonial Snowdance snow cone, and we look forward to ‘lighting’ it again for this year’s competition.”

The 2008 Snowdance 10 Minute Comedy Festival is sponsored by Minuteman Press. Rich Smith leads the Snowdance acting and directing ensemble, which also features actors Barbara Akey, Rick Ditter, Cody A. Ernest, Melissa Hughes Ernest, Brandy Harrell, Zachary Scot Johnson, Jenny Kostreva, Joan Roehre, and Ron Schulz; Emily Breiwick is Snowmistress.

The first three Snowdance Festivals played to sold out audiences. Previous competitions were produced by Time-Warner Cable for Wisconsin on Demand television after the run.

Over Our Head Players is a non-profit organization of volunteer talent now in their 16th season; they operate the Sixth Street Theatre in Racine. OOHPs has a commitment to original theatre. In addition to the annual Snowdance competition, previous original works include their 2004 Artwalk performance of Camp Nelson and sell-outs of It’s a Wonderful Lifeboat; “Original Ones”: Ode to Garlic, Waiting for the WeinermobileTM, and Big Shoes; Still Haven’t Found...; and Real Remembrances of the War in Vietnam.